Ozark – Laundering Drug Money in the Midwest
The second season of Ozark is now available for streaming on Netflix.
Good people sometimes do bad things that hurt those closest to them. That’s the case with Marty Byrde, an accountant based in Chicago. It helps that Marty is played by Jason Bateman whose nice guy looks go a long way towards making him a sympathetic character that we can root for. Bateman has been nominated for a 2018 Emmy Award for his performance. The awards will be handed out on September 17.
Marty’s dilemma starts innocently enough. A potential new client, Carmino Del Rio (Esai Morales), meets with Marty and his partner, Bruce Liddell (Josh Randall), asking the pair to review his company’s books. A numbers wiz, Marty immediately spots a discrepancy and tells Del someone within his organization is siphoning off some of the profits. Del, impressed with Marty’s skill, offers him a job. Marty initially says no, his antennae warning him that Del is probably dealing drugs and laundering money. But a trip to one of Del’s lavish resorts manages to bring even Marty’s skeptical wife on board. Marty tells Del he’s in, but immediately regrets his decision when Del’s thugs brutally kill the person identified as the thief.
Jordana Spiro
The arrangement helps to make Marty rich, but working for a psychopath keeps him on edge. When Del accuses both Marty and Bruce of working for the FBI, Bruce is killed, but Marty does some fast talking to save himself and his family. He proposes that he and his family move to Missouri where they can more easily launder the millions of dollars Del’s business generates. Del agrees, giving Marty his first assignment – cleaning $8 million.
Marty’s wife, Wendy (a marvelous Laura Linney), isn’t thrilled to be leaving. She’s been having an affair because Marty has become so distant. Their two children, 15 year-old Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz), and 13 year-old Jonah (Skylar Gaertner), are even more opposed to the move. But with little choice, the family moves to Naperville in the Missouri Ozarks.
Marty immediately begins scouting for businesses he can use to launder the funds. That task proves to be more difficult than he had anticipated. Even failing businesses – a marina and restaurant owned by Rachel (Jordana Spiro), and a strip club owned by Bobby Dean (Adam Boyer), are not eager to take money from Marty. And, it turns out, there are other drug lords already operating in the region who also need places to wash their dollars. There aren’t enough laundromats in Missouri to handle all this business.
Julia Garner
The first season on Netflix consists of ten episodes that are packed with action. Some of it is very violent, so be prepared. Character development is astonishing, putting on display the good, the bad, and the ugly that each actor manages to bring to the screen. Besides the actors mentioned above, kudos to Julia Garner, who plays Ruth Langmore, a 19 year-old woman from a dysfunctional family whose loyalties are severely tested. This young actress is a revelation.
We may be in for some stormy weather in the next few weeks. So pop the corn, settle in, and watch Ozark.
Top: Laura Linney and Jason Bateman
Photo credit: JaksonDavis/Netflix
