Ozark (netflix show): Season 2 wrap-up (SPOILERS)

I normally try to avoid all spoilers when writing about these things but I am a bit upset. So before I continue any further I will just say this overall about the series / season: They kind of lost me because of the repetition in theme and the frustrating plot cycles. It is formulaic and if I wanted to make a thesis out of this I could probably identify certain aspects of the season with certain aspects that the writers made certain (perhaps via a whiteboard) that had to exist in each episode before finishing.

It went from being something I looked forward to, to being something I felt I had to finish because "I've come this far." I don't think that is a good thing. Anyway, SPOILERS begin from this point forward so you should leave now if you want to see this quite average show that I guess I can still kind of recommend.

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This ride started out wonderfully but in the words of Mitch Hedberg: "It was like pancakes."

That is: At the beginning you were loving it but then at the end you are friggin sick of 'em.

As I mentioned in the beginning paragraph the same things happen in every episode and it goes like this

• The Byrdes have nearly got some problem wrapped up that they encountered in a previous episode
• A new scenario is introduced in their master plan
• Someone they are aligned with ends up screwing up new said plan
• The Byrdes argue at home (especially Wendy)

And that, in a shell, is every episode in Season 2.

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I'm not sure if this existed in Season 1 and I was just new enough that I didn't realize it and that is the reason why it stayed entertaining, but after 20 episodes of this show I can honestly say that Netflix could announce that Season 3 is done and will be uploaded today and I honestly wouldn't care. I don't think would even watch it. That's not to suggest that everything about the show is bad, it just isn't very good and there really aren't too many shocking moments. Whenever something bad happens there is normally a massive lead-in that pretty much telegraphs the big event that the entire episode is leading up to.

Now here are what are in my opinion are the worst aspects of the show.

The Snells

When these guys were first introduced they were a bit interesting although extremely difficult to understand. Yet as Season 2 progressed it seemed as though, like clockwork, they would intentionally sabotage anything they recently literally JUST agreed to. It became so predictable that it stopped being at all shocking around the 3rd time. Their home also goes from having no security to having tons of it depending on the situation. Make up your minds!

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The Preacher

This guy, thank heavens (pun intended) he is dead. His character should have just been someone in the background that maybe gets a line or two but instead they dedicated an entire episode (In S1 and S2) to him. This was such obvious filler that if they had simply said "you don't need to watch this one" it would have been appreciated.

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Wendy

I don't know if it is intentional but nearly every scene that Wendy is in is an eye-roller. She mucks up nearly everything she is involved in and when she scolds her kids it just even more annoying. I don't want to blame her bad character on Laura Linney (who i like to believe is a good actress) but it is just bad. Even a lot of the press has said things like "She doesn't really fit in the cast." I felt the same way about Skylar in Breaking Bad so maybe it is just me. Her chemistry with Jason Bateman really isn't there either. There are only a few scenes where I thought Bateman was anything other than great in this series and all of them are when he is interacting with Wendy.

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The Lawyer

Repeat after me: "My client my client my client my client my client..... coffee." That's basically all of her lines. She is in nearly every episode and doesn't really add anything to the show. When she appears on screen you know that you can do do something else for the next 5 minutes and not miss out on anything at all.

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So there you have it! The show got boring. It was fun when it was just the Byrdes mixing it up with a group of simple people as they introduced their money-laundering ways into the community because no one really knew what was going on and it was basically a celebration of them introducing some fun and money into the community. Yet everyone resists their (albeit nefarious) generosity and some of these people, who have done nothing but worked no boats their entire lives are somehow experts on washing money and can identify it from a mile away. It doesn't make sense. I went to graduate school for business and I BARELY understand money laundering. But a mechanic is random-ass-town Missouri - he's up to speed on it - no problem.

Ok, this thing is getting too long, congratulations if you made it this far, mention something about watermelons in the comments to prove you read it all and i will reward you accordingly. :P

There is one shining light in this dark tunnel and that is Julia Garner

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Her character Ruth Langmore, is one of the few interesting people in the show. Not only that, but Julia absolutely nails it. Her acting is phenomenal and every time she is in a scene I feel as though I am watching a professional actress of a very high caliber.

The last 2 episodes of the season were of course more exciting than the others. They wouldn't be doing their jobs properly if this didn't happen. So I suppose they ended on a high note. Unfortunately, i think the overall season performance is one of "meh" and this guy, for one, will likely not even watch the next season. Looking online, it is really easy to find a ton of other people that share this opinion. It's a pity, because if you recall I was very enthusiastic about this when i first discovered it.

for anyone keeping track
Part 1 (ep1-3) = 7 / 10
Part 2 (ep4-6) = 6/ 10
part 3 (ep7-8) = 4/ 10
Part 4 (ep9-10) = 6 / 10

Overall: 5.5/10