‘Ozark’ promises super-sized problems, bangs

WHEN I first got my hands on Ozark last year, at the heart of the Covid-19 lockdown, I ploughed through all three brilliant seasons within a week.

The American crime drama streaming television series stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as married couple Marty and Wendy Byrde.

The couple and their two children relocate to the Lake of the Ozarks to set up a money-laundering operation after their shady dealings with a Mexican cartel is brought to light.

Created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams, the series has received 32 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and become one of Netflix’s most popular shows, sparking comparisons to the classic series Breaking Bad.

After season three, Bateman expressed excitement at the upcoming season: “A super-sized season means super-sized problems for the Byrdes. I’m excited to end with a bang(s).”

Here are a few reasons why we're just as excited for the fourth and final season:

Marty and Wendy's troubled relationship

Ozark season one begins with Marty and Wendy's relationship on the rocks after Marty discovers that Wendy has been cheating on him.

As the drama with the Mexican cartel begins to unfold, Wendy clears their bank accounts and tries to run away with her new lover, but that plan falls apart after the cartel murders him.

Over the first three seasons the couple’s relationship has many ups and downs and looks like it may implode.

It’ll be interesting to see how much longer they can keep it together. Jason Bateman's directing Along with his role as Ozark’s outstanding lead, Bateman serves as a director and executive producer.

In 2019, Bateman won a Primetime Emmy Award in the category Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for directing the season two premiere.

The veteran actor has been transitioning into directing, and last year directed two episodes of the HBO miniseries The Outsider.

We’re expecting more directing work for him on season four.

What does Omar have planned for the Byrd family?

Ozark’s dark and gloomy colour grading perfectly sets the scene for all the drama that unfolds in the series.

The central conflict centres on Omar Navarro (Felix Solis), the leader of the Mexican drug cartel for whom the Byrdes are laundering money.

At the end of season three, the shady and reclusive Omar unceremoniously executes his cartel’s attorney, Helen Pierce (played by Janet McTeer), in a braggadocious show of support for the Byrdes.