By Derek Bex
Season two of Ozark just good, or even better than the first season.
One of the things that made Ozark so great in season one was the way the writers made the show unpredictable. There are moments in this season that happen so fast and things play out the opposite way the viewer expected them to which makes the show so entertaining. The storyline is unpredictable and leaves the viewer guessing at the end of every episode. Before I dive into season two, let’s look at a bit of a recap of season one.
One of Netflix’s most-watched shows in 2017, the second season of Ozark is just as compelling as the first season. The show stars Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde, a middle-aged, self-employed accountant in Chicago. Marty runs his accounting firm with a business partner and the two are secretly working for the second largest drug cartel in Mexico. Byrde’s life is quickly turned upside down when he finds his partner had been stealing from a cartel and things only escalate from there. A falling out ensues, which results in Byrde forcibly taking over the laundering business.
After taking over the operation he decides to move himself and his family to the Ozarks in Missouri. Here he hopes to stay away from the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and draw less attention to himself because, in order to stay alive for his partner’s crimes, he made a deal with the cartel to launder five million dollars in six months. However, once in the Ozark’s he quickly meets the Snell family, a small family drug operation that supplies most of the heroin in the area. Byrde uses his ability to negotiate and proposes a solution in which both groups could benefit. However, in the season finale, a death of a high ranking Cartel member is on the Snell family’s hands and things grow tense. As this unfolds, Byrde is still being investigated by an FBI agent who is determined to expose Byrde for what he truly is.
In season two, the storyline picks right back up where things left off in season one. The Snells are seen as possible enemies to the cartel and Byrde is once again left to pick up the pieces. Byrde is now under the watchful eye of the cartel’s attorney, Helen Pierce, and is on thin ice with the organization. The introduction of this new character brings a variety of new challenges to the family and throws another angle of conflict for Byrde. One of the things I liked the most about last season and has continued once again in this season was the multiple stories that were followed. During this season, Byrde’s 15-year-old daughter Charlotte continues to grow farther away from the family and eventually makes a decision that will create more problems. There are many times you wonder who will fall first or who will cause the operation to fall. One thing that was more apparent in the second season of Ozark was the focus on internal conflict within families or groups. Groups will turn on each other and loyalties will be tested more than ever.
I believe Ozark will be just as good in season three and am eager for Netflix to announce the third season. The series continues to improve as the show progresses and the suspense builds.