‘Ozark’ review: Jason Bateman and Laura Linney kick off the Netflix drama’s fourth and final season

Last updated Jan 23, 2022

As in its origins, there’s a hair of “Breaking Bad’s” DNA running through this tale of at-first common folks getting in the world of drugs and cash laundering, just here it’s been developed into a household affair. That’s specifically real now that the Byrde kids are maturing and have actually been clued in concerning what their folks, Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy (Laura Linney), have actually been doing.

Foremost, the bifurcated last season (7 episodes are premiering now, with more to come) centers on the Byrdes’ relationship with Omar Navarro (Felix Solis), the drug kingpin who speaks gently however has currently displayed his ruthlessness.

Still, even Navarro needs to deal with internal politics and United States drug-enforcement companies, which even more makes complex Marty and Wendy’s lives and considerably contributes to the perilousness of their high-wire act.

Nearer to house, the Byrdes still deal with concerns including the psychotic and mercurial Darlene (Lisa Emery), whose dedication to her home-grown drug operation threats raising the ire of Navarro and his individuals, and leaving Marty and Wendy captured in between.

Showrunner Chris Mundy has actually remarkably browsed the story from one relatively inevitable corner to the next, with the (mainly) imperturbable Marty consistently evaluating both his monetary savvy and capability to fast-talk his escape of getting captured or eliminated. It’s an efficiency that has actually appropriately made Bateman a trio of Emmy elections, although his only win has actually come for directing the program.

When once again, the Byrdes continue to take advantage of tanks of grit that weren’t instantly obvious, as they look for maybe naively to discover the ways to go back to Chicago, where everything began. That strength is similarly obvious in Ruth (Julia Garner), whose alliance with the Byrdes has actually been strained by the occasions of the 3rd season.

“Ozark” isn’t truly an especially unique idea, that makes its appeal a function of the qualities that usually specify leading programs: the best casting, excellent writing and adequate unpredictability to keep the audience off balance, with each season deftly building on the one prior to it.

The 2nd half of season 4 will figure out whether the series and the Byrdes can sustain that all the method through to the end and provide the series a worthwhile sendoff. Time will inform, however in regards to a launch that establishes such a landing, up until now, so great.

“Ozark” starts its 4th season on Netflix on Jan. 21.

Jobber Wiki author Frank Long contributed to this report.

'Ozark' review: Jason Bateman and Laura Linney kick off the Netflix drama's fourth and final season - CNN entertainment