This is a mostly spoiler-free review of Ozark Season 3. All 10 episodes of the new season are currently available to stream on Netflix globally.
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Although it’s been over a year and a half since we’ve spent any quality time with the Byrde family, Netflix’s Ozark has lost none of its potency in its third season, thanks to another round of brilliant performances from Jason Bateman (Marty), Laura Linney (Wendy), and a stacked ensemble that rarely disappoints. Season 3 broadens the scope of the series beyond the confines of the Missouri tourist scene, in order to bring in some new heavy-hitters, like Felix Solis’ Omar Navarro — Marty and Wendy’s drug-dealing (and often murderous) boss. Navarro (only mentioned by name in Season 2) raises the stakes for everyone involved in the family business, which adds a heightened level of suspense throughout.
Series creators Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams have found compelling new ways to challenge their characters in Season 3; especially Marty and Wendy, who continue their love/hate relationship as their criminal empire expands with the addition of their shiny new casino, The Missouri Belle. Bateman and Linney have developed uncanny chemistry over the past three seasons, especially when it comes to loathing each other on-screen. If either character makes a decision that the other believes will compromise the business, the fights that ensue range from long bouts of yelling, to subtle glances that speak louder than words. While their volatile dynamic remains one of the more (weirdly) enjoyable aspects of the show, it’s Marty and Wendy’s interactions with some of the new cast members that take the series to new heights this season.
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For Wendy, the sudden appearance of her bipolar brother, Ben (Iron Fist’s Tom Pelphrey), shows us a side of her we’ve never seen before. Wendy is being pushed to the brink of insanity as she tries to juggle a criminal empire, her children, her husband, and now Ben, whose unpredictable outbursts put a strain on the family’s dealings with the cartel. It’s fun to watch Ben struggle to figure his sister out, having no idea what kind of illegal activities she’s been up to over the past few years. Ben, to his own detriment, often underestimates Wendy and how far she’s willing to go in order to get what she wants, no matter how morally unacceptable it might be. If Season 3 is any indication, it appears that Wendy is becoming the more ambitious Byrde, which should lead to an intriguing power dynamic between her and Marty if the series is renewed for a fourth season.
One of Marty’s many obstacles this season is dealing directly with Navarro, who has a more violent disposition when it comes to taking care of his problems, but is every bit as strategic as Marty. Without giving away too much, their differing approaches in how to best run the business come to a head in one of Season 3’s best episodes, titled “Boss Fight.” Here, Marty must decide what he truly wants out of this dangerous lifestyle for the sake of his family. His interactions with Navarro are brief, but Bateman and Solis are captivating to watch as adversaries, drawing similarities to Bryan Cranston’s Walter White and Giancarlo Esposito’s Gus Fring in Breaking Bad.
While it’s not quite Breaking Bad, Ozark has generally done a solid job of making its own mark in the increasingly crowded crime family TV genre, especially when it comes to the kids. Unlike Walt Jr. and Skyler, the Byrde family is well aware of what’s going with the drug cartels, gambling, money laundering, and other assorted dirty dealings they’re involved in. Unfortunately, in Season 3, Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) and Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) don’t have a lot to do. Their respective storylines, which typically comprise of basic teenage shenanigans, doesn’t match the stakes that their parents and older acquaintances are going through.
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Like most shows with large ensembles, not every plot thread is a home run. Julia Garner’s Ruth Langmore is one example of this; her subplot in Season 3 involving the Kansas City mob’s involvement in the casino wears thin pretty quickly. Power’s Joseph Sikora plays Frank Cosgrove Jr., the son of a crime boss who’s more of a wannabe tough guy than anything else. The writers pit Ruth and Frank Jr. against each other, but their battle for who can drop the most F-bombs doesn’t leave a lasting impression.
Despite those shortfalls, Ozark Season 3 continues to move the Byrde family’s crime-ridden story along with the potential for more seasons if Netflix opts for it. Janet McTeer’s return as Helen Pierce, the cartel’s top lawyer, is another plot that deepens in Season 3 after her daughter comes to live with her in Missouri. It’s one thing to see these now infamous characters putting out hits and being badasses, but when you add a child into the mix, things certainly become more fraught. It’s not that Helen and Wendy are good people, but it’s easy to see their side in all of this when it comes to protecting their families. Creators Dubuque and Williams continue to humanize their characters in new and interesting ways.
Source: IGN.com Netflix's Ozark Season 3 Review