Ozark

1: Promising. The more serious tone suits Bateman and it’s fun watching series about money. Breaking Bad light... I like the extremes the creators let it reach. Little fish become big fish and Marty – master of excuses – has to be very creative. Some episodes are a little slow, but even so there are heated moments. I hope that season 2 retains the quality. 2: A solid continuation of the (im)morality of a slick financier and his stylish family. It has the same half-life as Breaking Bad, but without the humor. The filmmakers are sticking close to the serious narrative, and even the stumbling blocks that Marty has to deal with bring very few smiles to your face. Nor is building a casino with heroin producers as partners much fun when the FBI is sniffing around you. There is no return from the Ozarks, and I hope the makers are already thinking about how to round it all off. Otherwise the buildup would start to turn into banality and that would be a shame. (01.04.2018)

A solid continuation of the (im)morality of a slick financier and his polished family. It has the same half-life as Breaking Bad, but without the humor. The series' creators stick close to the serious narrative, and even the stumbling blocks that Marty has to deal with bring very few smiles to your face. Nor is building a casino with heroin producers as partners much fun when the FBI is sniffing around. There is no return from the Ozarks, and I hope the makers are already thinking about how to cap it all off. Otherwise, the build-up would start to turn into banality and that would be a shame. (26.03.2020)

Stretched to the extreme. Season three begins slowly with the test run in the casino, but it turns into an emotional high-caliber rollercoaster ride. Bateman’s calculating Marty is still great, but this season stands primarily on Wendy’s shoulders, with her going from clever woman into a ball of nerves. (28.10.2020)

Well, it just about worked. The rocky road of season four showed that artificial draw-out never produces any good. Some moments are a little over the top and unnecessarily extremely over-combined, but the ending managed to maintain some self-esteem. The satisfying finale is full of intrigue, rows and suspicion. Laura Linney gives an impressive performance and in places is terribly unlikeable and Bateman’s Marty is a saint in comparison. It is almost surprising how their relationship made a complete U-turn. But the main powerhouse is, of course, Julia Garner. The loud-mouthed redneck has grown into the very soul of the Ozark. But it certainly would have helped having four episodes fewer without unnecessary side-stepping and it would have been harder-hitting without so many unnecessary deaths of family members and visitors from god knows where. (28.05.2022)