When I heard the third season of Netflix’s crime drama “Ozark” would be coming out March 27, I was excited to see if the show would compare to the previous two seasons. After binge-watching the show over the course of two days, I am happy to report that the show hit it out of the park. 

When I finished “Ozark” season two, I was sad because it felt like the show had reached the end of its plot I felt like Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) had officially conquered the many political, economic and regulatory obstacles that lay in his family’s path to opening their casino to finally escape the fearsome grip of the cartel. 

However, I was completely perplexed as to why Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) told Marty that the family should not flee to Australia. This odd turn of events at the end of season two really left me with a sense that the Byrde family’s freedom was attained too easily.

After the first couple of episodes of the new season, it was apparent that director and star Jason Bateman made the end of season two uneventful on purpose. He did this to show how the Byrdes had missed their chance in season three to escape the grasp of the cartel by not fleeing the Ozarks once the casino was opened. Season three introduces the new busy, structured life of the Byrde family as they manage their vast money laundering empire. The new casino managed by Marty seems to be working well, while the other consortium of money laundering enterprises are being managed by Wendy.

Wendy having more of an official role in the business was one reason I really like season three. Her involvement helps add a new dimension to the show by creating more conflict between her and Marty, which developed Wendy into more of an active character. Her involvement also exemplifies how Marty is partially losing primary control of the stable business he built. 

Although Wendy’s increased involvement in the business was a highlight of the season for me, my favorite part of this season was the introduction of a few new characters and their impact on the existing relationships in the show. The new characters help add to the mounting list of pressures inMarty and Wendy’s life. Not only do the new characters directly threaten the business, they form relationships that make faithful friends of the Bryde’s into potential enemies, and old enemies into new friends. I really loved this aspect of the season, as it really mixes up the teams and completely redraws the lines.   

This all adds up to the reason why “Ozark” is one of my favorite Netflix shows. The constant tests of Marty’s control of the business and the pressure that he experiences to keep his family alive for a little while longer will draw anyone into the show. I would not only suggest “Ozark” because of its eventful and great story line, I would recommend it because it really highlights the theme of desperation Lastly, it is also a great time killer during the coronavirus break.

‘Ozark’ : ★★★★☆