Assuming that the main attraction of Ozarks are human relationships and how drug trafficking and corruption frame them in an extreme context, the fourth season of the Netflix series continues its own: a rough but no less moving sample of the theater of life. One of the narrative axes developed through the previous three seasons reached its highest point. The future of the series seems uncertain in relation to some characters and that does not have to be a problem.
The first aspect that must be repaired is the dimension with which this season is presented: “Part 1” (of seven episodes). Although there will be no fifth season, what was released is not the end. Therefore, there is much to deal with in the next chapters (for which there is still no clear release date). Beyond that it can be understood as a commercial and production strategy, in series where the detail is so important and the relationships need time to build, it is appreciated that you take the necessary time for the development.
The relationship that began linearly with Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) having to manage his relationship with Omar Navarro (Felix Solis), season after season diversified to involve the various components of the family. In particular, the character of Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) is one of those who has changed the most over time, to the point of causing changes in Marty, a character who at times seems like a Zen monk rather than a specialist in finance in Ozarks.
Ozarks: the pulse between ethics and survival reaches the limit
In a context marked by turbulence and easily pulled triggers, the character of Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes) emerges as the figure capable of managing between two waters without getting dirty in the process; Not only that, but she also ends up playing her cards and being true to herself, as her decisions trigger an avalanche of events.
She, initially presented as a pregnant woman, something that makes her character even more fragile, becomes a detective capable of contradicting superior orders because, for her, ethics prevails over everything. Detail is key, considering that Ozarks It is a series in which the end justifies the means from the first chapter. Regardless of forms, everything that gets in the way will be displaced. Maya Miller emerges as that character who invites the viewer to remember that, in spite of everything, there is a system and a set of rules to follow.
The family
Another of the themes that crosses Ozarks and that in the first part of the fourth season it also reaches notable limits. In one way or another, all the main characters are marked by some sadness, emptiness or longing in this sense. That absence or goal is positioned as a vehicle towards different paths. It happens with Marty and Wendy, who try to save their children. It happens with Omar, who wishes he could live the life he never had; and with Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery), who after the death of her husband also looked for some kind of company. Also with Ruth (Julia Garner) and the desire to give her brother the chance to have a better future.
Several of those longings are still up in the air and will have to be resolved in the second part of the fourth season, the last thing that will be on this series. In that sense, perhaps the beginning of this delivery serves as a symbolic resource. Marty and his family travel along the road and suffer an accident, as if their freedom was marked by tragedy and suffering, regardless of who leaves the bags with cash.
The earrings of Ozarks
After delving into two of its main themes, the end of the first part of season four of Ozarks left open two unknowns, mainly: the decisions that Ruth will make to avenge the death of her relative and the role that Mel Sattem (Adam Rothenberg) will play into this entire plot, along with the information he’s gathered so far.
Perhaps the recent series the absence of the character of Helen Pierce, the lawyer played by Janet McTeer, in relation to previous seasons. But nevertheless, the mutation of the characters and the incorporation of other actors into the game means that this lack is not too noticeable. As it is not the conclusion about what has been working for three seasons, there are still pending issues to deal with. Meanwhile, it is worth continuing to enjoy what is perhaps the most important series on the human condition and drug trafficking after breaking bad.