Ozark 4.1-7: Hold On Tight

Just binged the first half of the final (fourth) season of Ozark, some seven episodes of pure adrenalin, propelled by powerful plots with memorable characters and all kinds of stunning surprises, including deaths.

[Tell you what -- for this review, no specific spoilers, you can read ahead with confidence.]

In fact, all the ingredients that made the previous three seasons so good, including the Ozark countryside, are here in abundance.  Making these seven episodes, in sum, right up there with the best of the previous seasons.

Marty, Wendy, and Ruth in all in top form.  Jonah, who has been developing into a brilliant, tough-minded teenager, has his biggest role yet.  Darlene, Wyatt, and Charlotte are in true, strong, form as well.  The complexities of Mexican drug cartels and criminals and police of various ranks in the U. S. are given satisfying and sometimes unpredictable workouts.

Ozark is often compared to Breaking Bad.  A fair enough comparison, though Breaking Bad was more of a one to two man show, and Ozark has always been more about family.  For that reason, I'd also say that The Mosquito Coast, which had one season last year on Apple TV+ ,with a second coming up, is even more like Ozark, and indeed can be clearly seen as inspired by it.

The acting of all the characters in Ozark is great, with special applause for Jason Bateman as Marty, Laura Linney as Wendy, and Julia Garner as Ruth.  My favorite new character is former cop now private detective Mel Sattem, given an unshakeable, moody, noir performance by Adam Rothenberg, which reminded me of some of those hardboiled detectives in the movies from the 1930s through the 1950s.  The seventh episode ends with a cliffhanger as sharp as you'll find, setting up the finale episodes as immediate, must-see viewing, whenever they reach the Netflix screen.

See also Ozark 3: Breakups ... Ozark 2: Against All Odds and More ... Ozark 1: Frying Pan Into the Fire

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music