Ozark Season 1
Overview
Ozark is a 2017 crime drama television series created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams for Netflix, set in the Missouri Ozarks. The first season follows Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman), a financial advisor from Chicago who is laundering money for a Mexican drug cartel. When his partner steals from the cartel, Marty is forced to make a deal: he will move his family to the Lake of the Ozarks and launder $500 million over five years. Marty's wife Wendy (Laura Linney) is initially resistant to the move, wanting to stay in Chicago with their children, but she quickly becomes a willing and even enthusiastic partner in the criminal enterprise. Their children, Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) and Jonah (Skyler Gisondo), are also drawn into the criminal world, with Jonah becoming fascinated by the money-laundering operation. The first season follows the Byrde family as they try to survive in a world of cartel violence, local crime, and FBI investigation. They build a casino on the lake, which becomes the front for their money laundering. They become involved with local crime families, including the Langmores (a family of backwoods criminals) and the Snells (a family of heroin-producing farmers). The first season also introduces Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner), a young, foul-mouthed, fiercely intelligent woman from the Langmore family who works for Marty, then betrays him, then becomes his ally. Ozark is a dark, tense, and morally complex exploration of what people will do to protect their families and themselves. The first season was a critical success, and Julia Garner won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her performance as Ruth.
