Ozark (Netflix)

[SerHaHa]

Speaking of Ruth, she is probably my favorite character in the show. 

 

Spoiler

In the strip bar scene, her "show me seduction" faces, followed by the "I'm about to kick you  in the balls..hard" face while turning around and shutting the door....fantastic.  A few of her expressions, especially after saving Marty's life and wiring the dock, when first driving by Marty, and then speaking with him later...truly, a great, and blossoming actress.

 

[briantw]

This show feels like Breaking Bad if Walt were an unlikable criminal sociopath right from the start.

[Howdyphillip]

I disagree with the assessment that the environment in this show hasn't been a character unto itself. The cinematography is as rich as anything I have seen. This includes Breaking Bad, and True Detective season 1. 

 What is missing is a score and soundtrack that equals all of the other parts of this show. It is either non existent, or in places acts as a detriment to the show. Every review I have read about this show says it is excellent, but something is missing. I am absolutely convinced it is the music. Everything else about the show is majestic.

[PetyrPunkinhead]

14 hours ago, RedEyedGhost said:

The show that this one reminds me of the most is Bloodline.  I'd say 90% Bloodline, 5% Justified, 5% Breaking Bad.

 

Is this going to be turned into a SPOILER thread, or do we need people to go back and tag their stuff talking about character deaths?

 

How so?  I don't see most people on the autism spectrum being able to

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withstand torture while talking the torturer into an alternative course of action.  Nor can I see him caring enough to provide Rachel with the recorded threat to ensure her safety if he gets caught.  Sure you could play that off as he was using it as a means to an end, but it was definitely more than that, I think he genuinely cared about her and wanted to make sure she was safe (this was also exhibited by him saying he was do with her business to Wendy after he had finished with the 8, and was going to find others to use).

 

I don't know, some of those things you mentioned are reasons I WOULD put his character on the spectrum. Mainly it's just Marty's deadpan, uniformed expression in almost all the situations he's in that reminded me of the people I've worked with on the autism spectrum. There was a scene where Marty was crying in his car and I'll be damned if it wasn't the same exact expression he had when he was masturbating. Maybe that speaks more to Jason Bateman's limited acting range than Marty's personality.

I'll address your Bloodline/Justified/BB ratio below along with my response to WarGalley...

11 hours ago, WarGalley said:

I agree with most of this except the Justified comparison. The only similarity with Justified is that there are rednecks and hillbillies in both shows...

I think the similarities between Justified & Ozark go much deeper than 5%. For starters you've got the structure of both shows which follow a federal agent and the criminal he's obsessed with pursuing. The feds in both shows use unorthodox and means of questionable legality in their pursuit of justice, not to mention both become much too personally involved. Marty isn't as violent as Boyd by any means, but they both are well known for their gift of gab and quick wit. Also Boyd and Marty also get humorous moments/lines. I'd say Ruth and the Longmore's take on that violent redneck aspect of Boyd & the Crowders in Ozark. Then there are of course the similarities in the settings with the hillbillies & rednecks, not to mention each area depends on a single industry to drive the economy (coal in Justified & tourism in Ozark). The Snells in Ozark are basically the Bennetts (Mags & her fam) squared with a bit of Limehouse on top.

I've only seen the first season of Bloodline, so I'm not sure where you'd get a 90% similarity with Ozark other than a general tone and look of the shows. Both have family members where kids get drawn into crime, but the family, crimes, and motivations in S1 of Bloodline are much different than Ozark. Um, both shows have boats and money laundering, too. So there's that.

[briantw]

On 7/29/2017 at 5:23 AM, PetyrPunkinhead said:

I think the similarities between Justified & Ozark go much deeper than 5%. For starters you've got the structure of both shows which follow a federal agent and the criminal he's obsessed with pursuing. The feds in both shows use unorthodox and means of questionable legality in their pursuit of justice, not to mention both become much too personally involved. Marty isn't as violent as Boyd by any means, but they both are well known for their gift of gab and quick wit. Also Boyd and Marty also get humorous moments/lines. I'd say Ruth and the Longmore's take on that violent redneck aspect of Boyd & the Crowders in Ozark. Then there are of course the similarities in the settings with the hillbillies & rednecks, not to mention each area depends on a single industry to drive the economy (coal in Justified & tourism in Ozark). The Snells in Ozark are basically the Bennetts (Mags & her fam) squared with a bit of Limehouse on top.

I can definitely see the Justified comparisons from the setting alone.  Also, Ruth's character is basically the exact same character as Loretta from Justified.

Hopefully they follow Justified's lead going forward when it comes to bringing in awesome character actors on a consistent basis.

[Nictarion]

I'm 7 episodes in and I'm really digging it. I definitely agree with the Justified comparison. 

[Martini Sigil]

14 hours ago, Nictarion said:

I'm 7 episodes in and I'm really digging it. I definitely agree with the Justified comparison. 

I see some Justified... but like @RedEyedGhost .... I see more Bloodline

[Nictarion]

15 minutes ago, Martini Sigil said:

I see some Justified... but like @RedEyedGhost .... I see more Bloodline

Haven't watched it, but @PetyrPunkinhead made a good case for why it feels so similar to Justified. 

[Calibandar]

On 7/28/2017 at 5:08 PM, Dr. Pepper said:

Definitely agree the Langmore's are a very interesting family.  I was gutted with what Roy did to Russ, and even sad when Russ died despite Russ being a pretty shitty person.  I love Ruth and am rooting for her, though I'm still fairly certain she's still playing Marty and intends to take over from him when she learns enough.  

Thanks for the massive spoilers. Post has been reported.

[PetyrPunkinhead]

On 7/30/2017 at 4:43 AM, Nictarion said:

I'm 7 episodes in and I'm really digging it. I definitely agree with the Justified comparison. 

*Nods head approvingly*

On 7/29/2017 at 5:40 PM, briantw said:

I can definitely see the Justified comparisons from the setting alone.  Also, Ruth's character is basically the exact same character as Loretta from Justified.

Hopefully they follow Justified's lead going forward when it comes to bringing in awesome character actors on a consistent basis.

D'oh! I totally should've drawn Ruth/Loretta comparisons. Good catch. Agreed that Ozark could benefit from some heavy hitter guest character actors in the future. Hopefully the show gets renewed because there are some things I want to see happen in S2...

 

My guess is S2 would have to see Marty and/or Wendy leave the Ozarks for a few episodes to track down Rachel and all the money she stole from the Banana Stand. Also, now that Del is gone we need a new cartel honcho to torment Marty & fam. (I really liked the actor who played him, but what a great death scene--never call a Snell a redneck. They're hillbillies!) Also I'm sure the Longmore's will have a cousin or someone that Ruth's dad will send to try and kill Marty since Ruth won't seem to go through with it. So lot's of opportunities for new characters next season.

And I doubt it happens, but I hope we get a flashback episode to when Buddy moved to that house in the Ozarks and why.

 

[Astromech]

I really enjoyed this series overall and loved the final two episodes, except  . . .

Spoiler

the relatively happy ending for the Byrdes after they ruined a number of lives with their schemes in Chicago and MO. I found myself routing against them in many instances.

I really hope for future seasons of Ozark to see what happens next.

One complaint . . .

Spoiler

the Feds seemed woefully incompetent at times

 

[Winterfell is Burning]

Finished it. A solid show, but nothing really revolutionary.

[RedEyedGhost]

On 7/30/2017 at 6:06 PM, Nictarion said:

Haven't watched it, but @PetyrPunkinhead made a good case for why it feels so similar to Justified. 

But it doesn't feel similar.  It does share a lot of plot elements and set dressings with Justified, but they don't feel the same at all.

ETA: After watching this, a comparison to Justified never entered my mind, and that is a top ten show for me.  Only when I came here and saw others comparing the two did I even think about it, and I still don't see it other than what feels superficial to me.

[Nictarion]

27 minutes ago, RedEyedGhost said:

But it doesn't feel similar.  It does share a lot of plot elements and set dressings with Justified, but they don't feel the same at all.

ETA: After watching this, a comparison to Justified never entered my mind, and that is a top ten show for me.  Only when I came here and saw others comparing the two did I even think about it, and I still don't see it other than what feels superficial to me.

It's nowhere near the quality of Justified, but I think it's a solid comparison in the if you like Justified you'll probably like Ozark kind of way. Marty ain't no Boyd though.

[RedEyedGhost]

16 minutes ago, Nictarion said:

It's nowhere near the quality of Justified, but I think it's a solid comparison in the if you like Justified you'll probably like Ozark kind of way. Marty ain't no Boyd though.

And Roy can't even sniff Raylan's jock.  Which is probably why I wouldn't even think of comparing the two.  The characters, by and large, are vastly inferior here - I think it's comes down to an extreme lack of charisma.  Justified thrived on that charisma, and it was integral to the shows identity.  Nobody in this show comes close to emulating that, and that keeps me standing pat at 5%.

[briantw]

54 minutes ago, RedEyedGhost said:

But it doesn't feel similar.  It does share a lot of plot elements and set dressings with Justified, but they don't feel the same at all.

ETA: After watching this, a comparison to Justified never entered my mind, and that is a top ten show for me.  Only when I came here and saw others comparing the two did I even think about it, and I still don't see it other than what feels superficial to me.

I agree that it feels nothing like Justified.  But the setting and Ruth's character in particular definitely made me think of Justified.

[Nictarion]

2 hours ago, RedEyedGhost said:

And Roy can't even sniff Raylan's jock.  Which is probably why I wouldn't even think of comparing the two.  The characters, by and large, are vastly inferior here - I think it's comes down to an extreme lack of charisma.  Justified thrived on that charisma, and it was integral to the shows identity.  Nobody in this show comes close to emulating that, and that keeps me standing pat at 5%.

Can't argue with this. Maybe just some of the weaker parts of Justified, like S5 with the Crowes.

[briantw]

39 minutes ago, Nictarion said:

Can't argue with this. Maybe just some of the weaker parts of Justified, like S5 with the Crowes.

It's definitely true that Marty is nowhere near as awesome a character as Boyd or Raylan, nor is Jason Bateman anywhere near as charismatic an actor as either of those guys (especially Goggins).  

[Nictarion]

12 minutes ago, briantw said:

It's definitely true that Marty is nowhere near as awesome a character as Boyd or Raylan, nor is Jason Bateman anywhere near as charismatic an actor as either of those guys (especially Goggins).  

I don't think anyone would suggest otherwise. Justified is in my top 10 as well, like I said, Ozark is nowhere near that quality I just saw where the comparison was coming from.

[Dr. Pepper]

On 7/29/2017 at 4:56 AM, Howdyphillip said:

I disagree with the assessment that the environment in this show hasn't been a character unto itself. The cinematography is as rich as anything I have seen. This includes Breaking Bad, and True Detective season 1. 
 

Can you describe ways that the environment is a character itself?  How is it quintessentially Ozark and not Anywhere Tourist Lake, America?  They named the entire show after the region but to me the show could have been placed anywhere.  They could have called it Sedona, Rockies, Everglades, etc and moved filming locations to reflect different landscapes and things would be the same.  How is the landscape like a character?  Serious question, I'm genuinely curious.

10 hours ago, RedEyedGhost said:

And Roy can't even sniff Raylan's jock.  Which is probably why I wouldn't even think of comparing the two.  The characters, by and large, are vastly inferior here - I think it's comes down to an extreme lack of charisma.  Justified thrived on that charisma, and it was integral to the shows identity.  Nobody in this show comes close to emulating that, and that keeps me standing pat at 5%.

But none of the characters are as good as Breaking Bad either, and that comparison is still tossed around.  It's more that all these shows incorporate similar formulas.  Like drama by numbers.

On 7/31/2017 at 4:27 AM, Calibandar said:

Thanks for the massive spoilers. Post has been reported.

So instead of letting me know I didn't spoiler tag something (in a thread full of spoilers, mind you), you report AND proceed to repost the massive spoilers without including spoiler tags. That's super bright.