Ozark (Netflix)

[AncalagonTheBlack]

Anyone watched this yet? If so,is it worth watching? I'm not too sure about this comparison by a reviewer

Quote

Trade Bryan Cranston for Jason Bateman and you have Netflix's newest drama, 'Ozark.'

 

[Astromech]

I've only watched the first episode, but it hooked me so far. It's pretty dark and cynical, but intriguing. I hope it keeps up.

[AncalagonTheBlack]

3 minutes ago, Astromech said:

I've only watched the first episode, but it hooked me so far. It's pretty dark and cynical, but intriguing. I hope it keeps up.

Good to hear. My only reservation is that the moment i see Bateman on screen i expect comedy and i've heard that his role in this is pretty dark/serious.Does he pull it off?

[Astromech]

21 minutes ago, AncalagonTheBlack said:

Good to hear. My only reservation is that the moment i see Bateman on screen i expect comedy and i've heard that his role in this is pretty dark/serious.Does he pull it off?

I felt he has so far. Laura Linney and Esai Morales have been quite good as well. Again, only the first episode, but so far so good.

[WarGalley]

Yeah I was expecting a dark comedy ala Fargo but so far (2 episodes in), it's mostly dark drama. Bateman plays a character that's almost sociopathic.

[Zorral]

Watched the first and second half of the second eps, and EVERYTHING is so predictable that the dorks in the center didn't see whatever coming is what is shocking despite being shown they are totally up on tv online and everywhere else??????

[Martini Sigil]

Yeah... this is up next for us... we have a couple of shows from during the week we need to catch up on... then we start our binge.... it sounds like it going to be good... and after Gypsy... we need a win....lol

[The Mance]

I'm on ep7 after a long binge session and I feel like i'm still waiting for the show to find its footing.  Not that its bad, really, it just isn't a great show, and it feels like it totally could be.  Everything is just really, reliably, frustratingly okay.

[Dr. Pepper]

I have finished this and I have to say I really enjoyed it.  I don't know if it's all that deep, and it can be fairly predictable, but I felt invested in the story and the characters.  I'm not itching for season 2 immediately, but I'll be glad to catch it when it comes out.  

[Dr. Pepper]

This is the perfect article for this show.

Ozark is so familiar that it's fun.

https://theringer.com/ozark-jason-bateman-netflix-81e2e584547d

Quote

As a reliable collection of tropes, the diluted antihero show has a long way to go before it can offer the comforting monotony of, say, a good procedural. The genre does, however, have the makings of a “watch this if you like that” form of base appeal, the kind that, not coincidentally, is perfectly suited to Netflix’s recommendation algorithm. You know exactly what you’re getting when you hit play on a series like Ozark, and Ozark knows that you know. This show won’t reach the heights of the nearly 20-year-old titans whose iconography it’s recycling, but maybe Ozark is content to be a follower instead of a leader — and maybe that contentment is what makes Ozark fun in spite of itself.

 

 

[Astromech]

I'm halfway through the season so far and enjoying it. It probably has more to do with the familiarity described in the article Dr. Pepper linked above. It's not trying to be something it's not. I'm a fan of rural noir, so this show is in my wheelhouse. None of the characters are exactly likeable, but I find myself rooting for some of them regardless, the Langmare family more than the Byrd. (I can't shake the series feeling like a continuation of Quarry with Peter Mullan playing similar roles in one important detail in both shows.)

[SerHaHa]

That's a great description the "show hasn't found its footing".  I too was hooked early, the night it aired on NF, at 12:05, I was up, and binged it in a 10 hour marathon.  I'm reasonably impressed with this show, it slowly grew on me, and so far as its footing - I remember a similar opinion many had of the already mentioned "Breaking Bad".  The first season of BB was certainly no better than Ozark IMO.  There has been a lot of building blocks established in this first season which I'm hopeful has a similar effect on future seasons, similar to Breaking Bad, and how it really took from season 2 forward.  "Finding its feet" so to say.

They have the potential to do the same, if they do or not is up to the writing IMO, as the actors are more than up to it, in particular Laura Linney, who is one of the best actresses of her generation.

[PetyrPunkinhead]

I've been talking a lot about this in the "now watching" thread. I described it as Justified meets Breaking Bad, and I really liked this series. I binged the first seven episodes in one sitting. (Respect to @SerHaHa for killing all 10 in one go.)

The supporting cast is pretty good and the FBI agent finally grew on me after the flashback episode, which is my favorite episode after the pilot. Bateman is good at playing a savant accountant who's likely on the autism spectrum. However, Bateman lacks the dramatic range of someone like Brian Cranston. Linney did good work as well, but Wendy is kind of useless until she isn't. I liked her character more towards the end of the series. 

The Longmore's are an interesting family and I am especially impressed by Julia Garner as Ruth. Curious to see if she finally nails down her electrician's license in S2. 

[Dr. Pepper]

I like the comparison of the show as a cross between Justified and Breaking Bad more than just comparing it solely to BB.  I think what BB had in its first season that Ozark is missing is a gorgeous landscape that was presented on film in such a beautiful way.  It's not that the Ozarks aren't beautiful, it's that the filmmakers haven't really captured it.  The desert was practically it's own character in BB.  I felt the essence of it, the beauty, the ugly, the good, the bad. It was as much an integral part of the show as any other character.  With Ozark, they could be at any lake.  I could name ten lakes within an hour's drive from me that could be the area where the show is supposed to be set. It's just a lake with a busy tourist season.  How do you name a show after a region and fail to really capture it's essence and turn it into a major character?  Even the other character's relationship with the lake feels meaningless because, again, it could be any lake.  

 

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.  

[RedEyedGhost]

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?

 

8 hours ago, PetyrPunkinhead said:

Bateman is good at playing a savant accountant who's likely on the autism spectrum.

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

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).

[Isgrimner]

On 7/27/2017 at 7:14 AM, Dr. Pepper said:

This is the perfect article for this show.

Ozark is so familiar that it's fun.

https://theringer.com/ozark-jason-bateman-netflix-81e2e584547d

As a reliable collection of tropes, the diluted antihero show has a long way to go before it can offer the comforting monotony of, say, a good procedural. The genre does, however, have the makings of a “watch this if you like that” form of base appeal, the kind that, not coincidentally, is perfectly suited to Netflix’s recommendation algorithm. You know exactly what you’re getting when you hit play on a series like Ozark, and Ozark knows that you know. This show won’t reach the heights of the nearly 20-year-old titans whose iconography it’s recycling, but maybe Ozark is content to be a follower instead of a leader — and maybe that contentment is what makes Ozark fun in spite of itself.

 

I think that is a pretty fair assessment of the show.   I just finished the last episode yesterday.  I liked it and went through it pretty quickly but its not going up in my top 10 list but I will watch the next season. 

While I'm a certified world traveler , I have lived in the  general area of the show  off and on for many years.   I'm pretty sure this show is actually filmed in Georgia and to me I can kind of tell its not MO.  

I do think I like the way they handle the kids'  characters in this show say versus the kids from Homeland. 

 

 

[RedEyedGhost]

9 minutes ago, Isgrimner said:

I'm pretty sure this show is actually filmed in Georgia and to me I can kind of tell its not MO.

Yeah, the background characters have way too many teeth for it to be filmed in Missouri. 

[Dr. Pepper]

14 minutes ago, Isgrimner said:

I'm pretty sure this show is actually filmed in Georgia and to me I can kind of tell its not MO.  

Hahahahaha.  Well, this would explain by I thought it could have been any lake within an hour from me.  It was filmed an hour from me.

It makes it even more curious that they chose to name their show after a location that they didn't even film in.  The location should be larger than life, a major character.  Now it's just Anywhere Lake, USA.  Bummer.

Maybe that was the intent, since it's drama by number.  

[Isgrimner]

1 hour ago, RedEyedGhost said:

Yeah, the background characters have way too many teeth for it to be filmed in Missouri. 

I was about to say I still have all my teeth, but within the past couple months have had a root canal and a cap put in, but otherwise all orgianal teeth here bud.

1 hour ago, Dr. Pepper said:

Hahahahaha.  Well, this would explain by I thought it could have been any lake within an hour from me.  It was filmed an hour from me.

It makes it even more curious that they chose to name their show after a location that they didn't even film in.  The location should be larger than life, a major character.  Now it's just Anywhere Lake, USA.  Bummer.

Maybe that was the intent, since it's drama by number.  

I also read that the guy who created the show used to work there during summers when he was a kid.  

[WarGalley]

5 hours ago, Dr. Pepper said:

I like the comparison of the show as a cross between Justified and Breaking Bad more than just comparing it solely to BB.  I think what BB had in its first season that Ozark is missing is a gorgeous landscape that was presented on film in such a beautiful way.  It's not that the Ozarks aren't beautiful, it's that the filmmakers haven't really captured it.  The desert was practically it's own character in BB.  I felt the essence of it, the beauty, the ugly, the good, the bad. It was as much an integral part of the show as any other character.  With Ozark, they could be at any lake.  I could name ten lakes within an hour's drive from me that could be the area where the show is supposed to be set. It's just a lake with a busy tourist season.  How do you name a show after a region and fail to really capture it's essence and turn it into a major character?  Even the other character's relationship with the lake feels meaningless because, again, it could be any lake.  

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.

Completely agree about the Ozark's not being a "character" and that being a missed opportunity. Hell, even the RV in Breaking Bad became a kind of character. It was a little strange.. on one side this town was supposed to be some backwater smalltown place and on the other, it's supposed to be this major tourist attraction offering millions in revenue but I never felt like saw the full sprectrum between both sides.

 

2 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.

Yeah, when I was trying to think of a show to compare it to, Bloodline came first to me since it had the criminal angle and the focus on the family and their dynamics.

Also, completely agree about Julia Garner.