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The Rednecks Versus The Yuppie Scum and the Cartel (SPOILERS for SEASON THREE)

posted 5 years ago by ecarle (14979)
16 replies | jump to latest

At the end of Season Two of Ozark, I thought the show was settling into a "women run the world" sort of thing, which is OK by me, if a bit transparent for TV and movies these days:

The psychotic redneck crime wife (but never call her redneck) Darlene had managed to kill her husband redneck crime boss Jacob before he could kill her.

And power-mad Wendy Byrde was making an alliance with ice-cold cartel attorney Helen to override and eventually overcome the "too decent" Marty Byrde.

Meanwhile, with her small-time Ozark crime family men mostly dead, and their young sons under her command, feisty Ruth was a force of her own.

Yep ...Ozark at the end of Season Two was looking to be a "women rule the world" scenario.

The dynamic seems to have changed at the end of Season Two.

First of all -- Helen is dead, and her "sisterly bond" with Wendy was fraying and turning deadly even before the cartel boss had her killed.

Psycho Darlene has shot the balls off the punk son(and Ruth-beater) Frank Jr. and offers an alliance with a MAN - -Frank Senior.

And Ruth has chosen to leave the Byrds for Team Darlene -- another woman/woman power team, but with some choice men along to help (Frank Senior and Ruth's cousin/Darlene's lover, Wyatt.)

Who knows how long this series will last, but it seems to be honing in on a plot line that's been there from the beginning:

As both Darlene and Ruth know the most...the second the "Yuppie Scum" Byrde Family(the parents, that is) descended on the Ozark lake area...they ruined the lives of practically every local in a 30 mile radius. Husbands, fathers, and uncles have all been killed thanks to the Byrd's desperate but ruthless attempts to keep their OWN selfish lives afloat. Plus a strip club owner. And a (too greedy blackmailing) female therapist. And a lake resort restaurant owner was driven out of town.

I'm not sure if audiences who are already used to the crooks and evil spies of The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Deadwood, and The Americans are ready to really want Wendy and Marty Byrd to get away with it -- surviving they are trying to do, yes -- but they sure have ruined a lot of lives.

Its almost a class warfare thing(see: Parasite.)

So as Season Three ends, it looks like the line-up is

"The Redneck Team" : Darlene, Frank Senior, Ruth, local and state politicians burned by the Byrds

vs.

"Yuppie Scum"(the Byrds) and "the Cartel" (Mexican, which is touchy, but really BAD Mexican, which is acceptable to root against.)

They say Season Four is "up in the air." If we get it, it sure could be good.

PS. Young Jonah Byrd now knows that his mother Wendy authorized the murder of her own brother. He's a "wild card" for possible team switching.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

good summary!
i think it'd be nice if the locals bury The Yuppie Scum

[–] exatera (3953) 5 years ago

Well, frankly, the old woman therapist was asking for it. Seriously, what did she expect from the moment she heard the words "drug lord"? Did she really think these were the kind of people that could be blackmailed? And the ridiculous sports car, really?? I was honestly incredulous at her stupidity and naivete. And besides, the Byrdes weren't even part of the decision to kill her, so I am not sure why you are putting it on them.

Strange you don't mention Mason and his wife. Although I agree with Marty on this - these people have made their own choices. Including the dumbass strip club owner. (And btw Marty still paid him a fair market value, and it was the Snells who killed him.)

Rachel could have really done anything she wanted after she ran away with the money, she literally had opportunities most people never get in their entire lives - instead she stupidly became a junkie.

It would be more accurate to say that the Byrdes' arrival in the Ozarks caused a certain chain of events to unfold (and not even the Byrdes so much as the cartel), rather than that they personally ruined anybody's lives.

The one life they ruined more or less directly was Ben's, but then again, they didn't invite him there, he just showed up (and they tried to get rid of him!), nor did they want to share their reality with him - he insisted. And then of course everything that ensued was his choice, he was just not competent to make a good one.

[–] Silverman (270) 5 years ago

All of the characters are morally abhorrent, but Darlene strikes me as a particularly nasty piece of work. Maybe it’s because of her crazy Religious fundamentalism ( always an ugly quality) or just because I more strongly identify with the oppositions social class and motivations. Either way, they all deserve the ruin that the series likely has in store for every party.

[–] exatera (3953) 5 years ago

Where are you getting this from though, about Darlene's religious fundamentalism? Especially considering the Snells actually used the sermons for heroin distribution?..

I personally don't think that's how the series will end, but we'll see. I kinda think the way the Byrdes will eventually get out from under the cartel's thumb is by becoming more powerful than the cartel.

Either way, I hope we do get a proper ending with this series, unlike with Mindhunter.

[–] Silverman (270) 5 years ago

Holding a faith that would appear to denounce malfeasance has often failed to prevent plenty of adherents from engaging in that which would seem to put them in conflict with their beliefs.

Darlene has frequently made comments that reveal her identity as a crazy fundy.

I think you’re right that the Byrds will end up trying to take the reigns from the cartel, or perhaps forging an alliance with Navarro’s opposition, but I suspect that it will ultimately follow a “breaking bad” chain of events that ends with their ruin.

[–] exatera (3953) 5 years ago

The girl who got naked with Jacob the first day she saw him?

No, I don't see Darlene аs a religious fundamentalist at all.

Nor do I remember her making comments that would betray such beliefs - seems like conjecture to me.

[–] Threadkiller (3075) 5 years ago

Sorry but I have to agree with exatera on this. I was totally lost by how you're reading "religious fundamentalism" onto Darlene's character Seems to be an issue you're so fixated on that you find yourself projecting it onto anything/anyone you find disdainful.

[–] ecarle (14979) 5 years ago

Strange you don't mention Mason and his wife.

--

You know, I just plain forgot about them...and yes, they are another example to me. The wife ended up murdered by the Snells, most likely by Darlene, her baby taken out of her.

--

Although I agree with Marty on this - these people have made their own choices. Including the dumbass strip club owner. (And btw Marty still paid him a fair market value, and it was the Snells who killed him.)

--

Well, they were all in criminal enterprises, but the Byrdes descended upon them and made things a helluva lot worse -- mainly by bringing the cartel with them.

And the religious couple didn't KNOW their Bibles were being used for drug deals did they? At least not in the beginning. The strip club owner had his own criminal deal going...but ended up getting killed real quick by Darlene once the Byrdes put their pressures on him.

The marina restaurant owner is an example of a total innocent entrapped by the Byrdes -- but as I recall, Marty helped her escape and with the money to do so.

[–] ecarle (14979) 5 years ago

It would be more accurate to say that the Byrdes' arrival in the Ozarks caused a certain chain of events to unfold (and not even the Byrdes so much as the cartel), rather than that they personally ruined anybody's lives.

---

Well, its a hard call for me. I know that this is the era of the "criminal antiheroes" on TV series, but Marty and Wendy just seem like pretty terrible people to me. One aspect: Wendy's roots in political campaigns gives her a "non-lethal" amorality that she seems to have easily adapted to more murderous business pursuits.

I just don't like these people. But I keep watching, sure. It may get fun at the end...even if the Byrdes win, I expect some price will be paid.

---

The one life they ruined more or less directly was Ben's, but then again, they didn't invite him there, he just showed up (and they tried to get rid of him!),

--

Marty tried to get rid of him; Wendy invited him to stay. Her mistake.

---

nor did they want to share their reality with him - he insisted. And then of course everything that ensued was his choice, he was just not competent to make a good one.

--

Well, he was just too mentally incompetent to handle any of it, that's for sure. His direct confrontation with Helen the Cartel Lawyer was not the act of a man who knows how to think. His continual belief that just saying "I'm sorry, I'm really really sorry" and that would fix everything, was sad and dumb, too. I suppose what made his fate all the worse was the realization for Wendy that he knew the REAL Wendy -- a woman from a poor background -- from way back; his return exposed her weaknesses.

--

I hear that Ozark is getting massive views during this time of lockdowns at home.. the series may last a long time. We will just have to see if the "rednecks versus the yuppie scum" battle lines hold or not.

[–] exatera (3953) 5 years ago

The preacher and his wife didn't know it from the start, but they eventually knew everything about the Snells and the Byrdes except for the literal fact that the Snells threatened to cut the baby out. It should have been abundantly clear that these were not people to be messed with (instead Mason dug his heels in with his principles), and Marty tried to save them from the Snells mulitple times.

And I already replied about Rachel.

[–] ecarle (14979) 5 years ago

OK...I see the point...I think I'm coming around and that we are generally in agreement here.

[–] grhqofb5 (346) 5 years ago

Good summary of events. I think the underlying premise here is that there is that the only good decision makers among the main characters are (1) Marty Byrde, and (2) Ruth.

Helen- Dead because she decided to move to the Ozarks, which wasn't really necessary, and chose to bring her bratty daughter with her
Wendy- Rejected Marty's plan to skip town with her and the kids because she wanted to hang out with Helen and be a big shot
Jacob- Married a psycho that kills for sport.
Wyatt- Breaks into homes instead of going to college, shacks up with his grandmother
Frank Sr.- Let's his moronic son and his friends handle cash exchanges, and let's him hang around the casino causing problems
Darlene- Kills her husband, the only somewhat rational figure in her life, and is basically an unhinged murderer
Byrde kids- One wanted to be emancipated, which would require disclosure of the family's activities, and is generally an entitled brat. One wants to play mobster and likes to play with guns (boy, he's lucky that Helen is dead now....).

BTW- With the level of turnover here due to all the murders, this show is going to have to come up with some more characters.

[–] rootvegetables (1668) 5 years ago

You’re right about Marty and Ruth being the only good decision makers. But with Ruth it is only because she makes good decisions relatively compared to most other people on the show. But she has messed up royally on occasion. She too often reacts with passion and anger which cloud her judgment. Getting Ben out of the hospital was a mistake. And later, wanting out of the Byrde crime enterprise was understandable. But leaving that life to join the ranks of a dangerous psychopath is a huge mistake. If she stopped screaming at people for five seconds, listened to what they were trying to say and then went off quietly, thought about things and made her own decisions, things would work out better for her.

[none]

[–] grhqofb5 (346) 5 years ago

Yeah, I was trying to throw woman into the mix as a good decision maker. I guess chucking Frank Jr. off the boat, deciding to date Wendy's brother (Ben), getting Ben out of the hospital, trusting and now apparently teaming up with a psychopath, and generally sticking around town when she could probably just leave with the money she's made and get a job somewhere else, are all bad decisions.

[–] exatera (3953) 5 years ago

Not to mention following Cade's direction for a while there.

[–] Ace_Spade (9544) 4 years ago

I never saw it as making a sex point about women ruling the world. I think it's because the relationships and power plays come naturally out of the characters. Nothing Helen, Ruth, or Wendy do feels like it comes out of left-field. They act within their characters, they execute the kinds of schemes they really would execute, and all three are fully-fleshed out characters.

I do love that the show has a tonne of great characters of all stripes on this show (races, genders, sexualities, socio-economic classes, and even a little nationality) but I'm even more chuffed that it feels organic and that they put the story first.

There is no political agenda. The show isn't here to spell out to me that men are scum (and dumb) and women are clever and awesome. It's cops vs. robbers. Even the most paragon-like character (Maya) has blind spots (her boss chews her out for letting bad guys go just to satisfy a holier-than-thou righteous moral code).