MovieChat Forums > Ozark (2017) Discussion > Is part of the idea that we're not suppo...

Is part of the idea that we're not supposed to like anyone?

posted 5 years ago by spurtle467 (1546)
8 replies | jump to latest

I think the only likeable or nice character on this show is the disabled kid who has only had about 5 lines, and seems to have disappeared entirely since series 2, probably because he was too nice.

There is practically nobody to root for on this show, they all come across as rude, potty-mouthed, easily corruptible a-holes, and if they aren't already then they soon will.

Don't get me wrong, I've found the show entertaining and enjoyable (only started watching for the first time since lockdown) but I suppose my one issue would be the lack of likeable characters.

I guess if I can compare to a show which touches on many of the same themes and what may well have inspired this one, Breaking Bad, characters like Walt and Jesse are at least characters you root for even with the bad (sometimes despicable) things they do. They are written with more humour and personality, and don't eff and blind all the time, like pretty much every character on this show does, including the kids. This is where the writing could be a bit improved upon.

[–] ducksoup (3933) 5 years ago

Yes, ambivalence seems like a major theme of the show.

[–] Ace_Spade (9544) 4 years ago

While I agree that the characters all have moral hangups, I still like a lot of them.

I'm rooting for Marty to wise up and finally push harder for his family than for the easy "safety" road. I like Marty, although he does do jerk things. His struggle with morality is key to the show. If he didn't struggle, there wouldn't be enough conflict.

I also really like Ruth, who is trying, darnit.

Wendy lost a lot of moral high ground for me when she got political. She turned real icy...

But the kids? You don't like Jonah? He's just trying to stay afloat. He wants his father's approval and he's trying so hard and he's naive...

I love Breaking Bad, too, but Walt and Jesse did HEINOUS things that often made me really dislike them. Especially Walt. That dude got evil. (I still was engaged with his anti-hero's journey through the whole show, but he definitely deserved to get got).

[–] brux (14724) 4 years ago

That is an interesting question.
Some say that part of the point of TV is to manipulate society in way that are helpful to the elites of the country/economy. Some would go as far as to say that anything people pay to present before an audience is in some way a for-profit investment.
Some scientists say that Americans are more frightened of the world, and have less friends these days than in the past. If you have people who are scared and mistrustful of other people, then they would have a harder time united and working together politically, and the elites would have an easier time controlling them.

I must be a freak, because when I watched Breaking Bad I was mostly rooting for Hank.

[–] HarryShoulder (279) 4 years ago

Hank made racist jokes and was a bit of a turd, but he had a straight and true moral compass and was a complete badass so it’s understandable that you could root for him.

However, if you said you rooted for Agent Petty, then yes, you would be a freak.

[–] Ace_Spade (9544) 4 years ago

I was rooting for Martin to take the deal, not with Petty, but with the other agent - the pregnant chick. So close... Martin was so close to salvaging what he could of his family and doing the right thing.

[–] Iffy762 (1334) 4 years ago

Yeah I liked Hank too. Not at first, but as the show went on. I think at first it seemed like Walt was getting into the meth business for his family, but as time went on, you could see he was really doing it for his own ego. So he chose to ruin his family's lives. I couldn't like Walt. Hank was unlikeable at first, but at the end I felt like he had a moral compass.

On Ozark, I like Ruth. I'm not sure I'm rooting for Marty. It depends what is meant by "rooting for" him. Unlike Walt, I think Marty really does care about his kids, so if his goal is to make things safe for them, and get them back to a place where they can be moral, then I'm rooting for Marty. But I don't know if Marty can redeem himself as a human being beyond that. So I don't think I'm rooting for Marty himself. If he dies at the end of the series, well, oh well.

[–] asom (6824) 4 years ago

buddy, really loved buddy.

and ruth.she really tries.

the son also is likable.

[–] NikkiSparxx (16) 3 years ago

Buddy was one of my favorites too. And who couldn’t love Sam Dermody??!