Emmy Episodes: Ozark

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. For the fourth year in a row, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Ozark: Season 2, Episode 10 “The Gold Coast” (B-)

In the last of the six episodes submitted for Best Drama Series consideration, which is also the season finale, it felt like Marty had too carefully crafted a plan for it to actually work. There were different flights and ways for everything to work itself out, but he was the only one read into the entire thing, and as evidenced by the final scene of the episode, he’s not the one in charge anymore. Wendy didn’t want to leave, and she was ready to do everything necessary to protect them from various threats, though not at the expense of children like Ezekiel, who Marty just handed back to Darlene to protect his own son. Having Cade killed was a logical choice, and it’s something that even Ruth seemed to accept, even if it made her sad. I’m not sure this is the episode I would have selected for Julia Garner, but it’s the one she chose, and I guess that her swift defense of Charlotte from her father was as good a scene as any to showcase her superb work. I knew Roy was doomed the moment Cade showed up to try to offer some deal, and of course Roy’s response baited Cade into hitting him and then finishing the job when his first blow proved more destructive than he thought. Sampling half of this season hasn’t improved my perception of this dreary drama, which is decent enough but doesn’t deserve to be counted among the best shows of the year. I think I’d be happiest with Garner winning since, to me, she’s far and away the strongest part of this show.