Emmy Catch-Up: Ozark (Season Finale)

Every year, I watch the six submitted episodes of every series I don’t regularly watch that’s up for one of the Emmy series prizes. This year, I’m getting a jump start to check out the entire season of some of most high-profile shows I didn’t watch when they originally aired.

Ozark: Season 3, Episode 10 “All In” (B)

This is a very tense show, and there’s nothing like being pretty sure that you’re about to executed to keep things miserable and serious. Over the past few episodes, alliances have shifted so that Marty and Wendy are back on the same page and Helen has been directly opposite them, growing more and more unsure of their dependability. All of the Byrde family members realized what their fates could be, and Wendy was bold to ask for assurances from Navarro that they would still remain relevant, a worthwhile question considering she had already gone to him to request to take over the casino operations while selling Marty out to the FBI. I got worried when yet another young person pulled out a gun with no hesitation, and Jonah is lucky that his antics didn’t result in severe repercussions. Wendy was also fortunate that Jim called her to tell her that Helen had in fact applied for an expedited casino license, making it very clear what her intentions were. Maya didn’t hold back in warning Marty not to go to Mexico with the confession Helen wrote for him being processed, and I’m sure that he didn’t expect what was going to happen as soon as Navarro welcomed him with open arms. Choosing the Byrdes over Helen, whose death was just as swift and brutal as many of the execution she ordered likely were, is a big move for Navarro, and presents an intriguing situation for the show’s final fourth season. Darlene blasting off Frank Jr.’s genitals hardly seemed like a productive decision since it’s hard to believe that Frank Sr. would partner with her after that aggression. I’m still not completely sold on this show as one of the best on television, but watching an entire season through has shown me that it is better than I thought, with some formidable performances featured. I’m on board to watch the fourteen episodes of season four when it premieres. This episode earned an Emmy nomination for writing along with two other episodes of this show. 

Season grade: B
Season MVPs: Laura Linney as Wendy, Tom Pelphrey as Ben, Julia Garner as Ruth and Janet McTeer as Helen