Original Content podcast: ‘Ozark’ keeps building tension in season three

The Netflix crime drama “Ozark” might not be exactly what you think of when you hear the phrase “high octane.” While there are a few big explosions, there are far more scenes of people talking urgently to each other while filmed in muted tones.

A more apt description might be “high pulse rate.” Once you start following the story of Marty and Wendy Bird (played by Jason Bateman and Laura Linney, respectively), a Chicago couple who have relocated to the Ozarks to launder money for a Mexican drug cartel, you realize how dire their circumstances are, as they get pulled from one desperate conflict to another. And the occasional scenes of grisly violence reminds you of the fate that awaits them if they screw up.

The show has been repeatedly compared to “Breaking Bad” (we even made the comparison in our review of the first season), but by season three, “Ozark” seems to have a different moral arc; instead of giving viewers a straightforward descent into darkness, the show lives in murkier territory, with a sense of one bad choice leading — perhaps inevitably — to another.

In the latest episode of the Original Content podcast, two of your regular hosts are joined by Megan Rose Dickey to express our admiration, recap the season’s complex storylines and argue about whether the Birds’ increasingly cutthroat behavior is forgivable.

You can listen to our review in the player below, subscribe using Apple Podcasts or find us in your podcast player of choice. If you like the show, please let us know by leaving a review on Apple. You can also send us feedback directly. (Or suggest shows and movies for us to review!)

And if you’d like to skip ahead, here’s how the episode breaks down:
0:00 Intro
1:00 “Ozark” season 3 review
28:00 “Ozark” season 3 spoiler discussion