Why Ozark Fans Like 'Identifying' With The Byrde Family, According To Laura Linney

Ozark Netflix

As Ozark prepares for its final season, fans may be wondering how the Byrde family will work their way out of a difficult situation. At the moment, it seems like there's no real winning scenario for them following the events of Season 3, which may make viewers thankful a vast majority of them aren't in quite so harrowing of a situation.

Despite very few of us being wrapped up in a cartel laundering scheme, Laura Linney (Wendy) talked about how audiences like to identify with the Byrde family. Linney explained to Variety that while most of us may not have the same situation going on in our lives, they can certainly see how situations like this could evolve in such a way:

I think people like identifying with the Byrdes and thinking, if they were in their situation, what would they do? It’s easy to be someone of questionable character. It’s not easy to be of solid character, I think. So I think people are realizing how easy it is to take the dark road, and if they did that, how would they in fact navigate all of this. I think that’s a part of it, that there’s an attraction to the undertow.

I'll be the first to admit I'm not nearly as good at math as Marty Byrde to launder money for anyone, but I take Laura Linney's point all the same. The Byrdes have been doing the wrong thing for a long time and, for the most part, have had some great success in doing so. If they didn't, they would all be dead, so it's certainly easier to understand their motives when their lives and the lives of everyone they love are on the line.

Perhaps we can't figure out how to wash drug money through a riverboat casino, but we can all understand being put in a corner and feeling a need to do whatever we can to ensure the best life for our family. It just so happens that the Byrdes will end up in prison or killed if they mess up, so the lengths in which they will go are much greater.

The first three seasons of Ozark have seen the Byrde family only narrowly escape disaster, but it feels like the shoe has to drop in Season 4. The death of Wendy's brother, Ben, was the first family casualty of the show (unless you count Buddy as a family member), and I don't think it's crazy to think at least one Byrde could fall by the end of Season 4. Then again, Marty and Wendy have pulled off some truly wild stunts so far to ensure their survival, so it isn't too out there to believe they have a few more tricks up their sleeve to survive.

Ozark Season 4 is currently in development at Netflix. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for all the latest happening with the final season, and for more news in television and movies.

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.