Sugarwood

A really bold, highlighted pilot episode I've seen in a while, this episode doesn't hold any punches when showcasing the good and flaws sides of the characters. A bit tense, the plot setup paces really quick, a major plot point is reveal and sets the track for the rest of the season. The show is a gritty crime drama that I'd like to compare to Breaking Bad especially the integration of suburban family crisis in the central plot. The cast is pitch-perfect, the technical elements are of top-calibre, right from the first frame of this show, I knew I won't be watching the typical Netflix show but rather a sophisticated, well-made series. My only downside with the episode is that has a pacing issue and tries a bit hard to shock the audience, other than I think this show going to be a blast.

So far all I've watched of this show is this episode, but I have to say that I am hooked. I've been kind of putting off watching this show despite the intriguing premise. I loved Breaking Bad and this has a very Breaking Bad feel to it. I've seen some less than flattering reviews saying it's a "poor man's BB," but let's be honest, that show was a masterpiece and we have to take what we can get. That said, this episode is a very promising beginning and I can't wait to see more.

Jason Bateman is your go to guy as your every-man for comedies. He has been doing it as a kid in series such as Valerie/The Hogan Family.

In the opening episode of Ozark he directs, produces as well as being the star in this dark crime thriller.

He plays Marty Byrde a financial adviser for a small firm in Chicago with his partner, Bruce (Josh Randall). The firm is far from legitimate, they are laundering money for a Mexican cartel.

The episode hits it stride with a bloody massacre as gangster Del (Esai Morales) suspects the firm is skimming money and Bruce owes up to it. It later transpires that Del did not know for sure, he just suspected.

While others are killed, Marty pleads for his life with an idea that he can launder more money, up to half a billion dollars in 5 years if he relocates to Lake Ozark in Missouri.

Marty's last minute thinking might have saved his life, he tries to liquidate his assets including withdrawing everything from his bank. However Marty's wife Wendy (Laura Linney) double crosses him by trying to flee with everything with her lover. That porn film Marty kept watching turns out to be his wife with her lover.

Again it is Del who has also found out what Wendy has been up to and dealt with her lover by having him thrown off from a high rise block.

Marty heads to the Ozark with a plan and an uncertain future. Del will not hesitate to shoot him and his family and he cannot trust his wife.

I am not convinced that Bateman has the chops for a dark dramatic turn. It clearly is darkly lit but at least the opening episode was not a slow burner, it really did go out with a bang thanks to Morales conniving gangster.

The biggest problem is you really have no one to care enough about in this episode to root for. Marty and Bruce fleeced a well to do ordinary couple in the opening scenes who came in for some financial advice.

I have been putting off this show for some time. After watching this episode, I wish I watched it sooner. This episode was filled with intense moments and great performances. The episode also had some great ideas that future episodes can expand upon.

Anyone burned by the slow stroll to nowhere of recent Netflix dramas had to be pleased with the pins-and-needles tension - and shocking payoffs - of "Ozark," Jason Bateman's new original series for the streaming giant. From the first episode to the ending, Season 1 was filled with shocking twists and intense familial strife. The importance of the premiere episode was its power. While that may go without saying, given the first hour's overall impact, it's important to remember how many dramas start slow. "Ozark" digs right in, and does so with great purpose: to alert you to what kind of show you're watching and prepare you for what's to come. Meet Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman): a financial adviser working for a small firm in Chicago with his partner, Bruce (Josh Randall). But making smart monetary moves isn't just Marty's business. It's his life. We learn as much by the penny-pinching tendencies on display when he denies another $10 donation to his daughter's friend - for charity. A shot that starts with his entire family gathered around the dinner table ends with Marty munching on chips alone. Clearly, his job is affecting his life. And it all starts with the massacre of Marty's business partners. Del (Esai Morales) suspects his money launderers are skimming money in the process, which we later find out is a bluff. He didn't know. He just presumed, and Bruce fell for it. What's important to note about all these deaths goes beyond simple set-up. Yes, Marty's last-second idea saves his hide and sets in motion the entire series - moving the family to Missouri, laundering more money than he ever imagined possible - but it also sets a standard: The worst can happen, and Del won't hesitate to pull the trigger. This lesson is reinforced again when Wendy (Laura Linney) tries to flee with her fling, Gary (a.k.a. "Sugarwood" - thanks for the episode title, P. I.). Just as you expect a conflict between an angry Marty and his wife's lover, down drops Gary's body with a sickening thwack, right in the middle of the street. Del found out what Wendy was trying to do and dealt with it before Marty had a chance. How he handles Gary - and Wendy - is memorable for all parties: exactly the response Del wants.