Ozark

I have to admit, I struggled to identify a story that was memorable enough to dedicate an entire blog post to.  I’ll admit, I am not much of a reader. I tend to digest content in the form of podcasts, which do not always tend to move in a linear story line. But then I remembered Netflix. I am most definitely guilty of binging an entire season of a show in one weekend. As much as I advocate for healthy living and limiting one’s screen time, there have been a few shows that I have not had the self-control to turn off the TV and move onto something else. 

One show in particular had me completely glued to the couch and unable to take my eyes off the screen. I even have had reoccurring dreams about this series. If this doesn’t show you how dedicated I was to the storyline of this show, I don’t know what will. This show is called Ozark. This show evoked emotion, had a relatable protagonist who we could root for, had a purposeful structure, and had impactful impressions on the audience. 

Although the storyline of this series had many twists and turns, it tended to follow the principles of the The Story Spine (a story framework developed by teacher/author, Kenn Adams).

Ozark follows Marty Byrde, a financial advisor who becomes wrapped up in a money laundering scheme. When the scheme goes wrong, Marty is forced to relocated his family to the lake of the Ozarks to try and make amends with a powerful Mexican drug cartel. See more details, here.

This story synopsis follows the parts of the ‘Story Spine’ like so:

• Once there was a financial advisor named Marty Byrde
• Every day he laundered money for the Mexican drug cartel 
• But One Day the cartel leader found out that Marty’s business partner was stealing from the cartel 
• Because Of That, Marty had to relocate him and his family to the Ozarks to launder an obscene amount of money to repay the cartel
• Because Of That, the Byrde family has made both friends and enemies in the Ozarks that affects their business of working for the cartel
• Because Of That, there is continued chaos in the Ozarks which all began when the Byrdes arrived

This series is not yet finished so there is not a defined climax and end, but it is clear that because the story spine was used as a back bone of the storyline, the audience remains engaged. 

Another reason why Ozark was such a good story is because the protagonist, Marty, is very relatable. Marty is relatable in the sense that he keeps on trying his best, but despite his effort he does not always succeed. This also follows the first in The 22 rules of storytelling according to Pixar, which is “You admire a character for trying more than for their successes”. 

The last reason why Ozark constantly had me at the edge of my seat was because it evoked emotion in me. We got to know the characters so well, and were invested in their lives because of the emotional connection that was formed between them and us (the audience). I truly laughed and cried when watching this series, and it was because I was so emotionally involved with the characters and the storyline. 

Needless to say, I am stoked for the last season of Ozark to come out, as I will most definitely be glued to my couch, with my eyes locked to the screen when it does.