Last week, Netflix released the first half of Ozark season 4. This included more dramatic twists and turns for the Byrde family as their drug cartel money-laundering enterprise came under more scrutiny from the FBI and the Navarro family. The seven episodes have received high praise from critics, with the season receiving a 94 percent favourable rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Showrunner Chris Mundy describes some of the season’s main narrative aspects in the interview below. And teases what the renowned drama’s last set of episodes will offer when the rest of the season is released later this year.
What effect did the divide have on the creative?
It just happened to land where it did. I had a hunch that might work, but you never know until you’re in the thick of things, and it turned out to be ideal. Ozark season 4 is going to be the best one.
Between seasons, Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) experienced a significant growth spurt. Did how much he grew up and became more adult-like start to have a role in the character’s development?
That was his first act of disobedience. I believe, because of where we left him at the conclusion of season three, shooting out those windows. Skylar, on the other hand, improves as an actor year after year. So it seemed like we had to respond to that scene from the third season finale. And we knew Skylar could handle whatever we threw at him.
Wendy (Sofia Hublitz) is quickly resembling an unsettling mirror image of her mother, Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) (Laura Linney). How much of Charlotte’s resemblance to Wendy was intentional in Ozark Season 4?
That was a conscious decision on our side. She was supposed to be more rebellious in the first two seasons just because of her character’s age on the programme. She had a more fulfilling existence in Chicago, which was snatched from her. We wanted her to mature and mimic her mother’s conduct as they settled in and [the money laundering] truly became a family operation, for better or worse. Charlotte is now physically, emotionally, and cognitively resembling Wendy in a huge way.
