The Wendy Detail That Has Ozark Fans Scratching Their Heads
With three-and-a-half seasons of stark underworld drama under its belt, "Ozark" remains arguably one of the best original series Netflix has aired to date. And minus a few questionable turns in the first half of its fourth and final season, "Ozark" is primed to deliver a farewell run of episodes as bloody as they are emotionally brutal.
As evinced in the trailer for the second half of its final season, a lot of what lies ahead in the "Ozark" narrative will hinge as much on the actions of Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) as they do those of Marty (Jason Bateman) and a vengeance-bound Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner). And perhaps more than either of her counterparts, Wendy has proven capable of making unfathomably difficult decisions (i.e. her shocking actions toward her own brother) to ensure she gets what wants.
Wendy's no-holds-barred approach to her family's increasingly perilous predicament has, of course, made her one of the more polarizing characters in the "Ozark" landscape, even as it has also made her one of the most intriguing. And as questions abound as to how she'll play her hand moving forward, there's one particular detail about Wendy Byrde that continues to baffle some fans of "Ozark." Here's what has them so confused.
Wendy's lack of a Southern accent is confusing to some Ozark fans
It seems at least one "Ozark" fan remains puzzled by the fact that Wendy Byrde doesn't speak with a Southern accent on the show. And u/Fit-Oven5360 even opened their recent Reddit thread by posing the question: "Anyone else thought it was off that Ben (Wendy's brother) had a strong southern accent but Wendy didn't? Did I miss something, were they raised separately?" Per Wendy's backstory, she and her brother Ben (Tom Pelphrey) were born and raised in North Carolina. So, when Ben turned up in the Ozarks fronting a fair amount of Southern twang, it only enhanced the fact that Wendy doesn't have an accent at all.
As many of u/Fit-Oven5360's fellow fans were quick to point out, they did miss something in their "Ozark" binge, as Wendy's lack of accent actually has been addressed on the show. As noted by u/Shiftylee — who posted that Wendy "had a strong accent that she trained to lose" — the topic is indeed covered in the show's 3rd season. Redditor u/ThinkThink23 went on to add that "Ozark" has even joked about Wendy's accent coming through when she's upset, writing, "I think they also joke about her adding four extra syllables to a word when she is angry."
Likewise, u/liquid_diet pointed out that, in a beautifully subtle bit of acting from Laura Linney, Wendy has often utilized said accent to her advantage in her various political dealings. They wrote, "Also, when she has a few of those political meetings she lets her southern twang fly." And so it seems of all the unanswered "Ozark" questions, this is one that's already been well-covered.