The Ozark Character Fans Think Gets Too Much Hate
Warning: May contain spoilers about the final season of "Ozark."
In case you hadn't heard, the final episodes of "Ozark" are officially available to binge on Netflix. In an attempt to avoid spoiling even a single second of the final season madness, we'll simply say "wow" in regards to how things ended for Marty (Jason Bateman), Wendy (Laura Linney), and pretty much anyone who was unfortunate enough to enter their orbit over the series' pulse-pounding four season run.
That list is pretty extensive too, as Marty and Wendy tangled with any and all comers throughout their perilous ordeal in the wilds of Missouri. The "Ozark" power couple naturally made their share of enemies along the way because, well, that's just the cost of business when law enforcement agencies, drug cartels, and hillbilly heroin kingpins are in the mix. Indeed, "Ozark" fans might be quick to admit neither the Byrdes, nor their various business partners were particularly easy to like as all power-playing unfolded.
In fact, some of the central players have been downright loathed by "Ozark" fans to date. Seems, however, that some of those fans are having a change of heart about one "Ozark" character who'd previously found themselves on the "most-hated" list. Here's the "Ozark" character some fans think has gotten a little too much hate.
There are actually a lot of Wendy Byrde fans in the Ozark landscape
That character is the Byrde matriarch Wendy. And Redditor u/jniccholl96 got the pro-Wendy party started with an original Reddit post stating boldly, "Wendy Byrde was the best character in Ozark." The user followed that proclamation with a brief follow-up feverishly defending their stance from likely naysayers. What they got instead was a thread full of comments praising both the character and the actor behind her.
To be clear, most of those comments still freely admit Wendy Byrde isn't necessarily a character you like. Nonetheless, many "Ozark" fans now believe her to be among the most consistently interesting characters to grace the series' narrative, including u/notthe1_88 who posted, "I'm actually inclined to agree. She isn't a likeable character but she is a brilliant character. Well written, incredibly acted, cunning." User u/wantabath soon followed with a similar statement, hailing the character for depth and nuance, even if she often acts in less-than-moral ways.
Meanwhile u/nahkel dropped in to claim they'd had a change of heart about the character after Wendy's complicated Season 4 arc. And according u/biggie_slimz, Wendy may well be remembered among the best characters the small screen has ever seen thanks to Linney's deft work, claiming, "Wendy Byrde will go down as one of the best characters (male or female) in modern television hist ... I'm so glad this show ended when it wanted to, because we got to experience Wendy's character completely. Laura Linney was just A-class this whole show, but she put her foot in it this last season. Brava."
And if you've seen the final season of "Ozark," you know it's pretty hard to argue that claim.