Ozark

I , like so many Netflix viewers , fell in love withOzark , even though I was n’t enamored with Omar Navarro during my first picket - through of the series . Ozarkis a offence drama with some big personality , from the conniving Wendy Byrde to the potty - mouthed antiheroine Ruth Langmore . champion Marty Byrde is a lot more balmy - mannered , but his personality balances out the moral force with the other members of his family . Omar Navarro is also a quieter quality , but with the show presenting him as the overarching baddie , at first , I found him a bit savourless .

Every time he was onscreen , I found myself bid for another conniption with other villains like the irregular Darlene Snell or the odious but fascinating Cosgroves of the Kansas City Mob . I particularly enjoyed Omar ’s combine lieutenant Camino " Del " Del Rio , who is one of the most magical villains I ’ve check on criminal offence dramas in a prospicient time . I washeartbroken when he died inOzarkseason 1 because I felt he was carry the show . However , I recently rewatchedOzark , and it became clear as day that I was n’t giving Omar a bonny shake .

Why Omar Is Misconstrued As A “Soft” Villain

He Quietly Wields His Power & Has Others Enact Violence For Him

The most glaring reason that I , and many others , saw Omar as a " soft " baddie was because he was n’t physically show on screen , having interaction with the Byrdes until season 3 . He dissemble as an off - sieve scoundrel and , therefore , we do n’t think of him as a legitimate threat because he ’s never actually seen . We also never actually see him inflict any harm on anyone . Additionally , Omar is not perceive as ruthless as otherOzarkvillains , such asDarlene , who flat - out poisoned her own husband .

But make no misunderstanding , when the Byrdes first meet Omar , he sure enough typify a terror . The hatchway scenery with Omar in the pilot sequence is at once chilling and measured . Omar communicates through his enforcer as he sits behind a desk , almost detach from the quick force surrounding him .

He curb them not with open threats but with the still , looming potential for fierceness and his ability to manipulate situations .

Ozark Poster

This first fundamental interaction picture him as a man who does n’t necessitate to exert strong-arm force — his mere comportment and reputation are enough . It sets the tone for the lineament ’s relationship with the Byrdes , where he assure them not with open threats but with the tranquil , looming potential for fierceness and his ability to manipulate state of affairs , like when he give the decree to execute Helen . While Omar is n’t likeGustavo Fring , who belt down someone with a box cutter , his insensate nature still stand for a threat .

How Omar’s Relationship With Wendy Is Misunderstood

Their Relationship Is Complex

Many people believe the relationship between Omar and Wendy is amorous because they frequently toy with each other . There ’s also a theory thatWendy could see Omar as a beginner figurebecause she is keen on helping Omar . She assists him in laundering his money and devises a plan to keep Omar and his family safe if his combine ’s relationship with the Laguana cartel goes sour . The two of them are concerned with their families ' rubber despite manipulate them at every turn .

One of the non-white threads in their relationship is how Omar begin to see Wendy as a public figure who empathise his headache about class and bequest . It make sense that evenLaura Linney herself is diffident if Wendy is a villain . Just as Wendy manipulates her own family , especially her two nipper , Omar is trying to form a future for his children in a system that would otherwise destroy them .

There ’s a chilling symmetry here : both are parents who expend their families as pawn in their own aspiration . Wendy advance Omar to pursue immunity , not just as a business concern move , but as a way to ensure his minor wo n’t populate in fright . It ’s a seduction of genuineness , but it also show how deeply Wendy has interiorise her idea of top executive .

Omar Navarro in a private plane in Ozark.

Ozark is an improbably well - constructed serial following the Byrde family , and their transaction with the cartel , but seasons vary in quality throughout .

to boot , despite their strategical alignment , there ’s no real trust between Omar and Wendy . Everything between them is performance . Omar tests Wendy repeatedly — just as he does with Marty — but in subtler , more psychological ways . He ’ll demand unacceptable determination or place her in virtuously compromise positions , just to see how far she ’ll go . Wendy , in good turn , consistently chooses endurance and ambitiousness over morality , which only deepens Omar ’s captivation with her .

Yet the business leader asymmetry remains . Omar is a combine party boss with the ability to destroy Wendy in an minute . Their relationship is a tightrope walking , and Wendy ’s increase nerve in manipulate him finally put up to his ruin . She wants to use him as a stepping Harlan F. Stone , not as a cooperator .

Navarro on his phone in Ozark

What The Omar Actor Has Said About His Character

Felix Solis Drew From Real Life To Play The Character

Omar is brought to life on screen by worker Felix Solis , whodoes an excellent job of portray the character ’s muddled ethical motive and calculate nature . In an audience withForbes , Solis discussed his approach to encounter hisOzarkcharacter . Specifically , Solis discussed how he drew on his own experiences as a business proprietor to bring the character to aliveness :

" … I ’m a character reference type actor , where I believe that you really do n’t have a on-key opportunity to do a scene or a instant to the best of its ability if you do n’t have some variety of a reference work . That ’s not to say that I went out and I started dealing drugs , but I do recognize what it ’s like to run a byplay ….. I have my own output company . I do know what it ’s like to have multitude take care up to you and look for answer when there ’s a trouble die on . I ’ve had to negociate masses . I ’ve had to manage human relationship . I ’ve had to be around masses who ’re insisting and shuddery and dangerous . I ’ve had to just because of my sprightliness and who I am . I have those references . So I do n’t necessarily require to depend for those . "

Why Omar is Actually The Perfect Ozark Villain

He Doesn’t Pull Any Punches

Omar is actuallythe pure villain forOzarkbecause so much of his character is tie to the serial ' primal base , namely the close connection between bureaucracy and crime in America . In other words , the show likes to highlight how someone can be a total criminal and still be successful in America .

For example , Omar lead his cartel like a corporation . He has layer of power structure , clear chains of command , and a unpitying approach to efficiency and commitment . His interest in using the Byrdes ’ casino for money laundering is strategical , reflecting a bureaucratic pauperization to streamline operations and legitimize felonious net . This mirrors how corporation in America often utilize legal loopholes and seaward account : Omar want a clean balance sheet , just like any multinational chief operating officer .

Omar ’s interactions with Marty Byrdeespecially highlight this idea . The corporate trust leader often comes across as coldly noetic . He ’s obsessed with succession planning , PR , and broaden his operations . In gist , Omar ’s trying to evolve from outlaw to oligarch , demonstrating how crime , once successful enough , aspires not to shroud from bureaucracy , but to become it , which is what makes hisOzarkcharacter so interesting .

Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore, Jason Bateman as Martin ‘Marty’ Byrde in Netflix original series Ozark.

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Omar leaning against atable in Ozark

Omar from Ozark in prison garb talking with Wendy.

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Ozark