The beginning of Ozark's third season, which arrived recently over a year after the second season, includes a plotline about securing the soft-rock band REO Speedwagon to play a concert for a convention of dentists. In the same stretch of episodes, a litany of violent, grotesque acts are committed: a high-priced lawyer gets waterboarded; a bomb explodes in a crowd, killing countless innocent civilians; and a Kansas City mobster gets kicked in the nuts and thrown off a river boat. Amidst all the bloodshed and mayhem, REO Speedwagon is what the most vivid part of what sets Ozark apart from similar shows chronicling illicit behaviour. The tension that comes along with empire-building ambition powers much of the conflict in season three, which also follows Wendy's turbulent relationship with her volatile brother Ben (Tom Pelphre). If you've watched enough shows like this, you'll probably have a strong sense that Ben, who shows up unannounced after leaving a substitute teaching job in a huff, will do something to endanger the family's status, and the storyline isn't exactly helped by stock lines like. The story isn’t all that unique, but the core cast of characters is a fascinating bunch, and the intensified focus on the marital strain between Marty and Wendy provides a new layer of stakes. The new season overextends itself a bit by throwing in two or three too many characters and subplots.