Ozark: Ranking Every Main Character Worst To Best

When Ozark first streamed, a lot of comparisons were drawn to Breaking Bad which for the most part were unhelpful, however if you insisted then Wendy succeeds in all the ways a female anti-hero should that Skylar White failed miserably at. Writing the spouse of a criminal can be difficult as keeping them compelling but also naturally at odds with the protagonist is a complicated balance.

Wendy Byrde achieves this flawlessly, she starts off initially aware but opposed to Marty's laundering before slowly becoming more prominent in cartel business. By Season Three, she has a quasi-friendship with Helen Pierce and a direct line to Omar Navarro which Marty doesn't even have.

Laura Linney is untouchable on this show. Given all the best material and improving any scene she is in, Linney is giving a masterclass of acting with every episode. The best acting of the entire show comes in the moment Wendy has to give her brother up to Helen and she is breaking down in her car. As Wendy cries and flails around trying to reconcile what she's done, your heart cannot help but break for her and that is all down to Linney.

As Wendy has become equally if not more important than Marty as time has gone on, it will be interesting to see how characters (Jonah and Ruth in particular) react to her decision to sacrifice her brother. Whatever happens, Wendy will no doubt be the most captivating element of the show once again.