Breaking Bad comparisons have kept on coming too.
Ozark follows a couple (Marty and Wendy) that is forced to launder money for a Mexican drug cartel to avoid getting killed. Among the main characters of the show are the couple's two children Charlotte and Jonah. Both have different perspectives on what's going and here's what makes each better than the other.
Charlotte: She Disapproves Of Her Parents' Money Laundering Operation
Marty and Wendy were open with their kids from the very beginning. They confessed that they were laundering money for a cartel and they had moved from Chicago because the city was too closely monitored by law enforcement. But Charlotte has always been against it. She's tried to talk them out of it a couple of times but it's not really up to them. If they quit, they'd get killed.
Still, the fact that she doesn't want to see her parents engaging in illegal activities is commendable. As the older sibling, she always says what's on her mind even when her mother wants to hear none it. If things go south one day, she'll at least have the luxury of saying: "I told you so."
Jonah: He Is Extremely Brave
Jonah has never shied away from danger. When his uncle Ben gets killed, Jonah becomes devastated since the two had become extremely close. He grabs a shotgun and storms into Hellen's house to confront her despite the fact that Hellen is a heartless woman who works for the Navarro cartel.
He almost shoots her but she manages to save herself by telling him that his mother was in on it too. And when a cartel hitman broke into the Byrde’s home in the second season, Jonah quickly pulled a gun on him, ready to protect his family. He did pull the trigger, only that the gun didn’t go off. Luckily, Buddy managed to kill the hitman.
Charlotte: She Forced Her Parents To See A Therapist
Charlotte's parents Wendy and Marty have never been in good ever since the series began. When it was revealed that Wendy had cheated on Marty in the pilot episode, it was obvious that their marriage was going to be rocky.
Wendy was planning to leave Marty in order to be with her new lover but the issue with the cartel forced them to stick together. After constantly arguing for two seasons, Charlotte asked them to see a therapist. That didn't work out so well but at least she tried. Marty ended up bribing the therapist so that she could favor him.
Jonah: He Is Too Smart
Jonah has proven time and time again that he is too smart for his age. After discovering what his parents do, Jonah tries to launder $5000 too through the internet and he does it quite well. He cleans the money via his high school's homework service before banking it in offshore s that he created via the dark web. Even his parents are stunned by this.
The offshore s later prove helpful as Wendy uses them to secure the casino deal. In another instance, Jonah is seen schooling his teacher about the economy. A free thinker, he also refuses to sign the “just say no to drugs” pledge in school without at least taking time to analyze it.
Charlotte: She Always Takes Care Of Jonah
Despite the fact that she's a constant pain in the tooth for her parents, Charlotte is the big sister every young boy needs. Her relationship with Jonah is an extremely healthy one. And she's always offering him good advice when necessary too.
When Jonah tried to impress a girl by flaunting his shooting skills, Charlotte said: "One day you'll get a nice girl who you won't have to impress with a gun." She also bought Jonah a drone so that he could spend his time outside the house more often.
Jonah: He Understands What's At Stake
The most impressive thing about Jonah is that he totally gets it. From the moment his parents opened up about laundering money, he has always been on their side. He knows that they have no choice but to do what they do. His mantra is—we're in this together and we'll get through it together.
His sister Charlotte might not share similar views but that's what makes them both interesting. And despite his sister not being on the same page with the rest of the family, Jonah still loves him very much. The two are definitely contenders for the best sibling duo on television.
Charlotte: She Enjoys Working
When your parents are wealthy money launderers, it can be tempting to just sit at home and enjoy the spoils. But for Wendy, she doesn't see it that way. Despite the fact that she doesn't like doing house chores, she enjoys having real jobs with a paycheck.
In the third season, she takes up a job at Byrde Enterprises where she assists her mother in running the business operations. In the first season, she briefly works at the Blue Cat Lodge. This proves that she is not just a spoiled and entitled teenager. She is responsible.
Jonah: He Never Causes Trouble For Anyone
A good kid is one who doesn't make people clean after their mistakes all the time. Jonah is such a kid. He is not totally disciplined but he knows not to create messes where they can be avoided. The same cannot be said for Charlotte.
Despite her parents' woes, she hired a lawyer and tried to emancipate herself. She also stole part of the cartel money, causing the FBI to poke into Marty's affairs even further. Then there was that time she stole a book and gave it to Wyatt as a gift. But he didn't like the gesture, reminding her that the punishment for him would be more severe yet she'll only get a slap on the wrist.
Charlotte: She Is 'Normal'
In as much as she does plenty of annoying things, Charlotte is your typical teenager. She is relatable because she does most of the things that normal teenagers do. She is rebellious, fun-loving, and prone to mistakes. She thinks she knows what's best for everyone but she doesn't. Didn't we all?
Jonah, on the other hand, appears to be among the 1% of kids. He's kinda like what billionaires are to adults. Pretty cool but not everyone can be one. The extraordinary things he does make him irable but hey, not everyone can confront a cartel hitman.
Jonah: Relates Well With Others
One of the ways to measure how cool someone is by looking at how they relate with others. Everyone who interacts with Jonah seems to like him. After selling his house to the Byrdes, Buddy went on to be good friends with Jonah and treated him like a grandson.
And when Buddy died, Jonah called all his friends just to make sure his funeral would be full. Jonah also had a good relationship with his mom's bipolar brother Ben despite the fact that Ben was a nuisance to everyone else. Both Marty and Wendy know they can count on Jonah too.