I just finished it, but I had to put it down in episode 5 or 6 for a couple weeks. The last couple/few episodes got stronger though. The whole Snell gang is a little overacted and underwritten if you ask me, but Bateman and Linney really carry the show. Whoever plays Ruth is pretty good too. Overall it was enjoyable- no more no less.
Julia Garner is Ruth. She's an up and coming actress and probably was the best in the show (Esai Morales as Del was my second choice).
The last few episodes were addictive to me, but also not great at the same time. So many far-fetched moments in a show that was doing a pretty great job at authentically portraying money laundering:
[spoil]For example, Roy having zero consequences for seducing and sleeping with an informant, and then shooting up a bar was ridiculous. No agent would have had that little amount of supervision.
Marty giving almost $800,000 to the Snell's to save the preacher Mason and his family didn't make sense. Throughout the show, he showed that he didn't care about the lives of anyone but him and his family. Mason points this out in their last conversation where he calls him the devil. The Snell's murdered his wife but it was Marty who caused this to happen and is the one who puts on a fake smile of sincerity. For all intents and purposes, Marty is a high level member of the cartel.
As someone else pointed out, the relationship between Del's goons and Marty is weird. It's the cartel's money at stake, it's more likely they eliminate his enemies than they are to eliminate Marty.
Del dying at the end was surprising, but a forced way to create drama next season. I can't imagine the cartel would forgive some hillbilly drug dealer for killing one of their most trusted and productive bosses.[/spoil]
It's an addictive and compelling show, but the plot is riddled with holes and forced, unrealistic drama.
