This article, “who is Mel Sattem,” contains spoilers regarding Netflix’s Ozark season 4.
Read the review of part 1 of season 4 of Ozark.
Perhaps the most intriguing character in season 4 is Mel Sattem. Introducing characters like this so late into the series is always a difficult thing to achieve, but there’s something about Mel that resonates with the story. At the start of season 4, Mel makes his presence known straight away. What feels like a minor character slowly grows more vital in the story.
Who is Mel Sattem in Ozark season 4?
Mel is a Private Investigator, hired by the husband of Helen Pierce to find his wife. It seems that the husband has grown impatient with divorce proceedings, and he wants to know where his wife is so he can confirm the separation and move on with his life.
Of course, what Mel and the husband do not know is that Helen has been killed by her employer Omar Navarro.
Mel Sattem is designed to be an irritant in the story. An outsider who can see things unravel while the other characters suffer from being so deeply embedded with their problems. Mel keeps appearing at the Byrde family home, asking for a signature and wondering where Helen is. The more he does it, the more irritated Marty gets.
As season 4 progresses, Mel begins to suspect there’s more behind Helen’s disappearance and he even fears that she’s dead (which she is)
We learn about Mel’s past in season 4, part 1. He used to be a highly respected detective for Chicago Police Department. That’s until he was caught sniffing drugs in the evidence room. We’ll have to wait and see what Mel’s role will be for the plot when part 2 is released, but he could well and truly be a dark horse in the story.
