Helen Pierce

Helen Pierce arrives in the Ozarks as the cartel's lawyer, sent to keep watch over Marty and Wendy Byrde's laundering operation. Polished, precise and utterly unflappable, she treats criminal enterprise like corporate law, negotiating terms with the same cool authority she'd bring to a boardroom. She wants control, and she expects to get it.

Janet McTeer plays Helen without a flicker of menace showing on the surface, which makes the menace underneath so much sharper. The writing gives her total command of every room she enters; McTeer's stillness and clipped delivery make you believe a smile from her is more dangerous than a threat from anyone else on the show.