Gender be damned in Netflix’s newest limited seriesFlorida Man. Theaction-packed, quirky treasure-hunt showmay be based on the humorous ‘Florida Man’ meme, but the star of this series isn’t the leading man as played byÉdgar Ramirez. It’s actually the leading woman who not just stars in this show but steals every scene she is in. Delly West (Abbey Lee) is the character who takes this wacky high-stakes chase from Point A to Point B across its seven episodes and delivers the biggest payoff in the end. This may not be calledFlorida Woman, but don’t tell Delly that as she is head-and-shoulders above her peers in this series. Everything that unfolds over nearly six hours of total runtime traces back to Delly’s actions, which is why she’s the best part of this miniseries.
Related:Is ‘Florida Man’ Based on a True Story?
The Entire ‘Florida Man’ Story Doesn’t Begin Without Delly West
From the jump, we see that Delly is going to be involved in the drama that will unfold. That’s because she’s not only in a relationship with the mob boss, Moss Yankov (Emory Cohen), but she’s also sleeping around with Ramirez’s Mike, who is paying off a debt by working for Moss. It’s quickly established that Delly is central to both of these men’s stories which is why when she takes a newly-gifted car and heads to the Sunshine State, it’s clear that the show is building out its plot points with Delly in mind. Mike has no interest in returning to Florida, his home state, but is forced to (and deep down wants to go because of his connection to Delly) which is where the series really kicks off. If not for Delly here, wenever actually would have gone to Florida.
Once there, everything that plays out inFlorida Manhas Delly pulling the strings. Mike’s whole purpose is to find her, which he eventually does before the first episode shows us her “dead” body in a cabin that Mike had followed her back to. Having heard gunshots, Mike storms in to see her bloody corpse and the man she had entered with now on the run. Ironically, the series makes us think Delly’s purpose is complete in getting Mike to the show’s setting. Her importance, though, is stressed in the final shot of the premiere as Mike shockingly opens the door and sees her sitting on his bed, alive and well.
If her significance wasn’t already felt at this point, what Delly does throughout the remaining six episodes establishes her character as the real kingpin of this show. It’s not Mike, it’s not Moss, nor is it any other character that comes in and out of the picture. Delly is the one who overheard that there was treasure somewhere in Central Florida on a boat. As a result, this sets up the entire show’s premise as an Outer Banks-esque adventure transpires.
Delly Is at the Heart of All of ‘Florida Man’s Big Moments
The fractured relationship between Mike and his father, Sonny, is a pretty integral plot point in this series. Delly is able to play both sides, telling Sonny about the treasure and asking for help. Mike would never have done that, which in turn means his quest for the treasure likely would have stalled out. With Delly serving as the bridge between the broken father-son bond, the group is able to actually follow through in navigating the sinkhole in order to find the buried treasure.
This whole time Delly is in Florida, she keeps this secret about a USB drive that she has to herself. Eventually, we come to learn about the destructive nature of it that it would have on Moss, which is why when he discovers it’s missing, he knows Delly is the only one who would have taken it. Not only does she get Mike to Florida, but now she gets the last remaining main character to show up in the Sunshine State, setting up the ultimate showdown.
Delly could easily have been a side character, serving the role of an attractive counterpart who doesn’t have much to do and stumbles her way around the season.Florida Manmay not be as serious in nature as its counterparts, but what it does deliver is building out this female character and giving her a real purpose. While all the men actually turn out to be the ones who fumble their way around, Delly is the one who had her finger on the pulse of everything that was going on. She knew how to manipulate the surrounding men, understood what needed to be done, and as a result, was the one who came out on top in the end.
The finale is set up with Delly’s doings as well — namely, the Moss vs. Mike narrative point that reaches its culmination at the end. Mike, who overhears a conversation between her and Moss, believes she sold him out when in reality what Delly was doing (who was unaware she was being recorded) was actually saving Mike. By giving Moss just enough, she is able to get those two to a point where we see them at the sinkhole together, eventually bringing up the truck that holds no treasure. Moss later dies in the next scene, but everything that goes down at the sinkhole came from Delly’s dealings. Mike later learns that what she was telling Moss was never her true intention, merely a necessary move she needed to make to buy themselves more time.
Delly Deservedly Wins at the End of ‘Florida Man’
Theending gives us the payoff we wantedand the one that Delly deserved for all of her hard work. The major moves that needed to be made, like faking her own death, incorporating Sonny into the plan, and lying to Moss, were all essential moves that got her to reach the final scene of this series. We see Mike arriving at a boat where he not only sees the treasure, but Delly is already situated. It’s a quiet moment, one of the rare scenes where the actors actually can showcase their talent through their facial expressions. The ending is left up to interpretation as Delly, who confidently has claimed the gold, asks Mike whether he’s here for the treasure or for her.
While these type of endings are always risky, this one fits with the show’s story. There never really was much purpose attached to why they were searching for the treasure other than for the assumed wealth it brought. While a show likeOuter Banksconnected its treasure hunts with family history,Florida Mannever delved into anything like that. In reality, these were just people who wanted the money. Hearing Delly pose that question really fits the journey these characters go on. Their “relationship” is never established as anything more than physical, though we hear Delly offer up some insights that he’s the one she wants, and we see that Mike has thought about that as well. Ultimately, the ending puts the power in Delly’s hands as she has the treasure, and the wealth they all sought, and conceivably has also landed the man she wanted all along as they are on their way to begin a new life. All in all, the title may make you think that Mike is the protagonist, and he certainly is the leading man, but Delly is the real star of this series. Without her, this show doesn’t exist.
