WARNING: the following contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 4 of Ozark, now streaming on Netflix.
With the fourth and final season of Netflix’s hit crime thriller-drama Ozark dropping on Netflix in early 2022, fans are excited for another tumultuous season following the Byrde family and their complicated relationship with the Navarro drug cartel. Since its premiere on the streaming giant in 2017, Ozark has quickly gained popularity, and for good reason. Filled with jaw-dropping twists and turns, some of the best-written characters on television and award-winning performances from the cast, there’s no wonder why Ozark has amassed such a large following of loyal fans.
Ozark follows patriarch Marty Byrde, played sublimely by Jason Bateman. Byrde marks one of Bateman’s first dramatic roles, and he does not disappoint within his delivery of the smooth-talking, slippery accountant from Chicago. Unfortunately, Marty’s intelligence and ambition catch up with him, and he finds himself wrapped up in the messy dealings of one of the most notorious Mexican drug cartels, headed by the fearsome Omar Navarro (Felix Solis). Desperate to save his own skin and the lives of his family, Marty is forced to work more closely with the cartel as their informant, forcing the Byrdes to uproot their life in urban Chicago and trade it for more humble beginnings in the Ozark Mountains.
Along the way, Marty and his family are thrust head-first into the complicated world of organized crime, developing both amicable and not-so-friendly relations with the residents of the small, rural town they move to, creating plenty of enemies along the way on both sides of the US/Mexican border. By the time Season 4 rolls around, the Byrdes are knee-deep in problems they can’t seem to pull themselves out of. With Season 4 officially ushering the end of the series, showrunners elected to break it up into two parts. With all seven episodes of Season 4, Part 1 available to stream on Netflix now, there’s a lot to unpack about what just happened in the Ozarks, and it still leaves plenty of questions about what’s still to come.
Wendy’s True Villain Origin Story Begins to Unfold
While previously, she’d do anything to save her family, it now seems that her own interests are taking precedent. She nearly lets Darlene Snell die of a heart attack on her front lawn before finally calling paramedics, which is very uncharacteristically-Wendy behavior. Normally, Wendy is very calculated and meticulous with her moves, very similarly to the way Marty operates, making them a fantastic team when it comes to strategizing their next play whilst navigating the cartel. Her intelligence and attitude earned her good favor with Omar Navarro himself, yet nearly letting a woman die on her property does not feel like a decision made by the same woman.
This is not the only time Wendy and Darlene clash this season. Towards the climax of Season 4, Part 1, Wendy calls social services on Darlene, feigning concern about baby Zeke — you know, the baby stolen from the pastor who killed himself after getting involved with the Byrdes? — being left unattended while Darlene recovered from her heart attack in the hospital. As a direct result of Wendy’s actions, baby Zeke was set to be taken from Darlene, and almost would have been had Wyatt not stepped in to marry Darlene and play the role of Zeke’s father to prevent him from being put into the foster system.
Darlene Adds to Her Body Count
Everyone’s favorite hero to love (and hate) in Ozark is Darlene Snell. Let’s face it, the woman is absolutely insane, and audiences can’t get enough of her wild antics over the course of Ozark. Season 4 proves to be no different from the typical unhinged Darlene fans have come to know and love. At this point, it’s common knowledge Darlene is 100% capable of murder — the woman literally poisoned her own husband with his morning coffee — though that still doesn’t make it any less jarring to see her shoot not one, but two men point-blank in the chest with a shotgun. Something about the visual of a man flying across the room with a hole in his chest makes for an image that won’t soon leave the mind.
Jonah Follows in Marty’s Footsteps
While Marty and Wendy have both undergone their own metamorphoses throughout Ozark, the same could be said for their children. Both Charlotte and Jonah have been privy to their parents’ dealings since nearly the beginning of the show, though neither have ever expressed any interest in partaking in the world of money laundering — until Season 4. Jonah, primarily in a bid to get back at his mom after he discovered she was the one who ordered his uncle to be killed at the end of Season 3, agrees to launder money for Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) and Darlene Snell’s rival drug business. To further complicate this situation, Jonah is only fourteen.
Ruth Doesn’t Know Where She Fits In
Arguably the most popular character within Ozark is Ruth Langmore. A fiery, spunky, curly-headed redneck with a colorful vocabulary, Ruth has been a standout character and Ozark staple since the beginning. While definitely having a knack for most of the illegal dealings she finds herself in the middle of, Ruth doesn’t feel like she has a true home or family in her town. After quitting the Missouri Belle — the Byrde’s Boat Casino — Ruth begins working for Darlene, hoping to put the knowledge she gained working with Marty to good use.
Unfortunately for Ruth, Darlene is volatile and unpredictable, sending Ruth sprawling for other options that are less threatening. She gets involved with a hot-shot chef from Chicago, Kerry Stone, though he nearly dies on a trip to the Missouri Belle one night, and quickly bails on the operation. She even makes amends with her long-time enemy, Frank Jr. of the Kansas City Mob, electing to let bygones be bygones and form a partnership. However, thanks to Darlene killing Frank Sr. and plunging the mob into chaos, that also falls through. By the end of Season 4, Part 1, Ruth is trying to find her way out of the Ozarks and start something new, since in her mind, there’s nothing left for her there besides disappointment.
Ozark did not disappoint with its long-awaited final season. While the season finale was chock-full of jaw-dropping moments — Wyatt deserved better! — there’s still plenty left to figure out about the Byrdes, Ruth and what the future of the Navarro cartel holds. With Season 4 being broken up into two parts, it’s likely that the show creators are trying to be eligible for awards for both parts of the final season, meaning that the second half of Season 4 will likely not drop till June 2022, after the Emmy Award Nomination cut-offs. While no official date for the remainder of Ozark has been announced, fans can catch up on Seasons 1-3 on Netflix now.
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