Since the first season of Ozark, the Byrds have taken the sleepy and decrepit Missouri town by storm. After sending a ripple effect of chaos in the lives of everyone who has stepped foot in their crosshairs, it seems unlikely Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy (Laura Linney) will manage to leave it all behind unscathed. Yet somehow, they are still breathing.
In less than a week following the release of the fourth and final season’s first half, Nielsen recorded over 4 billion minutes of viewing time for the hit series. Staying true to form, every scene down to every word had us drunk of the drama and parched for more. And with so many unresolved storylines desperate for closure, we’re ultimately left wondering one ultimate question: Who will get out of the Ozarks alive? But before answering this question, there are some others we need to ask first.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Will Ruth Avenge Her Brother’s Death?
Netflix
In what might have been one of the most intense cliffhangers we’ve seen yet in the series, Ruth (Julia Garner) hits a level of rage that would make Jack Nicholson blush. (It was so big it became a meme.) After bearing witness to the dead bodies of her brother Wyatt (Charlie Tahan) and Darlene (Lisa Emery), she saw every shade of red. Following a slew of betrayals — the most notable being the execution of Ben — it’s safe to assume Ruth was already past the possibility of making amends with the Byrds and especially Wendy.
Now, with Wyatt’s blood on their hands (albeit incidentally), she truly has nothing left to lose, or does she? Ruth knows that she can’t take on the cartel alone, and not only that, she holds the fate of Zeke, an innocent baby, in the backseat of her car. Prone to thinking emotionally instead of logically, the stakes behind Ruth’s choices are higher than ever before and will undoubtedly determine the fate of each character in the show.
Will Jonah Let Go Of His Grudge and Rejoin His Family?
Ruth isn’t only the one who can’t move past Ben’s murder. It was bad enough when Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) thought it was Helen’s choice to get rid of him, with the source of his anger stemming from the fact that his parents were still working with them. But after finding out that Wendy was the one who (figuratively) pulled the trigger on her brother, it went from stealing Ben’s ashes to giving them to Ruth down to upright moving out of the house and working for Darlene—one of the Byrd’s biggest nemeses.
As for Marty and Wendy’s reaction to Jonah’s behavior, it doesn’t help that Wendy’s clearly the “bad cop,” despite some of her heartfelt and genuine attempts to fix things. After learning about their son’s fraudulent business ventures — which he makes zero attempts to conceal — Marty’s reaction makes Wendy’s head spin. Instead of punishing him or simply looking the other way, Marty offers his help with some not-so-subtle pride. Jonah’s relationship with his father seems salvageable (some might even say it doesn’t need saving), but it’s obvious he’s dealing with more than just the average teenage angst when it comes to his mother.
Right now, it feels like his grudge against Wendy is, without a doubt, here to stay. But as for whether he’ll manage to stomach his resentment and merge back into the Byrde family unit, the jury is still out.
Will Omar Navarro Seek Vengeance From Inside His Cell?
Grudges, on grudges, on grudges. Everybody’s got ’em. But if there’s one guy in the world you don’t want to have one, it’s Omar Navarro. Between getting tortured in a concrete pit, forced execution of family members, and the everyday fear of getting whacked at every corner they turned, the Byrds paid some heavy-handed dues to earn the trust of The Cartel. Beyond that, there’s a special bond between Wendy and Navarro (played by Felix Solis), and it seems to carry a handful of deep-rooted layers.
But when Agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes) went against her superior’s orders which put Navarro behind bars, there likely won’t be the peaceful reconciliation we hoped for between him and the Byrds. And when you throw in his hot-headed nephew wreaking all kinds of havoc into the mix, it’s safe to say the war is far from over.
Will Wendy and Marty Stay Together?
And finally, we’ve reached the question of all questions. And it’s the one we’ve been asking since the very beginning, coming back full circle to the bittersweet end. Will Wendy and Marty stick together after all of this? Despite every mess inside the series’ complicated web of storylines, Marty and Wendy’s partnership—both professionally and personally—remains the most important relationship among the rest. Throughout all of their ebbs and flows, it’s been the most fun to watch when they’re on each other’s side. Whenever they manage to work together as a team, that’s when it seems like everything works in their favor. But the reality is, this has never been a “stay together for the kids” type of situation; it was more of a “stay together or die” kind of deal. A lot of insane circumstances dictate their life together. If these are gone, what would be left?
It’s hard to imagine there will be a peaceful transition into a life of normalcy when the final seven episodes air on April 29th. In all likelihood, at least one other person will probably die. On top of all the specific plot details that need combing in Ozark, perhaps a more vague question trumps the rest: Who, if anyone, will find peace at the end of it all?
