Why did Wendy and Marty make that tough decision?
What did the car crash really mean? What was up with Wendy's time in the mental health hospital?
Here's the ending of Ozark Season 4 explained. Spoilers ahead!
While Sam Dermody might be gullible, we can all agree that he still deserves a pleasant send-off.
Throughout the series, the main characters move him wherever they need him, resulting
in him working for Ruth at the Lazy-O Motel, a property she uses to launder money for Darlene.
"And now look at you. Look, you've landed this great new job.
Worked out better than I'd hoped." Sam ultimately escapes the Ozark madness
by looking toward a higher power. He's baptized and leaves town with Nathan and the congregation,
meaning that he will no longer unknowingly aid and abet the main characters in their
crimes. At least one character appears to have a happily-ever-after at the ending of "Ozark."
In the final hour, Wendy makes a bold move
by checking herself into a mental health facility to get her kids back. Charlotte and Jonah had
planned on going into Nathan's custody, giving him a victory –- albeit short-lived –- over Wendy.
"I know he's better than mom." "Jonah."
"What? He is, and besides, this will be a good chance to get to know him."
Credit where credit's due, Ruth does play a major role in keeping the four Byrdes together
when she threatens Nathan at gunpoint in his motel room. But it's Wendy who makes an emotional
gambit to get the kids back on her side. When Jonah and Charlotte go visit her,
she redeems herself by coming clean about her brother's death.
"It's my fault. All of it." At long last, she takes responsibility for
his demise and apologizes to her kids, which is likely all Jonah ever wanted to hear. In the end,
Nathan leaves the Ozarks with the rest of the congregation while Jonah and Charlotte
stay by their parents.
Omar spends most of the final season behind bars, and when he's finally released from jail,
he's driven to the middle of nowhere and killed by an officer.
Marty, proving to be one step ahead of everyone for the entire series,
eerily foreshadowed Omar's death when he told Camila that if Omar were to be killed while
transferring, it would be considered fate. With Omar officially out of the picture,
the cartel is turned over to Camila. Omar was supposed to be released from prison,
transferred to Mexico, and then broken out to head the cartel once again. But Camila is the one who
gets the final deal with the FBI, resulting in Omar becoming little more than a pawn in the
Byrdes' eventual bid for freedom.
Season 4 kicks off with the Byrdes getting in
a major car crash. However, this scene isn't revisited until the series finale.
Although it's common for fans to try to make every single detail and decision meaningful,
this accident feels more like a misdirect rather than a major plot development.
The car accident, however, does indicate how much the family has been through,
as it doesn't seem to phase them as much as fans might expect. Though they're initially startled,
they then hop in a cab, head home, and seemingly aren't affected one bit by the accident.
However, while it doesn't affect the plot much, it does offer the opportunity for conflicting
viewpoints. Navarro's priest looks at the accident as a sign of the Byrde's lives being destructive.
"How many times does God have to point at you before you take notice?"
Wendy, on the other hand, views the event as proof that her family is going to be fine.
They are alive at the end, although Jonah has to murder someone to make it happen.
So…who knows what comes next for the Byrdes. Ultimately, it may be up to the audience
to decide which meaning is true — sort of a choose-your-own-adventure of thematic symbolism.
Camila may have taken over the cartel,
but she still doesn't know who killed Javi. For just a little while, it looks like things
will stay that way, until a big mood change happens at the gala: Camila pressures Clare
to give up Javi's real killer. "It was Ruth Langmore."
Camila then threatens to take out the Byrdes' children if they attempt to warn Ruth in any way.
And in the end, they choose their own safety over Ruth's life.
Needless to say, the ending of "Ozark" is bittersweet for the Byrdes and audiences.
"What if this is too much to bear?"
"It won't be."
Entering the series finale, it appears that Ruth just might get away with Javi's murder -- right
up until Clare gives her up to Camila, that is. This leads to Camila waiting at Ruth's home and,
in a shocking scene, killing her with a pull of a trigger.
Ruth's death leaves Three as the sole survivor of the Langmores, though his storyline is left
up in the air. Also unknown is what will happen to Ruth's portion of the casino. It wouldn't be
surprising if her stakes in the company go to Three, or even Rachel Garrison, who came back to
the Ozarks to help run the casino. Even if Rachel doesn't get it, it was a nice surprise for fans to
see her back for the series finale.
In the final scene, Mel Sattem shows up at Marty and Wendy's house and reveals that he
finally pieced together Ben's murder. However, just when it seems like the
Byrdes are finally going to go down for one of their countless crimes,
Jonah pulls up with a shotgun. The scene ends with a black screen and a gunshot.
Fan theories will likely run wild with this ending. But it's pretty
evident that Jonah pulls the trigger and the Byrdes get off scot-free. So much for
going legit.
For most of the series, audiences don't know if the Byrde family members will live or die,
let alone reunite -- especially Marty, as he is consistently put in harm's way.
Yet, against all odds, the Byrdes make a deal with Camila and the FBI,
buying their freedom from the cartel and immunity from the FBI.
Wendy continuously says her family is close to making all their ambitions a reality.
Though it took several years and many close calls, she is right in the end. When Season
4 ends, the family is free to do whatever they want with the rest of their lives,
no longer taking orders from people who could have them killed with a snap of a finger.
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