The Worst Thing Jonah Byrde From Ozark Has Done
Contains spoilers for Season 4 of Ozark.
As Netflix's thrilling, but relentlessly bleak crime drama "Ozark" barrels towards what can only be a bloody final run of episodes, it's getting harder and harder to find a single character that hasn't done at least one reprehensible thing or another. Of course, not every dastardly deed in the "Ozark" landscape is created equal, and not every double-cross leaves a body in need of burying or burning.
Case in point, young Jonah Byrde (Skylar Gaertner) who — in just a few short seasons of narrative — has transformed from a plucky, introverted kid into a rebellious but brilliant teen with a smart mouth, a knack for money laundering, a disturbing love of firearms, and a penchant for putting his family in potentially dangerous situations. If you've already completed your binge of the first seven episodes of the final season of "Ozark," you know Jonah has officially gone beyond the bounds of normal teenaged rebellion of late. And yes, one of his most shocking actions in Season 4 of "Ozark" easily stands as the worst thing he's ever done on the series.
Jonah went to work for the enemy in Season 4 of Ozark
So what exactly did Jonah do in Season 4 of "Ozark" that was worse than anything he's done to date? He betrayed the Byrde family in high fashion by going to work for their mortal enemy Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery). That's right, the youngest Byrde actually became the go-to money launderer to the Lake of the Ozark's ultra-violent and unpredictable heroin kingpin. And yes, that's the very same Snell who terrorized Jonah and shaved his head a couple of seasons prior in a thinly-veiled threat to his parents.
Jonah's turn to the darkest of dark side in the "Ozark" landscape was shocking, to say the least. While some might write it off as Jonah technically going to work for Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner), it was never not Darlene calling the shots in that arrangement. In the end, Jonah even sealed his betrayal by detailing to Darlene the role his parents played in the death her puppet Sheriff Nix (Robert C. Treveiler).
How could Jonah do it, you ask? The truth is, the kid has been legitimately reeling since the death of his Uncle Ben (Tom Pelphrey), and learning that his mother Wendy (Laura Linney) was directly responsible for Ben's death. While that doesn't entirely excuse the depth of his betrayal, there is at least some semblance of reason behind it, when you consider how such an event would traumatize a kid of his age. And even with Darlene now officially out of the way, the question still lingers regarding whether the Byrdes can bring Jonah back to the flock before it's too late.