The Most Confusing Ozark Relationship In Season 4 According To Fans
Part 2 of the fourth season of "Ozark" will hit Netflix on April 29, and given the shocking events of the Part 1 finale, it seems Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) and his wife Wendy (Laura Linney) will face some kind of reckoning for their misdeeds. The dark and twisty drama follows money launderer Marty as he tangles with a Mexican drug cartel, mobsters, crooked politicians, and an assortment of shady characters while trying to keep himself and his family alive.
After three seasons of trying and failing to extricate themselves from their obligations to the Navarro cartel, Marty and Wendy finally see the light at the end of the tunnel in the show's final season. All they have to do is broker a mutually beneficial arrangement between Omar Navarro (Felix Solis) and the U.S. government, and they get to walk away scot-free and return to their former lives in Chicago. Of course, even the best-laid plans often go awry for the Byrdes, and the actions of Omar's nephew Javi Elizonndro (Alfonso Herrera) promise to be an almost insurmountable hurdle for the Byrdes to overcome.
Part of the series' allure is the constantly shifting dynamics among the show's central characters. Even familial bonds break under the weight of greed and duplicity. While "Ozark" viewers should never be surprised by the show's tenuous alliances and unlikely bedfellows, the internet shows that many fans have found one Season 4 relationship to be baffling.
Fans can't make sense of Wyatt and Darlene's relationship on Ozark
"Ozark" fans have a big problem understanding the romantic relationship between Wyatt Langmore (Charlie Tahan) and Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery). In Season 3, Wyatt and Darlene's relationship starts as platonic, but turns sexual in Episode 5, "It Came From Michoacán," after Wyatt's testimony enables Darlene to keep baby Zeke. Vulture called the Wyatt-Darlene relationship "the craziest subplot of the year so far."
Maybe it's ageism to say that it's difficult to understand how Wyatt could be sexually attracted to a woman who is at least 40 years his elder. May-December romances can hold some appeal ("Harold and Maude"), after all. Nonetheless, this pairing disturbs fans for reasons outside of their sexual relations.
"My take is that at the end of the day Wyatt is lazy/slothful. He takes the easy way out, whenever something goes wrong he just complains about the 'curse,' and used his father's death as an excuse to not go to college. Darlene is the perfect person to abuse that. Give him a fake sense of accomplishment while taking care of all the big decisions," wrote KR5shin8Stark on one Reddit thread. "It's like the writers just say, "Oh! Wouldn't it be craaazy if these characters started working together?!" Then they figure out how to force the plot to put them together, even if it makes no sense with their character arc," stated thebestjoever.
One viewer called the Ozark couple's romance 'off-putting'
Wyatt and Darlene settle into domestic bliss in Season 4 of "Ozark" despite Darlene's hair-trigger temper. Eventually, Wyatt begins to second-guess his life choices. How many bodies can a guy hide before realizing he's in a toxic relationship? Redditor gravityandlove wrote, "[T]hat entire relationship is very off-putting and I could never grasp the idea of actually wanting to stay with a cold blooded killer." In the series, even when Wyatt decides to end things, whether by destiny or design, Darlene show's some vulnerability and neediness, which leads to a marriage proposal instead. "Only way the relationship makes sense is in terms of it fulfilling mommy issues for him," wrote too_metoo. "More like Grandma Issues," interjected OKHillbilly.
Season 4 solidifies Wyatt's fall from grace. He begins as an anomaly among the Langmores — sweet, sensitive, with the potential to rise like a phoenix from the ash heap he calls family. In the end, it's Wyatt's keen sense of empathy that proves to be his undoing, like a boyscout helping an old woman cross the road who gets hit by a car in the process. Reddit user XalonWow, pointing out the numerous toxic elements of Darlene's personality, thinks that the story arc reflected poorly on Wyatt's character. "Wyatt was smarter than the usual redneck for the first few seasons and then season 3 and 4 he becomes the creepiest person ever."
One fan believes Wyatt wanted to save Darlene on Season 4 of Ozark
Some "Ozark" fans hypothesized (in language we can't repeat) that Wyatt may have been dazzled by Darlene's sexual prowess, while others question if he had an ulterior motive, such as letting her self-destruct and taking over the farm. Most believe he was either dumb, unlucky, deeply traumatized, the victim of a predatory Darlene, or determined to try and do the right thing, no matter how misguided. "He was going there to break up with her but saw her in distress. It's not some grand scheme to get the farm. He doesn't care about that. He wanted to save her," wrote greatness101.
The honeymooners are shot dead by Javi in Season 4, Episode 7, "Sanctified," ending any speculation about where they might go next, but fan frustration over the confusing relationship lingers. With only two Langmores left, and Ruth (Julia Garner) determined to exact vengeance on the man who murdered her beloved cousin, it looks like the Langmore curse could be legit after all.