The Biggest Questions That Still Need Answers In Ozark Season 4
Not every show has the power to make audience members cheer for characters who are knee-deep in crime and horrid decisions, but "Ozark" checks all the boxes when it comes to rooting for characters to make it out alive when they should be locked up. However, the critically acclaimed Netflix hit is coming to an end –– and with Part 2 of Season 4 set to hit the streaming giant on April 29, many viable questions remain.
"Ozark" Season 4, Part 1 left audience members on a cliffhanger. Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner), fresh off of threatening the Byrde family at gunpoint, was on the verge of going on a rampage as she sought revenge for the death of her cousin, Wyatt Langmore (Charlie Tahan). Cartel boss Omar Navarro (Felix Solis) was, at long last, apprehended by the FBI. However, in doing so, FBI agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes) went above the heads of her superiors. However, while one sinister villain was temporarily behind bars, another evil figure took his place. Enter Omar's carnage-seeking nephew, Javier "Javi" Elizondro (Alfonso Herrera). Meanwhile, the Byrdes are on the brink of falling apart –– most notably because of Jonah Byrde's (Skylar Gaertner) rebellious streak –– which hasn't stopped Wendy (Laura Linney) from attempting to build her empire.
Needless to say, many storylines still need to be revisited and fleshed out –– and here are the biggest questions that need answers heading into the last seven episodes of "Ozark" season 4.
Will Erin avenge her mother?
While Erin (Madison Thompson) isn't seen much in Season 4, Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) eventually visits her. While there, Charlotte explains what happened to her mother, Helen (Janet McTeer), who was the attorney for the Navarro cartel up until her untimely demise. Charlotte implies that Helen is dead and then proceeds to threaten Erin. Though this could be a way for the creators to tie up loose ends since Erin disappeared after her mother's death, this event could also lead to Erin seeking revenge — even though Charlotte didn't kill Helen and Erin going after the cartel would likely spell her doom.
So will Erin let bygones be bygones, or will she try to avenge her mother's death? At this point, nothing is off-limits on "Ozark," and complete chaos very well could ensue in Part 2. Audiences will have to tune in to see if Erin avenges her mother or if she stays put in Chicago.
What's going to happen to Three and who will take care of Zeke?
Not all characters on "Ozark" have had equal screen time. Take Three Langmore (Carson Holmes), Wyatt's brother and Ruth's cousin, who seemingly disappears for multiple episodes at a time. Baby Zeke, the son of Pastor Mason Young (Michael Mosley) and his wife Grace (Bethany Anne Lind), is also involved in a disappearing storyline. However, when the audience finally sees Zeke again, Wyatt and Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) are raising him — before they are killed by Javi.
These characters might go under the radar, but their whereabouts and eventual endings are questions that need to be answered in the last seven episodes. Zeke is last seen with a rightfully angry Ruth, yet it remains to be seen if she's going to raise him or even be allowed to since Wendy already put Zeke on the state's radar when she was trying to oust Darlene. As for Three, he presumably hasn't been told about his brother Wyatt yet. It wouldn't be surprising if Three decided to join forces with Ruth, given nearly his entire family has also been wiped out — but that's based solely on assumption.
What will happen to Mel and Maya?
Former cop turned private investigator Mel Sattem (Adam Rothenberg) is brought into the "Ozark" disarray when he is hired by Helen's separated husband to discover her whereabouts –– after she has been killed by the cartel, that is. He's tasked with finding out where she is so he can receive a signature to finalize a divorce. This takes Mel on a relentless chase as he knocks on doors and asks everyone where Helen is. Eventually, he's bound to dig up some dirt. Nevertheless, one question remains: Will Mel discover what happened to Helen?
While chasing signatures in the Ozarks, Mel contacts Maya to congratulate her on Omar's arrest, which may or may not lead to them teaming up to take down the Byrdes. Maya also likely ruffled some feathers with the FBI, not to mention Omar, since the FBI had a deal in place with the cartel boss. Could this lead to her demise? Whatever the resolution, Mel and Maya's storylines need to be ironed out as all these great characters deserve closure.
What will happen to Darlene's business?
Before the Byrdes came to town, the Snells and the Kansas City mob were arguably the most powerful criminal organization in the Ozarks. Needless to say, a lot has changed throughout four seasons. Even still, with Darlene now gone, what will happen to her business, farm, and overall empire? Likewise, with Kansas City mafia leader Frank Cosgrove (John Bedford Lloyd) now dead, who will take over in his place?
It wouldn't be out of the question for Javi to take over Darlene's property, nor would it be surprising for Frank's son, Frank Cosgrove Jr. (Joseph Sikora), to start calling the shots for the Kansas City mob. Yet those events remain to be seen. Clearly, "Ozark" has many loose ends to tie up before it concludes. While Frank Jr. and the Kansas City mob might be playing second (perhaps even third) fiddle to other more pertinent storylines, it will still be interesting to see where they end up.
Will Ruth get revenge?
Among all the characters in "Ozark," Ruth has arguably been dealt the worst hand as nearly her entire family has been killed. Despite that, she's managed to stay (sort of) level-headed –– until Javi killed Wyatt, that is. During the Part 1 finale, Ruth finds Wyatt's lifeless body. She then heads to the Byrdes' home and threatens them with a gun, an event that she might not be able to come back from. Jonah then gladly tells her that Javi killed Wyatt against his parent's wishes.
This leads to Ruth saying she'll take out Javi — and then the episode ends. Part 2 will have to reveal if Ruth gets her revenge for Wyatt's death. It will also have to unveil if she makes amends with the Byrde family or, in a worst-case scenario, has a showdown with them. At this point, nothing is off the table, and audiences should be in store for a pretty wild ending. The best-case scenario is Ruth skipping town with Three, but that would be too easy ––especially considering that characters in "Ozark" tend to do the opposite of what audience members want them to do.
If Ruth were to kill Javi, against all odds, then Marty and Wendy's deal with the FBI would be ruined. But that is only speculation at this point. Either way, a showdown between Ruth and Javi would be captivating.
What will happen to Omar?
In a shocking turn of events, Omar is arrested by the FBI. This happens after Omar cut a deal that was supposed to keep him out of jail. It doesn't seem right to keep the previous main villain behind bars for the rest of the series, even though "Ozark" tends to move on from the Byrde family's obstacles on a routine basis. How many villains have they even gone up against at this point? Either way, the question remains — what will happen to Omar? Will he get out of jail? Will he somehow retaliate against the Byrdes? Will he have a showdown with his nephew Javi?
Omar's story could end with him behind bars, but that seems too convenient for Marty and Wendy –– although they would presumably prefer to work with Omar over Javi. Everything about the cartel appears up in the air, but they could be the obstacle that keeps the Byrde family from achieving their freedom. Only time will tell.
Will Wendy's political endeavors and Byrde Foundation come to fruition?
Despite utter chaos taking over Season 4, Part 1, Wendy is bent on succeeding in her political career and boosting the Byrde Foundation. However, in a crime drama like "Ozark," characters rarely get to have their cake and eat it too. For Wendy to make all of her political aspirations come true, the Byrdes would, first and foremost, need to escape the drug cartel. They would then need to get off the FBI's radar. Yet it seems like Wendy will permanently be attached to crime since the family cut a drug deal with Clare Shaw (Katrina Lenk), the CEO of pharmaceutical company Shaw Medical.
In the real world, deals like this tend to come to light at some point, leading to possible prison time and other undesirable outcomes. Wendy would ostensibly have to go clean to pull off her political aspirations, yet so many criminal activities are already surrounding her foundation. Wendy craves power and is leaning toward the dark side. What will ultimately happen to her and her foundation is just one of the many questions that remain heading into the back half of "Ozark" Season 4.
What's up with the car crash at the beginning of Season 4, Part 1?
One of the most important questions going into Part 2 is whether the Byrdes survive the car crash seen at the beginning of Season 4. Beyond that — when does it take place? It would be a shame if the Byrdes finally returned to Chicago to make amends, just for one of them to die in a car accident. The car accident in question, of course, looks fatal. It would also be a shame if the series ended with this accident, as cliffhanger endings don't always satisfy audience members — the eternal debate over the ending of "The Sopranos" speaks to that.
However, there's no saying where the Byrdes are traveling, when the accident occurred, or if anyone perished. Hopefully, the "Ozark" creators wouldn't dangle that carrot just for this event to be glossed over at a later point in the series. After all, killing Marty, Wendy, Charlotte, and Jonah after everything they went through doesn't seem like an adequate ending. It makes the previous events meaningless if a tragic accident was always going to take out the Byrdes. Even though this scene occurs at the beginning of Season 4, audiences haven't forgotten about it, and it needs to be revisited.
Will the Byrde family reunite, and will they make it back to Chicago?
The future of Wendy and Marty's marriage has always been in question, as the two continuously deceive one another and they didn't necessarily come to the Ozarks on good terms. Then there's Charlotte, who is actually buying into the family business. However, the rightfully rebellious Jonah doesn't appear to want anything to do with his mother since she played a role in having his uncle Ben (Tom Pelphrey) killed. To make matters worse, Wendy tried to get Jonah arrested for laundering money for the opposing team. Beyond that, Jonah and Charlotte's relationship seems at a crossroads given her involvement in the family business. All of this begs a couple of vital questions. Will the family reunite, and if they do, will they make it back to Chicago?
If the Byrde family were to return to Chicago, would they stay together? They have been putting on a facade to stay alive. However, if nothing is holding them together after arguably the worst years of their lives, would the family stay intact? All the same, Marty and Wendy have gotten the family involved in a nearly impossible situation, and the idea of them returning to their old lives seems bizarre. Heck, do they even want to?
Who will make it out alive?
Ultimately, the biggest questions facing Part 2 of Season 4 revolve around finding out who will survive the horrid events that have occurred in "Ozark." Given that Ruth appears determined to get her revenge, we hope she doesn't meet her demise, yet it wouldn't be unusual given her trajectory and all her losses. Typically, villains like Javi don't endure on shows like "Ozark," but stranger things have happened. It's important to note that the season's tagline is "No one gets out clean." That may mean the Byrde family survives yet still faces criminal charges –– but that's based on speculation.
Nothing is certain about how the final episodes of "Ozark" will play out, and there are a myriad of questions remaining. This series has seen countless deaths alongside frequent unexpected twists and turns, which means fans might see a shocking finale. All scenarios are possible — but we hope the Byrdes and Langmores (or at least what's left of them) can somehow make it out alive.