Every Symbol On The Ozark Season 4 Part 2 Episode Title Cards Explained
Contains spoilers for "Ozark" Season 4, Part 2
After four seasons on the streamer, Netflix's "Ozark" has finally come to its inevitably tragic end. The many years of stealing, scheming, and various other such unscrupulous activities were surely bound to catch up to the money-laundering Byrde family eventually, right? Well, kind of. Although the series may not have come to a close in the way every viewer expected, the decisions of Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) and Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) are certainly not without considerable impact.
Indeed, by the end of the series, nearly every character is made to feel the weight of the conniving couple's choices. Whether we're talking about a drug dealer like Omar Navarro (Felix Solis), a private investigator like Mel Sattem (Adam Rothenberg), a pharmaceutical business owner like Clare Shaw (Katrina Lenk), or a foul-mouthed businesswoman like Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner), the series finale makes it very clear that no soul is left untouched by the lies of the Byrde family.
However, one aspect of the series that may not be nearly as clear is one that has been present since the very beginning. Ever since the pilot ("Sugarwood"), each episode of the series has been introduced with an opening title card of four unique symbols surrounded by an O. Although it may not be entirely obvious to viewers each time, every hieroglyph is guaranteed to have some significance in the episode.
Like we did for every symbol in Season 4, Part 1, we're going to explain the purpose of each and every title card in Season 4, Part 2. Starting with Season 4, Episode 8, we'll review the symbols episode by episode, starting in the top row, moving left to right, and then doing the same on the bottom row. Let's dive in.
Episode 8: A urinal, a jacket, a bobcat, and crossroads
Shown in the top-left corner, the men's restroom urinal represents the beatdown that Javi Elizonndro (Alfonso Herrera) delivers on his former professor following the pair's passive-aggressive meeting in Episode 8 ("The Cousin of Death"). This is certainly an odd choice of weapon for the final act of violence from a man who kills so often and with so little thought.
The next item on this diagram references a hoodie that Ruth wears throughout the entirety of the episode. Very rarely seen out of the outfit when she heads into the city, Ruth keeps the hoodie on when performing her stakeout on the Byrdes and when leaving a voicemail that Wyatt Langmore (Charlie Tahan) will sadly never hear. She stays in the attire right up until she finally reveals herself to them, demanding they call Javi and set him up for his execution. At the elegant restaurant, she sticks out like a sore thumb, but she clearly doesn't care. In fact, by this point, Ruth is beyond caring about anything anymore.
Those who know their felines will surely also be able to spot the bobcat in the lower-left corner. Ruth sees two of these animals after talking tunes with famous rapper Killer Mike. Interestingly, this is actually a trick of the mind for Ruth, who spends much of the season reflecting on her past. Of course, longtime fans of "Ozark" will remember the set of bobcats she set free from her uncle's enclosure in Season 2.
The last artifact in the lower-right corner could reference the amount of time that Ruth spends on the road on her way to Chicago. However, we think this has a more metaphorical meaning for Ruth. Always seemingly on the cusp of being able to move on from the Langmore life of crime, this episode truly represents a crossroads in young Ruth's life.
Episode 9: A drink, a coffin, handcuffs, and keys
The drink pictured is identical to the one on the bar in front of Mel Sattem in a scene from Episode 9 ("Pick a God and Pray") where he meets with FBI Agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes). He enlists Miller's help getting more information on the Byrdes and sips from a glass of clear liquid — perhaps seltzer or tonic, but possibly just plain ice water — with the straw and half-lemon slice oriented exactly as they are in the pictograph.
The coffin references Wyatt's funeral, which comes soon after Sattem and Miller meet in the bar. His brown wooden coffin is in full view while Ruth has visions of her and Wyatt throwing dirt on each other playfully while digging a grave. Interestingly, there are other deaths that hover over this episode, but none of those bodies require coffins since they all end up in one of the Byrdes' crematory ovens.
The handcuffs also appear quite literally when Wendy goes to visit Navarro in prison. She has the guard handcuff him to the table before telling him that his nephew, Javi, is missing and presumed dead. Furthermore, Wendy suggests that Navarro go through extradition proceedings and return to Mexico to run the cartel again. He clearly doesn't believe that she doesn't know who killed Javi, and he threatens to kill Wendy and her entire family.
The ring of old-timey jailer's keys represents the prison transfer the Byrdes are able to arrange for Navarro from protective custody into the general population. It's a risk for Marty and Wendy, but it also shows their level of influence within the FBI, and it ultimately convinces Navarro to go along with Wendy's plan.
Episode 10: Tennis balls, a lantern, a Mexican flag, and a spiral staircase
In Episode 10 ("You're the Boss"), Marty is at the Navarro compound playing fetch with a dog when Wendy calls to tell him that their boss is in a coma after being stabbed in prison. During this phone call, Marty holds a tennis ball in his hand and tosses it aside when he hears the news. Notably, despite a previous clear interest, the dog suddenly appears unenthused in their game and never brings the ball back.
The gas lantern is almost identical to the one Wendy lights as a memorial to her brother, Ben. Of course, Wendy isn't nearly as reverent about the lantern as she might seem to outsiders. Late in the episode, she goes outside, walks slowly toward the lantern, and crouches sadly in front of it. Instead of appearing remorseful for even a second longer, Wendy lashes out at the world by knocking the lantern off its pedestal.
The Mexican flag in the lower-left corner never appears in the episode, but likely represents Marty's trip to the Navarro compound to run the cartel while the Byrdes work with the FBI to get Navaroo extradited to — and broken out of — a Mexican prison. Most of the episode takes place at the Navarro headquarters in Mexico, following Marty's así-así efforts to run the cartel in place of his incapacitated boss.
The spiral staircase represents the magnificent one made of stone inside Navarro's mansion, where Marty sits after unknowingly condemning the wrong man — Navarro lieutenant Arturo Cabrera (Reinaldo Faberlle) — to death for ordering the prison attack on Navarro. There is a long, lingering shot down several levels of the staircase, showing Marty standing and slowly walking upstairs to witness Cabrera's execution.
Episode 11: Painted nails, a fist, an IV bag, and a bicycle
Firstly, the nail polish on the upper-left corner refers to a scene at the end of Episode 11 ("Pound of Flesh and Still Kickin'") in which Nathan Davis (Richard Thomas) returns to the motel to find his partner painting her toenails. Nathan requests to be left alone and suddenly flies into an explosion of rage. It's one of the rare occasions where the mask of the kindly God-fearing father slips, and Nathan's true nature is revealed.
The clenched fist on the right is a fairly obvious reference to another burst of rage that is significantly more public. A small amount of road rage goes a lot further than it should at the end of this episode when an average Joe suffers Marty's wrath. Unfortunately, the money launderer simply reaches his breaking point in this hour, and the hapless driver is simply the closest thing worth punching.
Of course, this stranger may not feel all that threatened if he could see the current state of the cartel boss to whom Marty reports. Bed-ridden and struggling to survive, Navarro is grievously wounded in an assassination attempt that leaves him requiring an IV bag which is shown as the third symbol in the bottom left corner. Notably, this might be one of the easiest among the cryptic clues of this season.
Finally, the bike in the lower-right corner references something that actually appears rather early in the episode. Upon his return from Mexico, Marty recognizes that a significant rift within his family still remains. In an attempt to fix it, Marty visits his son, Jonah (Skylar Gaertner), at the motel. Unfortunately, Marty's efforts are all for naught, as Jonah refuses to see Wendy. When Marty asks if he'd like to be driven to school, Jonah simply declines. Instead, the boy insists that he will ride his bike.
Episode 12: Barbed wire, a swimming pool, a bottle, and a guitar
In Episode 12 ("Trouble The Water"), rolls of barbed wire cover the fencing outside the prison where Wendy and Marty go to visit Navarro. As the Byrdes leave the facility, they have a moment of panic in the parking lot, which is shot from a very low angle with a single out-of-focus strand of barbed wire in the foreground. In the frames immediately after Marty backs the car out of its spot, we see even more spools of the material atop the jail fences where Ruth meets with the man accused of murdering Wyatt and Darlene (Lisa Emery).
The pool is the one at the Lazy-O motel where Sam Dermody (Kevin L. Johnson) is baptized. It's also the spot a little earlier in the episode where the conversation that leads him to decide to be baptized takes place. In fact, Ruth even remarks to Jonah that they "really oughta charge more for poolside revivals."
The bottle in the lower-left corner looks almost identical to the one that Charles Wilkes (Darren Goldstein) grabs to pour drinks for Ruth and Rachel (Jordana Spiro) when the duo propose buying his share of the Missouri Belle. The three sit and sip whiskey while Wilkes suggests the possibility that Ruth could get her criminal record expunged — an idea that Rachel wholeheartedly supports.
Lastly, the guitar is Wyatt's, one of several items stolen from the Snell household by a former employee, Timothy Wheeling. Acting Sheriff Ronnie Wycoff (Brad Carter) comes to the Langmore property to show Ruth the guitar and tell her about Wheeling's arrest for Wyatt and Darlene's murders. Ruth asks if she can have the guitar back, and Ronnie promises to return it when it's no longer needed as evidence.
Episode 13: a fish biting a lure, a priest's shirt and collar, a snake climbing tree, raindrops
The fish in the upper-left corner of Episode 13 ("Mud") refers to the fact that Rachel is watching "Duck Dynasty" at the Langmore property when Ruth calls to warn her that the Navarro cartel hitman is coming to kill them. While most audience members will probably focus on Ruth and Rachel during this scene, those who look a little closer at Ruth's television set should be able to see a total of three fish jump out of the water.
The clerical shirt and collar are worn by Navarro's priest and confidant (Bruno Bichir). This priest has appeared in a handful of episodes, but this is easily his biggest moment in the final season. In this episode, the priest tells Wendy about the problematic relationship he had with his own abusive father. In explaining his decision to join the priesthood instead of murdering his father, the priest inadvertently provides Wendy with a sudden idea about how to get her kids back.
The snake climbing a sapling is actually known as the Rod of Asclepius. According to Education is Around, this figure is internationally recognized as a symbol of medicine. Of course, the significance behind this symbol's presence in this particular episode should be exceedingly obvious. Wendy seeks mental health care twice in the episode. Initially, she is rejected from the overcrowded facility. However, she is later admitted when she informs an intake nurse that she plans to kill her father.
Lastly, the raindrops come hard and heavy over the last third of the episode. Rain falls on Wendy as she checks herself in for care and on Ruth and Rachel as they race to escape the Navarro cartel hitman.
Episode 14: Broken glass, a coffee pot, a bow tie, and a barbecue
As jaw-dropping as much of Episode 14 ("A Hard Way To Go") is, there remains a clear effort to keep the devil in the discreet details for what is the last quartet of images to grace the Netflix series. The broken glass in the top-left corner symbolizes a window broken by Mel Sattem at the Byrde household. Upon their return home, Marty and Wendy spot Mel only shortly after discovering the broken glass. Of course, in a multitude of ways, this scene offers a genuine come-to-Jesus moment for the group.
The icon in the top-right corner represents two different scenes in the final episode. As Wendy relaxes in the mental health facility, a nurse pours her a cup of coffee. Two seconds later, the series transitions over to Marty's meeting with Camila in which Marty suggests that Navarro could easily be killed during his upcoming transfer. Notably, while discussing the matter, the two share the exact same beverage that Wendy is enjoying back at the hospital.
The bow tie shown in the bottom left refers to the big event on the casino boat. In typical "Ozark" fashion, it's another charming social event intended to cover up the dirty side of the business. Indeed, the illusion even stretches into the group's preparation for the night, as Wendy has a sweet family moment admiring Jonah all dressed up and a heartfelt glance at Marty to boot. Notably, eagle-eyed viewers will recognize that more than one attendee is wearing a bow tie, including Marty and Camila's henchmen.
Finally, in the bottom right, we have a barbecue that refers to the family cookout that Ruth imagines with her many deceased family members. For all their many problems, Ruth clearly misses her father, uncles, and cousin. While it's a sweet idea, it's also a scene none of them actually get an opportunity to enjoy.