As promised, I watched with anticipation to see how the final episode of the Netflix series hit, Ozark, would end. Would the Byrde family finally escape being in the grips of the Mexican cartel, the FBI, and their own family? Which of the main characters would make it to the end? Did the ending leave open a possibility of the series being revived like other big successful series? There are all kinds of spoiler alerts in this article, so readers beware!
Spoiler Alert 1: The Byrde Family
Marty, Wendy, Charlotte and Jonah all make it to the end alive and well. This money-laundering family made its living through motels, strip clubs and funeral homes. They have miraculously made it to the end of the series. They are no longer tied to the Mexican cartel. Also, they seem to be off the hook with the FBI (unless a Season 5 comes a little further down the road to clarify this).
A tremendous amount of drama takes place within the family as Wendy’s father, played by famed John Boy Walton aka Richard Thomas, tries to take Charlotte and Jonah with him back to North Carolina. I became more and more irritated with Wendy’s character and was sort of hoping that she would somehow not make it. I’m not a Wendy fan. Everything Marty tried to do to get his family out of the business, Wendy seemed to mess things up by working other back channels. It really caused more problems because they were not communicating very well with each other.
I can’t say I disagree with Stela in the following Tweet:
why did no one in this show punched Wendy in the face. Like just once? #ozark pic.twitter.com/rFtyIEXWwZ
— Stela (@butorscsv) May 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/QUEENP0P/status/1520510770643054592?s=20&t=qAUM-ONdwOHTH1UX_2BrYg
Spoiler Alert 2: Ruth
This was one of the biggest foul-mouthed trailer-trash talking little woman I have ever seen in a series. I loved Ruth’s feistiness. However, her quick temper and lack of self-control resorted to my biggest disappointment to the series. After killing Javi, she should have been packing, knowing that retribution would eventually be the goal of the cartel. I was really hoping her cousin, Three Langmore, would come to her rescue. It didn’t happen and Ruth is now gone.
https://twitter.com/IGFrankmaxx/status/1520139563741716481?s=20&t=qAUM-ONdwOHTH1UX_2BrYg
Season 5?
According to Evan Romano of Men’s Health:
Will the show go on? That much remains to be seen, but Season 4 was always planned as the end—an ending that would ring true. Does this ending fit? Sure. Does it mean the show will never be revived ever again? Well, who knows. If ten years down the line Netflix—or maybe even some other streaming giant that doesn’t even exist yet—comes calling for a revival series, or even a movie, who’s to say that Team Ozark would say no? It could be on the table for all we know.
For now, no. Season 4 of Ozark was planned as the end of the show from the moment it was announced by Netflix back in 2020, and that’s the primary reason that it ultimately was supersized and split in two halves: it needed more time to make sure the creatives behind the story could finish what they were working toward.
In Season 4, Part 2, showrunner Chris Mundy, along with stars Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, and Julia Garner, seemingly get the ending they were building towards.
Also Worth Noting
Romano continues:
Not even talking about TV prequels/spin-offs—shows like Better Call Saul or HBO’s upcoming House of the Dragon—but in recent years the pure revival series has become relatively common within the industry. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson came back for The X-Files between 2016 and 2018, the original Law & Order is currently back on the air, Dexter: New Blood aired last fall, and we can’t forget about 2017’s amazing Twin Peaks: The Return. In short: a show “ending” doesn’t mean it’s definitely over.
These are some great things to ponder and hope for those of us that have become fans of this show. I would not mind seeing a show about Jonah as he has learned the family business. I would have loved a new series with Ruth. Who knows, she could possibly still be alive. We saw her get shot, but we didn’t see her get buried. I’m just saying a man can hope, right?
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Be blessed and happy streaming!!!
