The following contains major spoilers for Ozark Season 4, Part 2, now streaming on Netflix.
In the final season of Netflix’s Ozark, allegiances were tested like never before. Omar Navarro and his sister Camila played a cat-and-mouse game for control of the Navarro cartel, Marty and Wendy Byrde and the FBI continued to manipulate each other, and Ruth Langmore brought Rachel Garrison back to break the Byrdes’ empire. The entire season reinforced how longtime allies could turn into dangerous adversaries.
Amid all the backstabbing, the series finale still teased a happy ending for everyone in which they could all keep making millions off the drug and money laundering ring that had started years earlier. However, Ozark has always been a very dark show, so it didn’t surprise anyone when that didn’t come to pass. In the final moments, the show’s worst betrayal occurred, which then paved the way for its biggest show of loyalty.
In Season 4, Part 2, the Byrdes hosted a gala on their casino boat, celebrating how Wendy had locked all the necessary folks in to build her political empire. In a matter of months they’d own the Midwest, which also made Camila happy. She was leading the cartel, had the FBI protecting her and Wendy as the most ideal business partner. The one thing she didn’t have was clarity over how her son Javi had died earlier.
At the gala, Camila pressed the one person she knew she could intimidate: pharmaceutical company exec (and psuedo-Breaking Bad figure) Clare Shaw. The pharmaceutical boss admitted that Ruth killed Javi, getting revenge for her cousin’s murder and ensuring that only the Mexicans could deal heroin. Clare didn’t reveal, though, how the Byrdes were also present and covered it up, which resulted in Camila solely going after Ruth.
Sadly, only Wendy tried to formulate a plan to help Ruth. She wondered if maybe they could get Omar reinstated as cartel boss because he would leave Ruth alive. However, Marty already knew Omar was dead; he consoled Wendy and let her know they had to play along if they wanted to protect their family. This was a brutal scene for Ozark, especially because Marty considered Ruth like a daughter. He taught her everything she knew and even when she went against Wendy, Marty defended her. One has to think he could have worked with Rachel or improvised (as he had in the past) to at least alert Ruth to her fate.
Instead, Camila showed up at the trailer park and held a gun to Ruth, taking her time to savor the moment. But even in that moment, Ruth didn’t out the Byrdes. It wouldn’t have been hard for her to figure out that either they or Clare sold her down the river as they were the only ones present at Javi’s death; Ruth could have thrown Camila onto their trail easily. Yet when she had every reason to snitch, Ruth chose to remain silent.
And so, Ruth took a bullet to the chest and died, remaining loyal to Marty until the very end. Ozark had previously showed that she and Wendy had patched things up, not to mention Ruth deeply cared for their children Jonah and Charlotte. This unwavering devotion may have been her last gift to Marty and his family, understanding that he had no choice but to let her die if he wanted to keep them alive. Ruth’s loyalty was admirable, even if her death was terrible.
See Ruth and Marty’s tragic journey unfold in all four seasons of Ozark, available on Netflix.
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