Ozark
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The final season ofOzarkhas been similar toBreaking BadandThe Sopranos.
The protagonists have faced problem after problem, solving one in time only for another to arise.
Its Whack-A-Mole plotting wherein one problem is solved and another one pops up.
No one in this world can plan for tomorrow.
The subtitle that opens the episode is perfect for a season finale: [Clock ticking].
Time is running out for everyone here.
Its for the baby, he says, but theres more to it than that.
Wyatt needs to be needed.
She tells him that he promised to leave with her.
Garner is so good here, leading with frustration and anger before moving into defeated sadness.
This show needs to end with a victory for Ruth nothing less will be satisfactory.
On the other side of the drug trade, Omar Navarro has ceded power to Javi Elizonndro.
Of course, the Feds change the plan.
They want Omar to stay in power and serve as their inside man.
They also need five more years of money seizures, of course.
They want me to kill my nephew and pay for the privilege, says Omar.
Yep, thats about it.
Would you take the deal if you were Omar Navarro?
He knows that Javi cant pull this off for five years.
And he knows that the FBI could change the rules again.
But he doesnt have a choice.
The FBI will assume the role of the Byrdes.
Can they actually get out now?
Marty seems happy; Wendy seems uncertain.
Can Wendy really leave all this power behind?
Omar senses a similar soul and tells her, It has been a pleasure watching you work.
It feels like everything is bound to blow up.
Ruth goes to Kansas City to talk to Frank Junior about his plan for vengeance.
She begs him not to kill Darlene so her cousin Wyatt can be happy.
They can work the Snell operation from his dads seat of power.
He gives his word.
Words dont mean much, as Omar learns the hard way.
Maya Miller goes around her superiors and arrests Omar as hes leaving the country.
With guns drawn, Omar is thrown to the pavement and cuffed.
Maya made a move thats so public now that the FBI cant pull back.
Of course, Javi blames the Byrdes, even as Marty swears that it was just a rogue agent.
Panic sets in everywhere.
As the boat is sinking, everyone tries to get to a life raft.
The call from Jim was a trap as Javi is there with a gun and a sneer.
He beats up on Marty as Wendy pushes Omar to call his nephew.
Put Javi in power and keep Omars family protected.
Theres an important beat wherein Wendy basically threatens Omars children, something he notes he would never do.
Wendy Byrde has surpassed Omar Navarro on the Sociopath Meter.
Omar makes the call, and Javi says, Looks like God gave you another day.
After that tension, the episode sags a bit before its explosive finale.
They could move to the Pacific Northwest and get new names.
Were always going to be fine, Charlotte says.
Unions are forming, but we know they cant last.
Javi meets with the FBI at the funeral home the Byrdes own.
Anyone learns about it, and the FBI takes him down.
Javi accepts but doesnt know that Omar gave him up.
And then it happens.
Javi suddenly has a gun on Darlene and Wyatt in the Snell house.
And the bodies are left there for Ruth to find.
The sound drops out as she peels down the driveway in a rageful mess.
She naturally thinks Frank Jr. did it first, but he swears to God that he didnt.
She turns around and goes to the Byrdes, shotgun in hand, screaming for answers.
His name is Javi Elizonndro, and he works for the FBI now.
And Ruth is going to fucking kill him.
Thats one hell of a season finale.
Keep in mind Javi now has the weight of the FBI behind him.
They will protect him from prosecution, which allows him to be even more reckless.
But Ruth will not walk away from this one.
Its hard to imagine the show ending without her killing Javi unless someone beats her to it.
The question is what happens between Ruth and Marty.
Theyve been the core of the show.
Will the final episodes unite them in a common enemy or force them to opposite sides?
Dirty Laundry
Whos your MVP of the season?
Its got to be Julia Garner, who seems to be coming hard for that third Emmy.
Laura Linney was also phenomenal this year, leaning into the Heisenberg-ing of Wendy Byrde in terrifying ways.
Alfonso Herrera and Adam Rothenberg were both great.
What do you want from the second half of season four?
Im not so sure the writers can pull that off.
Wendy, especially, feels like she deserves to meet some sort of justice.
All I know is Ruth better win this damn war.
Thanks for reading this season!
See you for the final stretch!
