Warning: This list contains spoilers for the final season of Ozark.
Netflix’s Ozark used its story about the Byrdes–Marty and Wendy–to explore deep questions about crime, human nature, and the power of family. Above all, it asks whether it is possible to be a good person while doing (or at least abetting) horrendous things. Its final episode managed to provide viewers with closure for many of the pressing questions and issues that it raised throughout its four seasons.
At the same time, as is often the case with the best series finales, it also left viewers with many pressing questions and with just enough evidence that viewers will continue to debate for years to come.
Who Did Jonah Shoot?
Jonah is one of the best characters to have emerged from this series. Unlike his sister, who largely seems to accede to their parents’ criminal lifestyle, he has always been deeply hostile, particularly to his mother and her point of view. At the end of the finale, he seems poised to shoot Mel, the private investigator who has come back to bring down the Byrdes.
However, the screen fades to black before the gunshot sounds, leaving it ambiguous as to whether he has fully gone over to the dark side or whether he took the chance to rid the world of his mother’s influence.
What Will Happen To Rachel?
Rachel has long been one of the more likable characters in the series. Though she has her flaws, she is still one of those who gets caught up in the radius of disruption the Byrdes cause in the Ozarks. When the finale ends, she has come in as one of the majority owners of the casino.
However, that was very much a product of her relationship with Ruth, and now that Ruth has been killed by Camila, it remains unclear just what role she is going to have going forward.
What Will Camila Do Now That She’s In Charge Of The Cartel?
Camila is without a doubt one of the most ruthless characters in this series. By the end, she is well-poised to take control of the cartel and exercise the same kind of control as her brother. While she kills Ruth in revenge for her killing of Javi, it’s clear she doesn’t have a great deal of affection for the Byrdes, either.
Given that she’s shown that she is willing to dispense with those she deems dangerous to her operation, it’s an open question whether she will let Marty and Wendy stay alive after all.
Will The Byrdes Seek Revenge For Ruth’s Death?
Say what one will about Marty, he is, at the bottom, a man of integrity and he can be, at times, one of the series’ bravest characters. It’s clear that Camila’s decision to kill Ruth in cold blood is one that deeply troubles him, and it seems to do the same for Wendy.
Given that both of them have already shown just how ruthless they can be when the time comes, it begs the question: what will they do now that Camila has shot Ruth? Given their past behavior, it’s entirely possible that they might seek out some sort of revenge, especially since they now have political influence.
What Will The Byrdes Do In Chicago?
Assuming that the Byrdes survive beyond the finale, it remains unclear just what they will do once they presumably return to Chicago. However, this raises its own series of questions. Just what will they do once they return there?
Given that they have already shown just how far they’re willing to go to protect their family interests–and to attain more power–it’s entirely possible they could become involved in ever more sinister enterprises in the big city.
What Will Happen To Ruth’s Things?
Ruth was one of the series’ best and most complicated characters, capable of making viewers both hate her and feel sorry for her. While her death in the finale was in some ways inevitable, it left viewers with some very pressing questions.
Given how much she’d manage to accomplish by the end of the series–including having a new home built where her family had lived–many are wondering just what will happen to her belongings and her property. Will it all go to Three, or will someone else step in to take control?
Will Anyone Investigate Ruth’s Death?
Though in many ways Ruth’s death is a cathartic and climactic moment, it’s also one which raises questions that have many fans scratching their heads. Though Camlia shoots her in cold blood, there’s no indication of just what she does with the body.
And, perhaps just as importantly, given how well-connected Ruth has now become–she’s made friends with a judge after all–it seems rather unlikely that no one is going to raise an eyebrow at her abrupt disappearance. Who will it be, and how far will they be willing to go in search of answers?
Will Wendy And Marty Stay Married?
Throughout the show, Marty and Wendy have been put through a lot, and their marriage has clearly suffered. While they have admitted that they love each other, and while in some ways they are one of the series’ best relationships, it seems clear that there are some scars that they will carry with them into the future.
Though they’ve clearly succeeded in conquering whatever life throws in their way, it’s still an open question whether they’ll stay married once they move into their new lives.
What Will Charlotte And Jonah Do?
The Byrde children are, in their own ways, just as interesting as their parents, especially since they have had to do things that no one their age should ever have had to do. Given that they’re poised to return to Chicago with their parents, it raises a number of questions.
What will they do when they get there? Will they remain largely unscarred by their criminal encounters, or will they ultimately replicate their parents’ mistakes? The series leaves it ambiguous.
Will Wendy And Marty Ever Be Able To Escape Their Past?
Through four seasons, the Byrdes have slowly emerged as some of the most formidable criminal couples in television history and one of the series’ best relationships.
During their time in the series, they worked very hard to cultivate a future for themselves and their children, one in which they could, at last, have the influence they deserved (or thought they deserved). However, though they manage to survive to the very end, the question remains: will they ever be able to escape what they’ve done during their time in the Ozarks, or will it always haunt them?
