Helen Pierce, played by Janet McTeer, was the most cold-hearted person in Ozark. Whether she did it to impress Navarro or just wanted to establish herself as the no-nonsense enforcer, her methods brought her very little love. She was, however, more reasonable than her predecessor, Del Rio, who enjoyed shooting people and pulling out their nails.
When she set up a permanent office in the Ozarks, life became difficult for everyone, including Marty. Throughout her short-lived reign as Navarro’s right-hand woman, she faced ups and downs, which is why sometimes, you just had to feel bad for her.
Hated: When She Tortured Ruth
Ruth was loyal to Marty from the moment she started working with him and even killed her uncles to save his life. Helen, however, wouldn’t hear any of it. She insisted that she was the leak to the FBI that threatened Marty’s business despite being the person that eliminated the threat.
When Helen arrived with the cartel’s hitmen, they made Cade and Marty look powerless as they grabbed Ruth and waterboarded her. The ordeal was harrowing and one of the saddest events so far in the entire show, which is why everyone hated Helen so much.
Felt Bad: When Her Husband Blackmailed Her
Helen wasn’t exactly the type of mother you would wish on anyone, but her husband didn’t sound like a saint either. When he threatened to report her to the authorities for taking her children a day earlier than she was allowed to, it was obvious he was a petty guy.
His threats forced Helen to stay alone with Erin while her brother stayed with his father. The split in the family caused Helen and Erin to fight all the time, and it was obviously hard on both of them and unfair to the little girl.
Hated: When She Threatened Marty And The Snells
Helen came to the Ozarks as the uncompromising cartel enforcer that didn’t care for anyone except her “client.” Her first mission was finding out what happened to Del Rio and, of course, whoever killed him would die.
When she gave Marty the two-hour ultimatum to resolve the issue with the Snells, it was obvious she was torturing him. First, she already knew that Marty hadn’t killed Del and two, Marty couldn’t control the Snells. Jacob came in to save the day by killing Ash as retribution, but it only made everyone hate Helen even more.
Felt Bad: When Erin Tortured Her
When Erin came into the picture, the soft side of the former heartless Helen was exposed. She was the only person Helen couldn’t control and threaten. Erin was also a difficult girl who didn’t seem to have any remorse for her mother.
She made Helen look small all of a sudden and seek help from the Byrdes for the first time. Her troubles as a mother multiplied when she discovered that her daughter had joined a bad company and was planning to lose her virginity to a stranger. It was the first time Helen couldn’t control something.
Hated: When She Bad Mouthed The Byrdes To Navarro
Navarro was the most feared character in Ozark, but after the revelation of his relationship with Helen in the third season, it became apparent that maybe she was the problem. After the Byrdes helped the cartel start the casino and even expand it by buying Big Muddy, Helen still didn’t have faith in them.
She advised Navarro to set up a parallel business against the Byrdes, which would eventually mean that Navarro would have to kill them because he didn’t need them. Her big ambitions of controlling the cartel business is probably what got her killed in the end.
Felt Bad: When Ben Threatened Her
Ben getting out of the psychiatric hospital started the chain of the saddest events of season three. Ben was bipolar, and his actions were unpredictable.
It is not clear why he went to Helens’ house first after getting out of the hospital, but it wasn’t fair to her. She had just started repairing her relationship with Erin and Ben’s angry confrontation put a permanent dent to that. His outburst scared Erin, as he appeared as if he was going to assault them.
Hated: When She Ordered Ben’s Death
Ben’s condition was a threat to everyone, but his fate wasn’t deserved. Helen had created the policy of fear that forced Wendy’s hand when Ben relapsed. Wendy tried to save him by getting him locked up in the psychiatric hospital, but Darlene convinced the sheriff to get him out.
Helen didn’t care about Wendy’s feelings for her brother. Killing Ben with the full knowledge of his psychiatric condition proved that Helen did not understand at all.
Felt Bad: When Erin Found Out About Her Business
Just like the Byrdes, Helen tried her level best to protect her children from the dark side of her dangerous profession. However, unlike Marty and Wendy, she didn’t tell her children about her dirty business. Before finding out that her mother worked for the cartel, Erin already hated Helen, so when she finally found out about it, Helen lost a daughter.
It was the saddest moment for her in the entire show watching her try to explain to Erin who wouldn’t understand. Despite our hatred for her, we couldn’t help but feel sorry for the mother in her that was hurt by her daughter’s rejection.
Hated: When She Tried To Get The Byrdes Killed
Helen never seemed to like the Byrdes from the beginning, but trying to get them killed was just a step too far. After going against them by obtaining a casino license for herself, Helen made a deal with the FBI that would make Marty look like a snitch.
If Wendy hadn’t acted first to get the FBI to fight for Navarro, Helen’s deal would have gotten the Byrdes killed. Her sneaky move was totally uncalled for since the Byrdes had done more than what the cartel asked of them, and they had lost a lot of people while protecting Navarro’s business.
Felt Bad: When Navarro Killed Her
Navarro killing Hellen is just one of those plot twists you didn’t see coming. She had just given his children refuge in the US during the heat of the cartel wars and also gotten a casino license making the Byrdes irrelevant to him. Although her death was a welcome event, you just had to feel bad for her.
She had put in lots of effort while protecting Navarro’s interests and also established herself as a strong mother for Erin, whose fate is now unknown after Helen’s death. Even if she deserved to die, being shot in the head after becoming the hero was not fair to her.
