OZARK on NETFLIX - Finale SPOILERS Abound

[KevShmev]

Oh man....don't get me going on the car accident. In the initial moments afterwards when Wendy wasn't responding I thought to myself that was 'fitting' as she basically received a karmic kind of judgment and that'd free up Marty to then get him and the kids 'out' of it all with a well thought out plan. But when she started moving I thought "you've got to be shittin' me?"  The magnitude of that accident and not one of them being unconscious or hurt? Was pretty unbelievable. I know it's a show but still....that was poor judgment for them all to just show up via a cab at home in the next scene.

They could have easily let Ruth live and go about the direction they'd set before her......and should  have given Wendy a much, much more brutal ending as she rightfully deserved. In fact, now that I'm talking and thinking about it more I'm getting a bit more ticked off at how they chose to wrap that show up. It just doesn't jive with how the show 'felt' for the better part of the run of the series.

The car accident resulting to nothing made the flash forward come off like a cheap tactic.

Remember the flash forwards in Breaking Bad when we saw Walt getting the machine gun or retrieving the ricin from the abandoned White house? Those both meant a lot towards the storyline.  This car accident thing felt them trying to do a Breaking Bad thing, but ultimately failing miserably in its execution.

I guess the point with Ruth was that "you cannot change who you are," but I think her not going back and killing Javi after first being unable to in Chicago and then changing the trajectory of her life was the way they'd go.  Once she was able to go kill him, her fate at that point felt almost inevitable.

I also don't think it helped introducing Navarro's sister this late in the game, as the main antagonist of the final episodes then became someone not only new to us, but someone we were still getting to know. 
 

[gmillerdrake]

Oh man....don't get me going on the car accident. In the initial moments afterwards when Wendy wasn't responding I thought to myself that was 'fitting' as she basically received a karmic kind of judgment and that'd free up Marty to then get him and the kids 'out' of it all with a well thought out plan. But when she started moving I thought "you've got to be shittin' me?"  The magnitude of that accident and not one of them being unconscious or hurt? Was pretty unbelievable. I know it's a show but still....that was poor judgment for them all to just show up via a cab at home in the next scene.

They could have easily let Ruth live and go about the direction they'd set before her......and should  have given Wendy a much, much more brutal ending as she rightfully deserved. In fact, now that I'm talking and thinking about it more I'm getting a bit more ticked off at how they chose to wrap that show up. It just doesn't jive with how the show 'felt' for the better part of the run of the series.

The car accident resulting to nothing made the flash forward come off like a cheap tactic.

Remember the flash forwards in Breaking Bad when we saw Walt getting the machine gun or retrieving the ricin from the abandoned White house? Those both meant a lot towards the storyline.  This car accident thing felt them trying to do a Breaking Bad thing, but ultimately failing miserably in its execution.

I guess the point with Ruth was that "you cannot change who you are," but I think her not going back and killing Javi after first being unable to in Chicago and then changing the trajectory of her life was the way they'd go.  Once she was able to go kill him, her fate at that point felt almost inevitable.

I also don't think it helped introducing Navarro's sister this late in the game, as the main antagonist of the final episodes then became someone not only new to us, but someone we were still getting to know. 
 

Kev...100% agree that  it just didn't feel authentic introducing Navarro's sister so late in the story and setting her up to be the heir and master mind that she was with zero groundwork being laid out beforehand. It felt like a shortcut to a reason to kill Ruth for the shock value of killing Ruth.

[lonestar]

Oh man....don't get me going on the car accident. In the initial moments afterwards when Wendy wasn't responding I thought to myself that was 'fitting' as she basically received a karmic kind of judgment and that'd free up Marty to then get him and the kids 'out' of it all with a well thought out plan. But when she started moving I thought "you've got to be shittin' me?"  The magnitude of that accident and not one of them being unconscious or hurt? Was pretty unbelievable. I know it's a show but still....that was poor judgment for them all to just show up via a cab at home in the next scene.

They could have easily let Ruth live and go about the direction they'd set before her......and should  have given Wendy a much, much more brutal ending as she rightfully deserved. In fact, now that I'm talking and thinking about it more I'm getting a bit more ticked off at how they chose to wrap that show up. It just doesn't jive with how the show 'felt' for the better part of the run of the series.

The car accident resulting to nothing made the flash forward come off like a cheap tactic.

Remember the flash forwards in Breaking Bad when we saw Walt getting the machine gun or retrieving the ricin from the abandoned White house? Those both meant a lot towards the storyline.  This car accident thing felt them trying to do a Breaking Bad thing, but ultimately failing miserably in its execution.

I guess the point with Ruth was that "you cannot change who you are," but I think her not going back and killing Javi after first being unable to in Chicago and then changing the trajectory of her life was the way they'd go.  Once she was able to go kill him, her fate at that point felt almost inevitable.

I also don't think it helped introducing Navarro's sister this late in the game, as the main antagonist of the final episodes then became someone not only new to us, but someone we were still getting to know. 
 

Kev...100% agree that  it just didn't feel authentic introducing Navarro's sister so late in the story and setting her up to be the heir and master mind that she was with zero groundwork being laid out beforehand. It felt like a shortcut to a reason to kill Ruth for the shock value of killing Ruth.

STOP READING MY MIND GUYS!!!!

[gmillerdrake]

[KevShmev]

Or, the reaction of many to the Ozark finale.

[Logain Ablar]

Yeah, I'm suffering from the same disappointment. Not LOST or Dexter levels of disappointment, but still not great at all for what was otherwise a really great show.

I agree on the car crash. That should have been the end for either Marty or Wendy, and probably Wendy would have made the most sense. It was a perfect opportunity for one of the show's trademark shocker moments, but ultimately it didn't mean very much at all.

I didn't like Wendy checking herself into the mental health facility, and seemingly checking out about 10 minutes later. That portion was just bizarre, and seemed to serve no purpose other than to show that mental health problems run in the family.

Grandpa / John Boy. I think a better option would be for Ruth to have tricked him into drinking too much and then winding him up to the point of hitting her, just as the kids walked in. That would have echoed what Wendy said about her own upbringing, and would have let the kids see him for what he really was. Just pointing a gun at him and threatening him seemed a bit too simplistic.

I don't think Ruth should have died, considering she was the one with the upward trajectory, having her criminal record expunged etc. She was my favourite character on the show and I think she deserved better.

Camilla didn't really get enough screen time for me to care what happened to her either way.


I can imagine a scenario where Wendy dies in the car crash, then Marty, consumed by grief, literally turns to the dark side. He works out a deal with the FBI to get Navarro killed during the prison transfer, then finds a way to pin it on Camilla, getting the cartel to get rid of her, and takes over as the head of the cartel himself.

[gmillerdrake]

Yeah, I'm suffering from the same disappointment. Not LOST or Dexter levels of disappointment, but still not great at all for what was otherwise a really great show.

I agree on the car crash. That should have been the end for either Marty or Wendy, and probably Wendy would have made the most sense. It was a perfect opportunity for one of the show's trademark shocker moments, but ultimately it didn't mean very much at all.

I didn't like Wendy checking herself into the mental health facility, and seemingly checking out about 10 minutes later. That portion was just bizarre, and seemed to serve no purpose other than to show that mental health problems run in the family.

Grandpa / John Boy. I think a better option would be for Ruth to have tricked him into drinking too much and then winding him up to the point of hitting her, just as the kids walked in. That would have echoed what Wendy said about her own upbringing, and would have let the kids see him for what he really was. Just pointing a gun at him and threatening him seemed a bit too simplistic.

I don't think Ruth should have died, considering she was the one with the upward trajectory, having her criminal record expunged etc. She was my favourite character on the show and I think she deserved better.

Camilla didn't really get enough screen time for me to care what happened to her either way.

I'm on board with all of that for sure. I think there are a LOT of people that are thinking the exact type of thoughts concerning how they wrapped up this otherwise well done and great series.

I can imagine a scenario where Wendy dies in the car crash, then Marty, consumed by grief, literally turns to the dark side. He works out a deal with the FBI to get Navarro killed during the prison transfer, then finds a way to pin it on Camilla, getting the cartel to get rid of her, and takes over as the head of the cartel himself.

I think that'd have been 10x better than what we got.....but I'd alter it a bit to where Marty wasn't the head of the Cartel....he just continued to do what he was doing for them because with Wendy out of the picture 99.99% if the drama and problems they faced would have vanished. I'd have had Marty and Ruth end up together running the casino and by together I mean....together together.

[Logain Ablar]

Like a-kissin and a-huggin sorta thing? 

I think Marty definitely had feelings for Ruth, but I’m not convinced the feeling was mutual.

One other thought for now - Charlotte didn’t really have anything to do in this second half of the final season. I think they ran out of ideas for her character.

[KevShmev]

Well, the writing was never this show's biggest strength.  The acting, directing and cinematography were all always top notch, but the writing varied from sometimes great to often very good to occasionally not very good.

[MirrorMask]

I must confess I'm let down too. For such a great series, where (as Kev brilliantly saved) the strenghts of the show made you forgive and forget the occasional cheap and convenient plot points, the ending was a bit meh. Not Dexter or Game of Thrones meh, but not up to par with the rest of the show.

I agree also with the comparison of the flash forward of Walt getting the gun machine at the beginning of Season 5 of Breaking Bad, and the car crash scene, but here's the major difference: with Breaking Bad, you knew things would go sideways. You'd watch Walt occasionally enjoying life and think "man, how can it go wrong?". The car crash at the beginning of season 4 did the exact opposite, it told you that everything would be fine and the family, at a certain point, would be happy, alive and together.

OMG, this stuff is happening, what if one of the family dies since it's the final season? ...they won't, they'll be alive until at least the car crash.
OMG, will Wendy lose her kids? ... no, she won't, they'll be together, and even if she loses them, they will come back.

The car crash stole all the tension from the show, and when it finally happens.... everyone survives? that's it?

I get that it was a way to show that the family realized that they had to stick together, and that's why they accepted Ruth's fate without trying to meddle any further, 'cause they "had" to get out at all costs, but it was rushed. Maybe if we had more time and more episodes... maybe if we could have seen the aftermath a bit better, seeing the family devastated in realizing that yes, they got everything they wanted but they left death and destruction in their wake... it would have been a bittersweet ending, yeah, they get away with it but their life is emotionally ruined and they won't feel joy anymore.

Also Jonah's "turn to the dark side" is so sudden, he went from hating his family for what happened to Ben to kill someone to protect them? again, I get that the car crash was a wake up call to the importance of surviving and sticking together, but it was poorly executed.

And Ruth was this show's Jesse Pinkman and definitively deserved to make it out alive. Congratulations to Three who, by doing absolutely nothing, is now the richest Langmore ever in the Ozarks I guess.

It's a pity, I'm not angry, just a but underwhelmed. I really thought they had in them to finish as strong as they've always gone.

[KevShmev]

I don't mind the breaking on tension at point k just because we know things are "this way" at point t.

To use Breaking Bad as an example (stop reading for anyone who has not seen that and plans to), remember when Jesse broken into Walt's house in the last season with the intention of burning it to the ground?  Because we had seen in the flash forwards that the White house was intact many months later (when Walt returned with a full head of hair to get the ricin), the question then became, "What will stop Jesse from burning it down?"  That kind of tension by knowing this, that and the other have to get to reach a plot point we have already been given a glimpe of can be brilliant when executed properly.  Breaking Bad had that down to a science, pun intended.  It felt Ozark tried to be clever with that kind of device, but failed miserably with the execution.

[The Realm]

I'm a bit surprised by many of the negative reactions to the ending, I actually really enjoyed it. There was a ton of tension leading up to who was actually going to die. Sure, Wendy should have but the actually ending is somewhat more fitting as Jonah has truly crossed over to the dark side and Wendy (off screen) will have to live with this.

The car crash - yeah I get the negativity towards this but it was a metaphor for the survival of the Byrds - they are invincible but in the end they kind of pay for it knowing that they will never escape. But it was probably unnecessary overall.

[gmillerdrake]

I'm a bit surprised by many of the negative reactions to the ending, I actually really enjoyed it. There was a ton of tension leading up to who was actually going to die. Sure, Wendy should have but the actually ending is somewhat more fitting as Jonah has truly crossed over to the dark side and Wendy (off screen) will have to live with this.

The car crash - yeah I get the negativity towards this but it was a metaphor for the survival of the Byrds - they are invincible but in the end they kind of pay for it knowing that they will never escape. But it was probably unnecessary overall.

I still think it was a good series……pretty well done and for the most part had great writing and acting. But I’ll maintain that they didn’t stick the landing at all.  Had a chance to get the 10/10 but ultimately landed at a 7/10 for me just because that final season……specifically the last seven episodes……were unfortunately the weakest of the series. Not the ideal way to end it.

The Ruth death IMO was more for shock value than actually fitting the story, and I get that she sealed her fate when she killed ol’ boy but even that was out of character for her because she’d become more crafty than just outright murder…..especially so blatant and unable to cover up.

I think they failed the story as well allowing Wendy to live or at minimum essentially get away with every horrid thing she did. She was the sole reason for the last 10 issues Marty had to bust his ass to fix…..it felt cheap just allowing her to go about her life after all that.

IMO the only ‘happy’ ending(s) should have involved Marty and Ruth…..Maybe not all sunshine and roses but to a point to where they both were free and clear of the cartel and left to their own devices.

I’m sure I’ll rewatch the series again some day because it was a good one….maybe my opinion will change but I don’t foresee that happening.

[MirrorMask]

I accept the general idea that the Byrdes get away with everything with the Langmores left to suffer. I just wish the whole situation would have sunk in better, Jonah spent every moment on screen since Ben's death hating his parents, and he ends the whole series killing to protect his family "just" because they survived together a car crash?

Also, part of the fun was seeing the Byrdes trying to keep up the facade of being respectable citizens. The show kinda lost me when everyone in the FBI was aware that the Byrdes were laundering money for the cartel, and they even freely conspired with them to decide who gets to be in charge and who dies (Navarro).

[hefdaddy42]

I'm a bit surprised by many of the negative reactions to the ending, I actually really enjoyed it. There was a ton of tension leading up to who was actually going to die. Sure, Wendy should have but the actually ending is somewhat more fitting as Jonah has truly crossed over to the dark side and Wendy (off screen) will have to live with this.

I loved it as well, and I'm also a little mystified at some of the negative reaction.  After all, one of the themes of the show is that people don't always (or hardly ever) get what they deserve.  Ruth deserved to live and Wendy deserved to die; neither one got what they deserved.

I thought it was great.