Ozarkhas been nothing but a rollercoaster adventure that has only now come to a close. For four seasons, fans have gotten so attached to the characters, watching them become who they are by the end of the series. Though a tragic story about criminals, they are all humans who experience fear and emotions as everyone else does.The heartfelt stories of the characters onOzarkare ones that many people can relate to, perhaps not the money laundering aspect but ones about relationships and survival.
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Ozarkhas beennominated for 32 Emmysin every category imaginable, and there’s no question why this thrilling dark crime drama has stolen the attention of millions around the world.
This article contains spoilers for Ozark.
Helen Pierce
Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer) was initially portrayed as the ruthless monster who only wanted to get things done to please the cartel, no matter the consequences. As the seasons go by, she slowly opens up a different side to her; a more human side.
Despite her hard-shelled exterior, she is a mother who loves her daughter and will protect her at all costs. When Navarro learns that Helen tries to make a plan to kick Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy (Laura Linney) out of the operations, the Byrdes find ways to gain Navarro’s trust even more. Navarro then shoots Helen right in front of Marty and Wendy on his property in Mexico.
Omar Navarro
Omar Navarro (Felix Solis) is a short-tempered and callous leader of the Navarro cartel. He started as the unseen antagonist of the first two seasons but eventually became the main antagonist of the last two seasons. Despite Marty and Wendy’s endless sacrifices and efforts in pleasing Navarro, he rarely shows his gratitude towards them.
Navarro showed no sympathy for Ben’s death and instead told Wendy that it had to happen. Navarro’s only change throughout the seasons was perhaps, making a deal with the FBI. He also only shows his humane side for his family — investing in legitimate businesses for his sons in the future and being enraged by the hijack of his newborn son. He also tells Marty and Wendy that he never kills children.
ThroughoutOzark,the audience can’t help but sympathize with Ben (Tom Pelphrey) and his struggle with bipolar disorder. His relationship with his nephew Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) and Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) was his only saving grace. Ben and Ruth are lonely and broken characters who found comfort in each other. They deserve to love and be loved, and that’s what they had; they were in love.
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Ben had been off his meds and becomes a danger to himself and others. He is erratic and angry at everyone including Wendy, Marty, and even Navarro’s lawyer, Helen. After seeing his behavior, Helen fears that Ben could pose a real danger to Navarro and his operations and tells Wendy there is no other choice but to kill him. There is not a more disheartening moment in the entire series than when Wendy lets Ben die in the hands of the cartel.
Charlotte Byrde
At the start of the series, Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) was a rebellious teenager who wanted nothing but a normal life. Naturally, she was against moving to the Ozarks in Missouri as she didn’t want to leave her life behind. Throughout the first two seasons, Charlotte and her brother Jonah slowly learn the reasons behind their move and later their mother’s unfaithfulness towards Marty. It becomes unbearable for Charlotte once she sees how Wendy has influenced Jonah to assist her in her criminal activities. Charlotte seeks a lawyer for emancipation from her family.
The following seasons didn’t fully explain how the once rebellious Charlotte ended up on the other side of her compass. In the third season, she starts involving herself in Wendy’s (obviously corrupt) foundation as her public relations person. And unlike Jonah, after learning about the nature of Ben’s death, Charlotte still chooses to understand and forgive Wendy’s actions. By season four, Charlotte has completely involved herself in her parents’ crimes, telling lies, covering up, and even going as far as deciding not to go to college to join the family business.
Wyatt Langmore
Wyatt is presumably one of the most tragic characters of the series. He has always had good intentions and wants a better life for himself, but his life struggles and tragedies led him to make poor decisions. The only good grace in his life is Ruth, who gradually also gets corrupted upon the Byrdes’ arrival. Despite Wyatt’s (Charlie Tahan) initial bad intentions at the beginning, he gets close to Charlotte after they get to know each other a little more. However, the relationship never became serious, as he didn’t believe his class background would ever match Charlotte’s more privileged background.
Wyatt’s father’s death affected him so much that he became reckless, which led to his arrest. Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) bails Wyatt out of jail, and the two form a romantic relationship. Though an odd couple, they stayed together until the end of their lives: an undeserving death for Wyatt.
Darlene Snell
Darlene is perhaps one of the most antagonizing characters in television history. Her rifle serves as an extension of her arm, and it shows that she has no regard for human life. She kills when she feels threatened or disrespected by anyone, including her husband, whom she murdered for blurry reasons. A few reasons why Jacob (Peter Mullan) was murdered might be caused by the heightened tensions in their household and marriage. And on top of that, Darlene might have felt threatened by Jacob’s business-making decisions or that his power might overrule hers.
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Despite her viciousness lies a human who has a softer side. Darlene forms a romance with Wyatt, who, disturbingly, is less than half her age and is considered a controversial relationship in the series. After killing the pastor’s wife Grace, she takes custody of Grace’s child, baby Zeke and raises the baby with Wyatt. In the end, however, Darlene’s pride and stubbornness in her refusal to stop supplying heroin cost her and Wyatt’s lives. Javi (Alfonso Herrera)killed them approximately eight minutes after their wedding— what a tragic beginning (and ending) to a marriage.
Marty Byrde
It was Marty who involved Wendy and his family in a criminal life, but in the end, didn’t have as drastic a transformation as Wendy did. Unlike Wendy, he realizes how dangerous the circumstances are and want to minimize any risks to keep his family safe. Marty has always regretted his actions and decisions as a parent, but unforeseen deaths remind him of what he needs to keep doing for the Navarro cartel to keep his family safe.
Although an unconventional pair, Marty and Ruth’s relationship developed from a mentor-student into more of a father-daughter relationship. They show mutual compassion for each other through their twisted ways, and Marty feels responsible for Ruth’s well-being and safety.
Jonah Byrde
As the youngest and the only son of the Byrde family, Jonah has always felt a sense of responsibility since he learned about his family’s criminal involvement. He learned how to shoot with a gun and even helped Wendy with her money laundering schemes. The real turning point for Jonah, however, is when Ben dies, and he learns that Wendy is the reason behind his uncle’s death.
After learning this, Jonah couldn’t bear living under the same roof as his family and decided to move out of the Byrde family house. He teamed up with Ruth, who has become Darlene’s protégé and someone who was also heartbroken by Wendy’s involvement in Ben’s death. They collectively work against the Byrdes to tear down their business. He only forgave Wendy after she admitted herself to a mental institution and apologized to her children when they visited her — something she hadn’t done since the beginning. No matter what — family is family. The finale ends with Jonah firing the gun at private investigator Mel Sattem (Adam Rothenberg); the Byrdes are in this too deep that even their children have accepted that world and its violence.
Wendy Byrde
Wendy’s transformation has been nothing short of extraordinary. Her story starts with her role as an unhappy, unfaithful wife to overtaking Marty as a top-notch manipulator and money launderer. She is smart, persuasive, and knows how to get what she wants. Time and time again, Wendy proves her agility by coming up with brilliant plans to save her family from danger. However, what makes her stand out from Marty is her ambitions in doing business. Laundering money for the cartel isn’t just about survival anymore; it has become a hunger for power.
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Over the course of the seasons, Wendy has proven that she will do anything to keep her family alive, even if that means recruiting her son Jonah to launder money for her or sacrificing the life of her only brother, Ben. Despite the person Wendy has become, something to be admired about her is her tenacity; no one and nothing can break her. The most tragic thing about her character, however, is that she has gone from bad, to worse, to the worst.
Ruth Langmore
Ruth’s development as a character is second to none when it comes to most enthralling but also most heartbreaking. Upon meeting Marty Byrde, she was merely someone who had financial struggles and made ends meet by doing petty thefts. Marty saw potential in Ruth and recruited her as the manager of a money-laundering strip club. The closer she got to Marty, a better criminal she became. She knew the ins and outs of running a business and laundering money.
Despite wanting to make a better living for herself and her cousins, however, Ruth keeps getting disappointed by those close to her and has to keep enduring more than a lifetime’s worth of tragedies. All she’s left with are raging emotions toward people who have caused her pain. She kills Javi to be able to accept and be at peace with Wyatt’s death. After all, Wyatt was the only person she ever truly cared about — the only constant she ever had in her life. Ruth symbolizes someone who has been wronged over and over again. She makes decisions to compensate for her losses and does things that might seem wrong to others, but right for her.
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