How Ozark Should Have Ended 

This is just one of many high level theories on how the show could have concluded in a different way! How do you think the show could have finished? Comment below!

I can't get over why the main characters didn't have guns on them at all times. You would think that everyone would be packing heat after the events of the first episode.

Marty was the best part of this whole show, but it was so disappointing seeing him disintegrate into nothing. His character was basically non existent in all of season 4 and never really made any smart/out of the box decisions like he use to…

I felt the same way about the car accident. When it flipped I thought at the time Wendy needed to be the one who didn't make it.

Issues with the ending: 1) Carmella still wanted to kill Navarro, even though he didn't kill Javi and she knows Marty/Wendy lied to her. We can only assume that Carmella was power hungry. But all hey previous endeavors were only to avenge Javi not seize power. If they had a scene where she started that she should've lead the Cartel but was denied for being a woman (or anything) even though she is older than Navarro and was less shameful to the family than he was. 2) Ruth was inevitably going to die. HOWEVER, Ruth is too smart to see a black SUV at her house and not turn around. It also doesn't make sense that Carmella came alone. 3) Jonah tried to kill one man in the past. That man worked for the Cartel and threat to kill his family. HOWEVER, Mel (the Cop) is just a man with a conscious. He didn't want to kill anyone. He just sought justice. Jonah has never been established as that kind of killer.

One big issue I kept having with the show as a whole also is how come all the big players NEVER had any backup/protection. It’s so unbelievable to think leaders of a cartel would just walk around on their own doing hit jobs.

The ending was clearly rushed. Everything was falling apart and then within like 2 episodes everything just fixes itself.

Very anticlimactic. I anticipated so much and felt betrayed . I would’ve been fine with them taking a little more time to give us better writing and releasing it later this year .

Props for letting Ruth go out with class like Hank Schrader in Breaking Bad. A total bad ass to the end.

The killing Mel at the end with Marty and Wendy proudly smirking about it, was a little stupid in my opinion. Seriously, if the whole solution to Mel was just to shoot him, why didn't they just do that BEFORE he almost caused them to lose their kids? Why offer him millions of dollars at the very end when the perfect solution, judging by Marty and Wendy's reaction, was a $0.75 cent bullet?

Sad/Angry about Ruth because she was literally the one person I wasn't ok with dying. Also I do feel that people that didn't have to wait will have a different experience and probably like it more overall though I enjoyed the show liked the ending because it kinda made me feel indifferent which is what I think they were going for and not many shows can pull that off.

All the last episode ended just gave us more unanswered questions. That was a terrible ending.

One of my biggest issues with part 2 is that it just comes out of nowhere. Ruth vows to get revenge then the next episode Javi dies. Everything after is just normal ozark. Camilla learning the truth was so rushed. The car crash went nowhere and Mel's final scene was so random. And the mute bodyguard guys death was so strange.

I really, truly believed they weren't going to kill Ruth. Not only because they had her go through that character development of becoming a better person, but because I thought Marty cared more about Ruth then I guess he actually did. I always loved the dynamic of Marty and Ruth's relationship. Even though they very clearly had problems at times, I always liked that Marty was essentially a father figure for Ruth, and it always seemed as though he cared about her like she was his own daughter... I just absolutely hate how there was barely any remorse over his decision to just let Camilla kill her. I know that his family was on the line, but I kind of thought that after everything they'd been through, that Ruth was considered family too. The ending made me honestly hate the Byrdes, and I'm not happy that they got their "happily ever after" that was not deserved. I agree that Wendy should have died in that car accident, and I thought it would have been an entertaining twist for both Camilla and Navarro to have off'ed each other simultaneously as they both had a plan to take the other out. Marty then should have been forced into having to take control of the cartel back in Mexico. The kids could have stayed behind and lived with Ruth in the house she was building, because they all deserved a happy ending. Marty and Wendy did not. I'm just so sad that a show that was so flawlessly done had such a shit ending. I really expected more.

I absolutely hated the ending. The family gets away with literally everything, genuinely on top of the world, and anyone who got hurt by them dies and/or has their life absolutely ruined.

I agree, I also thought Wendy and Marty would have died in the rollover crash. In fact, I thought that was going to be the final scene in the Ozarks with the fade to black right after showing Jonah and Charlotte in Seattle moving on with a new life. I absolutely did not want Ruth to die! She deserved to get her swimming pool!

Can we just mention the throwback scene of Ben's death? The ride in the car to his execution place was definitely an homage to his taxi ride which was one of the most outstanding scenes of acting and writing I have ever seen. Ben's last words are. Is this a dream? that should somehow have been brought into the ending somehow? Very very disappointed with the ending of this fantastic series. We deserved better.

This would’ve been suchhh a better ending. I’m fine with a bleak, tragic ending, and I’m even fine with them killing Ruth despite her being my favourite character. But just having Camila off Ruth, Jonah off Mel and the family just vibing at the end of a season packed of inconsequential side plots really didn’t sit right with me

I agree with a lot of points, the show never really had an ‘Ozymandias’ moment where everything crumbles

I started thinking Wendy may have to die as SHE made a few decisions/kept making decisions, on her own, that did not put the her family first, but put forth her own agenda. She chose Camilla over Omar, Marty wanted Omar. Her decisions did not help her family & kept raising the stakes for their survivor, the opposite of what Marty was doing. Ruth story is tragic, she had the chance to leave, but the Ozarks is her home. She did a lot for Marty & his family, maybe more than Wendy, she could have lived. The Byrds did a lot of bad stuff, why were they all saved vs Ruth??? I don’t like that at all: the family with ‘good’ genes survives when Ruth (bad genes, but a deeper sense of loyalty) dies.

Honestly I wanted to Wendy to die and for Jonah and Charlotte to be placed into witness protection somehow(don't ask me how still figuring that out). Marty would have went behind Wendy's back and informed Navarro about Camilla so he doesn't die in the end. Then when Camilla goes to kill Ruth Marty shows up and takes her out, once again saving Ruth. Marty ends up having Ruth leave the Ozarks to start a new life and give the Langmores a chance at redemption. A chance to build a legacy not built on pain and suffering. With Jonah and Charlotte in protective custody, Wendy deceased and Ruth having left the Ozarks under the direction of Marty, Marty is left all alone. The final scene is Marty walking through the house all alone, empty except for him and then he gets a call from Navarro. Navarro tells him to head for Mexico in order to reestablish his network. The scene fades to black, with Marty sighing and saying he'll be there first things in the morning...end credits Also Three is also dead, I think it fits better if Ruth is the last of the Langmores

Camilla killing Ruth just don’t seem to carry any weight at all! I understand how it make sense, but Camilla was just too new for it to have real impact. Wendy definitely should have died! That car crash was absolutely pointless. I feel like at the last min the show lost all it’s balls. They fourth shadow Ruth death all season it was just so bland!!!

I hate that Ruth died and the Byrdes lived. I do like how they ended Ruth’s arc though. Her story was the best part of the show.

I hated the ending almost as much as I hated Game of Thrones. The only reason they “won” is the last minute donation that they have no explanation for, other then the lawyer being a “beast” Wendy hit herself and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t even mentioned again. The stupid black screen at the end was dumb. They’ve shown so much violence on screen then go to black killing a character most people don’t even care about. Pretty sure Marty was complaining about his crazy wife to their daughter and then two seconds later would do anything for her. Not sure if this was Netflix rushing them or this was their actual ending but it was silly, rushed, and full of characters and enemies no one had heard of or cared about.

Absolutely devastated this show would’ve been one of my all time favorite endings if they had just done a better ending

There were too many people who knew about Ruth killing Javi for her to ever survive: Marty, Wendy, Claire, Claire’s bodyguard, Jonah, Charlotte, Rachael, even Three. At least she went out like a boss.

Claire Shaw would have NEVER given Ruth up to Camella. Claire would have to believe that Carmella would have kept her word , providing a pass for her part in the death of Javi and the cover up. Claire had no reason to believe Camella. Also, Claire is going to give up Ruth, but not the Byrdes knowledge and role, is not believable. If she was going to take the pass, she would have given up everyone.

Damn I was really expecting a way better finale…. I can’t believe they screwed up. I think the car crash literally ruined this entire season for me. Every time something suspenseful was gonna happen, I just remembered “oh the car crash hasn’t happened yet” then all fear is gone. Plus the fact that the car crash was COMPLETELY USELESS. Not even a scratch on anyone??? Wow! Also, how did Marty do such a huge 180? He was literally a somewhat father figure to Ruth this entire series and never wanted her to die but then they just let it happen??? I understand that they might not have had any choice but to let her die but cmon they should have at least tried something, anything! Even if it meant Marty/Wendy would die in Ruth’s place. I’m not sure what’s the worst part about this finale: the useless crash, Ruth’s death, or the fact that there was no true closure to this whole series. If the writes said there would be a season 5, they wouldn’t have to change anything about this finale because there is no closure to the Byrde’s story. They never escaped the cartel or anything. I’m thoroughly disappointed but that’s just my opinion. :/

Elongated a series finale that should have been three additional episodes at most.

The Ozark finale was a big disappointment. I think it owed all loyal fans a lot more than what we saw. WAY too many things left hanging.

I’m PISSED Ruth was killed at all… I’m ever more pissed that Camilla, a character we were just introduced to, was the one who killed her. Ruth should have killed Wendy, one of the kids should have died, and Marty should have been forced to live with the guilt knowing he was the reason it happened. Ruth should have been the ONLY person who got a happy ending. It makes me sick how it ended… lazy writing

I wanted Wendy to get clipped and for Jonah and Charlotte to be put into witness protection. Marty goes behind Wendy’s back to inform Navarro so that he doesn’t get killed. When Camila goes to kill Ruth, she pulls out her gun on Ruth, only for Camila to get taken out by Marty. Marty ends up having Ruth escape the Ozarks with Three to start a new life elsewhere. We get a scene where Ruth is driving her car while Three is in the backseat. Ruth cries in joy just like Jeese Pinkman did back at the end of Breaking Bad. Marty gets a call from Navarro. Navarro tells Marty to head to Mexico to reestablish their network. Marty replies by saying that he’ll be there first time in the morning.

My issue is the lazy writing to be too convenient for the Byrdes and overall unrealistic. There were so many mistakes they made throughout the season that would've instantly had them killed yet they suffered no consequences. Why did they make Wendy's dad change his motives all of a sudden and have no interest for the kids when he seemed to care for them this whole time? Jonah's 180 to loving his family now and willing to kill for them with the PI actually doing justice by Ben who he loved a lot? Marty just not doing ANYTHING this whole season?? Camilla not figuring out Wendy and Marty had something to do with Javi's death once Omar told her Wendy informed him about the death? I would've been fine with a bleak ending of Marty surviving it all but have him be a slave to the cartel and maybe losing his kids so he knows theyre safe but has to live this miserable life now, but no. I also would've been okay with Ruth dying because there was no escaping it really, but the death was so empty and I also feel like she would've been smart enough not to check out a suspicious car in the middle of the night???

Terrible ending. First, Ruth would have been perfect for a spinoff sequel series. Second, it made absolutely no sense for the Byrdes' son, who had perhaps the biggest conscious among them, to kill the detective. Third, it is frustrating beyond belief that none of the Byrdes, most especially Wendy, did not bear any consequence at the end. With that ending, it went from a series that I would have recommended to one that I would not.

Was very disappointed in the season finale the one person (Ruth) I wanted redemption for who lost everything didn’t get it. Coulda had a better ending for sure.

In my opinion they just wanted to kill of the few likeable characters they had. A real middle finger to the audience to remind us that in real life the good guys don't always win. Even with the Cartel, Navarro had redeeming qualities that, to a degree, had me hoping he would get out off it. Instead we get Camila who seems poisonous to the route, not only coming out on top , but murdering the best and most adored character the show had. Our sympathy for the Wendy and Marty is suppose to come from them wanting escape their situation and live a normal life for their family, but I am not convinced by this at all. Ruff profiled them perfectly to Clare...Wendy is a narcist who will do what ever it takes to get what she wants, like a predator that doesn't know why it is killing any more, and Marty just pretends to care but struggles with finding empathy for others. I think that even with a fresh start and second chance, the lure and appeal of the rush they clearly got from living a nefarious life would be too great to resist. The saddest part of it all being that Charlotte and Jonah are the incarnation of both of them and the show does nothing to suggest to me that they will learn from the mistakes of their parents. Jonah pulling the trigger at the end (Seems nearly undisputable to me that he did) basically confirms this. It was a really great show, but never intended to make the audience feel good and I think that was epitomised by Ruth's death. I suspected that she probably wouldn't make it out alive but she I think the audience would agree that Ruth deserved a better send off than the anti climatic one we got. It was almost as if they writers were saying to us 'Just because you want the hero/anti hero of the show to have a happy ending, or at least a more heroic death, doesn't mean we are going to give you that. That's not how real life works'.

Is it too much to ask that when Carmella finds out it was Ruth and gives Marty and Wendy the threat not to warn Ruth, that they walk away from the table ( as they did in the episode), to text their kids to warn Ruth. And why didnt Ruth reverse out of driveway when she spots the black suv? I agree, Wendy should have died in car accident and my hubs and I were rooting for that. But to kill Ruth, unacceptable ending. That girl was hella street smart, she knew the mess she was in, I find it unbelievable that she parked and got out of truck unarmed or at least retrieve her shotgun or better yet, drove the F out of the area. Carmilla should have been taken out the second they revealed she tried to kill her own brother by Navarro's ppl. Navarro wasnt as dangerous as his sister and a better FBI option. Thanks Wendy 😠 it's all her FAULT and should have died in car accident.

I wanted one of the kids (preferably Charlotte) to be killed as a direct result of Wendy's actions (i.e. fighting tooth and nail to prevent them from going with their grandfather), then have Wendy capped in some kind of redemptive arc at the end.

Ozark ended perfectly. The whole point of the Byrdes is them being the people who can buy and lie their way into getting whatever they want at the expense of everyone else around them. They start off just being desperate but gradually their ruthlessness, especially Wendy, just becomes easier and easier. Ruth's hit is the tipping point. Wendy asks Marty will it be bearable and when he tells her yes, it's the point where any soul of humanity they had left is gone. They've become untouchable and as Mel tells them in the yard, You don't get to be the Kennedy's. Jonah's [implied] killing of Mel tells us. "Oh yes we do get to become the Kennedys. And we'll just become more and more powerful through any means necessary." in 20 years Jonah becomes Governor and twenty years after that, Charlotte's son will become President, by which time the Byrdes will be the epitome of the American way.

Once I saw the commentary from Julia Gardner in regards to Ruth's death and it being like a Greek tragedy, it made sense in what she was wearing and hiw she looked. I accept it, but still not ok with it. Ruth should've survived to keep the Ozark legacy alive. Wendy should have died because she's beyond corrupted and obsessed with having it all. Marty should have been made to be stuck in the hell of his own making with his kids escaping to Australia like they had planned.

The ending showed that the Byrds won't leave their life in the Ozark. Too many loose ends: Ruth killed, Rachel will know or suspect and then what...Camilla, is she still able to work with the FBI...Marty goes back to running the Missouri Belle now that Ruth is gone. Chicago PD wonder where Mel is. And what about Three ??

What I find really interesting is how Ruth tells Wendy father that Jonah and Charlotte are mini Wendy and Marty . In the beginning , you are rooting for the Byrdr because you can see how they are doing their best to not be bad people but at the end of the day , they are just as bad as Del or any other cartel members . In the end , when Jonah is shooting Mel . There is no hesitation , Marty and Wendy even have some facial expressions that feels like “ yes, do it Jonah , we will be free after that “. The byrde , by the end , are fully embracing who they are .

I think the initial plan was for one of the Byrdes to die in the car crash. Probably Wendy but for some reason, they broke one of the cardinal rules of Screenwriting they abandoned a plot point already shown to the audience and deviated from the plan and we all knew it. For example. Vince Gilligan did the same thing in breaking bad when he said in the first episode of season 5 when we showed Walter looking at a 50 machine gun in the trunk of the Cadilac we damn well better sure show a payoff with that gun by the end of the series and boy did they! Now imagine if in the Finale Vince showed Walt open the trunk as the camera zoomed in on the 50 cal, only for Walt to reach behind it and pull out a kitchen knife instead then slam the trunk. Vince Gilligan would have never done that and that's the difference between an entertaining show like Ozark and a masterpiece like Breaking Bad.

Ruth not being killed + living a long life

The ending was intensely discordant with the rest of the season. Ruth seriously wouldn't be driving around without a gun all walking up on some dark SUV parked at her house in the middle of the night that was just dumb, out-of-character behavior. Don't even get me started on Jonah mowing down Mel with a shotgun. Terrible ending. Just terrible.

That would have been interesting to see. I know a lot of people wanted to see Wendy die and Ruth live. Since the show itself is done, my hope is that they’ll do a 2 hour movie follow-up. Ideally, if this was to be done, I would like for Ruth to have not died after being shot and as she’s laying on the ground, Camilla sees her still breathing and is about to finish her off when Three shows up with a shotgun and takes Camilla out. He then takes her to the hospital where she’s stuck recovering while the Byrds are disposing of Mel the PI who Jonah shot. Things then go south once Maya the FBI agent learns that Mel has disappeared, the cartel has become aware of Camilla being killed, maybe it turns out the car accident the Byrds had wasn’t an accident but a hit attempt by someone in the cartel, Ruth survives but is paralyzed leaving Three to take over the casino laundering operation, etc. So many ways it could go. Of course, this could just be wishful thinking on my part and they just leave it the way it is. I don’t know.

I have to respectfully disagree. I think your alternative ending is too obvious. They had the car crash scene was to lead us into thinking that Wendy Byrd may die. And yet, none of them ever dies and they always get away with everything. I think that’s why people are so mad at the ending. It’s because we want karma. We want the good guys to win and the bad guys to get punished. But I think the point of this ending is to say, well, life isn’t fair. The Byrds continue to get away with murder and the beloved character Ruth who actually has a moral compass dies and loses. It’s a very pessimistic view.

I agree with you but I have to say Ruth went out like a boss; even in the face of death she didn't back down

Personally I’m ok with the ending, but it had not much cinematic impact and felt a bit ‘fan-service’ for me. As I was watching Part II, the ending that I was preparing for in my head was: - one of the Byrde died in the car crash, but not Wendy, possibly Charlotte if you ask me. Not because I don’t like her but Charlotte has always represented hope in the family. - the foundation continues to spiral downwards (how it all just came together in the end felt very rush and fake) causing Wendy to take on further risk and conflict with Marty. Wendy also looses control of her mental stability that had been illuded to since the custody case - in the end Wendy goes too far (possibly forcing Jonah to be directly linked to the election fraud), forces Marty to make the ultimate choice to prioritize Jonah over placating Wendy, possibly leading to her death. - Ruth ending keep as is - Marty/Jonah is effectively ‘stuck’ in their life, there is no foundation, no Chicago. - Mel comes back to threaten Marty. Marty is ready to let it all go, put up his hands for Mel to cuff him. As Mel approaches Marty he is killed from behind by Jonah, as this completes Jonah’s transformation. There is no Buddy to protect Jonah anymore. Just my $0.02!

I’ve never seen such a good show end so badly in the last 15 minutes. This was lazy writing frankly. All of the surprises are contingent on every main character acting decidedly out of character which is nothing more than a cheap trick. The only character this worked for was Wendy. In spite of being a morally defunct narcissistic sociopath, it showed slightly that she had empathy still. Marty was always the moral compass but is totally corrupted at the end. Ruth was heroic & making plans to live in spite of being deeply flawed. I don’t mind her dying, in fact that would have been poetic especially given the fact that she wanted to be w/ Wyatt, but the way it happens is stupid. She would have never gotten out of the car w/o a plan and she would have went out guns blazing. After everything w/ Jonah, he acted the most out of character & would not have done what he did w/o more explanation, especially because he loved Ben so much & had just reconciled w/ his parents barely. Camila was a cardboard villain comparatively to have such a heavy hand over the ending. Also, why Mel had no backup from Mya or the FBI or anyone really made no sense. There is a meta message that made sense that could have came through w/o the lazy writing of the series finale. I get the point. The “elites” & the drug cartels always win, hence what Wendy says to Mel, “Since when?”. But the execution sucked totally & completely. They fucked the show’s legacy & it has 0 rewatchability now because of it. I can’t waste another second on a show when the writers didn’t even care enough about it to articulately execute the ending to correspond w/ what they wanted to convey.

This is exactly how I thought it should end as well . This is only a better explanation than what I could tried lol

The ending was so disappointing . It's was as if they didn't know where to go with it. Marty and Wendy should have been taken out of the picture leaving Ruth and the Byrde's children to carry on. I also thought it very improbable that the private investigator would have waited around for the Byrde's to return home!

I'm gonna really miss this show. Well done, Jason Bateman.

I didn’t enjoy seeing Ruth go through that. I just felt like the Byrds never faced true consequences. And the fact that Marty was so standoffish about Ruth being in danger. his protege!!! Boggles my brain. He treated her like a daughter and she loved him even tho he destroyed her life essentially. The writing tries to entail Marty can just turn off his emotions whenever he wants. Except when his kids are involved. He should’ve put Wendy in her place along time ago regarding Ruth and exclaimed how he felt about Ruth. Just because he’s witnessed cold hearted people doesn’t mean you forget who you are. Marty started off normal wanting to get out of his predicament and was cunning. All the schemes thus far have been reckless. Also having their son killing people like he’s some kind of assassin is insane to me. These kids literally tried to leave with there grand dad and now they are accepting of murdering and disappearing folks? that was quick! 😂 side note: happened to Joseph Sikora aka frank jr aka Tommy Egan 😂 he just vanished. Marty could’ve reached out to him to protect Ruth also. 🤦🏽‍♀️ that would’ve been a loop hole.

I just finished the entire show and despite my hopes for the final half of season 4 to turn things around and pull everything together, the show felt lacking in substance the entire way through. My main complaint I guess is that the characters just kind of moved form one plot point to the next with varying degrees of consequence. Some plot points ended up not mattering much at all. It didn't seem like any of the main characters (aside from maybe Ruth) had any type of arc that spanned over the series. No substantial change in the characters, just them dealing with the next big threat or inconvenience. Compared to a show like Breaking Bad where the main character (Walt) underwent a massive character transformation that was substantive and intriguing for every episode.

There was a lot I wasn’t a fan of this season, personally I feel like this show could still go on for another season as the ending didn’t have much finality to it. I wasn’t a fan of Ruth dying but it was executed well tbh so I’m a bit mixed on that front. I also thought camila was much more intimidating than even Navarro or javi was so her having a greater presence earlier on would have made her confrontation with Ruth worth it. Javi overstayed his welcome in this show as I was not a fan of the character and reminded me of a knock off version of Lalo Salamanca from Better call Saul. This ending reminds me of the sopranos ending tbh, leaves a lot to be desired but maybe it’ll age better down the line.

Man I felt something should have happened to Wendy or Marty. They corrupted their family period. Wendy is still going to ruin more lives because Marty gave into her

I would've been perfectly happy for it to end with the Byrds noticing the broken window and peering through it into the darkness, never able to escape an unseen threat. It was a total cheat ending - so now Jonah is a 15 year old murderer, and we see none of the potential trauma that would cause a child. But, hey, that's OK - the Byrds can survive a car crash like the superheroes they are - so they'll just incinerate the body in one of their thousand businesses (which apparently need minimal attention) and go about business as usual. Make it easy for yourselves, eh, writers? A shame, because it had been going great until those last couple of minutes.

Yea I hated the ending quite a bit. The writers of this ending forgot what timeless storytelling is all about. What did we really learn here? That evil begets evil… and wins?? Do not presume this show is above the fundamental meaning and purpose of the ancient art and purpose of purposeful storytelling. As wonderful of a ride as this show was, turns out there was never really any meaning in the end for Mundy and Bateman. We humans are left just as cold, disconnected and alone as we were before we turned on the TV and what’s the real point of that Bateman? Hollow, cowardly, hopeless and dark. Don’t tell me that’s “real” when the rest of the art works is creating art with a sense of responsibility. This ending was calloused and downright irresponsible. It’s quite sad our Hollywood culture has forgotten how to inspire us and raise us up. I don’t need a “happy ending” mind you, but I do demand heart, hope and inspiration. That’s why I listen/watch/read/consume stories to begin with. Or maybe I’m alone on this? Or maybe they just never really had anything to say?

Really disappointed with what we got and the ending you thought of probably didn't take that long to think up but is still a better ending. Sick of shows ruining it at the end. Only thing I'd change from your ending is maybe the killing of Ruth could be different. Although she had the final say it was just too easy. Also the final shot I wouldn't have the camera pan up but down.... After all, our ending is bleak the camera should sink to the bottom of the Ozark river.

It would've been great if omar killed his way out when he escaped and sought revenge on the Byrd's or his sister knowing she was the one setting him up. It also seemed like Marty was starting to let out his frustrations with Charlotte about Wendy and also when he almost beat the random guy to death. This could have led him to take more control of the situation or stop Wendy himself. It seemed like he just crawled back in his shell. I'm disappointed with the season because it seemed like they gave up on the story itself.

Couldn’t agree less with Ruth’s death. I don’t mind her dying but the fact that Camilla, someone we were just introduced to, was the one who did it was a major disservice to Ruth’s character. Marty or Jonah should have been forced to be the one to kill her

I loved the Ozarks but I'm idk how I feel about the ending. Felt more like a season finale than a series finale imo

To me the perfect ending would have been Three shooting either Jonah or Charlotte in the hustle bustle of Chicago after few years. So the Byrdes could feel what it feels to lose someone from the family especially a child.

Hollywood forgot how to close. They need to learn that while it's audience likes realist shows right now, we don't want realistic scenario endings. They went for shock and twist, but it not only was underwhelming as shock and twist, it just wasn't a satisfying a conclusion.

Ruth should have had an exit plan after killing javi. Like how do u murder a cartel boss and then just go home like nothing happened. Either wait and kill him later or have an exit plan idk

I agree with those who say wtf happened to Marty. I didn’t root for Ruth, she was a criminal from beginning to end. She threatened Marty from the beginning and then partnered up with him. She partnered with even worse criminals to get ahead after that, and only cared about her money and family just like the Byrds. Marty wasn’t lying about wanting to protect Ruth, he just was a bungling mess by the end and she threatened him like she did anyone else who got in her way. I’m glad you didn’t do a lazy Jesse Pinkman comparison like so many, because that’s the difference Jesse wanted out of the criminal life because he couldn’t stomach the violence. That’s why Jesse was redeemable, he still had a conscience.

The ending shows that the family never intended to “get out of” the money laundering business. They are very experienced now with the son having a bright future as the killer for the business.

Why do awesome tv series have terrible or mediocre endings. It's literally a curse. Good shows, bad endings🤷🏽‍♀️

No writer in the world is going to make "and then a main character dies at the end by a random, accidental car accident" an interesting or compelling story choice. I mean, it's laughably bad.

Honestly if they cut to credits after the car flipped over I would barely have been more disappointed than I was with the actual ending.

It should have ended with Three shooting Camila just before she shoots Ruth so al the others would be worried that Ruth was coming for them.

With that being said, I like Camilla! She’s not all over the place like Wendy. She has one rule and one consequence “Fuck up and I will fuck you up.”

I just finished the series last night, and was so disappointed with the ending. This has been an amazing series, and it deserved an amazing ending which it did not receive. Even halfway through the final episode I felt the writers had set themselves up to where they could have ended it in many different ways. Unfortunately for some reason, some unknown reason, they took the easy way out. Still, an amazing series, it’s just so disappointing, to me at least, how it ended.

Ending was great. People understandably get attached to what they want to see happen to their favorite characters, but that isnt why this story was being told. The whole point of the show is that Nature is brutal and poisonous, and evolution is purely determined by the ability to survive.

Jonah should've killed Nelson not Rachel. Mel should've been Roy Petty's brother working with Roy's ex lover (the black fbi guy from the first 2 seasons) to find out what happened to Roy and to get revenge on Marty.

I thought it ended great. Everyone wanted Wendy to die in the car wreck. That would have been lazy writing. I like how they even teased her dying by having her being the only one that wasn’t conscious and had to be pulled out.

I know three was a very insignificant character but doesn’t anyone else think we should have gotten some closure from the last living langmore? He pretty much owns everything now but it would have been nice to see whether he cherishes that and moves on or had a darker more depressing ending just to follow the theme of the “langmore curse”

Really the ending seemed to be a sort of commentary on American society. The final line of Wendy saying “since when” about how the most powerful yet terrible people always win in the end. Always have, always will

The ending was fine. It showed that if you’re reckless you won’t survive.

I really thought it would end with Marty shooting Wendy. Saving his family by losing the thing he loved most. Wendy was becoming a monster.

It seems they left an opening for another season like New blood. There they can tie off everything and kill the parents. I think they should leave it there. I'm actually satisfied with the end. The ending people want we saw in breaking bad.

Wendy IS NOT the figure head. She continually fucked up everything Marty maliciously and steady tried to plan out.

Horrible ending. Lazy writing. What happened to Zeke? Or Three? FBI just picked up bodies and didn't search Darlene's compound and garage? Just left 15 kilos of heroin sitting there? What happened to Claire, did Camila leave her alone? Jonah is now a murderer at 14 years old? Byrde family goes into business of body disposal now? No one bats an eye on people not coming back after visiting their house? Maya ignores that Mel is missing? What happens to Rachel? Did cartel get rid of Ruth's body or did police find it? What about Jim or Charles? Or Frank Jr, does he seek revenge for Ruth? Unbelievable amount of things left open. And that last scene, please...what an insult to the fans. And that car accident!? It was episode 1 opening and it was made so dramatic, such cliffhanger, it was made to look like it was some big event that will change the course of the show. Then we get the actual accident, they roll over repeatedly, get out, brush it off like it was NOTHING, and never get referenced again. No ambulance, no police, no ER to get CT scans after rolling over and over at high speed, no X-rays, no broken bones, not even a scratch on any of them after a major car crash. What was the point of that whe it had zero impact on the story? They rolled over, got a cab, moving on...Wendy's huge goose egg from banging her head on the window goes away in few minutes during the driving scene after she got rejected at the looney house. I mean I can go on forever. I'm mind blown that a show this good, with phenomenal writing in the early seasons ends like this.

The Ruth/Marty connection was the best albeit remember: she was going to kill him. The rebellious adopted daughter...

This show was brilliant Come on now How often do cartel bosses or cartel high ends get killed in the USA Every season was brilliant 👏

In my ending wendy dies. Ruth and Marty hatched a scheme to finish off camilla and get legitimate again. And live happily ever after

As much as I wasn't a huge fan of the ending at first it's growing on me more and I'm understanding it a bit more. It's almost poetic, this whole time Marty refuses to give up on Ruth thinking he can save her and his family and when he finally has to make the choice to let Ruth go he goes home just to find a new threat. It's showing that no matter how many threats they escape this poison has seeped into everything and there will always be someone lurking around the corner with some axe to grind. No matter what they do and what problems they get away from there is never a true escape.

Idk about the ending. I just feel like Ruth’s death was rushed and when Mel was about to bring them to justice it just ended. I understand what they were trying to do by showing Marty and Wendy had to live with their actions but I wish their was more to it

I thought the writing with Ruth’s death was awesome, however, I would’ve wrote in that Camila makes Marty choose between Wendy and Ruth, Wendy lied to the cartel about Navarro having Javi killed and Ruth actually killed Javi. Marty has always chosen everything but his family until that moment, and I feel if presented with that option, he would’ve chosen Ruth to live. Idk, it was a pleasing ending, left the door open for it to come back with time, but that’s how I would’ve wrote it

That was the genius of the show, it could have gone on so many directions. They could still follow up with a movie version of an ending like El Camino.

I'm happy to see how Ruth's arc ended.

God, I cannot stand what fans have become today. They haven’t the slightest clue what good writing is, yet they hysterically demand that every show and movie be dumbed down as much as mainstream music has become.

They need to do something similar to what Breaking Bad did with “El Camino” and give us a feature length shocking conclusion to the Byrd family.

The point is that we live in a world where the kind of behavior Wendy exhibits is rewarded not punished.

Ruth should have lived and married either Rachel or Jonah, Camila could have been double crossed by the FBI leaving Marty to run the cartel on behalf of Navaro and paid the FBI via seizures. Whatever the story could have been, Ruth should never had died and I don't know if I regret ever watching this movie now.

I totally disagree with Ruth dying by the Cartel. She of all people should've known if there's a Cadillac Escalade parked in her driveway it means the Cartel are looking for her. She should've either brought a gun with her when she approached the Cadillac or better yet drive away. She's been through enough danger and paranoia to know that this was a trap. This was only written to conveniently wrap up the series but goes against her character. Garner should have protested, because Ruth's desire for success outweighed Omar's sister's thirst for revenge. It would've been a more believable ending to see Ruth kill Omar's sister, then cut a deal with the FBI and take over the business with Frank Jr. and driving the Byrds out. They would flash forward about a year later showing the Byrds living the same life before it all started, but in Australia... It would also be nice to see a 5th season since season 4's ending didn't feel like a series finale.

The actual ending made me feel really apathetic about the Byrdes - they certainly don’t deserve to live while Ruth and so many others had to die. I think that was kind of the point. Ozark is a world that bends toward nihilism, violence and the selfish will for power. But what about an ending that arcs toward a more poetic justice and redemption and only differs slightly from the actual ending - really only altering the final 15-20 minutes of the finale. Here’s my alternate ending: The Byrdes should have risked their own security to try and save Ruth. In the scene right after Camilla finds out who killed Javi, Marty should have made one last plan. I think he could have taken the kids and found a way to get to Ruth by boat. Wendy stays behind to make sure the fundraiser keeps going like normal. We get one final showdown scene at the Langmore’s. Marty tries to save everything by talking Camilla out of killing Ruth, but doesn’t succeed with his words. Right before Camilla would have pulled the trigger killing Ruth, Jonah kills Camilla (they would’ve set up Jonah bringing the gun somehow) They save Ruth but now have two big problems: Camilla is dead and Mel is out there finding the truth. The FBI deal is compromised by Camilla’s death. And instead of Mel confronting the Byrdes once he figured out what happened, he goes to Maya Miller and she succeeds in getting the FBI to abandon the cartel deal. Instead, Miller and the FBI come to arrest the Byrdes at their home. Marty and Wendy have to actually pay for their crimes and don’t get to become “royalty” in the end. Perhaps they go to jail, or maybe they manage to salvage the witness protection deal but either way the family foundation and the powerful empire they wanted to build are gone. As minors, Jonah and Charlotte can grow up and (with a lot of therapy, I imagine) make better lives for themselves as adults. Ruth survives and I could imagine a final deal where agent Miller gives her immunity from prosecution for any involvement with the cartel or the Byrdes. These two characters are almost the only two who I think really deserve to come out on top, so Ruth gets to be rich and break the Langmore curse while Miller gains the career success she worked for. By sacrificing their power to save Ruth, Marty and Wendy will get some level of moral redemption. I could also imagine a more tragic scenario where Marty actually dies saving Ruth. Wendy has to live with that on he conscious forever. With all that said, I do think Ruth’s death scene was well done, and ultimately I think the message of Ozark is that our stories do not bend toward poetic justice as much as power and apathy.

I think the camera could have pulled back from the car on it's roof to reveal The Feds and four body bags... The last scene would have been Clare blaming the Byrdes for Javi's death and Ruth starting a new life.

Why do people keep saying the Langmores are done? Three is still alive and will inherit Ruth’s money because she was his guardian and next of kin.