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Ozark season 4 offers a strong finish to one of Netflix's best titles
A dark cloud hangs over the latest season of Netflix‘s Ozark. Part one of Ozark season four, which premiered in January, launched right into the action, taking up where season three left off after a brief and grim flash forward to what was to come in the final season, split into two parts, the second of which launched in April.
One of the pleasures of Ozark is watching the stakes rise from season to season. The story of a white-collar criminal moving his family to the Ozarks to start fresh when he angers the wrong people has grown and shifted over the years. Left with a huge amount of debt to his former employer, accountant Marty Byrde begins money laundering in his new home to make good. The Byrdes all eventually get more actively involved in the family business, making tons of money and some enemies along the way, all while acclimating to their new home.
The final season manages to keep the pressure on, with a palpable sense that things are coming to a head right up until a strong finale.
What is Ozark season 4 about?
The new season opens with the Byrde family driving, cryptically discussing an upcoming move and meeting with the FBI, when they suddenly swerve off the road in a massive accident. Will they survive? Are they finally about to leave their life of crime behind them? We don’t know immediately, because we jump right back from there to Marty and Wendy in Mexico, where we last saw them. This grim bit of foreshadowing looms over the season until the very end.
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In Mexico, the couple cleans blood off of their clothing at a party hosted by drug cartel boss Omar Navarro. With their former business partner and middle man Helen now dead, they’re still in the game, barely holding on for dear life.
We pick up right where season 3 left off.
The Byrdes are now working directly with Navarro, who wants out of the crime life and hopes to get help from the Byrdes. Meanwhile, Ruth and Darlene are in business together and at odds with the Byrdes, except for Jonah, who sees an opportunity to break off on his own and work for Ruth.
All of this is happening as the FBI closes in and a pesky P.I. asks around about Helen. Can the Byrdes stay ahead of everyone as the body count continues to rise? Can they find a way forward with Navarro and his crime family and eventually leave their life of crime?
The Byrdes are getting in deep
The stakes are the highest they’ve ever been in Ozark season four. The Byrdes are working directly with Navarro now. One false move and he could have them killed with a single phone call.
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They hold some cards as they work to help broker a deal between him and the FBI, but if they can’t keep both parties happy, it could easily spell their end.
Navarro’s overambitious nephew Javi isn’t helping matters, taking a hands-on approach as he tries to line up his own powerplay, making just about everything harder for the Byrdes.
Ruth holds strong as MVP
Julia Garner has already won two Emmys for her performance as Ruth Langmore in Ozark. She’s become something of a fan favorite on the show. She deserves every bit of praise and every award for her work. Garner turns in an incredible performance.
Julia Garner is on fire as Ruth Langmore.
Ruth is also just a terrific character. While she clashes with the Byrdes, we can’t help but root for her. You’ll want to follow her every move with rapt attention. Her seething anger is understandable. She’s lost more than most in this show. Garner manages to imbue the character with a world-weariness and rage that still endears her to us. Ozark season four is no exception. Garner is on fire, and Ruth is a must-watch character.
She’s not alone, certainly. Everyone is pulling their weight in season four, including all of the main cast. Felix Solis stands out in particular as Omar Navarro, along with Ozark newcomer Alfonso Herrera Rodríguez as Navarro’s ambitious nephew and loose cannon Javi Elizondo.
Verdict: Ozark season 4 review
The slow build-up and eventual climax of season four is hard to look away from, leaving a massive hole at Netflix as the show wraps up. Nothing is off the table, it seems, and that makes it riveting to follow.
As tension builds, there’s a clear sense that the Byrdes are about to face some major challenges. They’re in too deep to walk away without a fight. And Ruth is on a seemingly unwinnable warpath that could upend everything.
Fans of Ozark have a lot to look forward to in season 4.
Fans of Ozark can rest assured that the show is as good as ever in season four, cementing it as one of the best shows in Netflix’s long history of original programming. Part one offered real hope, and now, the show’s creators have definitively stuck the landing. Looking for more solid Netflix drama? You might enjoy shows like The Lincoln Lawyer, which aren’t quite as gripping as Ozark but might get you your fix anyway.