For its series finale, Netflix’s hit crime drama served up one last grim punchline.
Major spoiler forOzarkup to and include the Season 4 finale follow .
There ’s a nifty prank in the opening minute of arc of theArrested Developmentpilot that succinctly tally up the worldview thatOzarkexplored over the course of 44 episodes . " What have we always said is the most of import thing ? " asks Michael Bluth , the overwhelmed man of affairs and over - protective beginner played with dry preciseness by Jason Bateman . " Breakfast , " says his Word George Michael ( Michael Cera ) . Michael quickly correct him : " Family . " George Michael nods slightly , his head still resting on an air mattress , and response : " Family , right . I call back you think of of the things you eat . "
In its last moments , Ozarkreasserted the domination of kin , specifically the manner it can corrupt an somebody over time . The Byrde family — father Marty ( Bateman ) , female parent Wendy ( Laura Linney ) , older daughter Charlotte ( Sofia Hublitz ) , and younger son Jonah ( Skylar Gaertner)—moved from the suburbia of Chicago to the Ozarks region of Missouri with the hopes of starting a new chapter in their aliveness . They made investment in local businesses like the Blue Cat lodge , which they laundered cartel money through , and made new friends like Ruth Langmore ( Julia Garner ) , who they recruit into their illegal surgery . Over the trend of four seasons , they secured their fortune while slowly ruin the life of almost everyone they ever came into contact with . That ’s the power of family .
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The comparisons betweenArrested DevelopmentandOzarkhave always been easy to make . Beyond the presence of whiz , executive manufacturer , and occasional managing director Bateman , the dreary Netflix crime drama has always circled some of the same topics as the beloved funniness series : the morally bankrupt effect of American business , the rampant self - deception of the wealthy , and the direction elite group cling to " syndicate " as an excuse for their unethical demeanour . ( Relevant : A keyOzarkSeason 4 patch has Bateman order he wants his " kids back . " ) WhereArrested Developmenthas meta - jokes , pratfalls , and Ron Howard voice - over narrative , Ozarkoffers up murder , piles of cash , and grim proclamations about destiny . But both shows made a like review article of modern American aliveness : the plot is set .
I think aboutArrested Development a surprising amount during " A surd Way to Go , " the serial publication finale compose by showrunner Chris Mundy and directed by Bateman , because in its concluding sceneOzarkessentially ended on a gag . Through a series of complex manoeuvre , Marty and Wendy secured their future by pushing cartel boss Omar Navarro out of the picture , strike a deal with the FBI to keep their money - laundering businesses afloat in Missouri , found a openhearted foundation that would make them significant political players ( a la the Kennedy ’s or the Koch ’s , who both get name - checked ) , and turn back to the Chicago suburbs with even more money than they left with . Unquestionably , they won .
The price ? Sacrificing their last loyal ally Ruth by giving her up to Navarro ’s vengeance - seeking sister , who finally learned her brother Javi was gunned down by Ruth , and turning their formerly sugared boy Jonah , who learned how to launder money under his male parent ’s tutorship , into an icy killer . As Marty and Wendy arrive back from their star sign after a victorious gala , they once again unstrain with Methedrine of vino to reflect on all the pain they ’ve do in their pursuit of successfulness and stability . Then , they point out a broken window . Washed - up cop Mel ( Adam Rottenberg ) waits outside hold the goat cookie jar Ruth purchase back in the beginning of the Season 4 episode " lease the Great World Spin . "
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The jar , which hold the remains of Wendy ’s pal Ben ( who Wendy had kill to protect the family ’s interests ) , was take because Ben dream of owning a farm with goats one day . Mel , gird with grounds that could bring the Byrde dynasty crash down , finally has the upper paw . But then Jonah appears wielding a shotgun , ready to protect his parents and the life they ’ve build up together . He cocks the rifle and flak as the series draw in to a finis . One last act of violence for the route , kid .
Yes , like much ofOzark , the ending was bleak , cynical , and brutal . But , in murder , it had the rhythm method of a punchline to a fed up prank , one that the writer place up back in Season 3 when Jonah went after attorney Helen Pierce with the same arm and failed to pull the trigger . At that point , Jonah was still attempt to find his manner in the globe , still cope with right and wrong . In the last episode , Ozarkmore or less did away with shade of gray or the twinge of ambiguity . The ending , with Wendy seriously explain " money does n’t know where it came from , " could not have been more literal . The scene may have geld to black before Mel took a bullet to the headspring , but there ’s little room forSopranos - esque post - finale debate . No possible action for a " it was all a dream " theory here .
Is there something admirable about the " These People are Bad " access ? In the abstract , yes . In the past , shows likeOzarkhave used bit of subtext and the occasional writer - ly tucket to humanize irreclaimable monster , seek to take out sympathy when disdain might be more appropriate . fairness and clearness can be refreshing . Still , there was a falseness toOzark’sfinal stretching . On a narrative level , all the pieces flick into shoes and the of import set - ups ( like the cooky jar ) got their pay - offs . The writer circle back to the elevator car crash that opened Season 4 , which recall the chaotic crash from Season 1 stand up - out flashback episode " Kaleidoscope . " The storytelling continue focussed on chondritic labor , soul - sucking compromises , and the occasional moment of emotional satin flower .
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On a thematic and structural storey , Ozarkshowed its work , taking great care to dot the i ’s and cross the metric ton ’s . That attention to item often made the series pleasurable on a scene - to - shot base . But , taken as a whole , the show could be thuddingly obvious and the finale was indicative of that , passing off its frigid - blooded insights on hereditary ethics like they were profound truths . In its good moments , the committal to writing was exciting , tense , and astonishingly funny . Still , depending on your tolerance for cosmic harshness , you might attain the end of your time of year 4 binge and have a differentArrested Developmentquote pinging around your head : " I ’ve made a huge mistake . "
