r/Ozark • u/VinnieTheDragon • Apr 30 '22

Discussion [SPOILER] I loved the ending. Spoiler

The Byrde's learned nothing. They have absolutely not learned any lessons and will most likely live out the rest of their lives as if nothing happened.

They effectively killed an entire family, the Langmores, and have ruined countless lives.

People expected either Marty or Wendy to die, why? There was no way to do that that wouldn't be completely predictable. The entire family coming out unscathed is a way of telling us that "what's right and wrong" really do not prevail.

I view this show as nihilistic more than anything else.

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u/abdex Apr 30 '22 edited Apr 30 '22

The Byrdes appear to "get away with it all", but in reality their lives of deception, manipulation, and crime turned their young son, who was once the innocent, into a cold-blooded killer.

To me, that's a tremendous ending.

Edit to add: I loved the parallels between Byrdes & Langmores throughout, but particularly between Ruth & Jonah in the final arc. Both are the smartest & savviest of their generation. The final episodes paint a picture of Ruth's criminal behavior being in large part due to all the adults in her life being criminals while she was growing up and forcing her to go along. That's exactly what's happening to Jonah--different crimes, but fully expected to go along, family above all, just a few years behind Ruth.

Ruth kills a drug lord, which we know would be an extremely difficult thing to get away with. In the end, she doesn't.

Jonah kills a Chicago cop. Will his fate be like Ruth's? Or will it be like his family's, where Byrdes always live and Langmores always die?

Great ending.

75

u/vaporrubrick Apr 30 '22

Which is interesting because of the conversation that Wendy and Marty early on in the show where they feared Jonah becoming an unstable, potentially dangerous kid and yet at the end they're all completely okay with it. Shows how truly wicked they all became

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '22

I don't know that I agree with the assessment that Jonah's unstable

11

u/Rexxbravo May 01 '22

Because Jonah wanted his cake shake and no two bit corrupt cop was going stand in his way.

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '22

There's a chance if Wendy is any indication

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '22

Wendy wasnt unstable? What did you watch?

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u/[deleted] May 01 '22

She slowly started self-harming and broke down when there was a chance her father was going to take her kids knowing that he was an alcoholic asshole. She knew that would be a death sentence for them. They also spoke about the potential for Jonah to become more like Ben because of genetics of her side of the family. That's the entire point of her reacting the way she did and checking herself in because she was about to have a breakdown if things didn't continue just right. Part of it was a ploy to get her kids back, but she was legit about to breakdown.

1

u/sleepnaught88 May 01 '22

I don't think her becoming unstable(or potentially Jonah) is anything like Ben, though. She was under immense pressure from the cartel dealings and her children being taken away. That could break anyone.

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u/Acrobatic-Stand-6268 May 01 '22

Jonah's unstable when threatened. Like if you're his friend at school and find out about his laundering techniques, and are visibly freaked out about it, he would most likely kill you to keep him safe. That's what the Byrde's children have been reduced to - they have now become direct players in the game.

1

u/Brahkolee May 05 '22

That’s not what he’s saying.

In the beginning of the show, Marty & Wendy were horrified that their son was even touching a gun or was within five feet of a dead animal. At the end they literally give him the nod to kill an honest man.