Part 2 of the final season of Ozark sees the Byrdes tying up all the loose ends and securing their future away from the cartel once and for all. All episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Ruth is devastated by the death of her cousin. She is out for blood and reaches out to Jonah and Charlotte to tell her who killed Wyatt and where she can find him. Meanwhile, Javi is making fresh moves now that he’s been given his uncle’s blessing to run the cartel.
He invites Marty and Wendy to a meeting in Chicago along with Claire Shaw to go over some new proposals that he has. He wants stock options in Shaw Medical under his mother’s name so that he can secure her future. Claire says that she needs time to think about it.
Ruth has learned about the meeting and goes out to Chicago to stake them out. After getting cold feet the first time, she forces Claire, Wendy and Marty back to Claire’s office and makes them call Javi. When Javi finally arrives, she unloads her gun on him killing him instantly.
With Javi dead, the Byrdes have to figure out a new arrangement with the FBI or they will be back at square one. They float the idea of getting Omar extradited to Mexico and in charge of the cartel again. The FBI is open to this plan and gives the go-ahead for them to execute it.
Marty has to go to Mexico in Omar’s stead and show a strong hand. He meets Javi’s mother, Camilla (Veronica Falcón), who is saddened by the death of her son but secretly makes a play for the throne. Omar is attacked in prison but Marty ends up blaming one of Omar’s lieutenants and has him killed even though it was Camilla behind it.
She asks to meet her brother but Marty says that he cannot get it done so easily. Back in Chicago, Wendy meets with Schafer who tells her Mexican lawyers are working against the transfer of Omar. This is what confirms their suspicions that Camilla is pulling the strings.
Mel Sattem is still on the lookout for Ben and convinces Wendy’s father, Nathan, to follow up. Nathan heads out to the Ozarks with his church group to spread the word about Ben and get help. Mel is also in touch with Maya since both of them want to find dirt on the Byrdes and bring them down.
Ruth wants to buy out the Byrdes from ownership of the casino and she brings in Rachel as her partner in her new endeavour. Wendy doesn’t budge but Rachel reminds Ruth that after Wyatt’s marriage to Darlene she may not need to buy them out.
They visit Charles Wilkes who agrees to help them as a way to get back at the Byrdes. Ruth can get her record expunged and successfully carries out a hostile takeover of the casino. Nathan is taking Wendy to court with a petition to have Jonah and Charlotte stay with him.
After Mel Sattem finds out that Wendy was lying about what happened to Ben, Nathan doesn’t want his grandchildren staying somewhere that isn’t safe for them. Wendy also convinces Omar to let Camilla take over the operations of the cartel until he is out.
Wendy believes that she can use Camilla as the point person in their deal with the FBI and also uses her as leverage to get her deal with Claire Shaw back on the table. They even find a solution to their issue with Mel Sattem.
They use their connection with Schafer to have Mel reinstated in the Chicago PD but at the cost of lost progress in releasing Omar Navarro. With Mel finally agreeing to take the job, he does not arrive in court to testify but the judge still delivers a verdict in favour of Nathan, telling Jonah and Charlotte that they’re free to move with their grandfather.
Omar is getting impatient in prison, but on the outside, Wendy is working on dethroning him with Camilla’s help. She’s also secured the support of several other influential bigwigs to offset the loss of Schafer on her foundation board.
Preparations are underway at the Missouri Belle for a big gala, but Ruth does not want Marty to continue laundering money through the casino. Wendy asks Nelson to threaten Rachel into helping but it doesn’t pan out.
Wendy then checks herself into a mental health facility and tells Marty that she won’t come out unless she gets back her children. Camilla agrees to meet with the FBI and carry on the deal that was agreed upon by her brother and her son.
If you have any doubts about the ending, here is a complete breakdown.
Ozark season 4 part 2 ending explained in detail (Episode 14: A Hard Way to Go):
Family reunited
Camilla learns that Omar wasn’t the one who ordered the hit on her son and pressures Marty to tell her the truth but he holds firm. He goes to Ruth and threatens to give her up unless he helps get their children back.
She goes to Nathan’s room with a drink so that they can have a chat. They talk about Wendy and Ben’s childhood and how Nathan wasn’t too happy with how they were growing up. As the conversation goes on, he lets it slip that he’s only taking Jonah and Charlotte out of contempt for his daughter.
Ruth points a gun at him and tells him to leave. The children visit their mother at the facility and make peace with each other. On their way home they are run off the road by a truck and despite the car overturning, they all escape with minor injuries.
Securing their futures
When they return home they find father Benitez waiting for them. He tells them that Omar wants to meet with them urgently as Nelson has gone missing. In truth, Nelson was killed by Rachel after he was following Ruth around the previous day.
Marty goes to Ruth and tells her that Nelson and Navarro wont be a problem for much longer, but she has to agree to launder money at the casino for the FBI. Rachel is not too happy about the idea but plays along because she has no choice.
Omar tells Marty and Wendy that he suspects his sister and that taking out Nelson means that she will once again target him. The Byrdes reassure him with words he want’s to hear and leave, knowing full well the empty promises they gave him.
All the parties meet together at the funeral home and the deal appears to go on without a hitch. The family prepare for the gala later that night.
The gala to mark new beginnings
The gala appears to be a huge hit with donors filling up. Marty and Wendy can finally claim to be the cream of the crop. Jonah and Charlotte discuss their future once they move back to Chicago. Jonah says he’ll go legit atleast while he’s in high school.
Camilla arrives just as Wendy and Marty are talking to Claire. She asks her one last time who killed her son and Claire breaks and reveals that it was Ruth. Camilla tells the Byrdes that if they warn her, she will kill their children.
Ruth leaves the party early and finds Camilla waiting for her at her house. She says that she has no regrets about killing Javi and ready to accept her fate as Camilla shoots her in the chest.
Omar is being transferred by two guards when they stop in the middle of nowhere. One of the guards shoots the other and lets Omar know that there is a getway car waiting for him. As he tries to leave, the guard shoots him and informs dispatch that the prisoner tried to escape.
The Byrde family arrive home, trying to make peace with the fact that Ruth might be dead. When they get inside they see Mel Sattem waiting for them with Ben’s ashes. He tells them that he cannot let the case go and that Wendy and Marty need to pay for all their misdeeds.
That is when Jonah shows up with a shotgun and shoots Mel, allowing the Byrdes to continue on with their lives like nothing happened.