Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Ozark.
The Netflix's April 2022 roster of shows, is the true finale of the series. Surprisingly, the last scene of Ozark season 4, episode 14 “A Hard Way To Go” is open-ended.
In Ozark's very last episode, Wendy and Marty Byrde finally secure funding for the Byrde Family Foundation, which politically makes them “bulletproof.” However, when Camila Elizondro gets Clare Shaw to divulge that it was Ruth who killed Camila's son Javi, the Byrdes step aside to let Camila kill Ruth. While former Navarro cartel chief Omar Navarro has also been taken out of the picture by his sister Camila, another problem reappears in the form of private investigator and Chicago cop Mel Sattem, whom Jonah promptly executes before the end credits roll.
Ozark's finale, as expected, is full of surprising twists. As Marty and Wendy enable the rise of a drug lord who is even more dangerous and cunning than Omar, it becomes undeniably clear that the Byrdes are Ozark's real villains. Here's everything that viewers need to about the Ozark season 4 ending.
Does Jonah Kill Mel Sattem In The Ozark Season 4 Finale?
Jonah points his rifle at Mel, but the screen blacks out before the shot rings out, which is why some viewers were confused about whether or not Jonah actually took the shot – but it's clear that Jonah pulled the trigger. The gunshot is even accompanied by the sound of breaking ceramic, signifying that Jonah also hit the goat-themed cookie jar that Mel was holding as evidence for Ben's murder. This final scene in the Ozark ending establishes that the kids are staying with Wendy and Marty – for good or bad – and that they're ready to do whatever it takes to keep the family together, even shooting a Chicago cop. Jonah didn't even hesitate to also shoot the jar where Ruth kept Ben's ashes. Although this might seem out-of-character for Jonah, it's actually reflective of Jonah and Ruth's dynamic in Ozark. As Wendy told Ruth, Ruth has made it so that she's the only person whom Jonah will listen to. When Ruth made it clear to Jonah and Charlotte that they're better off staying with their parents, Ruth also inadvertently turned Jonah into a loyal soldier for Marty and Wendy.
Every Death In The Ozark Series Finale Explained
Wendy, Marty, and Camila set up Omar Navarro to appear like he died while escaping from prison, allowing Camila to rise as the head of the Navarro cartel while also simultaneously quelling any suspicion that she killed her own brother. Meanwhile, Ruth Langmore died as the final sacrificial lamb for the Byrdes to finally get what they want, signifying that although the Byrdes found a way out of the game, they've also become the game's most dangerous players. As for Mel Sattem, he died simply because he got too close to the truth – Ozark's twisted tribute to the classic detective story. Omar's death clarifies that he is not the true villain, Ruth's death establishes that Ozark's true villains are the Byrdes, and Mel's death plants a new seed for other detectives to follow, implying that the story might not be over.
How The Byrdes Get Away With (Almost) Everything
The Byrdes didn't really get away with everything because when Jonah and Charlotte find out that Ruth is 'missing,' they'll know that she's actually dead, and that Marty and Wendy are somehow involved. Moreover, although the Byrdes have finally secured a deal with the FBI, which protects them from ever being prosecuted, Jonah shooting Mel signifies that nothing has really changed for the Byrdes. As the Byrdes now need to deal with hiding Mel's body, the repercussions of Ruth's death, and whatever new problems will arise from helping crown the new Navarro cartel leader, it's business as usual at the Ozarks. Meanwhile, the Byrde Family Foundation itself, through Wendy Byrde's schemes and political goals, will likely be party to even bigger and more nefarious crimes than drug-running and being complicit in mass murder. The Byrdes have gotten away from the law, but not themselves, and certainly not from the niche that they've established in the international criminal underworld.
The Byrdes' Ozark Season 4 Part 1 Car Accident Wasn't Just A Red Herring
In the end, the car accident didn't mean anything for the main plot, as the Byrdes are unharmed from the crash, which seems to have no other purpose apart from distracting from the real ending. This is likely because the show's writers needed a red herring in order to make the Ozark finale twists truly unpredictable. By teasing this scene at the beginning of Ozark season 4, the writers misled viewers into coming up with various Ozark fan theories about the ending, giving the writers room to steer the finale into territories that audiences didn't expect. That said, the car crash also does reflect the Byrdes' lives in the Ozarks. The Byrdes get into a crash because of unexpected circumstances, survive it, get stronger, and brace themselves for the next car crash, which is essentially also how Ozark ends.
The Real Meaning Of The Ozark Season 4 Ending: The Byrdes Are The Real Villains
Wendy and Marty look away from Camila killing Ruth, as not doing so would threaten everything that the Byrdes have built. Also, Mel called it when he said that the Byrdes can't just turn into the Kochs or the Kennedys, because the world doesn't work this way, to which Wendy replies, "Since when?" As the Byrdes set their humanity aside to claim their seat alongside the country's political elite, many of which have even darker secrets than either Marty or Wendy, the Byrdes finally embrace their true nature.
How Acting Sheriff/Deputy Ronnie Wycoff Can Still Investigate The Byrdes
Ruth divulges the details of Darlene Snell and Wyatt's Langmore's deaths to acting Sheriff Ronnie Wycoff in the episode before the finale, along with details regarding the involvement of the Navarro cartel in the whole affair – inadvertently giving Ronnie a trail that could lead to the Byrdes. Ruth does this in order to free the cops' primary suspect for the murder of Wyatt and Darlene. However, when the police inadvertently find out that Ruth is either missing or dead, Ronnie could start pulling on this thread. Moreover, once Chicago police s officers in the Ozarks about their missing officer Mel Sattem, who was just recently reinstated as a cop through Marty and Wendy's efforts, Ronnie will have more than enough reasons to start investigating the Byrdes.
Will There Be An Ozark Season 5 Or Spin-Off?
Ozark's creators, as of press time, has made no announcements about Ozark season 5 or any new spin-off series that's set in the show's dark universe. Indeed, this could really be the end of Ozark's invasive Byrde family. In fact, since 2020, the creators have said that Ozark season 4 would be the end of the series. For the foreseeable future, there will be no Ozark season 5. However, considering how everything ended, there's more than enough material for not just another season, but a possible spin-off series as well. As the circumstances of Omar, Ruth, and Mel's deaths have the potential to lead any competent investigator to the Byrdes and the Navarro cartel, Wendy and Marty might not be so bulletproof after all.