Why Ozark Failed Where Breaking Bad Succeeded
2024 ж. 21 Мам.
101 339 Рет қаралды
It's easy to compare Ozark and Breaking Bad. The biggest difference that makes Breaking Bad so much better is its ability to conclude its story with a satisfying ending. Ozark's ending was just... bad.
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#videoessay #ozark #ozarkseason4 #ozarkending #ozarkyt #breakingbad #ozarkbreakingbad #martybyrd #walterwhite #essay
I thought the same thing, the ending felt more like a season finale, they left plenty of material to go on. Also, I get that they wanted to end it showing the Byrdes finally admitting they´re bad people, but it felt forced, the way the 4 of them were all on the same page about killing Mel. "Well, guess we´re evil now".
It was so forced that the “dilemma” they were in was just completely fabricated… I’m sure there’ll be someone somewhere who argues this, but Mel, in my estimation, never really had them in a compromised position. “Hi, I am not a cop anymore, and I just illegally broke into, entered and stole from this family’s residence. But get this: I saw a COOKIE JAR! And look! While they were gone, I found this burned up dead body in it! No, I don’t know how he died or where or have *any* proof that *they* knew, had killed him or were even in possession of his dead body… BUT STILL! I committed a crime and am now accusing *them* of one! GOTCHA!” That’s not how chain-of-custody works… You can’t just promise that a family’s cookie jar had a corpse in it because you swear that it did when you broke in and stole the cookie jar. Dumb ending to a good show.
yes the ending was a bit forced should've concluded in a better way but ig it shows how the byrde's rose to power through their dark history like mel mentioned with the kennedy's etc so jonah and charloette realised family over everything
@@christianc.christian5025 phenomenal analysis
@@christianc.christian5025 This is kind of missing the point. It's not that Mel is going to implicate them with this cookie jar of Ben ashes. The problem is that Mel has them figured out and will never stop hounding them. That night it was the Baphomet-looking cookie jar. The next day will be his investigation into Ruth Langmore's disappearance. He's not stopping so he had to be dealt with. The real point isn't that Mel's got them, it's that they ultimately had to deal with him like a criminal enterprise in a way that finally disregarded any pretense of scruples and implicated their children in the crime.
especially Jonah, his character felt so forced to that final minute of the show, considering what they were trying to do with his development for smth like 10 episodes straight
The one thing I've always thought about with the ending of the series finale was I figured at least Marty would have been smart enough to explain to Mel that he just broke into their house and illegally obtained evidence against them and that any judge would immediately toss that out leaving Mel with nothing on them again...
Very true, or just tackle him and steal it from his drunk ass, then call his superior and explain a whitewashed version of what he did. No reason for JONAH of all people to kill him.
It was always more about solving the mystery for Mel. Probably why he confronts them instead of, you know, taking what he knows to the police. Maybe at that point the plan was to expose the Byrds and sully their name rather than have them sent to prison. And I also think the reason for killing him wasn't because he was perceived as a threat but because they could.
Yup, Fruit of the poisonous tree.
I'm not sure if this could be valid if we are talking about the dead body of a missing person.
@@gabrieleingrassia2703 the rules of evidence don’t change regardless of the seriousness of the crime
Just finished the show the other night and I did have to sit on the ending for a bit. Throughout this whole show, I've always seen the Byrdes as some sort of infection or an invasive species. They found a host (the Ozarks) and began taking root by any means they felt necessary. Sure, they would do anything to protect their children and they knew the things they were doing were shitty, but at the end of the day they could truly only care about their own when it really came down to it. Ruth had gotten close to them but never truly entered their family bubble because of her nature of only allowing so much bullshit before she retaliated and because of that, she was always destined to meet her end. I understand the ending feeling "unsatisfying" but in a weird way, I feel like that was the point. The seemingly abrupt ending to me shows that despite all of the shit they went through, wiping out families and relationships in their wake, that this life will never end for them. They're not "out" as they believe and it sort of makes this a tragedy, not for the Byrdes, but for the Ozarks. I felt like this ending was as realistic as it could get, despite the audience wanting things to be okay. It felt like there could be more afterwards but it's like the show was saying "Yeah, it's gunna be the same shit until they die, fam. Nothing's really changed." In the first season, the antagonist was the cartel, then it seemed like that role went to Wendy with all her ambition, then by the end I was just like "Yeap, we've been following the origin story to the true villains." I understand this ending maybe could have been done a bit better, but that bitter ending was pretty spot on within the context of this show. I do really hate how Jonah turned out, though. I think the whole Wendy apologizing was a good scene, but to make it so that Jonah felt that was enough to just forgive her was a bit hard to believe, especially considering how much they've established how much he seems to despise her more and more after Ben's death. Dude, I really wanted Marty to make a move so that Wendy ended up getting stuck in that hospital and he got the kids out safe lol. At the end of the day, despite the few shortcomings at the end of the series, this was one of the most gripping and anxiety inducing shows I've seen in a long time.
That is what the show runners said. They could have followed the characters through the new reality, but nothing in their reality would really change.
The only thing that bothered me was psycho jonah and ruth dying a dumb death. The rest was top notch.
They're the starling birds from season 1. The invaders that destroy everything in their paths. So many things could've, would've, should've been better but the show is still an A+.
They weren't collectively portrayed as an infection though - for seasons Marty was shown to be nurturing, forgiving, taking Ruth and Rachel under his wing, Jonah befriended Buddy, etc. Everyone bar Wendy was trying to stay positive and survive an oppressive and crazy predicament, while Wendy just decided to go full heel. The problem is Wendy being portrayed as increasingly malevolent (consistent with her cheating at the start), was completely at odds with the rest of her family - yet they're roped into sticking with her at the expense of seasons worth of characterisation. They ultimately needed to end with Wendy going down for various shit and possibly Marty too in a more tragic way, with Ruth busting loose and maybe taking the kids with her. I think the writers were too scared of being labelled misogynists to do away with Wendy unfortunately.
I think Wendy apologizing to Jonah was the start of it but the accident cemented it. For an instant he thought his mother died not knowing whether or not he loved her.
I liked the ending because it stays true to the story. Brutally honest.
But how was the ending brutally honest? Wendy's line may have been sure, and it could have been a good final message from the show, but the execution was so laughably awful. It does not correlate with the development of the characters at all, and this mistake is most noticeable when it comes to Marty, why is it that Marty was crying and distraught only a few epsiodes prior because he felt so much guilt and remorse for the horrible things he's done, but then in the final scene he is completely fine with his son killing an innocent man, and he even gives him a smug smile and nod. It just makes absolutely no sense for his character to be content with that, the only character that makes sense within the ending is Wendy because she actually developed into a person that would do awful things as long as it benefitted her, but that doesnt really apply to any of the other characters. So if anything the ending was dishonest, because it disregards all of the characters development and moral stances just for the sake of making a "point". That is just not good writing.
The ending could have been way better. I don’t like the way they turned Ruth into a clueless moron just to get the ending they wanted. No way she sees a car parked in her driveway & gets out of her truck unarmed. I wanted either a shocking ending or a completely free from the Cartel ending. Instead we just get a moron PI willfully turning himself into the Cartel.
Still one of the Byrds should have died. They flirted with death constantly. Wendy should have been the one dead. Always went against the grain
@@jpeg204 Why do you think everything is so strange just after the car crash? It feels, quite literally, unnatural.
I dislike the ending because it's not an ending.
Good god, it was about to be my favorite series of all time. I haven’t felt that betrayed since the GoT finale. All they had to do was switch Ruth & Wendy’s fates.
The GoT finale at least felt like a finale. Ozark not so much. It felt like a season finale at best.
@@raymondwatt9773 Yeah, but no show without Ruth. I think people forget that we watch this stuff for escape. I already know life can seem pointless, I don't need to pay to see that.
@@raymondwatt9773GoT is not good
It felt like surreal seeing both Ruth and Wyatt die. I wouldn’t have been disappointed if they switch Ruth’s death for Wendy’s.
What? Many people didn't like the ending of Breaking Bad? I watched the finale (and the season 5 second half) live and the ending was universally praised across fanbase. First time I'm hearing that Breaking Bad ending wasn't loved as it felt like the perfect conclusion to Walter's character.
Yeah I’ve never heard anyone complain about breaking bads ending. It was perfect. Perfect. Right down to the last minute.
Thank you for this. I agree mostly. A couple of additional points. The Minivan crash and the road rage incident were, in my opinion, cheap shots to get compelling action footage for the trailer. Violent rolling car crash? Wendy fighting for her life on the ground? Wow! But in the show both are obviously just filler BS. Wendy having a hissy fit and checking herself into the Crazy House until her kids come home was silly and out of character. And Ruth had been through too much and had become too wise, too smart, too savvy to be caught so dumbly flat footed in her own yard. Her death didn't bother me, it just felt lazy.
Yes. I don’t like the way they turned Ruth into a clueless moron just to get the ending they wanted. No way she sees the known cartel SUV parked in her driveway & gets out of her truck unarmed. I wanted either a shocking ending or a completely free from the Cartel ending. Instead we just get a moron PI willfully turning himself into the Cartel.
Agree basically to everything you said but Ruth should've lived. One of the worst endings up there with Game of Thrones and Dexter
I agree with this.
@@staticpiece the ending wasnt that bad. Ruth's death was okay, it just had to be less imbecile. Jonah psychopath was bullshit
Agree 100%. For a few seconds we were like huh so this is how they gonna send off Wendy, possibly creating one last dramatic arc for the family but nope she was back with Navarro next scene
In an interview with the writers they said something like “we wanted the ending to be something you felt weird about after cheering” or something like that, and I thought “well what makes you think we’re cheering in the first place?” Sure Mel was annoying and nosey at first but by the end I started to like him and really wanted him to take them all down. The writers also said they felt Ruth needed to get what she deserved for killing Javi. But why just her? Why not the Byrds? Sure it makes a point about corruption in America, but wasn’t that hammered in anyway? What I love about Breaking Bad is that idea of consequences for your actions. And here there are none. All the set up about Marty standing up against Wendy or the Byrds getting some kind of punishment for their actions has gone to nothing. Jonah does a complete 180 on his character arc in the last second, the car crash meant nothing, and the only reason we had three cartel deals instead of one was to kill Ruth and elongate the show. I genuinely thought Marty would kill Navarro’s sister and save Ruth, redeeming him but forcing him to be the FBI’s new Navarro (which it seemed like they were setting up), Jonah and Charlotte would escape and Wendy would die. Or at least the detective and Maya would cause some mayhem. But there was no build up to anything. There was tension all the way through, sure, but the protagonists made it out with no harm to themselves. Because “this is America.” Idk, I felt like it cared more about making a point than telling a story. That said every other episode was fantastic and the performances were phenomenal. (Also why cut to black? We don’t need a cliffhanger, it’s the end of a show!) Tldr; Marty deserved redemption, Wendy deserved punishment, Ruth and the kids deserved to live free and good. Haven’t been so disappointed by an ending since I watched No Country for Old Men.
So a good ending has to have justice for all? Why is that? I like that they got away, bad guy don't always get caught
@@valentin7693 yeah but doing it in the most unironically plot armored way is frustrating. Every man/woman claiming to be the great king of Kings will eventually fall
@@whatno3145 Key word ‘eventually’ we just didn’t get to see their downfall. The ending made a point about how they’ll never escape the life they’ve entered and the closest they would ever get to a happy ending is temporary peace before shit hits the fan once again and they’ve another mess on their hands. When you’re criminals as efficient as them it either takes an extremely long time to be taken down or you die without ever being taken down. That’s how real life criminals on this scale end up.
Ruth deserved to die, if for no other reason than she killed her uncles. In the end, she deserved to die just as much, if not more, than every other character that got it in this show.
@@CharlieNagoo that's sort of the equivalent of saying Jesse deserved to die. Characters aren't always black and white.
I didn't mind Ruth getting shot. I never got how we were supposed to root for her. The "Jesse Pinkman" analogy is ok, but not perfect. Unlike Jesse, we meet her because she stole money from the Byrds, and wanted to kill Marty at first, and only used the guise to be taught how to launder. The writers used every trick in the book to make viewers like her, such as befriending a special needs kid, to having an abusive dad, but she brought everything on herself. She was the one who got Ben out of the Mental Hospital, which led to his death, and she never took any blame, and she murdered Javi like a dumbass in front of many witnesses so the cartel could track it back to her. She also double crossed the Bryds by taking the casino, again, knowing full well the consequences of pissing off a drug cartel, having been tortured earlier by the same cartel. Marty offered to get her a new identity for a fresh start, but again she refused. So I was happy she got murdered.
I agree with everything but the havi thing. He was a lose emotional cannon who was to impatient to be a leader. He should have been excited sooner . that was the smartest thing ruth did in the entire show even if it was her down fall.
THANK YOU.
@@crazychase98 i don't have a problem with her killing Javi, just the way she did it. Its not like she couldn't have planned something to make it not go back to her, or even set up someone else.
I agree. She wasn't an "innocent bystander". I did come to like her by the end, but she was not a good guy.
@@katwil89 I agree completely !!!
Many of the main cast deaths were caused by shity decisions. Marty was always trying too keep the peace and was often ignored.
100% agree, I had all the same thoughts. Hell, my 75 year old mother was so pissed of at the killing of Ruthie, she complained for weeks after.
Well, Breaking Bad was about the conditions it took to change the morals of someone and the consequences of those actions Ozark was about the influence and protection money has, as well as how what you do influences your kids Therefore, the endings are going to be different. We’re not supposed to like the ending of Ozark, but it certainly is realistic. Good people, or even better people, don’t win most of the time. There’s always a compromise of evil
Ozark was not realistic in anyway it’s was a joke a bad breaking bad rip off
@@chrissantos5580 The only real similarities between the two shows is Jesse and Ruth’s dynamic to the main character and the fact it involves drugs. Otherwise the plots, ending, the characters, and the utilization of such characters are very different
I didn’t think there was much of anything realistic about ‘Ozark’s ending at all. ‘Breaking Bad’ also had the very clear theme that Walt didn’t “turn into” a cold, hard, egotistical man, he just let that side of himself out of its cage.
@@jacksonmccrocklin3968 right a mile mannered nerd in a loveless marriage gets involved with a Mexican drug cartel and he survives because of his exceptional intellect The tone of the show is similar the main problem which there are many is Jason Bateman has no edge bryan Cranston does.
@@chrissantos5580 so basically your one of those breaking bad fan boys that say any show that focuses on the drug world is a breaking bad rip off
The last episode with the way they walked away from the car crash a d the way they get away with everything is indicative of the whole series... They are basically slippery eels, clocked in plot armour, they never get their comeuppance, they're indestructible and everyone else dies as a consequence
That's true, but it's all plot armor. Not "realism" as a lot of other people seem to take it.
I agree with it all except the idea of Ruth surviving. She starts the season by commuting a rage murder-not a lesser of two evils murder or a gangster doing business murder, a rage murder. It shows she’s not destined to make it out, too much of her own worst enemy.
Yeah but they could put her on the run. Death was forced at this point.
@@tom_p9075 Ruth made ridiculous decisions from season 1, and succumbed to the langmore curse. Her death wasn’t forced, it was written
@@tshay7 what I mean it should happen earlier if so. Killing one of main characters in last scene was lame and at this Point no suprising at all.
@@tom_p9075you also really gotta understand, if she were to run, they’d kill three or have him as a hostage and ruth knew that and wanted to keep three safe. Sure she could’ve put up a “fight” and killed camila? but that would just bring more questions and NO CLOSURE.
@@tom_p9075even if she successfully ran away, she would always have to life her life by looking over her shoulder. She dug her grave when she killed Javi(CARTEL BOSS)
I don’t agree. It isn’t satisfying, that we can agree on, but it didn’t “fail”. This is the most realistic outcome. A rich and powerful family gets to where they are by using others. They repeatedly use others and ruin other people’s lives for their own benefit. With Ruth it was prolonged and because of it she suffered the most out of all the characters. They will most likely get out of the Cartel too. Seeing as Camila now worked for the feds. The Byrds won, and everyone lost. That is the point, just like many similar people and families in real life.
I’m sure they exist but I can’t think of *any* white-collar Cartel employees who were discovered and then got out without WitSec. I thought this was incredibly contrived. OC participants who make it either roll over or go into hiding. These people didn’t pay rent to mobsters and try to buddy up to them in their casinos like Cohen described with the Trumps. They ran the entire operation briefly. Camilla letting a potential replacement live was pretty corny.
Ah yes, surviving that car crash basically unscathed is the most realistic outcome as well.
Totally agree! Also I dont think there is a redemption. The Byrdes are evil rich white people and that's it.
@@JMoney_TheGangster It’s not like Breaking Bad didn’t have really dumb things that worked out as well.
@@trevbequick It's the fact that the show addresses this and played it off as 'supernatural' or 'luck'. It's also the fact that the whole car thing is to prove a point that the rich always wins or whatever, it's stupid and also forced. The ending is fine. The reasons for it are forced and unrealistic despite the realistic message the show leads up to. That's basically what I'm trying to say.
I agree that Ozark's ending wasn't very satisfying, however I woulsn't describe that as a failure. I think it makes the show much stronger. Unfair and unsatisying things are what moved the plot forward up until now, so why would anything change for the ending. I think you said in your video is that Ozark could never have an entirely happy ending. I agree, but I would go a step further and say there couldn't be a happy ending whatsoever. Great vid tho!
"Unsatifysing" in the sense that a simply didn't like the events that took place because they wanted something specific to happen and "unsatisfying" in the sense that it felt incomplete are two separate things. Unfortunately, Ozark's ending ticks both boxes. Wendy should've died and the ending was too rushed.
100%
I think it’s very unsatisfactory because it feels like the first-half of a story. What goes up must come down, and that is specially true when you got involved in both narcotics and politics in this day and age.
I don’t think a satisfying, redemptive ending was ever in the cards for this show. Ozark is first and foremost a drama about a broken family that tries to reconnect at ALL COST. Even if it means losing their own humanity in the process. And you see them gradually descent into bigger shit at the expense of others just to achieve that goal. Personally I feel the show has the perfect ending - horrifying yet happy. Did the Byrds become evil, immoral and ruthless criminals causing death of basically anyone who stands in their way - sure they did! But as a result they finally become a family again 🙃
Right, family trumps all. Not!
Nobody disagrees that the Byrds became evil. My beef is with Ruth dying. Bad writing.
@@tricivenola8164 Ain't no way she'll have a happy ending after killing Javi though. Her killing him felt in line with her character but her having no plan afterwards was... eh.
I enjoyed your thoughtful and well-spoken analysis. For the most part your impressions echoed mine, especially Wendy’s ridiculous “redemption” because of a few words spoken in the hospital. Good luck with your channel, and thanks!
Ozark's biggest problem was that it had no idea how to move events forward naturally, and it showed. "You're gonna have to give me a couple of days on that one" "You have 5 minutes"
Great video, however I disagree that it was a "failed" ending.
Holy crap, this is your first video? Outstanding work, sir! I understand the "point" that the show was going for with this ending, but they could have made that point while also having at least one character find redemption in the process. The word I keep thinking of that describes the finale for me is "unsatisfying". There were way too many dangling threads out there, and the only thing that felt final about it was Ruth's death. It definitely felt more like a season finale than a series finale. I've seen some people claim that Ruth had to die because "it's realistic", but I find that utterly ridiculous. Say what you will about Ozark - I mostly enjoyed the show - but the way things play out in the series is many things, and realistic is definitely not one of them, ha ha. Again, great work on this video!
Thanks! I agree. If the point of the show's ending was, "that's just how the world works," then you need to disregard the utter nonsense that the Byrdes survive from the cartel, the Snells, and the feds.
Yeah Darlene shotgunning a mob boss and facing no repercussions from said mob is the most unrealistic shit. The fact that Frank rolled into Darlenes house with his guard completely down is also just completely ridiculous.
I loved the ending the super rich got away with everything just like real life
So the Brydes were the real villains.
I mean, I get what they were going for. The message they were trying to say at the end of Ozark is that the Byrds have become so powerful and corrupt that they are basically untouchable. That families like the Byrds are the ones who actually triumph in this ruthless capitalist world and they are able to get away with anything leaving a complete path of destruction behind them. Ok, I get that. The problem is that I don't think the series finale sells that message very well, mainly because at the end of the series, the Byrds don't seem very powerful to me. They are still subservient to the cartel, a cartel that can kill them at any moment. Worse, now they are working for Camila who is a way more erratic boss than Omar. The last act of the finale just left me perplexed. So are you going to tell me that Camila finds out that Ruth, the Byrds' closest associate, killed her son and that the Byrds didn't know anything about it? Are you really saying that Camila, a mob boss, is going to believe that the Byrds didn't know anything about it and that they didn't even think of Ruth as a suspect when they knew that Javi had killed Ruth's cousin? Come on! It should be obvious for someone like Camila to deduce that the Byrds obviously knew this and they were covering for Ruth. Worst than that, they actually manipulate her to take down Omar by making her believe he was the one who killed Javi. By that scene, Camila should have realized that she can't trust the Byrds, that the Byrds were involved in Javi's death and that she has to get rid of them as well. And let's remember, Camila is not Omar, she doesn't really care about the business, she doesn't care about the deal with the FBI, she mainly cares about avenging her son's death and killing anyone who had something to do with it, so the Byrds are out. By the end of the series, the Byrds should be in the worst danger they have ever been. They should be packing things and being on the run by the final scene. Instead of that, the series tells us: "Oh no, the Byrds are fine. They are actually more powerful than ever". And I'm like: What??? If they actually wanted to sell the message that the Byrds have acquired this royalty-like level of power, the series had to end with them taking over the cartel. That was the ending. They manipulate Camila to take down Omar and then, they take down Camilla themselves and then they take over the cartel. Marty and Wendy have all the connections with the FBI, they know all of the cartel's operations inside out, and it was already shown that Marty could run the cartel and that he already had the respect of the other lieutenants. They could have done it. And with that ending, yeah, the Byrds would answer to no one, they would be rich, they would have so many politicians in their pockets and they would be running the largest cartel in the world, so yes, they would essentially be royalty at that point.
Ruthless lol
That probably would've happened but doesn't mean we have to see them take over the cartel on screen. Why do people seek for that satisfaction everywhere? The ending left clues and questions and we can work out our own ideas and theories, that's the interesting part to me.
I agree with you and this is actually a great idea. They should have gone that way
It would have been a much better ending to have Ruth kill Camila after she was shot and to end the show not with Mel confronting the family but instead grim faced FBI agents walking up to the Marty and Wendy at their house as their faces change from happiness of the evening to straight faced as they notice the FBI agents coming to tell them that Camila is dead, we wouldn't see this but we would know it, as the show cuts to black. All that effort and trail of bodies they left for nothing, they would get what they deserve, we don't need to see them in prison, just knowing they're screwed is enough. And that's what the two of them deserve.
To be clear, is this a feeling based on this show and it's themes specifically, or is it built off of a strong dislike towards the idea of any show ending in evil winning?
@@evangelosvasiliades1204 ooh that's actually an interesting way to look at it, I suppose thematically the actual ending works, the Byrds always win no matter what they get through. But I think human nature doesn't want evil to triumph, and personally I think it is a bit far-fetched that all of the Byrds end up fine with no casualties to the 4 of them. So more than anything it's a strong dislike, probably why I accepted the breaking bad finale more than Ozark's, Walter finally gets his comeuppance.
While both shows have some great writing, Breaking Bad is much more multi-layered than Ozark, characters development are so much better and we see the transformation of the story and people from season 1 to season 5, that's also one of the reasons i personally have more desire to rewatch the journey of Breaking Bad. I think Ben's plot in season 3 was a great example of how this series stepped up and started to gain more of that identity it sometimes lacked before, but unfortunately season 4 ended in a quite underwhelming way. I'm not necessarily disappointed with the idea they were trying to show, but the realization was definitely not the best example of what these writers can do. And the funny thing is that the show was known for constant build-up of tension and danger, where character's decision could led to other tens of other characters decisions' and resulted in actions, but in the final episode the climax appears out of sudden, 10 minutes before the credits and the reason behind it was the character who crumbled under the pressure and told the truth
It's titled "Ozark", not "The Byrdes". The Byrde family story is just now taking off. Their beginnings in "the Ozarks" has come to an end. It's not like BB where Walt's gone and I'm sure Jessie didn't pick up where he left off and start cooking in Alaska, so his story is pretty much done as well. Ruth chose to kill that gangster. It wasn't self defense or to protect anyone. Her choice caught up with her. Now, the Byrde's choices might eventually catch up with them, but that's another story. I thought that show was dope, beginning to end.
Perfectly put.
Welp - that's exactly the point. You make it bittersweet and it blurs with the other bittersweets. I am happy with how they've developed and wrapped up the family storyline which was prominent throughout the series. I felt the ending was abrupt too, but on the other hand - it lets your mind wonder on how's it going to go for the Byrdes. And as another user mentioned - impressive quality of the video! It appears as the first on your channel but I'd bet you've done some livestreams elsewhere?
Not really, I'm just a writer with a decent mic and had just enough experience in Premier to learn what I needed to from KZhead videos haha. I'm glad you liked it!
It won’t go well. Camilla will find out Wendy & Marty were standing by watching while Javi was killed. She will have them killed in no time. Ruth could have easily taken out Camilla when she saw the Cartel parked in her driveway & ended the whole thing. Instead they make her play dumb.
God i've never been so disapointed in a finale before, I haaaated this ending. I see how GOT fans feel now. Atleast this show only ran half as long.
Ozark ending is good. It doesn’t have to be satisfying, it was realistic. Ruth had it coming and I didn’t feel bad. Moral of the story…KNOW YOUR PLACE. If the langmore’s didn’t rob Marty, none of them would be dead. I do agree with you that we needed more. I want to see a conclusion for Rachel, the Byrd’s, camila, and Jim. I’m not gonna lie though… sometimes I wonder how a conversation between lalo Salamanca and Wendy byrd would go…
Great video! My favorite part of all was when Ruth was at their house and Marty and Wendy were trying to talk her out of going after Javi and she screamed " if you wanna stop me you're gonna have to effin KILLLL MEEEEEE!!!!!". I re-watched that part so many times. And I agree with your synopsis of the show. It was such an unsatisfactory ending!
Every series has a set of in-universe rules. One of the rules I noticed in Ozark is you do NOT kill ANYBODY for ANY reason because it will come back on you. That is why Ruth dies. If she hadn’t shot Javi, she wouldn’t have died and I don’t just mean plot-wise, but rule-wise. The entire series is also an extended metaphor for Wendy and Marty’s marriage. The “danger” the cartel represents is actually symbolic of the danger Wendy places her marriage in by cheating. Season 1 focuses on these events from Marty’s perspective, Season 2 from Wendy’s, Season 3 from Charlotte’s, and Season 4 from Jonah’s consecutively. The cartel is just a plot device used to flesh out the story in a more palpable way. The two times Marty is placed in the most dangerous position are when Wendy cheats and then the second time when Marty taps her phone. So for me personally, when watched through this lens, the series ends on a perfect note. The logic of the series is maintained but now we’re left with a never ending cliffhanger because Jonah has shot another person. Per the in-universe rules, is he exempt from them because he was protecting his family’s livelihood or will he be targeted next by the equilibrium of the show’s karma?
I think the in universe rule you brought up is cherry picked. • Marty killed Mason, nothing happened to him. • Wendy had her brother murdered, nothing happened to her. • Rachel murdered Nelson, nothing happened to her. • Darlene murdered Masons wife, Del, her husband, a random driver, and Frank Sr. The only death in this list that came back to haunt her was Del's. None of the other deaths had any ramifications for her.
@@zahubshahid7944 Marty was protecting his wife. The act was in defense of his family and therefore excusable. I should have clarified “for ANY reason” to mean “for ANY temperamental reason.” Wendy was not responsible for her brother’s death, not really. Ben made it impossible to remain protected because he wouldn’t do as he was told. Had he listened to Marty and Wendy, he may have made it out alive. A death sentence for being mentally ill isn’t deserved but I’ll get to Nelson next. Rachel murders Nelson out of self-defense. She stole money, yes, but a death sentence should not be warranted for thievery and, again, her act was out of self-defense. Nelson was killed by Rachel as retribution for Ben’s death (by the internal logic of the show), just as Cade’s death was satisfied by the show’s internal logic for his murdering Officer Petty. Wendy will never get karma for Cade’s death because she was his karma. And Darlene’s punishment was a special kind. Now it could be argued that she murdered Bobby Dean and Mason’s wife to protect her family and puts her in the same position as Marty. There was no clear-cut reason for her to murder Del. Yes, he was disrespectful, but, again, disrespect doesn’t warrant a death penalty. However, killing Del saved countless lives so that’s why she’s allowed to stay around for so long. She killed her husband out of self-defense because she knew he was going to kill her if she didn’t kill him first (like Marty killing Mason). And Frank Sr. was killed one episode before Darlene, which seems to insinuate that his death was the “push” the rules of the show needed to finalize her death.
Cheating wasn't what put them in danger. She kept pushing things. She is pure evil.
@@stepha2642 again, the cartel is SYMBOLIC for the danger Wendy put her relationship in. Like the how the zombies in The Walking Dead always show up in a situation that was ALREADY life-or-death BEFORE they arrived. It’s symbolism. It must have “almost killed” Marty to find out Wendy was cheating on him.
@@zahubshahid7944 Yes, it is cherry picked. Coherence is really not important in Ozark. Things happens for no reason other than moving the plot when it is convenient.
I agree with a lot of this stuff that you’re talking about. However the last scene gets me and makes me like the ending (not more then BB). I have a feeling that it’s supposed to be wrapped up the way it was, the family was supposed to get away with it and by cutting the loose ends it makes a lot of sense imo. This is clear in my mind when Wendy says “since when” in response to “the world doesn’t work like that” (talking about doing horrible things) while I think it could have been more fleshed out, I liked the ending.
"We don't get to see where it lands" that was clever
Thank you SO much for this. The first time ever, that I've hated the way a beloved show of mine has wrapped things up. The whole last season just felt wrong. It didn't add up. And sometimes felt downright goofy. I mean, damn, did they wait too long, and lost the original feel?! Them killing off Ruth was awful. But then the Jonah thing just infuriated me. They changed that kid's thinking, morals even, right at the last moment. Wtf. I'm 60. And a TV/movie geek. And I've never been this upset, frustrated, by a show's last season or ending. They left their audience with absolutely no good feeling whatsoever.
I also think it ended a bit abruptly, but besides that I think it stayed true to what it started as. Hearing the creators mention the metaphor about the Byrdes representing capitalism that comes to this town and destroys every obstacle in order to preveil, I can see what they had in mind. Every person they ever dealed with had their comeuppance at some point in the series.
I laughed so hard at Ruth’s death because they put it in slow motion. There is not a single time in the entire series that they ever do that and they chose to use it for Ruth’s death like they were really trying to make it seem as dramatic as possible and it just made me laugh so fucking hard when I should have been sad.
Didn't read all the comments yet but for me the problem with the ending is it wasn't a good series ender but it makes for a good SEASON ender. The family's goal of being out of it is gone now and the kids are fully in. So I'm hopeful the show comes back at least for a few episodes 3 or 4 years from now
My wife and I just finished this series. We watched every episode together so we were quite invested. Having watched Breaking Bad also, I initially found the two comparable. But they are vastly different. By the end of the show, I found myself waiting for it to over. Though I enjoyed it, it definitely wasn’t a satisfying ending.
Thanks for pointing out the parallel between Ruth Langmore and Jessie Pinkman - I hadn't thought of it. Very accurate comparison, and a good explanation of why the BB ending was so much better.
I like a lot Ozark's ending, because it feels pretty realistic, bad people win, and good people die, that's it. I also enjoyed the open finale, because only in stories we have a good conclusive finale, but in reality life goes on. And if I got to be honest, I think that if the entire family would be death in that car accident that would be the most realist finale of all the time, the best life lesson a TV show could ever give, just my opinion.
But it's a show and not real life. Some people find open finales dissapointing because what is even the point of the show if they're just going to suddenly end it and there was no point?
I agree completely, they are corrupted from the first point the cartel enters there life and subsequently corrupt everything they touch
Its not realistic its nihlistic
You're completely entitled to your opinion, but I disagree with a lot of what you said here. Mostly with the idea of having a "satisfying" ending and how it relates to the quality of the story, because I just cannot seem to simply correlate "satisfaction" with quality. Of COURSE I didn't want Ruth to die, and I respect the fact that you draw attention to how much sense it made in the context of what was happening, I just think you're looking at it in a micro lens instead of a macro lens. I don't want to write a dissertation on a YT comment but The long and short of it is, Ozark is a huge metaphor for how easy it is for the people who have access to ungodly amounts of money to manipulate the structure and policy of a particular community. Think about what Ruth represents, beyond of who we'd come to love as a character. We have seen, as direct result of the Byrde's involvement, the straight up genocide of the people of Ozark. The ones that were there long before Marty and Wendy even ended up in there. Families. The people that provided identity and context to what kind of place the lakes were pre Byrde. The Snells? gone. Every Langmore but III? Off the damn map in under 5 years. Sheriffs replaced, unseated legislators, and community employers getting their dads murdered and dicks shot off. A systematic erasure of all things resembling a status quo in a community introduced to us in S1 as this flawed place populated by real characters and rich history, and how it too would be subjected to the relentless turning gears of commerce and power until it becomes a mill for the rich to do [insert nefarious intention here] Ruth dying was an unceremonious nail in a coffin. It was watching a friend die. It was watching a ember, hoping for it to be fire again Knowing it couldn't be. Knowing it wouldn't be. Still actively hoping anyway. I saw this coming a mile away and I still cried, and its because of what the whole thing says despite how messy it seems. We don't need to see how this goes, because we already know. We know how capable and insidious Marty is, and we don't actually see him go full "Walter White" until the very last seconds of the show.[Something it never needed in spite of relentless comparisons to BB] That final look is him basically accepting that this is who he is now. The spinning plates are never going to stop spinning, and he is going to maintain this dumb ass beyblade shit because he literally has eroded the capability of his family to be anything else. They can never go back to Chicago and any viewer who believed they were ever going to needs to read a book. They're going to be juggling this for the rest of their existence, and we don't need to see them do it anymore, because we've seen 4 seasons of that, and they're more than capable. It was never Byrde vs Cartel, or Langmore vs Cartel, or FBI vs whoever. It was Money and Power vs The Ozarks, and The Ozarks lost. Ruth was the last one left, the smartest and most resourceful of all the "native" people left there, mercilessly crushed by the machine the Byrdes rode in on. Silent gristle in the fucking mill. It's a cold, bleak ending for a show that began sort of cold and bleak, and I love it all the more for it. Personally, it rings genuine to me because I'm certain this kind of thing happens to communities, albeit to less dramatic ends. I could go on about this more thoroughly but im kinda just rambling at this point. [believe me i know there are flaws in S4] It is not satisfying, but satisfaction doesn't make a good story. Substance does. Context does. Discussion does. This was a story about paving a paradise with a parking lot, and it did it's job telling that I think. Good video
It's not even about a lack of satisfaction, its about incompetent writing, the entire plot and character development throughout the entire show was inexplicably thrown out the window with the ending. It just made no sense, why only a few episodes prior would they show Marty distraught over the bad things hes done but then have him be completely fine with his son murdering an innocent man, even to the point of him having a smirk on his face, that is completely out of character and contradicts the characters moral stances that were displayed literally episodes prior, what is the point of showing that Marty has remorse if theyre just going to show him completely content when his son kills a person. And even on top of that, why would Jonah and Charlotte be okay with it? It all makes no sense, it is incredibly lazy writing. The theme or intended message is irrelevant when it doesn't correlate with the plot or characters development. Every season of this show was the same, introduce a new villain and a couple new characters, kill them off at the end, and then just completely forget about their existence and the corresponding events for the rest of the show with no consequences. It feels lazy, it feels like every season was just a repeat of the last except with "different" characters, and that results in a feeling of no stakes and no meaningful development of the characters, it is just not good.
Your last paragraph is 💯
@@jpeg204 and yet, u (presumably) watched the entire thing.
Completely agree with this one. Redemption and satisfaction are pleasant and welcome aspects of an arc, but they are neither necessary or sufficient. A dissatisfaction for a lack of redemption seems to miss the grim and unforgiving themes of the show, where you wish it didnt have to be and all could be different, but sometimes redemption doesnt come, and satisfaction is far off.
@@tshay7 Well...yea, they would have to watch the entire thing to comment on that said thing...... Still in Middle-school I assume?
I liked the ending. It was more like an anti-ending where you don't get what you want. It made the most sense to the real world, it felt grounded and a long time coming for all the characters. Ruth died because she had nothing special about her to the higher powers. She wasn't 'made' in the eyes of the cartel like the Byrde's were. She had made her grave when she shot Javi and when Carmella seized control. The Byrdes got out because they held true power that only they could harness for the cartel. The cartel got away scott free because the war on drugs enables them. In a very similar way to The Wire, the ending is about a systemic failure across the board that facilitates stories like these to carry on and on and on.
Ending was good, it makes sense why it ended where Marty was pretty much head of the cartel with FBI support, so no threat anymore from anywhere as cartel was happy too after Ruth was killed. And what comes to Mel he had nothing which could have power over arrangement and he got chance to get happy end but he ignored it and killing him made clear that their family is now untouchable. perfect ending.
Frankly, if there were a 5th season someday I’m not watching it. Ruth’s death ended any interest I had in the show and the writers were wise to make her death happen at the end of the show. I’d literally have quit the whole show halfway through the season if they did it earlier.
Really fantastic first video! Please keep making these
Excellent video!! Just subscribed, can't wait to see what else you have to say about stuff
Great video! I agree with all your points. Ruth was a shame to lose (and thus sealing off any possibility for an eventual meaningful sequel/one-shot/spin off). I also have the feeling that all these uneasy feelings are intentional. The Byrds are the family of bad choices. And facing uncomfortable consequences. We are along for the ride with them morally, and since we love and forgive the characters, turning a blind eye, our reward for that is losing Ruth. That’s kinda meta :) The after-show special also mentioned that Ruth’s character is essentially the Greek Tragedy element of the story. She was the one who got clean and was about to be out of the game. Layer Cake (with Daniel Craig) had a similar underlying theme.
They made Jonah look like a disturbed kid in the first two seasons toned it down the last two seasons.
You briefly touched on it but for me the only issues I had with the show are the last 7 episodes. Specifically how Marty becomes a side character to the story and how it insist on introducing even more plot threads on top of the ones introduced in the first seven episodes of the final season. I feel like the show opted to make a pressure cooker over wrapping up Marty's story
I don’t even remember the details of the ozarks finale and it wasn’t that long ago. Breaking Bad was almost a decade ago but I still remember every beat of that episode.
Great analysis. Ruth’s death didn’t bother me too much because she seemed fated to die. She just had a fatalistic drive to her where she didn’t accept help or seem long for this world. But Jonah killing the guy at the end was so out of character. Like the end of GOT, they had characters doing things that weren’t who they were.
Sorry, but I think you just weren't paying attention. They set up Jonah as capable of murder from the beginning of the show. Like his mother, he will do anything to protect his family. He purchased numerous guns. He had them hidden everywhere. He learned how to shoot. He has the wherewithal to do what he did. Similarly, Dany was set up from the beginning to do what she did at the end of GoT.
Jonah even killed a deer. I remember the Snells and Agent Petty@@CharlieNagoo
Breaking Bad is a handmade lace mantilla and Ozarks is a dirty tee shirt.
Concise to the point well paced great diction timbre everything great first video good luck
The blue filter of the show and constant depression drove me away in the first few episodes
Glad I found your channel dude, boys review was spot on too! Subscribed.
I think we saw from the start of the show, the approach was different than Breaking Bad, even though there are obvious similarities. But its pretty much about the ending where we see the differences. Because as we saw in the finale of Better Call Saul (Spoilers ahead), They wanted the good to win, even though it felt wrong for us, especially with the ending of Jimmy and Kim. Many people wanted Jimmy to serve 7 years and live his life with Kim. But that wasn't the shows message. Also with Mike and Nacho, two characters nobody ever wanted to die but who did because of their choices, and to show that ultimately these people aren't good and they are held accountable for that. The approach with Ozark though was a different message. In the end, we actually want the bad in the form of the Cartel and also Wendy and Marty to be punished for their actions, but they're not. It's exactly like they say in the final words of the show: Mel:" You don't get to win. You don't get to be the Kochs or The Kennedys or whatever fucking royalty you people think you are. World doesn't work like that." To which Wendy replies: "Since when?" And Mel gets shot. And that is pretty much the message Ozark wants to send. That the world works exactly like that and the wrong people may win. It's also the world in which you die if you kill an upcoming cartel leader. It's the world in which his life is worth more than Ruth's because those people are so mighy, even so mighty that the FBI doesn't take them down but works together with them. It's pretty much the world we live in. And of course that sounds dark but that's what Ozark was about from the start, right? And from this start on I knew we would see an ending we wouldn't like. I didn't expect Marty and Wendy to survive, but I also didn't think I wouldn't want that in the end, and that it would made sense. Sadly, just as you said, it all made sense and therefore it makes me sad. I think that's also why Ozark is a show that I won't watch again, just because truth hurts. Especially with the death of Ruth. From the moment she decided to kill Javi, I knew she would die. I also think it didn't serve the character but the mentioned message. She wouldn't need to kill for revenge but she did. It was completely unnecessary she had everything she wanted, of course except her family. I also think that the Wendy takeover was too much in the end, but it's also important to see that Marty never really had a plan but to do everything he's asked for while Wendy took as he said himself the "driverseat" and somewhat emancipated from that role, even getting their biggest villain killed. They turned it all the way around on Navarro in the end, and I liked seeing that, even though I was kinda sad for Navarro because he actually was one of the people with a heart in this show and I really would've enjoyed to see his flight attempt and killing his sister and taking the Cartel over again. In the end, I really liked the show, I liked the approach and the message, because it's something different and it also is pure, more realistic in a way. But as I said it also is the reason why I probably won't watch it again.
Hahahahaha I was just gonna comment, “Brick killed a guy”, and at 10:22 I saw your channel name. 🤣🤣👏👏
The ending ended the suspension of disbelief. It had already bothered me how the Byrdes behaved under such extreme danger and stress. Sitting at home casually having a meal in a completely open faced house with glass windows and absolutely no security when the Cartels and others could decide to wipe them out in a heartbeat. I've mostly wiped the show from my memory.
The cartel wanted them alive, so they remained alive. Did they ever, at any point, have to show "muscle"? The only thing they could do to survive was to be smart and play the game. The only thing they really luckily survived was that Darlene Snell never up and killed them at any random point (but only after she killed her husband).
I'd like an Ozark film like there was El Camino for Breaking Bad
100% so many unanswered questions definitely an unfinished story
Ozark needs a sequel movie like Breaking Bad's Elcemino, showing the psychology of Joana being a murderer.
Apples and oranges. There you got your thumbnail/title-bait engagement.
One thing I never understood about Ozark was Marty's motivation for working for a cartel to begin with. He wasn't ambitious, and didn't seem particularly interested in having expensive things. It seems weird. And he worked for the cartel for years and never had any issues but then all of a sudden it's a dangerous nail-biting ordeal fraught with peril? I don't get it, what did I miss?
It would be an interesting topic to explore, but my gut reaction is it was all for Wendy
Well said! I’d just seen the most devastating episode of Better Call Saul right before I finished Ozark, and Ruth’s death was soooooo underwhelming. Makes sense that Marty & Wendy would let her die cuz they were jerks that way. But it was like, “Oh, here it comes, she’s gonna get shot and die.” AND THEN??! 😶 She was just about to be able to start a new legacy for her namesake, but nope. Her family always got screwed it seems. I dunno. Some things about the end made sense, but it was still unsatisfactory. That said, I’d watch it again. 😋 Thank you for the video! 👏👏
You did a fine job with this video.
make some more. Would love to hear some thoughts on Better Call Saul if you're a fan of it
“On the nosey”. Ruth, up until that scene, had always been a much smarter character, especially in terms of self-preservation. True, she was running out of life lines at that point, but I think one story arc that could have worked would have been a teaming with Frank Jr.. Ruth was never going to live a totally clean life, but within the army of the Kansas City mob, she would have been shielded and allowed to flourish. A Cosgrove/Langmore family blend would have made sense. Other notes: the van crash should have killed someone. It could have been a redemption arc for Marty or Wendy. Or at least kill Charlotte, thereby jolting the rest of the family awake and finally giving Charlotte a purpose. Not wasting time with what a thinly written villain Camilla was, especially considering all the fantastic ones that proceeded her. The cherry on the turd sundae was the smirking approval from both Byrde parents as their son drops the trigger on a guy. Oh well, great first video. Subscribed.
To me the final episode wasn't a bad episode, it was just un satisfying, to many things where left open, all the family where in the exact spot they where basically in season 1. I think the show just needs another season to wrap things up.
What happened to 3 , The last of the Langmores?
Just like Game of Thrones before it, the ending of this show really boils down to needing more time with its characters, because in it’s current state it is utterly incoherent. Just about every last character ended up acting completely out of character towards the end in order to arrive at the finish line faster: Ruth, who has survived this long because of her brilliance and endurance, got out of her truck and waltzed ignorantly into the blatant trap of the mysterious SUV parked in her driveway (the same kind she encountered Nelson in when she cleverly outwitted him just an episode ago), which led to her anticlimactic death. Marty let it happen, which went against everything he’d worked for throughout the entire show, and would have made for the perfect final stand against Wendy and the cartel in order to give their characters some closure, but instead Wendy suddenly develops a conscience that erases all of her character development and we’re supposed to believe she cares so deeply for Ruth that she was willing to put their family on the line to save her. Because of this sudden change of heart, we’re also supposed to believe that Jonah, who has been at Wendy’s throat for the entire season, is willing to kill an innocent man in order to save her. Speaking of which, Mel, instead of taking the evidence and running, decides to sit and wait in the darkness in order to deliver a monologue about justice that entirely spells out the message of the show to the audience. For me, as the show drew to a close, it lost all the nuance and subtlety that made it brilliant to me in the first place. If you’re happy with the ending and it works for you, more power to you! It just really rubbed me the wrong way :/
You need a plug-in that does de-click on your audio processing.
This was my first ever video I think it got better
The writers dropped the ball on the whole final season. Marty and Wendy both we're completely acting out of character
I don't really like how Ozark is always being compare to Breaking Bad, I mean yes, Breaking is a masterpiece, but Ozark is also one on it's own and of it's own.
true that 🧡
8:52 The ONLY character involved that deserves to live is Ruth? What about the daughter, Charlotte? She never killed anyone.
Basically the whole show was the Byrds getting in serious trouble numerous times then making a phone call to get out of trouble everytime. Started to become a cycle
great video, keep it up
This why I will go back and watch this show again
I say wait ten years then make “Ozark…The Nursing Home Years”.
Agree on everything! Also I was very annoyed by Camilla going forward with wanting to kill Omar even after knowing he had nothing to do with Javi's death. Her believing the Byrdes didn't know it so easily also felt unconvincing. And what about Mel's "great" idea of casually confronting the "cartel people, family murdering" Byrdes, only evidence of their crime in hands, unnarmed, absolutely no worries for his safety... didn't even check the house for guns... that was just inconceivable for me. And the look of a proud father in Marty's face, giving the go ahead for Jonah to murder a guy who they couldn't even argue was a bad person in any way... SO BAD!
Terrible take
@@rileysevern1968 yea?
Mel was an unnecessary character.
This was my biggest problem too. Mel is repeatedly shown to be a competent professional and also to know who the Byrdes are. All I was hoping for out of the ending was for us to see that Mel had documented things and left a "if I disappear, it was Wendy and Marty Byrde" type note that screwed them over. There is just no reason he wouldn't have done that. Grr.
I was saddened and didn't love ruth's death in the show, and didn't love the final episodes, but I'm never on board for the "this is not the death the character deserved" argument. It could have been written a different way, but Ruth's death made sense. I just felt like the writers had to hurry up and wrap things up in part 2 of season 4. Ozark was up there with BB and Better Call Saul for me, and I would be shocked if the writers weren't pressured to somehow wrap everything up this season. Makes me wish the show had started anywhere other than Netflix. The writers were much better than what was displayed in the final episodes.
Nothing will ever beat Breaking Bad in TV success awards etc in history.
I like the theory that everything that happens after the car crash was a dream Wendy was having as she was dying in the car. First off, its weird how they got in a huge crash like that and they just all walk away, without even going to the hospital. Particularly Wendy, who just gets up after being knocked unconscious. Then theres the fact that everything seems to go perfect for her in particular after that point. Her kids stay, she gets her FBI deal, Navarro is killed without a hitch, she gets her fundraiser, Ruth gets killed (we all know Marty is the one who actually cares about Ruth not Wendy), and Jonah comes back to the family fully and kills Mel. Its too perfect for what we have seen in the show over the seasons. Now its just a theory, and I know most people wont agree on it, but I think about the scene where shes talking to the priest. This scene for me, makes it possible for two ending interpretations to occur. If you agree with Wendy, that the car crash was a sign that they will make it through, than the events that occur make up the true ending. If you go with the priest, that the car crash was a bad omen (and that Wendy was really dead at this point), then the events of the ending can be seen as her dream. I personally think that the dream theory makes a lot more sense given the overall context of the show and how we’ve seen that nothing comes easy for the Byrdes across the 4 seasons. Im also biased because Ruth is my favourite character, but I did think it was weird when Claire Shaw told Camila about Ruth, when she could’ve destroyed the security footage and had zero evidence of the event ever existing (which looks like bad PR for her anyways). I do agree, however, that the last few episodes were a bit anticlimactic. Breaking Bad is forever my favourite series and it set up a much better ending than Ozark.
To me the last escene wasn't mimic Buddy killing Gracia, it was Jonah being Jonah. Before Buddy killing Garcia it was the 12 y/o Jonah pointing the gun at him and seriously thinking about killing him. Then he has a conversation with his mom about what would have happened if Buddy hadn't been there and if he had had to kill him. This is the same scene, but Buddy is the picture anymore. And we see Jonah sure about what he has to do because he's lived it before. In addition to that, it is an example of how their parents corrupted the little sense of morality they had left and became a mini Marty and Wendy, as Ruth said. A sad but great ending in my opinion.
This was pointed out over on Reddit weeks ago, but it seems you may not have noticed it. In the very last scene of the finale, shortly after the Bryde family gets back home, Marty is sitting down and the camera pans out to slowly reveal the broken glass door. Marty is sitting there tired and oblivious, surrounded by jagged edges that kind of look like sharp teeth. Wendy is in the kitchen under cool, blue lighting, like you'd see in an aquarium. Wendy is the shark, Marty the eventual chum.
lol would’ve been nice to see that dynamic play out in the actual show, huh?
It was played out. Wendy became the overpowered, unbeatable powerhouse and Marty was just a little bitch who didn't do anything memorable since S2.
The message of BB was that criminal behavior is corrosive to the soul. The message of Omari is that crime pays if you’re just ruthless enough to not give a shit.
I do wonder if the reason the show ended messily is to reflect real life? sometimes things don't get a resolution or events end poorly or the bad guys simply get away with it, I wasn't thrilled at the ending but I reckon that's what they were going for and to me that's enough, it doesn't live up to the other seasons storytelling but I can see the philosophy of the end is never really the end in the finale
I feel like the “unsatisfying” nature of the finale is what they were trying to do. I think they were trying to show that only the least deserving people make it out alive. It’s about what they had to do and sacrifice to become the powerful family that they are when it’s all over. It’s not about good guys getting what they deserve, its about the idea that being the bad guy is the only way to survive.
Nah they just wrote themselves in a corner and didn’t know how to end it. So the writers can cop out and say that they “intended for it to be unsatisfying”
They could have texted Ruth a warning. Also it made no sense when she arrived home and saw a car which was obviously from the Cartel, Ruth starts yelling Hello.
I really enjoyed both shows, and Breaking Bad deserved all of its Emmys. That said, Ozark worked slightly more for me because of the core motivation of its lead characters. Marty was given no choice but to go down to the Ozarks and launder the money or he and his family would be wiped out. Walter White turned down a job and money for his treatment because…his pride? I get it, pride is important to a man, but when he’s given an “out” but still chooses the wrong path to get the money, it’s hard to feel anything for him going forward when all of the consequences of his actions become self inflicted at that point. It would’ve worked much better if cooking meth was his only option to get the money. Secondly, I found it much more interesting how Ozark involved and engaged the entire family to be actively part of what was going on. It became the origin story of how an entire family became the villains of their own story. And it made total sense that Jonah shot the guy at the end, it was a callback to season 1 when Buddy taught him how to shoot. Jonah was no longer a child but an intelligent teenager who “broke bad” himself by that point. I felt in Breaking Bad, especially the first 3 seasons, Walter’s family was only there to react to Walter. They had no agency of their own, especially Walter Jr. who was annoying and whiny at times. But that’s the great thing about the art, it’s totally subjective and hits all of us a different way.
I mean the family will forever be stuck in the loop so I think it's a perfect ending
Wait wait… I didn’t even know that was the last season.. I watched the ending fully expecting for there to be another season to follow.. that’s the end..? WTF they now need to make a movie like Breaking Bad to clean up all these story lines. Maybe that was the plan all along 💰
I liked the ending for the simple reason that bad guys usually win. And they spelled that out for us lmao
It was realistic. At that point they all embraced the life style. Not all bad people get what they deserve. Some get away with it.
They should have made everything that happened after the car crash just a figment of imagination for the Byrd family...Then in the last scene go back to the car crash and show the family's tragic death being reported live in the news...
if they all or a few of them died in the car crash that would have actually been pretty brave and interesting
Ain’t no way Ruth was pure lmao, she made her own choices-that’s why the bob cats showed up before she killed Javi
I live between Branson and Ozark Missouri. Any of the lake stuff looked right. I could see this happening here.
I thought the ending showed us exactly what we needed to see: That the Byrnes will keep getting away with crime and we don’t need to see it go on from there. I know plenty of people who merely thought it was a season finale and not a series finale, however. I enjoyed the series and it’s BB comparisons. I actually like that it was different from BB in that the children were complicit in the actions of their parents. My only two gripes about the series as a whole was that a) they got rid of Omar way too early and b) actors Veronica Falcon and Alfonso Herrera, who played drug cartel leaders Camila and Javi were also together on USA Network’s Queen of the South playing drug cartel leaders named…..Camila and Javi. 😕
Yeah, I think they needed another half a season to fully wrap the show up in a satisfying way. That being said, I thought the ending being very unsatisfying fit many of the themes of the show.
I think it depends on what your expectations are from a show. It's worth rewinding the history clock all the way back to Ancient Greece and (arguably) the birthplace of modern drama. The Greeks believed their plays were - first and foremost - a source of moral instruction. Sugar-coating the message for the audience was way, way down the list of priorities. I mean, sure - Breaking Bad provided a more ... shall we say ... satisfying conclusion. But I think the Greek playwrights would have seen that as vanity on the part of the showrunners. Ozark wasn't prepared to pull its punches. And I think that's commendable. The deaths of Mel and Ruth as well as the moral descent of Jonah were logically consistent with the pitch of he show. Despite Marty's delusional belief that he could somehow use that giant super-computer of a brain to calculate a safe and satisfactory way out for his family - they really only had two ways out. Death - or fight their way to the top of the food chain. Wendy - the most clear-sighted individual of them all - saw this from the very beginning. I used to think if they only listened to Marty they'd all be fine. But the truth is his moral dithering only increased the suffering for everyone. I think Mel's mentioning of the "Kochs and the Kennedys" is crucial here (along with the fact that they are living in the house of a hit-man who - it is heavily implied - may well have played a role in at least one of those family's dirty business). I couldn't begin to enumerate the litany of murders and strange deaths which circled the Kennedy family from the days of patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy. Four fatal plane crashes (including the favoured heir and daughter), two sons slain in broad daylight by dubious gunmen, the last remaining son (Teddy) almost killed in another plane crash, a daughter lobotomised by her own father, numerous close family members dying in almost comical circumstances (including choking to death at the dinner table on a bone) and anywhere up to two hundred witnesses, mobsters, union leaders, FBI, CIA, FBN, military intelligence agents shot, strangled, blown up, thrown out of a tenth storey window, crashed, burned alive etc. in a brutal internecine war between 1963 and 1976. The history of the Koch family is equally interesting - especially the story of how one brother managed to claw his way over the top of dozens of bodies to get to the exit of a burning plane. As I said - Wendy was always the most clear sighted of them all. Her constant pleas to Marty to think only of those closest to him fell on deaf ears for most of the show (which increased the suffering of everyone). And yet that was the only route - not to salvation - but survival. It's no co-incidence that the Langmores and the Navarros - two families who were incapable of circling the wagons and fighting solely for each other - wound up roadkill. I take issue with the assertion that the Byrde's ended up working for the Cartel (under different leadership). The truth is they are the Navarros handlers. Whilst the matriarch of the family ostensibly threatened the Byrdes to give up the name of Javi's killer. That was always an empty threat. It's the Byrdes who dictate the terms of that relationship now and at some point in the future you can be sure they'll burn those assets to the ground once they are no longer necessary. One final point - it's a fundamental mistake to believe the primary purpose of shows such as Ozark is to "entertain" the audience. Once again - that's self-delusion. The reality is they are very much a part of the very same blood-soaked structures of power which the Byrdes fought their way to the top of. As the show more than demonstrates - you can't get to the top of Netflix or Amazon or NBC or Disney without having blood on your hands. It's not that these are "bad" people (to even pose such a question is ... well ... ludicrous). They're just trapped in a system whose options are all bad. In such circumstances the best you can hope for is momentary acts of grace before you are swallowed up by the torrent of misery and horror once again. In that respect I think Ozark reflected the cold, hard truth of reality quite well. But keep up the good work.
Yeah, I agree with everything you said. I don’t think protagonist need to face consequences the way real people do. Like within the context of real life I could understand people wanting Walter White to die or the Byrdes to get locked up but within a show, they’ve done honestly nothing wrong. I feel like shows help you see things from a perspective completely outside of your own and seeing things from Walter White or The Byrdes, I understand why they did what they did completely. If people want to watch criminals face consequences all day, just watch Law & Order or Blue Bloods lol.
You’re reading my mind man! Just because something is easier to digest doesn’t mean that it’s better. The show always (through both the airy, elevated cliffs of the Ozarks , and the leverage the characters have) had this sense of suspension to me. And I think this “plot armour” idea-that the Byrdes unrealistically survived- is kind of the point. Not through muscle, strength or intimidation did they survive, but through premeditated calculation and patience. And through this, they get more power. Now instead of using this power for money, or self-assertion, they used it for leverage against the Cartel. They started off as a family who was grasping on to something to survive with, and ended up using the same tactic to earn themselves more power to gain this plot armour. They do have plot armour, but not because they were born into the knighthood. They have it because they assassinated the damn monarch and suited up themselves. Most shows believe in this sense of karma, that bad characters get what they deserve. Truth is, most people don’t. Because some people got leverage.
I feel like the revelation of Javis death being Ruth and the Byrds being aware should've changed the outcome for Navarro. His sister should've changed path when She learned the truth. And we should've seen Navarros revenge.
Ozark started out as being a great show but as the seasons dragged on and on and on I really started losing interest. At the end I even got more and more annoyed with Wendy's character. This show never got close to the plottwists, the storyline and the absolute brilliance of Braking Bad.
Agreed BB flowed so well got more intense with every season …ozark felt stagnant…and Wendy was very annoying