'Ozark' Season 3 Ending Explained: Why was [spoiler] killed and what's Marty and Wendy's future in Season 4?

Spoilers ahead for Episode 10 of ‘Ozark’ Season 3. 

‘Ozark’ Season 3 which begins with a promising future for the Byrdes sees them deeply entangled in uncertainty towards the end. The battle for power claims the lives of the loved ones, but the greed to stay in the game propels them to go walk into the lion's den. 

‘Ozark’ follows the Byrde household who flee Chicago after a money-laundering scheme of Marty Byrde's (Jason Bateman) goes terribly wrong and start a new life in Ozarks. However, the family gets involved with the local criminals and Mexican drug cartels as they navigate their lives in the new town. The latest installment ends with a shocking cliffhanger and if you’re facing difficulty in comprehending it, here’s everything you need to know about ‘Ozark’ Season 3 ending. 

Following Ben Davis’s (Tom Pelphrey) episode, which further fuels Wendy Byrde’s (Laura Linney) hatred for the Byrde family, she approaches Omar Navarro (Felix Solis) with a proposition. Calling out Marty and Wendy for their erratic involvement in the interest of the cartel, Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer) tells Navarro that she wants to take control of Byrde enterprise.

Meanwhile, Wendy on learning about Helen’s intentions plans a countermove and strikes a deal with Navarro. The Byrdes offer to help the cartel by ending the ongoing war if Helen chooses to oust herself from the enterprise. 

Little did they know Navarro had laid more trust in the Byrdes than his attorney who remained loyal to him even when faced with death. Navarro, who deals with all his businesses in his “own ways” gets Helen shot in the head as he seals a deal with the Byrdes marking a new beginning. 

Undeniably, season 3 of Ozark ended with the majority of cliffhangers. Nearly every character in the series saw a development, thus making for an exceptional story arc. However, ‘Ozark’ Season 3 teases numerous possibilities before concluding and we just can’t stop racking our brains as to what the future would look like for the Byrdes, the cartel and the Langmores who have now joined forces with Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery). 

Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner), devastated from Ben’s loss, cuts ties with Marty and Wendy. Meanwhile, Darlene welcomes her with open arms as she plans on building an army with people of her kind. Both Darlene and Ruth have had their share of experience in the world of drugs and gambling. The new association sparks enough interest to look forward to the next season. But, how could we not address the bigger picture of the two most powerful women joining their hands? Besides competing with the drug cartel, Ruth and Darlene also need to learn to embrace each other’s flaws in order to be able to co-exist. It remains to be seen how this aspect is going to treat Darlene or Ruth. 
 
Meanwhile, Jonah Byrde (Skylar Gaertner) is living with the impression that his mother took her own brother’s life, as told by Helen to turn him against Wendy. He made it clear to his parents that he hates them and their ways. For a boy who is way ahead of his age, the realization has struck that there’s no end to his power-hungry mother and highly manipulative father. 

Does that mean he will walk his own path owing to the impact Ben’s death has had on him? Or will he accept his life for what it is and start working for their parents; perhaps replace Ruth?

‘Ozark’ Season 3 is available to stream on Netflix.