'Ozark' Season 3 Episode 7 Review: Will Ruth ever avenge her dad's death and punish the Byrdes?
Spoilers for 'Ozark' Season 3 Episode 7 'In Case of Emergency'
Excuse the mess, this is just the Byrdes living their normal life. After a major blunder, the seventh episode of 'Ozark' titled 'In Case of Emergency' has a staggering start. Tensions flare and it's clear there's more trouble in the offing.
Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) is taken into questioning while Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer) sits by her side. "I barely knew those guys..." she starts. The FBI also quizzes her about the animosity with Frank Cosgrove Jr. (Joseph Sikora). They have proof that the KC Mob moves cartel money for the Byrde enterprises. As usual, Ruth is ruthless with them but how long can she keep her lips zipped?
Agent Trevor Evans (McKinley Belcher III) is not one to let go so easily. "A daughter who doesn't want to know who killed her father... That strikes me as odd," he mulls over. Rubbing salt into her wounds, he says, "This is the cost of loyalty to Marty Byrde." Will Ruth ever know and what will she do when she knows?
Ruth Langmore: From ruthlessness to rumination
While all that is happening, Ben Davis (Tom Pelphrey) is really concerned. Of course, he is having an affair with Ruth but it comes as a surprise when he actually sticks by her side. Once released from the FBI's clutches, she confronts him about his bipolar condition. He comes clean and assures her he won't leave her side. Of course, it is heartening to see the two, but for how long?
The hostility with Frank Jr. takes a new turn when he gets Ruth beaten up black and blue. In the hospital, Wendy (Laura Linney) and Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) come to see her. That's when the biggest secrets are spilled. She raises a question to Marty. "I'm untouchable, that's what you told me," and demands Frank Jr. to be killed. When Marty refuses, she brings out her big guns and confronts Wendy. "You killed my dad." Shocked to hear that, she is quick to defend herself, "He did nothing but hurt you your entire life."
It, however, gets a little tiring to see a girl, who has been undeterred and strong in every difficult time, weeping about it. Yes, she needs to process her emotions, but we hope she does it before others get ahead in the game.
Therapy time: Is that Sue's last patient?
Sue Shelby (Marylouise Burke) has a new visitor. While Helen comes to see her first, she has a new patient in Nelson (Nelson Bonilla). He first talks about a stray dog and pretends to lay bare his emotions. But his real intentions soon come into play. There's a murder in the house and Sue is dead. Nelson then hacks into her computer and steals all the proof of the Byrde couple's therapy session. What's shocking is how Helen is a major part of the plan as they toss the therapist's body. Only time will tell if Marty can get behind their real motive.
Darlene and Wyatt: The confession hour
The episode brings one too many shocking twists and turns. But the biggest shock is when Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) confronts Wyatt Langmore (Charlie Tahan) about his complex relationship with Ruth. He divulges how she killed his father and Uncle Boyd. That's when Darlene shows him his true colors.
Blaming it on Marty, Darlene makes Wyatt believe that people change in his company. And it is then that she tells him how she killed her husband. Cunning and cold-blooded, she makes him shiver to the core. Of course, she has his back for now, but who knows what's in the future for the two.
One of the season's best, the gritty 'Ozark' episode ends with a much-anticipated reunion between Wyatt and Ruth. "I don't know who you are when you are with them," he tells her, hinting at her close liaison with the Byrdes. When Ruth tries to tell him she hasn't changed, Wyatt doesn't agree. He then says that he wants to forgive her but isn't there yet.
With all the ups and downs in the character trajectories, only time will tell if Ruth will accept the truth or take revenge from the Byrdes.