'Ozark' Season 3 Episode 9 Review: Was Wendy's decision right and will the realization change her for life?
Spoilers for 'Ozark' Season 3 Episode 9 'Fire Pink'
If murderous motives and butchered body parts were not enough to let 'Ozark' take a toll on your mind, the second last episode of the gritty thriller will make you question your entire life. After the cliffhanger at the end of the last episode, it was clear that Ben Davis (Tom Pelphrey) will only make the Byrdes' lives hell.
As 'Fire Pink' begins, it is no surprise that Ben's irrational action puts all of their lives into a state of panic. And Ben seems to be scared. In a revealing monologue, he says, "I have that feeling when you just quit the job. The good part of your life is over." His frenzied confrontation with Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer) and her daughter Erin (Madison Thompson) sends the Byrdes into crisis mode.
When Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) tries to defend him, Marty says they need to send him away as he knows everything that we do. Ben comes into the midst of the argument and Ruth gets a shotgun and tells him to get into the car. Things seem pretty chaotic and messed up. Wendy and Marty are worried. Erin goes to Charlotte and Jonah to ask if it is true that they operate a money laundering business.
Darlene and Wyatt's safe haven
To get Ben out of everyone's eyes, Ruth takes Ben to Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) and Wyatt Langmore's (Charlie Tahan) safe haven. The scene where Ruth puts Ben in his place and says, "You will leave the f**king country if I tell you to leave the f**king country, okay?" is just brilliant and brings out Garner's astounding performance. With Ruth's growing closeness to Darlene, another question that buzzes in mind is whether she will team up with her to go against the Byrdes?
When Ben goes inside, in a confrontation with Wyatt, Ruth says, "I never said I was in love with him." They laugh. Grateful for whatever he has done for her, she asks if it is okay they are there and Wyatt assures Darlene likes her. "Why?" she asks, and pat comes the reply, "Because I liked you." At least, Ruth and Wyatt's cold war is over. Later, in a trick question to Ben, Wyatt asks what he feels about Ruth and he says: "I love her. There's nobody quite like her."
Can Helen kill Ben?
Helen comes to Wendy to threaten her for Ben's life. While Wendy assures her she will make sure Ben leaves the country, Helen is hellbent on getting him killed. Everything is pretty screwed up already as Erin threatens to leave her house. Wendy has made up her mind: Helen will go to Navarro for this.
While Ben goes missing and is nowhere to be found, a frustrated Helen complains to Marty how Erin will not shut up. She will reveal the truth of being involved in a money-laundering business to all her family members. That's when she warns, "Ben has to die because Erin is not the last person he will tell." Will she kill Ben or will Wendy protect him and keep him safe?
Wendy and Ben: A childhood connection
Wendy drives Ben someplace safe. No matter how pissed she is at him, the two share delightful childhood memories on the way. In the car, after a heartwarming conversation between the brother-sister duo, Wendy looks at him with a sisterly charm as he sobs uncontrollably and tells him: "You can't f**k with the children of powerful people." The two sleep in the car. The next morning, there's a tap at the window and they open to see an officer blocking their way. With her clever tricks, Wendy saves the day.
Even after Wendy keeps Ben away, he doesn't stop making silly mistakes. When Wendy notices him talking to Helen, she smashes his phone into smithereens. Stressed and tired of his dumb antics, she yells at him: "If she doesn't get what she wants, she will kill my kids." Why is it so difficult for Ben to understand what Wendy is doing? Why is he so stupid.
Anxious, she calls Marty but doesn't know how to seek his help. To reassure her, he whispers that he loves her. Wendy disconnects the call and looks at her brother. He slaps himself continuously and Wendy feels helpless — like she's stuck in a no man's land, from where there's no coming back.
Wendy's realization: 'What are we doing?'
The two go out for dinner and there, Ben tells Wendy, "Pancakes for dinner reminds me of that house on Fire Pink Road." They share a delightful conversation, remembering good old times but something is wrong with her. Overly exhausted and broken inside, she steps outside and drives away alone, leaving him stranded at the restaurant. On her way, she wails loudly and on a phone call with Marty, she questions all her life decisions. "What are we doing?" she continuously repeats. Ben comes out of the restaurant to see her sister vanished.
The ending makes one wonder: all the decisions we take, what comes of it? If we can't even care for our loved ones and keep them safe, why are we doing what we do? The end is near and with the last episode of 'Ozark', it will be seen who wins the dark, dreary battle of power.