This recap of Netflix’s Ozark Season 4, Episode 8, “Death’s Cousin,” contains spoilers.

Read the recap of the previous episode.

Forget how this series will end. We all had a question when Netflix tortured audiences with the mid-season finale. Will Ruth kill Javi? It was such a painful cliffhanger, ending with a terrific performance from Julia Garner, who provided many award-winning scenes in this series alone. Watching Ruth’s world crumble before her was heartbreaking. We come to the start of ozark season 4, part 2, and this episode is another terrific entry into the series.

ozark summary of season 4, episode 8

Episode 8 begins with Ruth behind the wheel, tears streaming down her cheeks as she recalls a moment she had with Wyatt, who is now dead due to Javi’s brutal violence. She is enraged and in a state where she feels stuck with her emotions, not knowing what to do.

While Ruth gathers, Javi calls Marty and tells him to “clean up”, i.e. get rid of Wyatt and Darlene’s bodies. Wendy doesn’t understand why Marty didn’t tell Javi that Ruth wanted to kill him. She worries about the safety of her family, her influence on the FBI and the foundation. Marty thinks Wendy is emotional and doesn’t think Javi is going to die. Wendy raises a key point: Marty doesn’t understand the “will of the people.” Wendy’s point is at a significant narrative turning point; it feels like she’s outgrown her husband in many ways – morally corrupt, but understanding how feelings won’t help their difficulties.

Ruth asks Charlotte and Jonah where Javi is. Jonah and Charlotte aren’t sure what to do, knowing there’s a lot at stake for the family, but Charlotte reveals that Javi is meeting Clare at Shaw Medical in Chicago the next day. Afterwards, Wendy tells Ruth that they won’t get in her way because “they owe her” – she lies to Ruth, claiming that Javi is in Mexico, but he’s all hers once he gets back. Ruth asks Wendy to promise her that she has a clear route to Javi, but she doesn’t buy the premise. Ruth plays with Wendy and Marty – in the past, she would have fallen for their lyrics, and she still acts like herself naïve. Meanwhile, Marty tells Javi that the Snell Farm is crawling with cops. Javi tells Marty to go to Chicago and bring his uncle’s children’s finances.

Ruth does not star in Episode 8. She travels to Chicago and hides outside the Shaw Medical office building. Trois Langmore calls Ruth, trying to get her home, but it seems her mind is already set. She calls Clare Shaw’s office pretending to be Wendy so she can get the meeting time.

And the meeting between Clare, Marty, Wendy and Javi takes place in episode 8. Javi wants stock options under his mother’s name at Shaw Medical as part of the negotiation. Clare rejects this idea, believing that the stock options would show that they are dealing with the cartel. Javi then puts his uncle’s children’s finances under his mother’s name, which surprises Marty.

Javi leaves the office building and a hooded Ruth follows him. She ends up freezing and meets Marty’s gaze from across the street. Ruth is mad at herself, but Marty calls Ruth and tells her she’s a good person who doesn’t want to die. He tells her to go home. Ruth finds herself in a daze and watches Marty and Wendy across the road. She calls Wyatt’s voicemail inbox and states that the Byrde family is building a new life with businesses and meeting important businessmen. She imagines herself killing Marty and Wendy, which sounds like a foreshadowing.

Ruth decides to surprise her acquaintances by sitting down at the table with Clare Shaw, Marty and Wendy. She demands that they go to Clare’s office. She is angry that Wendy lied about Javi’s whereabouts. She threatens to shoot Clare in the head if they don’t go to her office. When they get to the office, Ruth tells them to call Javi. Marty tells Ruth that they are putting their whole lives in danger, but Wendy explains how much Ruth doesn’t care. But Marty begs her again, claiming that he knows her, but his words no longer have the same effect on her. His world collapsed. This is a new Ruth created by a series of events that fully formed when Wyatt was killed. Ruth tells Clare that business with Marty and Wendy means her world will fall apart because they will make you feel like they care. She calls Wendy “soulless” and that Marty pretends to care. She lists the pain they caused in a brilliant monologue – another round of applause for Julia Garner.

The end

The end of episode 8 is chilling. We recognized at the start of this series Marty’s transformation and then Wendy’s upgrade over the past few seasons. Ruth has reached a definite point in her character development. A monster made by the people who always claimed to care about her. This is why character development in television is essential. When it pays, you get episodes like this.

As the episode nears the end, Wendy is tired of going back and forth with Ruth, so she calls Javi, claiming that Clare has agreed to give her the stock options.

Javi arrives at Clare’s office, and as he introduces himself, Ruth doesn’t hesitate. She pulls the trigger several times to kill Javi. And then, Ruth looks coldly at Marty and Wendy before walking away. The camera follows her out of the building, entering the parking lot. His world has no light. Only darkness. A young woman once filled with hope. As she gets into her car, she sobs. Killing Javi doesn’t take away the pain. This does not prevent the need to cry. She briefly remembers the peaceful silence of the Ozarks before driving off again, pulsing with hip hop, holding her tear-soaked face tight.

Season 4 Episode 8 is a memorable entry for Ozark. He is ruthless and true to his character development.

What did you think of Season 4, Episode 8 of Netflix’s Ozark? Comments below.

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