‘Ozark’ Season 1 Episode 5 Recap: “Ruling Days”

By
Alison Helms
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Ozark Season 1 Episode 5
Laura Linney and Jason Bateman in ‘Ozark’ season 1 episode 5 (Photo by Tina Rowden/Netflix)

Netflix’s Ozark season one episode five starts with an armed robber at a convenience store. A man who walked in during the robbery tries to talk the guy down, telling him he has a second chance but if he commits murder, he’ll go away for a long time. The robber doesn’t listen and shoots the guy. As the man lays there on the floor suffering from a gunshot wound, the image pans to the present day. That same man is floating in water and it’s revealed he’s Pastor Mason Young (Michael Mosley).

Bobby Dean’s body is found in the lake on Marty’s new property. It’s no surprise his body was dumped there and Marty (Jason Bateman) knows it. After Sheriff Nix (Robert C. Treveiler) shows up and finds out Marty recently bought the Lickety Splitz strip club, he begins to question if Marty had anything to do with Bobby’s death.

Marty’s driving when a man steps out into the middle of the road stopping him. Jacob Snell (Peter Mullan) introduces himself, telling Marty he and Bobby Dean had a business deal going on through the strip club. He’d like to continue that deal with Marty. Knowing that’s never going to happen, Marty informs Jacob his employer won’t allow it.

Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) meets a guy trying to help her while she carries stuff into the Blue Cat Lodge. He asks her to go to a party at the cove. She declines.

Ruth (Julia Garner) tells Marty everyone thinks he killed Bobby Dean. He asks her to oversee the strip club for a while because he needs to be at the Blue Cat for the holiday weekend.

Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) gets caught in the old man’s basement and asks if the lake’s dangerous. Buddy (Harris Yulin) wonders if he’s questioning the lake’s safety because of the body that was found. Buddy then takes Jonah shooting after Jonah tells him his parents don’t like guns. He asks Jonah why they moved there and Jonah explains they moved there for work. Buddy reveals he’s lived there for 30 years and everyone who’s moved here’s running from something. Jonah asks what he’s running from. Buddy doesn’t answer and continues to show him how to shoot.

Charlotte spots Wyatt (Charlie Tahan) at Blue Cat’s dock. She apologizes for the dead animal her mom threw at him. He in turn apologizes for the incident when they first met.

Rachel (Jordana Spiro) tells Marty he’s not good for business since the locals think he killed Bobby Dean. She believes he shouldn’t hang around the Blue Cat. When he asks her what she knows about Jacob Snell, Rachel says he lives on a farm and no one really knows what’s going on there.

Speak of the devil… Jacob and his wife, Darlene (Lisa Emery), walk through their property discussing Marty. Darlene tells Ash (Michael Tourek), one of their enforcers, “Now you know what you have to do for us about Mr. Byrde.” He replies, “Yes ma’am.”

As Ash walks away the camera pans to a field of opium.

Wendy comes home to find Gary’s son, Josh Silverberg (Ben Rappaport), at her house to ask questions about his dad’s death. He doesn’t believe his dad killed himself. Apparently, Gary was the happiest he’s ever been just 10 days before his death. Wendy insinuates it might have to do with her breaking things off between them.

Marty heads to the bar and Rachel’s there with a man. Marty and Rachel discuss whether the rain’s going to mess up the 4th of July weekend and he confides in Rachel that things are complicated at his house. “My wife is talking to her dead lover’s son right now,” says Marty.

Ruth hires new dancers for the strip club which pisses off the old strippers. They confront her and one brings up Ruth’s dad. Not a smart move at all as Ruth ends up beating her up.

Marty comes home and asks Wendy what Gary’s son knows. She explains he doesn’t believe his dad committed suicide and he’s talking to the police. She says he asked if she loved his dad and she said she didn’t. Marty asks her if that’s the truth. She replies yes.

Agent Roy Petty (Jason Butler Harner) is out jogging when Russ (Marc Menchaca) pulls over in his truck. Russ says he’s had second thoughts about hanging out together and agrees to continue fishing with him.

Marty brings his bill of sale to Sheriff Nix and the sheriff reveals he talked to the police in Chicago. “It seems your business partner and his girlfriend disappeared just before you moved to my little jurisdictional paradise here,” says Nix.

Nix warns Marty that whatever he’s up to here has to stop. He informs the Byrdes that Bobby died of an overdose. Wendy questions it. He tells her it’s better for everyone if they call it an overdose.

Petty and Russ go fishing and after loading up in Russ’s truck, Petty tries to kiss Russ. Russ hits him and orders him out of his truck.

Marty and Wendy continue to try and figure out how to make money. Wendy’s trying to get her husband into construction believing he’ll be able to move cash that way. Marty’s okay with that suggestion and they pay a visit to Pastor Mason, offering to build him a church. He declines saying he already has a church. One thing we know about the Byrdes is they don’t take no for an answer. Wendy proceeds to tell them a story from her childhood to try to get him to change his mind. Wendy asks Mason how he knew this was his calling. He tells them something happened in his life that led him to this path.

Jonah’s walking around in the woods with a gun. We can assume he’s not supposed to have it because he buries the gun in the woods.

Russ goes to see Petty at his motel. He tells him he’s not gay and it’s unclear who he’s trying to convince of that: Petty or himself. Right after making that declaration, Russ kisses Petty.

Charlotte goes on a date with Wyatt and Wendy’s not in the least bit happy about this pairing. Charlotte throws in her mom’s face that she tossed a dead animal at Wyatt. Wendy reluctantly lets her go.

Marty returns to the strip club and the place is packed. Ruth fills him in on the news the club has made $80,000. He wants her to keep the club and he’ll run the books. He’ll pay her $1,000 a week. Ruth gladly accepts.

Charlotte and Wyatt talk about books while sitting on top of his trailer.

Ash breaks into the Byrdes’ house while Wendy and Marty are out. Jonah hears someone walking around the house and sneaks into the woods, retrieving the gun he hid earlier. Ash begins to take pictures of the inside of the house. When Jonah comes back, Ash hears him and takes out his knife.

Marty goes to his storage unit where he’s keeping all the money. Ruth follows him and watches as he transfers the money from the strip club to storage. Marty then returns home to pick Jonah up to celebrate the 4th of July. Before leaving, Jonah hides the gun in the house.

Russ and Roy are lying in bed together talking when Russ warns him, “You tell anyone I’ll kill you.”

Jacob’s moving drugs in Bibles on the water, under the impression the cops can’t touch them on the lake. Pastor Mason has no clue what’s going on right under his nose; he thinks Ash is there just to hand out Bibles to the people in boats gathered for his sermons. Pastor Mason announces they’ll have a new home to hold his congregation on land. Mason lets all the people on the water know that it’s Marty and Wendy who are giving them a church. Ash is there to hear this news firsthand.




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