‘Ozark’ Season 1 Episode 8 Recap: “Kaleidoscope”

By
Alison Helms
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Ozark Season 1 Episode 8
Josh Randall, Esai Morales, and Jason Bateman in ‘Ozark’ season 1 episode 8 (Photo by Jackson Davis/Netflix)

Netflix’s Ozark season one episode eight takes us back in time to 2007. The timeline for this episode jumps around, but it’s all in 2007 where it seems the money laundering started.

The episode begins with Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy (Laura Linney) involved in a car accident. The scene switches to Del (Esai Morales) in Chicago meeting with several different investment firms. While meeting with Bruce and Marty, Del takes notice that Bruce does all the talking. He cuts Bruce off and asks Marty to look at his numbers. After Marty informs him it’ll take a while, Del says he’ll wait.

Wendy tries to get back in the political world and is being interviewed by someone not only much younger than her but who also seems to not want to hire her at all. He hints that it has to do with her not working recently due to being a mother.

Agent Roy Petty meets with Louis Zehner (Ivan Martin) at the park. Petty wants Louis to work with the FBI against Del. Petty shows him some papers and it appears he has incriminating evidence on Louis.

Del, Marty, Bruce, and Louis go golfing. Louis is trying to talk business with Del when Del shuts him down and tells him, “Just golf.” Del seems to prefer Marty over Bruce; all Bruce does is talk.

Roy goess out to eat with his mother, Barb, who seems to be edgy about something. Roy asks his mom how her job’s going and learns she’s been fired. He points out this is the second job she’s been through in a month.

Roy’s boyfriend, Scotty (Dennis Flanagan), joins them for lunch and when Roy’s mom excuses herself, Scotty asks Roy if everything is all right with his mom. He points out she seems a little off. Roy gets defensive about it and asks Scotty to elaborate on what he means by “a little off.” He suggests she might be on something, maybe pills. Roy adamantly denies it.

The episode jumps back to Marty and Bruce at the hospital talking in the cafeteria immediately after the car accident. Bruce tries to lighten the mood with jokes. He then changes his tune and lets Marty know he’s there for him, anything he needs. Bruce reminds Marty not to blame himself; it wasn’t his fault.

Marty comes home to find the front door open, an overturned dining room chair, and water running in the kitchen sink. After locating the kids outside he asks them where their mom is and they respond with, “I don’t know.” After telling the kids to go inside he says he’s going to go upstairs to check on mommy. He finds Wendy in bed, crying. Marty brings up the kids being alone and she gets upset, saying it has only been five minutes. Marty asks what he can do to help make her feel better. She rolls over away from him and replies, “Nothing.”

The timeline jumps again. Marty and Wendy visit Del’s house, and Wendy and Del’s wife seem to be hitting it off. Bruce is there as well when Louis walks in to join them for dinner. After Marty introduces himself to Louis, Marty asks him, “Didn’t I see you at the Finance and Credit conference a few weeks ago?” Louis denies he was there.

Del’s wife asks Wendy to go to the street fair with her in the morning and Wendy gladly accepts. Del thinks that’s a good idea and suggests the fellas go golfing while the women are out.

Marty pours over Del’s financial statements with him and discovers they’re off. He believes half of the accounts are completely made up. Marty asks if it was a setup for a potential money manager to catch or if someone is skimming off those accounts. Del asks Marty if he’d like to work together. Bruce jumps in answering, “Yeah, I think…,” but Del abruptly cuts him off. “I was asking Mr. Byrde,” says Del.

Marty declines, stating his client list is full. Del offers a stay at a resort for the work Marty put into going over his financials. Marty declines that as well. After Del leaves, Bruce asks Marty if he has any idea what he just turned down. Marty suspects there’s more to what Del does for a living.

Roy and his boyfriend, Scotty, visit Roy’s mother and help her with a table she plans on selling. She informs Roy she needs the money. He confronts her asking if she gave money to his uncle again. The subject’s changed when she spots the fishing gear in the back of his vehicle. Roy and Scotty are planning on going on a fishing trip. Barb says she forgot something in the house and goes up the front steps where she falls and hurts her leg.

Once again the scene switches to the hospital. Wendy’s in a hospital bed crying and Marty begins to hold her.

The timeline jumps to Marty and Wendy asleep in bed when the hotel phone rings and it’s Del. He wants Marty to meet him downstairs in the lounge. Marty suspects the celebratory drink is more than about their golf win as partners earlier in the day and he gets straight to the point and tells Del just that. Del changes the subject and reveals Wendy told his wife about the car accident. Del confesses they went through something similar. He quickly changes the subject again and says, “I need you to work for me.” Marty corrects him and adds, “To clean your money.”

Del explains his boss wants him to find a pristine money guy. Marty asks Del who his boss is and Del replies, “You have a pretty good idea, I’m sure.” Marty’s having a hard time saying yes to something unethical and believes Wendy would never go for it.

Roy informs his boss about Louis and the illegal activities he’s up to. The boss seems uninterested in going after local drug dealers. However, Roy believes Louis is their way to the kingpin. His boss still shoots him down.

While Roy and Scotty are relaxing in bed talking about Roy’s job, his mother pops her head in and asks about her prescription. After she walks away, Scotty takes that opportunity to suggest maybe it’s not just work that’s stressing him out. Roy gets defensive and asks Scotty if he’s mad his mother’s still there. Scotty replies no. Roy admits he’s just frustrated because this is not how he pictured working for the FBI.

Roy gives his mom a ride to a shady neighborhood. After seeing who opens the door, he decides to go check out what’s going on. His mom’s caught shooting up heroin. Roy loses his temper and beats up the dealer. His mom freaks out and screams at Roy to stay away from her.

After Marty puts Charlotte to bed, he finds Wendy on the porch. She assures Marty she’s getting better and she knows she’s been distant from him and the kids. She explains she can’t shake this feeling. She randomly tells Marty she used to break into houses as a kid, not to steal anything but because it felt liberating. She confesses nowadays she feels like a fraud and she can’t take care of the kids like she used to. Marty offers to take her on a vacation and she reminds him they can’t afford it. He reveals he has as a potential client who offered them a free stay at a resort. He tells Wendy why this guy isn’t his actual client and that he has a feeling he’s in the mob or something.

Rewinding the timeline, again, Bruce asks Louis what he does for Del while they’re golfing. Louis nonchalantly replies, “Put the money through the f**king washer.”

Bruce and Marty are talking when Bruce tells him, “Remind me to not doubt your instincts again.” He’s referring to Del, but Marty lets Bruce know he’s seriously considering taking him on as a client. Bruce says Wendy will never go for it.

We then see Roy’s mother being released from the hospital with a cast on her leg. Roy and Scotty set her up at their place. She insists she doesn’t want the pain medication from the doctors.

Now the true bombshell of it all arrives. Up until this episode, we assumed it was Bruce who made the deal to work with Del when, in fact, it was Marty.

Marty returns to the resort and informs Wendy that Del does exactly what he suspected he does and offered him a job. Wendy tells Marty he can’t do it and Marty admits he knows he can’t and shouldn’t – but he wants to. Wendy suggests they talk it out, listing the pros and cons. He immediately brings up the money and never having to worry about it again. Cons, possibly going to jail. She asks what Bruce thinks and he says Bruce counted on her shutting it down.

Wendy starts to really think about Marty saying yes to working for Del. She tells Marty she’s good with it if he is.

Roy’s mother seems to be in extreme pain and he attempts to convince her to take the pain pills the doctor prescribed. She finally agrees to take them.

Wendy’s at home in the bathroom taking a pregnancy test that comes back positive. The next scene comes back full circle to when they’re driving the car at the beginning of the episode. She and Marty talk about her being pregnant and how she didn’t think it was possible to get pregnant now. Wendy goes on to discuss finances and how it could be tough. (This conversation takes place before Del offered the job). A man who’s messing with his cigarette lighter not paying attention hits the Byrdes.

Back at the golf course’s lounge, Marty informs Del they’re in. Del thinks they should celebrate and then delivers the news to Louis his services aren’t needed anymore. Marty, panicked, says he didn’t know he was taking his job. Del enlightens Marty and Bruce that Louis is a cheat. “He cheats on his wife and in business. He cheats in golf,” says Del.

Del continues with the revelations, letting Louis know it’s been clear to him that he’s been working with the Feds. He also offers up that he knows he has been skimming money from him. Del’s enforcers kill Louis on the spot and then proceed to cut out his eyes.

After many different timeline jumps, all in 2007, the episode ends with Marty and Wendy returning home from the resort to their children.




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