‘Ozark’ Season 3 Episode 3 Recap: “Kevin Cronin Was Here”

By
Alison Helms
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Ozark Season 3 Episode 3
Jason Bateman and Laura Linney in ‘Ozark’ season 3 episode 3 (Photo by Steve Dietl/Netflix)

We slip into Netflix’s Ozark season three episode three with a scene of Wendy (Laura Linney) playing fetch with a dog while REO Speedwagon plays in the background. She’s suddenly driving singing happily to REO Speedwagon when she pulls over and takes a dead dog out of her trunk. Marty (Jason Bateman) pulls up and calls her name. When he questions what she’s doing, she shoots him. She wakes and realizes it’s a dream/nightmare.

While Marty and Wendy are getting ready the next morning, he asks if she needs help talking to the cartel about the new casino. Wendy declines, informing him Helen’s going with her. She thinks he can help her out by dealing with the REO Speedwagon person instead. Marty changes the subject and reveals she yelled “I can’t!” in her sleep last night. She says, “Hmmm,” and walks away.

Wendy and Helen (Janet McTeer) are driving and it seems Helen is up to something. Wendy’s asking her how her ex is doing, and Helen changes the subject asking how things are going with her and Marty. Wendy admits they’re a little disconnected at the moment. Helen tells her the same thing happened to her and her ex when she started to eclipse him professionally. Wendy denies she’s eclipsing Marty. Helen insists she is. Wendy reminds her they can’t do any of this without him.

Wendy and Helen are addressing the employees of the casino they purchased when Carl and Anita arrive. Anita’s pissed and demands to know what the hell they’re doing. They reveal they have plans to shut it down. Helen informs them they reneged on giving them the hotel with the casino, so Carl and Anita won’t make money without a casino. Anita reminds them they’ll lose a fortune as well. Wendy, with her condescending smile, says, “Hmm, we can afford that.” Not finished yet, she smugly adds, “We are bigger than you are and we are meaner. And we do not lose.”

Anita still refuses to sell them the hotel.

Marty’s in the office at the casino when a very pregnant FBI agent comes in and introduces herself as Agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes). She asks for a tour of the casino and while he’s showing her around, she explains what will be happening for full transparency. She has a team of forensic accountants at the tables counting chips and they’ll be checking them with his receipts as well as checking his cash boxes. She warns him if she leaves and there’s a sudden jump in revenue, she’ll come back with a new warrant and they’ll start this dance all over again.

Marty finds Ruth (Julia Garner) to tell her he doesn’t know how they’re going to move money with the FBI agent there. Ruth, still mad, asks if that’s why he called her up there. Stammering a bit, he begins to apologize for yelling at her for helping Wendy. Ruth being Ruth responds, “No sh*t.”

He asks her to start moving money into the new casino. Ruth seems confused because Wendy said the new casino is supposed to be clean. He acknowledges he knows this, but it has to happen. Ruth, wanting to get things straight, asks, “You’re asking me to not tell your wife?” Marty replies, “In a nutshell.”

Their conversation is cut short by Ben (Tom Pelphrey) and Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) asking for the boat keys. Ben takes the opportunity to try and ask Ruth out. Ruth wonders if he’s joking with her and Marty cuts them off by telling Ben and Jonah to have a good time and be safe. After they walk away, Ruth says to Marty, “He’s f*ckin weird.” Marty simply replies, “Yes, he is.”

Back to his question for Ruth, he asks if she could move $250,000. She says she can with the help of five or six guys.

Marty’s walking around the casino watching the FBI agents when he gets a call from Ruth sarcastically telling him he did a great job communicating with his wife…she closed the casino. He’s clearly in the dark and asks what she means. She reveals it’s closed and locked up. Just then the manager for REO Speedwagon shows up to talk to Marty and he has to end his call with Ruth. But before ending the call Ruth tells Marty to get his sh*t together.

Frank Cosgrove shows up to talk to Marty at the office and Wendy is the only one there. Charlotte’s standing there when Frank attempts to discreetly tell Wendy his guys were supposed to start work on the newly purchased casino, but it was shut down. Now it’s Wendy’s turn not to be in the loop. Clearly, she has no clue what he’s talking about. Again, trying to be discreet while Charlotte is standing there, he informs Wendy they didn’t do what they did out of charity. Finally, he asks Charlotte to fetch him a cup of coffee.

After she leaves, Frank asks Wendy why he gets the idea she has no clue what he’s talking about. She confesses she doesn’t know, so he suggests she better talk to her husband about it. After assuring him she will, Wendy pulls out the checkbook to pay him. As she writes the check, she questions how he knew the casino was closed. He says the blonde (meaning Ruth) and his guys were supposed to be moving money over there. Wendy tells Frank from now on he’ll be dealing with her on this and not Marty. “I don’t care. As long as the checks clear,” he says before walking out.

Marty and Wendy participate in another session with their therapist and Marty claims he’s trying to help out. Wendy, without the least hint she realizes she’s being ironic, says, “No, you’re going behind my back.” She reveals she had an interesting conversation with Frank. She continues with how he went behind her back – unaware or unwilling to address the irony of the situation.

Marty insists he’s trying to protect his family after he begged and pleaded with her not to go ahead with the new casino. Wendy, really showing her true colors, says she’s tired of that excuse. Marty begins to let her have it. “I’m asking you for f*cking help on a problem that you created and you’re not helping,” he yells.

Sue (Marylouise Burke) the therapist jumps in and asks Marty what it would look like if he didn’t interfere with Wendy’s project. Marty, giving it to her straight, says, “I think that would look like death.” Sue, obviously not aware of what they are fighting about, asks what it would really look like. Marty, with a straight face, replies, “Really death.”

Sue’s apparently taking his request from when he asked her to go a little harder on him seriously, just so Wendy doesn’t get suspicious that he’s bribing their therapist. She begins to explain Wendy’s a strong woman and he should respect that, trust her, and not stifle her.

After the session ends, Marty returns and demands to know what the hell that was about. Sue informs him he was the one who told her to let Wendy win a couple. He claims he meant small things and as he’s taking his money out to pay her, she confesses she thought Wendy was right. Marty replies, “I don’t give a f*ck.” Sue points out that he’s yelling at her and he lets her know it’s because he’s angry.

Back home, the Byrdes plus Ben sit down for dinner and Marty and Wendy are clearly mad and not speaking to each other. Ben attempts to get a conversation going by asking what everyone did that day. No one answers so he goes on about his day with Jonah.

Wendy excuses herself when her phone rings and it’s Navarro. He starts off with polite conversation, asking if they’re having dinner. She changes the subject, informing him they’re awfully close to getting the hotel. Navarro lets her know his girlfriend just had their baby. He wants for him what he wants for all his kids and he needs to know how he’ll get that if she shuts down his new casino. She informs him she has a plan. “Your plan is bleeding my money every day,” says Navarro.

Wendy reminds him he’s trusted her so far. He counters with he doesn’t trust her, he trusts his opinion about her. He says the next time they talk he wants her to tell him she closed the deal and if she can’t get it with reason, she has to get it with force.

Wendy and Marty visit the diner and Wendy informs her hubby there’s half a million dollars on the floor and it is his if he leaves town. The whole scene is the same as the one with her and Cade Langmore, down to the words being exchanged, except Marty asks her to come with him. She tells him she can’t and Marty takes the money and walks away. Wendy suddenly wakes up saying, “I can’t.”

Marty has a meeting with Helen and attempts to convince her they need to move the money in the new casino. Helen isn’t budging and says Marty must find a different way because her client wants this new casino clean. Marty suddenly asks, “Tell me, is it your client’s wish or is it Wendy’s?” She questions why he would ask that.

Changing the subject, Marty reminds Helen the only reason why they can’t move money right now at the Missouri Belle is because of an audit Wendy brought down on them. Helen and Wendy seem to be besties these days and Helen begins to blame Marty, warning him the audit was brought down on them because of him. She asks him to leave before her daughter comes home.

Wendy’s at the usual meet-up spot – the diner – with Carl but without Anita. Wendy asks what he really wants and he confesses some dignity would be nice. She begins to ask about his marriage and seems to compare being a stay-at-home mom to him being emasculated by his wife their whole marriage. Carl reveals Marty told him something similar. Of course, Wendy’s intrigued and asks what he’s talking about. He informs her Marty said his desires had taken a backseat to his wife’s for too long. He drops the bomb that Marty’s the reason why he pulled out of the deal the first time.

Unfazed, Wendy warns him he’ll face financial ruin if he doesn’t sell them the hotel. She continues with the same approach that he needs to take back his happiness.

Ruth’s getting ready to leave when she spots Three (Carson Holmes) and asks if he’s spoken to Wyatt lately. Three doesn’t want to be in the middle of it, but Ruth insists it’s a simple question. He confirms he has, but then their conversation is cut short when Helen shows up. She tries to offer her condolences about Cade dying, explaining her father died when she was young too. Ruth asks if her dad was murdered as well.

Finished with any pretense at small talk, Ruth wants to get to the bottom of why Helen’s really there. Helen starts by stating she is impressed with Ruth’s skills and her loyalty. Again, Ruth wants to know what she’s getting at. Helen finally says, “Could you run the day-to-day at the Missouri Belle if Marty were away?” Ruth says yes, she can. With that, Helen leaves.

Ben and Jonah are joyriding in the boat when Sheriff Nix (Robert C. Treveiler) shows up. Jonah insists Ben let him do the talking. When Sheriff Nix realizes it’s Jonah Byrde in the boat, he tells them to slow down and to say hi to his mom and dad for him. Ben questions what that’s about but Jonah doesn’t answer.

Ruth hunts down Marty but he claims he’s busy. She asks if that’s why he didn’t tell her she was going to have to run this casino while he gets “Big Muddy” sorted out. Marty seems to never know what’s going on these days and wonders what she’s talking about. She reveals what happened during Helen’s unexpected visit. Marty finally realizes what’s going on. Ruth seems to not get it, so Marty tells her they’re exploring their options in case they decide things go an unexpected way for him. Marty says it’s okay but Ruth is panicking, demanding to know how that’s okay. “I should have known that giant f*cking b**ch was up to something,” says Ruth. She asks what he’s going to do and he says he needs to figure out how to keep laundering money.

Carl and his wife Anita are out for a walk when she begins berating him about anything and everything. She even gets in his face and pushes him in the head. He’s had enough and pushes her away, causing her to fall down an embankment and die. Carl leaves her there.

Wendy calls Marty to gloat about getting the hotel. She claims she’s trying to keep him updated and now that he is, he hangs up on her.

Ozark Season 3 Episode 3
Tom Pelphrey in ‘Ozark’ season 3 episode 3 (Photo by Steve Deitl/Netflix)

Ben and Jonah return home and Wendy suddenly informs Jonah she’s going to get Zeke back. Ben asks if Zeke’s a dog and his sister corrects him, explaining Zeke’s a baby. Ben reveals Jonah talked his way out of a speeding ticket. He then starts to go over what he’s learned about her recent life: they moved to Missouri, got a baby, own a casino, seem to be in with the boat police, bought another casino, and she and Marty are doing really great. She confesses they had bad money trouble in Chicago and she had an affair, so they decided to move to the Ozarks to start over. And, they fostered a baby.

Ben reveals Marty told him to leave and Wendy doesn’t really respond to that. After Ben pours them a glass of Scotch, he asks how she’s going to get the baby back. She reveals she’s going to pick a fight with a hillbilly.

Marty asks REO Speedwagon’s manager to launder money for them. He offers them an extra $100,000 for the job.

Wendy heads over to the farmers market to see Darlene. Wendy offers her money for the baby, knowing what she’s doing is going to get Darlene worked up. It works. Not only does Darlene punch her, but she also threatens to kill her loud enough for everyone around to hear.

Agent Miller attempts to talk to Marty about his options. She assures him there’s a world where he doesn’t have to testify. He can take a deal, serve time, and come out and work for the FBI. She says there’s no one on her team that can do what Marty does. She finishes with the warning, “The offer doesn’t stand if Agent Evans gets him first.”

Speaking of Agent Evans, he seems to be the new Petty and has one of Frank’s men in for questioning about the casino that blew up. All he wants is Marty Byrde. The man assures him he’ll do whatever Evans wants him to.

Marty comes home to find Wendy’s lip busted. When he asks what happened, she plays it off saying she ran into a door. Aware she’s lying, he walks away.

Wendy wakes up Ben the next morning and announces he can stay. He doesn’t want things to get weird with Marty, but Wendy assures her brother she wants him around.

Helen’s daughter is waiting for Charlotte and Jonah when she asks her mom if there is any news on who beat up her dad. Helen lies and says, “When I know, you will know.”

Wendy calls Navarro and Marty listens in as she tells him she got the hotel. Then she eagerly asks what they can do next. Another casino? Or hotel? He tells her to hang up because the line is compromised. Marty quickly closes his laptop down.

Jonah seems to be interested in Erin and is asking her questions when Frank’s guy shows up asking if Charlotte and Erin want to hang out, leaving Jonah behind.

Ruth’s listening to music when Ben arrives and asks if he can save her a seat at the concert. She tells him no. Not giving up, he asks if he can buy her dinner, lunch, breakfast…even a glass of water. That earns him a laugh.

The REO Speedwagon concert begins and Marty spots Agent Miller. He wants to know if he’ll only get 18 months. She assures him if he offers his services to the FBI, that can be arranged. In a shocking move, he says okay and walks away.

Marty’s standing in the crowd when three men walk up and grab him, taking him away. Ben witnesses it and sees Marty trying to get away when they throw him in an SUV. He finds Ruth to tell her and they begin to chase the SUV. That’s definitely not a smart move because the SUV suddenly stops and a man with a gun gets out and points it at them. They take that as their cue to back off as the episode ends.




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