‘Ozark’ Season 4 Episode 13 Recap: “Mud”

By
Alison Helms
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Ozark Season 4 Episode 13 Recap
Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde in ‘Ozark’ season 4 episode 13 (Photo Courtesy Of Netflix © 2022)

Ozark’s penultimate series episode – season four episode 13 – opens with Ruth (Julia Garner) standing on top of one of the trailers with a construction foreman going over the details of what she wants done with her property. As they speak a crew gets started tearing down the other trailers.

As Wendy (Laura Linney) is driving she checks out the lump on her head – the one she caused by slamming her head into the window on purpose in episode 12. She shows up at a mental health facility and wants to check herself in because she’s not feeling well. A female clerk requests that she completes some paperwork and Wendy demands to speak with a doctor to speed up the process. The woman calls a man over to go over the questions with Wendy so he can fill out the papers for her. Because she’s Wendy and it’s just her nature, she attempts to bribe him and then threatens him. In turn, he hands her a list of therapists to see outside of the facility.

Marty (Jason Bateman) shows up at the casino and is shocked to find Ruth and Rachel (Jordana Spiro) in the office. Ruth informs him that when Wyatt passed away, she inherited Darlene’s estate and holdings. Rachel interjects that Charles Wilkes is selling his shares to Ruth because he doesn’t like the Byrdes.

Marty asks whose name is on the license and Ruth proudly shows him it’s hers. Her record’s been expunged. Marty reminds her it’s Navarro’s casino and they need to keep laundering for him or he’ll kill them. Rachel suggests that with all those shares just floating around he should have seen this coming. Ruth insists she’s no longer going to be involved in money laundering through the casino.

Marty jumps on the phone and fills Wendy in on what just happened. She seems to be losing it as she goes off. Marty asks if she’s okay and if she’s going to the jail with him to see Navarro. She appears to have forgotten about that, with trying to check herself into a mental health facility and all. She wants Marty to go without her and tries to convince him she’s fine.

Marty handles the meeting with Navarro (Felix Solis) and his sister, Camila (Veronica Falcon), by himself. Navarro wants to know why his lieutenants haven’t received their extra money. Marty claims he’s been dealing with a family emergency. He also lets them know that his father-in-law’s trying to take their kids because he thinks the Byrdes home isn’t a safe environment. Navarro doesn’t care. Omar needs the books to be perfect when his name is taken off the SDN list.

Wendy isn’t about to allow her dad, Nathan (Richard Thomas), take her kids and visits the motel to offer him a bribe. He refuses and suggests she take her drug money and leave. She doesn’t listen and instead tells him there’s $2 million in the bag. She thinks he should consider her offer.

She has a seat and notices the box he’s been hiding his booze in. She urges him to just take the money and drive away. He declines and says he’s going to keep the kids. He threatens to call the police and Wendy reminds him that he was a drunk and a cheat who used to beat them. She leaves but not before warning her dad she’ll kill him before letting him take her kids.

Marty’s desperate after his meeting with Omar and really needs Ruth to continue to launder the cartel money. Ruth won’t bend and suggests he use one of his other businesses to launder money through. She cleaned up her record and he and Wendy aren’t going to screw that up for her.

Later that evening, Wendy and Marty have a chat and, surprisingly, Wendy seems impressed with Ruth. Marty thinks they should use Wendy’s party for laundering money but Wendy refuses. She reminds him that once they’re in Chicago, they are going to be major employers there. They’ll be helping a lot of people but if the FBI or IRS looked into them it would be game over.

Wendy changes the subject and tells Marty he has to get the kids to come home. Marty doesn’t think he can do that and Wendy warns that if he won’t do it then she will. When he questions what she means by that she replies, “What do you think it means?”

Marty does as his wife requests, of course, and visits the Lazy-O Motel to beg his kids to stay. Marty reminds them they barely even know their grandpa and Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) thinks that even so, he’s better than their mom. Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) can’t believe her brother said that even though a second later she asks Marty a hypothetical question. If they get out of all this tomorrow is he really going to stay with Wendy after everything she’s put him through?

Marty doesn’t answer.

Wendy and Rachel are going over the plans for Wendy’s fundraising event when they have it out. Wendy reminds Rachel she just got her life back together and she doesn’t know what she’s in for because the casino was built to launder money. Rachel tells her she’s a nasty b**ch without any human decency (amongst other things) before walking away to order town cars for the event.

Ozark Season 4 Episode 13 Recap
Skylar Gaertner as Jonah Byrde and Sofia Hublitz as Charlotte Byrde in ‘Ozark’ season 4 episode 13 (Photo Courtesy Of Netflix © 2022)

Jonah and Charlotte return home to retrieve the last of their stuff. Wendy refuses to go outside to say goodbye.

Marty and Wendy watch surveillance video from the casino after sending their people in to launder money. Ruth isn’t having it and has the people kicked out. After Marty goes to bed Wendy calls Nelson (Navarro’s guy).

Nelson (Nelson Bonilla) is waiting in Rachel’s car when she gets off work. He puts a gun to her head and demands she let their colleagues launder money. Once she acknowledges she understands, he leaves.

Rachel confronts Marty the following day and he insists he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. (He’s actually telling the truth since Wendy ordered it.) She suggests they launder their dirty money through the party with millionaires they’re hosting instead of through the casino. He claims he can’t do that and Rachel figures out it’s because of Wendy.

“I really hope she’s worth it, man,” says Rachel, but agrees to help with Ruth.

Wendy pulls into the parking lot of what appears to be a hospital. Marty tries to call her, but she declines his call. Instead, she tries to call Jonah twice and it goes straight to voicemail. She drives away, mad.

Ruth confronts Marty about what they did to Rachel and, again, Marty insists he didn’t do it. However, he’ll talk to Wendy about it. Ruth informs him she rerouted all the funds coming out of the Belle which means he has to find another way to launder the money. He warns that as soon as the news hits Mexico it’s not going to be good for her. Ruth believes that’s on Marty to handle.

Wendy is truly losing her grip on reality. She’s lining up toy cars on Jonah’s bed when Marty asks if she sent Nelson after Rachel. She confirms she did. Marty reveals Wendy’s rash decision caused Ruth to reroute all the funds back to US soil. Wendy wonders what Ruth’s problem is (as if she doesn’t already know) and suggests letting Navarro die and Camila take over. Marty doesn’t think the FBI would go for it but Wendy seems to think all the FBI wants is money.

Ruth spots Nathan, obviously drunk, trying to throw a bag of alcohol bottles away at the Lazy-O. Ruth asks about the schools near where he lives, concerned because Jonah and Charlotte are smart. Nathan waves away the question and rudely asks how she and his son used to spend their time. What did they talk about? Ruth’s had enough and walks away.

Marty and Wendy sit down with Camila and lay out the whole story but it turns out she already knows everything. She’s aware they want her to run the cartel while pretending her brother is still in charge so the Byrde family can live free and happy lives. She asks how things are with their kids and Marty admits they’re not good. Camila believes family is important and now they’re asking her to kill her own brother.

Wendy informs her they know she’s already tried to have Omar killed. Camila wonders why they think she won’t kill them and Marty explains that with them she gets the FBI while running the biggest cartel. She’ll never see the inside of a prison cell while getting everything she’s ever wanted. Camila agrees but wants to see her brother one last time.

Wendy meets with Jim and asks how fast they could fill Schafer’s board seat if she gets rid of him. Jim reminds her she needs Schafer to get Navarro off the SDN list. She hints she doesn’t need him off the list anymore and Jim laughs and says. “Do you have plans to kill another head of the cartel?” If he only knew…

Jim is certain he could get Schafer’s spot filled.

Omar and Camila reminisce about the past and he admits he didn’t kill Javi. Plus, Javi wasn’t a traitor. She asks who killed her son and Omar says he doesn’t know but Wendy’s the one who told him Javi was dead.

Camila reacts by calling Marty, demanding to know who killed her son. Camila reveals Omar admitted it wasn’t him. Marty insists he doesn’t know but will investigate it.

Ruth and Rachel watch the construction taking place on Ruth’s property. Ruth asks Rachel if she wants to move in, and Rachel says Ruth deserves a new start and a new life.

Wendy’s just sitting in Jonah’s doorway when someone knocks on the front door. She doesn’t answer so the person lets himself in. It’s the priest delivering the news Navarro wants to see her and Marty. He explains Navarro had an uncomfortable conversation with Camila.

When Wendy doesn’t get up, the priest asks what’s wrong. She admits her children left her today. The priest attempts to comfort her and assures her they’ll come back. Wendy doesn’t think so. He confesses his own father was abusive and there was a time when it was either kill the man or join the church. That gives Wendy an idea. She thanks him and suddenly gets up.

Wendy returns to the mental health facility and tells the man who tried to help her before to admit her to the hospital or she’s going to kill her own father. That does the trick.

Marty visits Wendy in the facility and the only thing she’s concerned about is if he told the kids where she is or not. He didn’t because he doesn’t want them to worry. With each episode, it seems impossible that she can stoop any lower but once again Wendy proves us wrong. She wants the kids to get worried so they’ll come back.

Marty skips over her latest attempt at manipulating their children and reminds her she has a dinner to get ready for in two days. She doesn’t care. All she wants is for him to tell the kids she’s in the facility. Marty tries once again to change the subject and brings up Camila and the new deal. Wendy warns that if she leaves there she will “kill him.” Marty doesn’t get it and asks who she’s talking about. Wendy says she’ll kill her dad. She refuses to leave until she gets the kids back.

Ruth’s driving home in the pouring rain when she notices she’s being followed by Nelson. She stops in front of the police station, gets out of her car, and flips him off.

She walks into the police station and tells Deputy Wycoff she needs to talk. Once in his office, she reveals the man he has sitting in prison for killing Wyatt didn’t do it. She knows Javi Elizonndro did it and he worked with the Navarro cartel.

Ruth continues her confession and admits she hunted Javi down in Chicago and killed him. Also, Javi killed Sheriff Nix. Ruth warns Wycoff that if he tries to come after her with the DA, she’ll deny everything. He doesn’t know what to think, given that she came into all of Darlene’s money. Ruth informs him point-blank it’s not about the money. He can try to investigate but he won’t find any evidence. She just wants him to know he has the wrong guy in jail.

When Ruth exits the police station she notices Nelson’s gone. Frantic, she calls Rachel and warns Nelson is coming after her (Ruth) and he’s going to show up there looking for her. She tells Rachel to retrieve the rifle from the closet and run into the woods.

Rachel leaps into action but when she exits the trailer it’s too late; Nelson’s coming up the driveway. She climbs onto the trailer’s roof while still on the phone, and Ruth tells her she’s going to have to kill Nelson.

As soon as Nelson steps out of the SUV Rachel shoots him in the leg. Before he can react, she shoots him again. Nelson is dead.

Season four episode 13 ends in dramatic fashion with Rachel standing over Nelson’s body. Ruth gets out of her truck and joins her.




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