‘Ozark’ Season 4 Episode 2 Recap: “Let the Great World Spin”

By
Alison Helms
-
Ozark Season 4 Episode 2
Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde, Sofia Hublitz as Charlotte Byrde, and Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde in ‘Ozark’ season 4 episode 2 (Photo Courtesy of Netflix © 2021)

Season four episode two of Netflix’s Ozark opens with Ruth (Julia Garner) at a secondhand store. She spots a weird goat cookie jar that she purchases and brings home to store Ben’s ashes in.

Marty (Jason Bateman) shows up at agent Maya Miller’s (Jessica Frances Dukes) apartment unannounced. After he attempts small talk about her new bundle of joy, Miller cuts to the chase and wants to know why Marty’s really there. Inquiring minds want to know what the steps are for making a deal with a cooperating witness. Miller assumes he’s talking about himself and is shocked to realize he’s talking about none other than the drug lord himself, Omar Navarro.

Miller questions why now since it appears he’s “winning the war” and scoffs at his demands which include no prosecution and the freedom to travel between Mexico and the US. Marty asks what it would take and Miller replies, “I’m not going to my boss with, ‘Hey, a mass-murdering cartel leader would like a free pass please.’”

While at home Wendy (Laura Linney) notices Ben’s ashes are missing. She frantically asks Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) where they are, and she points her in the direction of Jonah (Skylar Gaertner). He admits he gave them to Ruth.

Wendy shows up at Ruth’s and screams at her to come outside. Ruth obliges while wielding a shotgun. Wendy demands Ben’s ashes back and, being the cold-hearted person she is, she screams, “He didn’t love you, Ruth!” She doesn’t let up and reminds Ruth that Ben was sick. Rubbing more salt in the wound, Wendy lets Ruth really have it by telling her she was “just in a long line of broken, bad-tempered women he could obsess over. He would have been done in a month.”

Ruth responds, “Yeah, if you hadn’t killed him first.”

Marty calls Navarro to inform him of his chat with Agent Maya Miller. Navarro (Felix Solis) tells him he wants to meet her and Marty explains the deal won’t happen with just a single handshake with one agent. Navarro demands Marty make it happen.

Navarro hangs up and is confronted by his nephew Javi (Alfonso Herrera) asking if the Byrdes put Darlene in check yet. Javi claims the Byrdes are very disrespectful. As Javi continues his rant, Omar slaps him across the face. Navarro threatens his nephew and says because of him losing his patience, the FBI may connect them to the sheriff and will come down there just like they did with Lagunas cartel. “They will have ALL of our blood,” warns Navarro.

Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) has a meeting with Frank Cosgrove (John Bedford Lloyd) to discuss their distribution deal. Frank reminds her that when she offered him the deal, she insisted she had the sheriff in her pocket. Frank knows the sheriff was murdered by the cartel and is adamant about not getting mixed up with that again. Darlene calls him out for being a coward and backing out of their deal.

Private investigator Mel Sattem (Adam Rothenberg) meets with the new acting sheriff, Guerrero (CC Castillo), wondering if she thinks it’s weird that first Helen went missing and now the sheriff’s MIA. Darlene shows up just as Mel’s trying to point Guerrero in the direction of checking to see if Helen has any security tapes. Darlene tries the sweet “I can be helpful” approach, but Sheriff Guerrero shuts that down informing her, “I know all about the hold you had on John Nix.” With that, she puts Darlene in her place.

Attorney Jim Rattelsdorff (Damian Young) shows up, obviously summoned by Wendy, and wonders what exactly she’s after. Not beating around the bush because that isn’t Wendy’s style, she asks, “What if I wanted all the elections in the Midwest to run through us?”

After warning her how tough it’s going to be and to strap in, he informs her that, ideally, she’ll want five key players from five states on the Byrde Foundation Board and that she will need roughly $150 million.

Ozark Season 4 Episode 2
Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore and Skylar Gaertner as Jonah Byrde in ‘Ozark’ season 4 episode 2 (Photo Courtesy of Netflix © 2021)

Ruth and Jonah meet up at the Lazy-O Motel and Jonah believes she’ll need to redecorate because it will help with laundering money. Jonah asks if she knows what her monthly income will be from that place and she reveals they’ll also have money coming from elsewhere as well. Apparently, Darlene plans to open a couple of rehab facilities.

Darlene shows up demanding to know what his parents did to Sheriff Nix. Jonah seems to still have some sort of loyalty to his family because he insists he doesn’t know anything. Darlene warns, “No man can serve two Masters, Jonah.” As this is going down the camera pans to show Mel in the parking lot listening to their conversation.

Ruth asks what has Darlene in even more of a foul mood than usual. Darlene explains the KC mob pulled out of distribution because they think the cartel killed Nix.

Marty visits Maya and reveals Navarro wants to meet her. Naturally, Maya doesn’t take that news well. Marty tries to sway her by pointing out how impressive it would be if she’s the one to bring down Omar Navarro. After some persuasion, the scene ends without an answer.

Wendy and Marty discuss possible candidates to partner up with on their planned rehab facilities over dinner. Jonah butts in and asks, “Isn’t Mrs. Snell building rehabs?” Marty simply says yes and Jonah points out they stole her idea. Charlotte questions why he cares what happens to Darlene. Before he can answer there’s a knock at the door; Jonah has had computer equipment delivered to the house. He informs his parents he needs it for his new job and, seemingly without a care in the world, he describes his job as washing money for Ruth.

Jonah drops that bombshell and after he’s gone Marty matter-of-factly tells Charlotte not to discuss business in front of Jonah ever again.

Back at the Snell farm, Ruth comes up with an idea to push their drugs by enlisting high rollers from the casino. As Ruth and Wyatt joke about selling it as high-class heroin and have a good laugh, Darlene grows increasingly agitated over their closeness.

Wendy heads to Chicago to meet with Clare Shaw (Katrina Lenk), the CEO of a powerful pharmaceutical company, in hopes they can partner up by getting her to donate $150 million to facilitate rehab centers. It’s a very ambush-y move by Wendy Byrde, but that’s always been her style. Sensing she’s losing Clare’s interest in this deal before it even happens, Wendy – no stranger to using whatever she can to get her way no matter how dirty it is – reveals her brother suffers from bipolar disorder and drug addiction in an attempt to pull at her heartstrings. That tactic doesn’t work and they still don’t reach a deal.

Marty confronts Ruth about his son working for her laundering money and she claims Jonah is safe. Marty reminds her that when Darlene is involved no one is safe, which is more than a little ironic coming from him. Ruth isn’t moved and refuses to back off on using Jonah.

Ruth takes off for Chicago for a meeting with one of the high rollers who frequents the casino, Celebrity Chef Kerry Stone (Eric Ladin), to try and recruit him to help her move the drugs. He quickly declines but she tries to persuade him by asking him to try some. Kerry wants Ruth to test the drug with him but she doesn’t want to. He wonders how she knows it’s any good and she finally gives in.

Kerry changes his tune fast after he snorts her product. He’s now interested but wants to visit the farm and get his hands in the dirt before committing.

Marty thinks he might have something to persuade Clare with just as Agent Miller shows up with her baby. Marty apologizes and informs her he and Wendy need to leave for a last-minute meeting at the casino and asks Charlotte to help get her settled in.

Kerry wasn’t joking when he said he wanted to get his hands in Darlene’s dirt. He stands in her field rubbing the dirt and asks if he can see their poppies. Darlene is already uncomfortable with him being there and tells him no. Kerry and Wyatt engage in small talk about what else they could grow and sell on the farm, and Darlene has had enough. She tells them to shut up, pulls out of the deal, and orders Kerry to get off her land.

Marty and Wendy meet with Clare in one final attempt to get her on board with their foundation. Marty’s the numbers guy and brings up the fact her opioid division is about to go bankrupt. Marty wants to know what she would say if she could pay 65% percent less on opium. She immediately realizes there could only be one way to do that. Marty suggests that if they can save her $300 million in raw materials, she can donate half of that to their foundation.

Wendy calls Jim with the good news she obtained the $150 million donation they discussed that she needed. Jim seems shocked she pulled it off and wants to know what she promised them. She replies, “Their name on a bunch of rehabs.”

Marty finds Javi waiting on his boat when he comes walking up. They end up at Helen’s where Javi makes Marty clean up the mess he made when he killed the sheriff. Navarro calls Marty while he’s cleaning and Javi demands he pick up but not tell his uncle he’s there or his family will die. Navarro seems pleased that Agent Miller is willing to meet him but he can sense in Marty’s voice that something’s wrong. Marty assures him nothing is wrong but he needs to fill him in on the deal he made with a pharmaceutical company. Javi’s still listening to the conversation as Marty explains it will mean more money for the Navarro cartel. Navarro agrees to the deal.

Maya watches through a window as Wendy confronts Jonah telling him he made a mistake. She insists the family is getting out and informs him he’s on the wrong team. His only response is, “What did you do with the sheriff’s body? Did you burn it like the rest of them?”

Marty and Javi are about to leave Helen’s place when the new sheriff shows up. Javi hides while Marty speaks with her. He left the cleaning supplies out and the sheriff spots them and asks if he’s doing some cleaning. She then inquires as to whether Helen has a security system. He points her in the right direction and she learns it’s not working. They walk out together, crisis averted – for now.

As Wendy greets Marty upon his arrival at home, she nonchalantly tells him Jonah saw them moving the sheriff’s body.

The Byrdes and Agent Miller sit down to dinner and Jonah asks the FBI agent about catching people who launder money. Suddenly Maya spots movement outside and draws her gun. She finds PI Mel snooping around but after he shows her proof of who he is, she goes back inside and leaves Marty to handle it.

The new sheriff informed Mel the security system at Helen’s suddenly doesn’t work and he wants to know about that and why Marty scrubbed the house clean. (Not sure why the sheriff would be handing over that information but okay). Marty is attempting to cut off the conversation and return to dinner when Mel reveals he knows he had something to do with Helen’s disappearance. He wonders if her disappearance has anything to do with his brother-in-law going missing as well. Marty tells him not to trespass again and walks away.

Marty wakes in the middle of the night to the sound of Maya’s baby crying. He checks on the baby and Maya asks him about the PI sniffing around. He explains Mel is looking for Helen and insinuates her divorce went bad. Maya asks him point-blank if Helen is dead. Marty claims he doesn’t know but confirms she’s missing. She demands to know what’s going on and Marty admits that Navarro’s nephew came to see him today but insists he doesn’t know anything; he was just there to check up on things.

Navarro had instructed Marty to warn Maya he’d call with a 30-minute notice when it was time to meet. But when he calls, Marty finds Agent Miller packing her things. She’s decided she can’t do this.

Wendy refuses to let Maya ruin things for her and demands that Maya go to this meeting. “If you won’t protect my family, I won’t protect yours,” warns Wendy.

Maya agrees to go but is shocked when Navarro’s men don’t allow Marty to accompany her. The episode ends with Maya getting into the SUV.




RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR