‘Ozark’ Season 4 Episode 3 Recap: “City on the Make”

Ozark Season 4 Episode 3
Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde and Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde in ‘Ozark’ season 4 episode 3 (Photo Courtesy Of Netflix © 2021)

Netflix’s Ozark season four episode three opens with Wendy (Laura Linney) stabbing a small shovel in the dirt…because that seems normal, right? We flip back and forth between Wendy and FBI Special Agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes) who’s in the back seat of an SUV with a cloth bag over her head on her way to see Omar Navarro (Felix Solis). Once she’s seated across from him in a private plane, it’s yanked off her head and Navarro offers her food. He tries to make small talk about the fact they’re both new parents but, frankly, she’s not having it.

Navarro switches topics and asks her about when she took down the Lagunas cartel. He references her relationship with Marty while trying to lay out what it is he wants. He compliments Marty and says, “Marty Byrde is a brilliant man. Much better at what he does than most federal agents.”

Maya cuts to the chase and asks why she’s really there. She lets him know if he wants a life of freedom, he’ll have to give things in exchange…years in a federal prison cell, the details of how his cartel operates, the surrendering of his product, and the list goes on. With that, Maya exits the plane and returns to the SUV.

Maya arrives back at the Byrde residence to pick up her baby. When Marty asks her what happened Maya informs him that until his boss is ready to make a serious offer, she wants Marty to stay away from her and her son.

After her abrupt departure Marty phones Navarro and asks how it went with Maya. Navarro doesn’t answer the question and instead tells Marty he’s going to need a sample for Clare Shaw this week; obviously, she’s going to want to know what she’s buying.

“I will send you one and you will get Agent Miller back for me,” says Navarro, reminding Marty the Byrdes can’t win until he wins.

Meanwhile, Ruth (Julia Garner) is at the Snell farm poking around and asking when the drugs will be ready to sell. Her cousin Wyatt (Charlie Tahan) spots her but doesn’t say anything.

Wendy attempts to have a heart-to-heart with her kids and shows them this weird shrine she’s made in the yard for Ben. She explains it’s a place to come and remember him. Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) doesn’t care about it and Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) tells him not to be a jerk. (She used a much less polite word.) He sarcastically replies, “Maybe if you kill me, you can make one of these too.”

After Jonah walks off Wendy loses it and cuts off the power to the basement where he’s currently set up his computers and is preparing to launder money for Ruth. Wendy also puts a lock on the power box.

When Navarro returns home his nephew Javi (Alfonso Herrera) is there waiting. He asks if Marty and Wendy are heading up the deal with Clare Shaw. Omar admits they are and adds that it was their idea. Javi asks if he thinks someone from the family should be in Chicago with them. Navarro simply replies that he’s tired before walking off.

Wendy suggests to Jim Rattelsdorf (Damian Young) that things would be better if he could get her some face time with Senator Schafer in two days. He thinks it’s better to start a little closer to home geographically and politically. He eventually agrees to set up the meeting after Wendy admits she wants to get her hooks in Schafer early on. (It appears there’s a deep-seated animosity between Senator Schafer and Wendy.)

Wendy shows up at Agent Maya Miller’s place trying to work her magic or manipulate, whichever you prefer to call it, by saying she understands why Maya’s angry and playing the “when you become a parent” card. While Wendy and Maya discuss why the Byrdes are still involved with Navarro, Maya’s mother watches over the baby and listens to their conversation.

Marty’s in the middle of a phone call when he sees Jonah taking boxes outside. He ends the call and asks Jonah what he’s up to. It appears he was unaware Wendy cut the power to the basement and Jonah says to his dad, “I can’t work like this.” Marty suggests that maybe he shouldn’t be working at all and maybe that’s what his mom was trying to tell him. Marty follows Jonah outside and realizes Ruth’s there with her truck to pick up Jonah’s equipment. Before Marty can say anything Ruth says she’s only doing what he asked of her.

Wendy chooses that moment to show up and she’s obviously upset. After prying a box from Jonah’s hands, she holds him up against a wall and yells, “You’re angry about Ben? So am I. But you know who you should be angry at?” Wendy points at Ruth and screams, “She’s the one! Ruth is the one that let him out of the hospital when she knew he wasn’t well.”

Ruth takes that opportunity to say to Marty, “No wonder he wants out. Look at her.”

However, Wendy’s tirade isn’t over. She warns Jonah that if he thinks Ruth and Darlene will protect him when stuff goes wrong, he has another thing coming. None of this has any impact on Jonah and he takes off with Ruth and his equipment.

Marty questions what Wendy’s doing and her response is a tearful, “I’m fighting for our family. What the f**k are you doing?”

Wyatt shows up at the Lazy-O Motel and lets Ruth know he saw her at the farm earlier. He warns her that if Darlene finds out, things will go south. They’re arguing over whether her plan is a good one when he throws it in her face that she hired a teenager to do their laundering. He thinks the real reason she hired Jonah is to get back at Marty Byrde. Wyatt reminds her she fights with everyone she’s ever worked with; it’s like she can’t help it.

Helen’s daughter Erin calls Charlotte and demands to know what happened to her mom. Charlotte attempts to get Erin to calm down but to no avail. Charlotte, taking a page out of her dear ol’ mom’s playbook, reminds Erin she’s the only one who told her the truth when no one else would. (Remember, Charlotte told Erin her mom works for the cartel). Charlotte ends the call by promising to find out what she can.

The Byrdes including Jonah (like that afternoon fight and walkout didn’t even happen) are eating dinner when Charlotte says she’s going to Chicago with Marty and Wendy. She’s certain she needs to speak with Erin in person. Marty tries to make it into a family trip but 14-year-old Jonah insists he can’t because he has work.

Marty and Wendy have a disagreement after dinner on how to handle Jonah. Marty doesn’t think it’s a good idea to leave him home alone while they’re out of town. Wendy seems to be done with her youngest at this point.

The Byrde family – minus Jonah – leave for Chicago. Wendy acts immaturely and refuses to say goodbye to him as they’re driving off.

Ozark Season 4 Episode 3
Lisa Emery as Darlene Snell in ‘Ozark’ season 4 episode 3 (Photo Credit: Steve Dietl / Netflix © 2021)

Jonah sets himself up in a room at the Lazy-O Motel and shows Ruth his software, explaining the odds and ends of laundering. A pissed-off Darlene (Lisa Emery) shows up and apparently Wyatt spilled the beans on Ruth being at the farm because she demands to know what makes Ruth think she can move her product without her say-so. Darlene warns Ruth once again not to lay a finger on her product.

After Darlene drives off like a bat out of hell, Ruth turns back to Jonah and asks if everything’s up and running online. After Jonah assures her it is, Ruth’s pleased because they’ll be using his laundering skills tomorrow.

Marty and Wendy chat it up with old friends they’ve run into on the streets of Chicago, and Marty excuses himself when he gets a call from Navarro. Navarro wants to know where they are on a deal with Agent Miller. Marty attempts to assure him by saying they’re working on it. Navarro isn’t pleased with that response. “No, you’re 400 miles away working on saving yourselves,” says Navarro.

Navarro requests Agent Miller’s number and Marty isn’t willing to hand it over. He explains Wendy just smoothed things over with Miller and points out Navarro was the one who messed things up. With that, Marty hangs up on him which is either a “Way to go, Marty” moment or not very smart.

Darlene goes to see Frank Cosgrove (John Bedford Lloyd) and he thinks he’s the one informing her that the permits were pulled for her rehab facilities, but she’s aware that Marty leaned on the state inspectors. Frank isn’t happy she didn’t bother telling him since his guys lost a day. She points out she’s losing money because he backed out of their distribution deal. Frank doesn’t acknowledge what she says and instead brings up that Darlene owes him $500,000 for these rehab facilities. He demands she pay him what she owes.

“I can’t help people who refuse to help themselves,” says Darlene.

Charlotte meets with Erin and immediately tells her she’s sorry. Erin knows what that “I’m sorry” really means and thinks they (the Byrdes) did it. When Charlotte insists they didn’t, Erin demands to know how it happened. Charlotte reminds Erin her mother worked for dangerous people. Charlotte warns Erin she needs to let this go or she’ll be next, followed by her brother and her dad. Charlotte, turning into a Wendy Jr., says, “Erin look at me. Just because we didn’t have anything to do with your mom, doesn’t mean we’re not capable in the future if we don’t have any other choice.”

Wendy and her attorney Jim Rattelsdorf met with Senator Schafer (Bruce Davison) and the suspicions of bad blood between the Senator and Wendy prove to be true when he says, “I’ve been waiting years to say f**k you to your face.” She asks if he’ll let her make her pitch anyway and he allows her to give her spiel on the Byrde Foundation.

Schafer cuts to the chase and asks Wendy if she wants to buy his obedience with some third-rate flattery and a board seat. Jim firmly believes the road to the White House for the next 30 years goes through Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Missouri. So, she’s piqued his interest.

Elsewhere, Marty’s informed he’ll be escorted to Clare Shaw at another location. He’s in the middle of explaining to this man he’s waiting on the sample when, to his shock and surprise, Javi comes walking up with the sample in hand, apologizing for being late.

Marty and Javi are taken to a warehouse to meet Clare (Katrina Lenk) and while she’s testing out their sample, Javi’s being useless and trying to hit on Clare. Marty confirms he made sure that if anyone is paying attention everything will still look like it’s coming from her suppliers in Tasmania. Javi jumps in to let Ms. Shaw know from there on out he’ll be his uncle’s personal representative on the deal.

Ruth and celebrity chef Kerry Stone (Eric Ladin) meet up at the farm to exchange drugs and money. Kerry asks if there are any clubs they can go to party; there aren’t so Ruth takes them back to her property. They’re sitting around the fire (even Jonah’s there) when Darlene shows up mad because Ruth didn’t listen to her and went behind her back. While Ruth ticks off all the reasons why Darlene shouldn’t take her head off, she also hands her a bag full of cash. Darlene acknowledges she made a smart choice by bringing Ruth on board.

Marty comes up with an idea to get Navarro in Agent Miller’s good graces. He calls Navarro and suggests he give up the gun shipment Javi’s setting up for that night. Navarro wonders if Marty’s screwing him over and to prove he isn’t, Marty gives Navarro Maya’s number. It’s a bold move after denying him direct access to the agent earlier.

Clare Shaw returns to a waiting Wendy and isn’t pleased with Javi being a part of the equation now. Clare seems to have some internal war going on about what she’s doing working with a drug lord. Wendy gives her a pep talk but ultimately isn’t sure if it helps or makes Clare feel worse.

Agent Miller’s shocked when Navarro calls her, and she questions how he got her number. Navarro hands over information about the gun shipment and Maya abruptly takes off after the call.

The Byrdes go out for dinner with Javi and he seems to be trying to get way too close for comfort to Charlotte. Fortunately, the awkward meal is disturbed when he receives a call informing him something’s gone wrong with the shipment.