Netflix's Ozark is one of the few and rare TV shows that always seems to create the perfect balance between all of the components. Everything from the character development to the suspense to the plot twists gets served in just the right dosage.
Predictability is always a bad thing for any story but Ozark isn't guilty of that. Not even close. The series often takes shocking and unexpected directions when previous events suggested a certain outcome. These have been the biggest plot twists so far.
Del Throws Wendy's Lover Down A High Rise Building
In the pilot episode, it was revealed that Wendy was cheating on Marty Byrde. She was planning on leaving him for her wealthy lover Gary Silverman. After confirming Wendy's infidelity, thanks to a private investigator, Marty marched towards Gary's building to confront him.
In the normal world, the two men would have come to blows or yelled expletives at each other but in this world, Gary's body fell right in front of Marty from several floors up. Gary had been thrown from the building by the ruthless cartel associate Del who wanted the couple to stay married so that they could launder money together.
Sue Blackmails The Byrdes
After changing her mind about emancipating herself, Charlotte insisted that her parents start seeing a therapist. They thus began seeing the seemingly nice and caring Sue. However, Marty wasn't willing to play nice so he began bribing Sue to favor him during the sessions. All was well until Wendy bribed Sue too.
This put Sue in a dilemma during the next session, forcing her to admit that they both bribed him. This led them to argue in front of her and in the process, they revealed cartel secrets. Seeing an opportunity to make more money Sue blackmailed them for S100,000 to keep their secret and bought a yellow McLaren 570s.
Carl Kills His Wife
Early on in the third season, Wendy was planning to expand the casino by buying a neighboring hotel and casino named Big Muddy. However, Anita and Carl, the couple that owned it, had no intention of selling. It was their life's work. But it didn't take long for Wendy to blackmail them.
While walking in the woods, the couple began arguing about the business. Anita who had always felt that Carl was a loser began insulting him. The final straw came when she said she wished she had married his brother instead. Carl hit her in the head and sent her rolling down the hill before her bones cracked and her heart stopped.
Ruth Electrocutes Uncle Russ And Boyd
When Ruth found out that Uncle Russ was ratting to the FBI, there was a probability that someone was going to kill him. It just didn't seem like Ruth would be the one to take out her own family. But she did just that in the ninth episode of the first season.
Russ and Boyd decided that the best thing to do would be to steal Marty's hidden cash and flee. They thus used a boat to go to Marty's dock in the middle of the night. Before they could go to Marty's house, they were electrocuted by the waters around the dock courtesy of a rig that Ruth had set up.
Pastor Mason Young Walks Into The Lake With Baby Zeke
Even before this incident, there had been a couple of other shocking plot twists that tied to it. The Snells had cut the belly of Mason Young's pregnant wife and taken out the child after he refused to let drugs be sold during his boat sermons.
With his wife dead, Young took the baby in Season One's finale and walked into the lake. Given that he was slowly losing his mind, it looked like he was going to drown the poor infant. He pushed the baby into the water for several minutes before taking it out. It turned out he was just performing a lake baptism.
Wyatt Sleeps With Darlene
Most characters in the show are aware that Darlene is a dangerous, murderous psychopath. She positioned junkies and she killed her husband Jacob. It was thus a bit surprising when the often calm Wyatt Lamngmore slept with her.
Their vast age difference also added to the absurdity. After Wyatt was arrested for breaking and entering, Darlene bailed him out. The two became close and he went on to vouch for her during a custody hearing for Baby Zeke, despite the fact that Darlene was unfit to be a parent. Soon, they'd become a couple too.
Cade Bashes An FBI Agent's Skull
After Ruth made it clear that she was on Marty's side, her father tried to rat on her to Agent Roy. He caught Roy, while he was fishing and tried to give more information. Roy brushed him off and told him his information was of no use to him since there was no solid evidence.
Instead of living it there, he went a step further with the insult: "Your trailer trash daughter is in way over her head." Definitely not a wise thing to say to any father. Cade reacted by bashing Roy's head with a rackle box until he was dead. And as if that wasn' enough, he stabbed the body with a knife before throwing it into the river.
Darlene Murders Del
The cartel's operations in the Ozarks were making the Snells uneasy since they had been the initial drug lords in the area. Since Marty was an expert at deescalating situations and making hot-headed bad guys see some sense, he brokered a meeting between Del and the Snells.
Marty tried to convince them to work together by investing in a riverboat casino so that drugs and money would flow easily. Del didn't particularly like the Snells so he called them rednecks. This didn't sit well with Darlene so she pulled out a shotgun and shot him in the head. And just like that, the deal was dead.
Wendy Abandons Ben
Wendy's younger brother Ben became a marked man after he told Hellen's daughter that her mother was working with the cartel. Consequently, Hellen ordered Ben to be killed. In an effort to save him, Wendy took him and drove him out of the Ozarks.
However, Ben kept slipping up and going against Wendy's orders. He even tried to alert the police yet Wendy clearly told her not to talk to anyone. Fed up, Wendy decided to abandon him in a diner and as a result, the cartel hitman found him and killed him. Given how much Wendy loved Ben, it appeared unlikely that she'd do this.
Navarro Gets Hellen Killed Right In Front Of Marty And Wendy
Season 3's finale probably had the most shocking ending of all Netflix dramas. Navarro demanded to see both Marty, Wendy, and Hellen in Mexico. He sent a private jet to collect them and just as they were boarding, Agent Maya called Marty to warn him not to get in.
If anyone was going to get killed, the audience expected it to be Marty. Hellen was planning to take over the business so she had framed Marty to make Navarro think he was cooperating with the FBI. Instead, Navarro's hitman shot Hellen as soon as the trio arrived at his compound then the drug lord hugged the couple.