Content Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the Netflix series Ozark and discussions of gun violence, drugs, and abuse.
Julia Garner's performance as Ruth Langmore won her an Emmy for the Best Supporting Actress, an award all fans agree was well deserved. She made Ruth the pillar of the entire show with her resilience that seems to beat all the hate around her. Ruth is always torn between hard choices but seems to come out fine.
Things got worse in the third season of Ozark when she finally found love because Ben was one of the most divisive characters in the entire show. With all the death and suffering around her family and "work," Ruth doesn't seem to let her guard down. Most of her actions are very heroic, although audiences can't help but hate her sometimes.
Updated on May 2nd, 2022, by Hannah Saab: With the finale just around the corner, Ozark fans are eagerly waiting to see what Ruth will do to avenge Wyatt's death. It's the perfect time to look back at some of her most memorable moments and mistakes in the series, some of which have caused viewers to feel bad for or completely hate her.
Time We Felt Bad For Ruth
When She Was Forced To Kill Her Uncles
Killing her uncles was arguably the best thing Ruth ever did on Ozark, but also the hardest choice she had to make. She was forced to choose between her own family and a group of strangers she hardly knew. Besides, explaining to Wyatt that she had killed his father would definitely break him, which is why she hid it from him.
The saddest part is that Marty didn't even seem to show much gratitude to Ruth for saving his life. He only sat back and watched Wyatt and Three suffer when their parents died because of him. It would have been easier if Marty had offered some help to the kids after Ruth made such a sacrifice for him.
When She Was Beaten Up By Frank Cosgrove Jr.
Marty and Frank Cosgrove agreed that Ruth was untouchable, although this only seemed to matter when Marty's money was threatened. Marty just didn't protect Ruth enough. Their loyalty was more one-sided than fans would expect. When Frank Cosgrove Jr. beat up Ruth and Marty let him off the hook without a scratch, it proved that Ruth wasn't as important to Marty as most fans thought.
Ruth also didn't have the strength to take on Frank, leaving Ben as the only person who cared about getting justice for Ruth. What's worse, the reason why Ruth got beat up was petty in the first place, as it's clear that Frank was taunting her to do something to him. Darlene, however, corrected this gross injustice by giving Frank Jr. the punishment he deserved.
When Helen Pierce Tortured Her For The Cartel
The cartel goons led by Helen were just brutal. When they tortured Ruth for alleged snitching, viewers couldn't help but feel sorry for her. First, Ruth had been very loyal to Marty and even killed her own uncles for the cartel. She had also stopped her father from going into war with Marty. The waterboarding and beatings were also too gruesome to watch.
While Helen tortured her, everyone expected Marty to do something, but he and Cade both seemed helpless, making the situation even worse. After the torture, most fans expected Ruth to quit Marty's dirty business, but somehow, she got past it, which shows just how strong she is.
When Wyatt Langmore Got Expelled
Ruth is obviously a better mother than most in Ozark, considering the effort she puts in to protect her cousins. Her protection of Wyatt, especially his academic future, is just astonishing. She was more focussed on giving Wyatt a better life than the rest of the Langmores, including Wyatt's own father. Wyatt was also the main reason why Ruth continued working for Marty even after all the suffering she endured.
When Wyatt was finally expelled from school for protecting Jonah, the least Marty could do was talk to the principal. The principal obviously hated Wyatt just because he was a Langmore, and Marty didn't care either. This shattered Ruth's feelings, leaving her helpless as she was the only one that seemed to care about justice for her cousin.
When Ben Davis Died
Clearly, Ben's heartbreaking death was finally Ruth's breaking point. Throughout the show, Ruth had always been there for others, but nobody really helped her out with her own burden. The loss of her father, Wyatt's breakdown, and Marty's betrayal left her with nobody, which is why Ben was so important to her.
He was the first person that showed Ruth the love she deserved, and the pair seemed to have a great future. Although his death was also her fault, to some extent, Wendy deserved most of the blame.
When Cade Langmore Died
There's no denying that Cade was a horrible and manipulative father, as his ego couldn't take Ruth's success in Marty's operation. He was desperately trying to establish his role as the head of the household, even though it's obvious he only makes everything worse for the Langmores.
Despite all this, Cade's death still counts as yet another loss for Ruth. Although she may not approve of her father's actions, it's clear that she values her relationship with Cade, which is highlighted when she lies to get him out of jail.
When Wyatt Langmore Died
After everything she has lost and gone through, the one thing that's arguably keeping Ruth going is Wyatt. She loves her cousin more than anything else in the world and is working hard to ensure that he has a bright future ahead of him. Javi took this away from her so suddenly, though, and her reaction produces one of the most iconic and spine-chilling scenes in the series.
It's almost too painful to watch Ruth scream at Wendy and Marty after discovering Wyatt's lifeless body. Audiences could likely feel how much she's hurting through the screen. There's no questioning that it's Ruth's lowest point on the show so far, and fans who love her can only hope to see her recover from this somehow in the finale.
Times We Hated Ruth
When She Robbed Marty Byrde
Ruth was the brains of the entire Langmore family, which is why she was in charge of stealing Marty's money the moment the Byrdes arrived. She was introduced as a villain, which is why most people were forced to hate her. She pretended to be cleaning the rooms only to take all the money right under Jonah and Charlotte's noses.
Ruth still acted wisely when Marty finally tracked them down and warned them about the wrath of the cartel, although she didn't do enough to prevent her uncles from taking some of the money. She still planned to rob Marty even after their first unfriendly encounter, although she became smarter about it.
When She Defended Cade Langmore For Parole
Ruth and Cade had a toxic relationship, and Cade was obviously the worst father in the entire show. The mix of fear and love that Ruth had for him, however, got the better of her and made her look bad.
Considering the poor parenting Cade had given her, viewers would expect her to leave him to rot in prison, but she didn't. Knowing pretty well what Cade would do to Marty if released from prison, Ruth went ahead and lied to the parole board to get him released.
When She Helped Cade Langmore Rob People
Cade would have probably lasted longer than he did if Ruth didn't help him resume his chop shop business. Cade was abusive and brutal, someone that fans would expect Ruth to put in line. She, however, seems to have been blind to her father's crimes, always tolerating him.
Things got worse when she decided to help him steal boat parts. Ruth's help emboldened him, especially in his ambition to take the cartel money, which was thankfully the last straw that finally got him killed and out of everyone's lives.
When She Helped Ben Davis Escape The Mental Health Facility
While Wendy isn't always nice, her warning about Ben was valid. Although fans can't blame Ruth for her feelings for Ben, how she handled it was totally wrong. First, she allowed Ben to discover the relationship between Marty and the cartel.
She then went against Wendy's advice to release him from the mental health facility, which was the only safe option for him. Her ignorance of Wendy's advice brought lots of problems for everybody, including Ben's death. Ben would probably still be alive if she had thought about the situation better and just let the professionals do their jobs.
When She Left The Byrdes
The Byrdes didn't always treat Ruth nicely, but considering her position before she met Marty, it is fair to say they deserved her loyalty. Ben's death was also out of Marty's hands, which is why it wasn't fair to leave him because of that.
When she left, she also crossed to the other side faster than most people expected. First, she made herself available to work with Helen if she killed Marty. She then proceeded to join forces with Darlene, another one of Marty's greatest enemies.
When She Brought Heroin Into The Casino
A frustrating part of Ruth's well-written story arc happens when she tries to make her own money outside of Marty's operations. She is clearly overly ambitious and reckless in Darlene's eyes, and the Snell is not completely wrong about that.
Ruth proves that she doesn't know what she's doing when she goes with Kerry and his friends to the Byrdes' casino. She knows they have heroin on them, but foolishly flaunts her new friends in front of old colleagues and gets carried away while having fun. This results in a terrifying overdose, which endangers Marty's business.
When She Encouraged Jonah Byrde To Launder Money
Just as fans were beginning to feel irritated by Jonah's rebellion, things got much worse after Ruth offered the youngest Byrde a job laundering money for her and Darlene. She knows she can't do it herself, so she relies on Marty's son to do the criminal act for her.
Not only is this horrible because he's a minor who should be focusing on school, but it also shows how selfish Ruth can be. She can twist her reasoning so that she genuinely believes she's helping Jonah when she's really just helping herself.