Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Ozark.
Ozark is coming to an end, and Jonah Byrde (Skylar Gaertner) could be the key to taking down the entire Navarro cartel once and for all. While this seems like a tall order for a teenager, Jonah has shown exponential growth in terms of understanding the ins and outs of money laundering and dealing with his fellow criminals. Unlike his sister Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz), he has no apprehensions about pointing a gun at someone when necessary, even when he was just a little boy. Notably, Jonah's annoying betrayal put the Byrdes at risk in Ozark season 4 part 1. However, it's clear that the 14-year-old son and protege of Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) also has the potential to become an even bigger threat to the Navarro cartel.
Back in Ozark season 1, Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) made the mistake of telling Jonah and Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) the truth about how Marty is really working for a Mexican drug cartel, which forced the kids to start trying to act like adults. In Ozark season 3, episode 1, “Wartime,” Charlotte gives a drone to Jonah as a gift, which Jonah tries to use for beefing up security at home. The same drone allows Jonah and his uncle Ben Davis (Tom Pelphrey) to inadvertently gather video evidence against the Lagunas cartel and get the Byrdes in Omar Navarro's (Felix Solis) good graces. During the Ozark season 3 finale, when Jonah pulls a gun on Navarro cartel lawyer Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer), Jonah finds out that his mother Wendy green-lit Ben's execution, which sends Jonah down the dangerous path of repeatedly trying to sabotage his own family. Throughout Ozark season 4, Jonah uses what he learned from his father to expertly launder money for Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) and Darlene Snell's (Lisa Emery) heroin business.
Ozark season 4 part 1 sees Jonah becoming a huge liability to Marty and Wendy. That being said, Jonah has also semi-independently laundered his way into being worth “more than six figures.” Moreover, given Jonah's increasing involvement in the business, he's bound to get into even more trouble in Ozark's last 7 episodes. Here's how Jonah's dark criminal future could play out in Ozark season 4 part 2.
The End Of The Navarro Cartel Has Already Begun
The Ozark season 4 episode “Sanctified” sees the Navarro cartel being cornered into a highly vulnerable position. Agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes), against the wishes of her superiors, arrests Omar before he can work for the FBI. Marty and Wendy then convince Maya's superior, agent Clay (Tess Malis Kincaid), to instead deal with Omar's nephew Javi Elizandro (Alfonso Herrera), the erratic new kingpin of the Navarro cartel, for the FBI's long-term schemes. Before returning to Mexico, Javi decides to get rid of the competition and kill Darlene, setting up Javi to become the big bad villain in Ozark season 4 part 2. However, because Javi also killed Wyatt Langmore (Charlie Tahan), Javi inadvertently put himself in the cross-hairs of the short-tempered Ruth, who finds out from Jonah that it was Javi who killed Wyatt.
Because of the “support” of the FBI and his inherited position as the Navarro cartel kingpin, Javi is bound to make even more erratic and pride-driven decisions in the coming last episodes of Ozark. Meanwhile, Omar, who is the main reason why the Navarro cartel has become so rich and powerful over the years, struggles to retain control of the situation from a jail cell. In many respects, Javi is more dangerous than Omar, as revealed in the ending of Ozark season 4 part 1. However, unlike Omar, Javi is also a danger to himself and the organization. While the FBI had little chance of taking down the Navarro cartel with Omar holding the reins, it wouldn't be much of a stretch for Jonah to find some way to outsmart Javi, who's mainly driven by emotions. Agent Maya's decision to arrest Omar may have put a wrench in the FBI's long-term plan to end the drug war, but considering how vulnerable it made the Navarro cartel, Maya might've made the right call after all.
How Jonah Byrde Will Take Down The Navarro Cartel
Jonah already made the first move against the Navarro cartel when he gave Javi's name to Ruth. While Ruth isn't as trigger-happy as Javi, she has already proven that she's more than capable of not just killing when necessary, but also of doing it without a trace. Considering how Javi killed Wyatt while Ruth was still grieving the death of Ben Davis, Javi is bound to find out just how dangerous Ruth can be. At first, this seems like a setup for Ruth to do something that will get her killed. However, given Ruth and Jonah's working relationship, Jonah is unlikely to just sit back and let her self-destruct. Alone, Ruth has little chance of facing the Navarro cartel and coming out in one piece. However, with Jonah's careful planning, along with the possible support of Frank Cosgrove Jr. (Joseph Sikora) and the Kansas City mob, Ruth might just get a real chance at avenging Wyatt.
Between Jonah's drones, offshore and crypto accounts, guns, and seeming innocence, Jonah has all the necessary skills and resources to make life considerably more difficult for Javi and the Navarro cartel. Although Jonah paints himself as the Byrdes' biggest threat in Ozark season 4 part 1, he's bound to target Javi soon, especially since Javi not only killed Wyatt, but also continues to threaten the safety of Jonah's family. While Jonah still has a long way to go before he can be at par with Marty's money laundering skills, Jonah is a remarkably quick learner with fresher eyes than his father, which means that Jonah might be able to see vulnerabilities and opportunities that are invisible to Marty's tired and distracted eyes. In the end, Jonah could give Ruth the tools she needs to kill Javi, find a way to attack the Navarro cartel's accounts himself, or even provide Marty and Wendy with the means to gain the upper hand against Javi. The best part is that Javi won't see it coming, as he is fully unaware of Jonah's true capabilities.
Jonah's Future Has Been Heavily Foreshadowed
Ozark, since season 1, has been filled with clues that foreshadow the fate of the Byrdes as the real villains of the series. At one point, Jonah watches a documentary about how the European Starling, a highly invasive bird species, upends the natural harmony wherever they settle – echoing how the Byrdes invaded the Ozarks. In Ozark season 1, episode 4, “Tonight We Improvise,” Jonah drags the carcass of a coyote towards their home in order to attract and study vultures. In certain cultures, coyotes are symbols of cunning, cleverness, and adaptability, while vultures represent concepts like judgment, death, and rebirth. The way Jonah coldly dissects and studies these animals shows how disturbingly comfortable he has become with death. More importantly, it not only alludes to Jonah's eventual transformation into an expert criminal, but also to his potential to become even more cunning and dangerous than either his parents or the Navarros. While the Byrdes could emerge as the victors in Ozark season 4 part 2, the defeat of the Navarro cartel will come at the cost of Jonah's soul.