Summary
Episode 10 proves significant as it shows the undesirable rise of Marty as new plans are put into place.
This recap of Netflix’s Ozark season 4, episode 10, “You’re the Boss,” contains spoilers.
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If you believed that Marty’s rise stopped at “working directly under a cartel boss,” you were dead wrong. Season 4 proves that Marty had no limits to how far he could go, but at what cost?
Ozark season 4, episode 10 recap
Episode 10 opens with a flashback; Ben is in the diner where Wendy abandoned him, and he was subsequently murdered by the cartel. He was frightened and in disbelief. While his killer drives him to a location to kill him, Ben opens up about Wendy — how she was the only person that loved him. He wonders if she’d be proud of him by the way he’s handling the ordeal he’s in — he wants his killer to tell Wendy that he forgives her. It’s genuinely sad watching Ben go through this. Ozark decided to play with our feelings on this character’s death.
Marty heads over to the cartel to take control. Flashbacks show Omar Navarro telling him that he must make them fear and trust him. He insists he must be ruthless. Essentially, Omar asks Marty to be him, or they will join forces with a rival and kill him. Look how far Marty has grown. From a small-time accountant to the acting head of the cartel.
Marty talks to the members of the cartel with a Spanish translator. He confirms to them that Javi is dead and Omar Navarro ordered it. He calls Javi a traitor who made a deal with the US government and got Omar Navarro arrested. Marty stands firm and tells the cartel he will get Omar out of prison and wants to speak to them individually about their business areas. Marty is always a character that surprises us, but this is by far the most extensive stretch of his development.
Wendy speaks to Ruth about her deal with Clare Shaw and asks her to partner up. She believes Ruth owes the family because she ruined their last chance of getting out of the Ozarks. But Ruth scoffs. I’m not surprised she scoffed. What is Wendy even thinking at this stage?
There’s a new deputy sheriff in town — Wycoff. Wendy asks the sheriff to help her stop a crime before it happens. She reminds him that being sheriff is a political position and that he’s “acting sheriff.” If he plays his cards right, he will officially become the sheriff. And so, Wycoff investigates Ruth. He speaks to Jonah after he’s told he’s the bookkeeper for Darlene Snell. Jonah struggles to answer the questions, but fortunately, his grandfather disrupts the conversation and reminds Wycoff that he’s interviewing a minor.
Wendy meets Jim to try to convince him to help her. He makes it known he doesn’t want to work with her anymore on the foundation. Wendy reminds him that he’s worked his whole life for this. She tells him that there’s no danger anymore as Javi is dead, and Omar Navarro will be reinstated as the head of the cartel.
Ruth realizes that she’s being followed, so she confronts Wycoff about it. She tells him that Wendy is playing chess with him. Wycoff insists he wants the permanent sheriff position and tells her to go home. And so, Ruth visits Frank Jr and asks for help to move heroin because the local cops are on to her due to the Byrde family. Frank Jr agrees to help but laughs because she’s like a mini Darlene Snell, and he always had her be the next Martin Byrde.
Marty continues to go through business areas with members of the cartel. He finds suspicious cash discrepancies that make one of the members look like they are stealing. This member is beaten up. In prison, someone tries to shank Omar Navarro, but he survives the attack and kills the attacker with his bare hands. Marty receives the news that Omar Navarro has lost a lot of blood and is in a coma. Marty tells Wendy that no one can know that he’s in a coma, so they are still in a position of strength. Wendy wants to find out who did this so they can deal with the problem.
Marty blames the attack on one of the cartel members, Arturo, to keep things in control. They interrogate a man and beat him up. Afterward this brutal interrogation, the priest asks Marty if he “loves unconditionally” as love isn’t point-scoring. Marty suggests that it’s “easier said than done.”
While driving in the night, Ruth is surrounded by Wycoff and the police. They open up her van to see if they can find anything suspicious, but they find nothing. The next day, Ruth tells Wendy that her sheriff’s plan did not work and asks her to stay out of her business. And then, Jim tells Wendy that Shaw Medical is pulling their charitable donations from the Foundation. He tells her they have one more crack at this. Wendy leaves Clare a voicemail and gives her one more chance to fix the issue.
The ending
As the episode draws closer to the end, Marty shows that the life of a crime boss is difficult, but he has to remain strong for the plan to work.
Marty continues to interrogate the cartel member Arturo while he’s been tortured. He wants him to admit he ordered the hit on Omar Navarro. Arturo admits he messed with the money, but he didn’t call the attack on Omar Navarro. Eventually, Arturo confesses to ordering the attack on Omar after plenty of persistence.
As the episode ends, Marty looks exhausted, but he’s determined to stay to watch the execution of Arturo. The priest looks at him with sadness. Marty then watches Arturo get shot in the head. It’s hard being the head of the cartel, or at least temporarily.
Episode 10 proves significant as it shows the undesirable rise of Marty as new plans are put into place.
Additional points
- Wendy learns that the deputy sheriff interrogated Jonah from her father, which surprises her.
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