Netflix announced earlier this year that Ozark Season 4 will be the final season of the popular series spearheaded by Jason Bateman. It was announced last month that the final season will have 14 episodes and it will be split into two parts.
Previous seasons of Ozark had 10 episodes; therefore, Netflix is giving the popular series a comprehensive send-off with extra episodes.
With a mid-2020 Season 4 announcement and the Covid-19 lockdown shutting down television production, Season 4 of Ozark probably won’t be released next year. However, there is plenty of speculation on what fans can expect from the action-packed Netflix drama.
Will Ruth Langmore become Marty’s rival in Season 4?
The third season of Ozark sets up a rivalry between Marty Byrde and his former protégé Ruth Langmore. Ruth was brutally beaten by Frank Cosgrove Jr after she managed to stop his loansharking operation at the casino.
They're going to go out with a bang.
Ozark will be back with an expanded 14-episode final season. pic.twitter.com/otIoUeTXyH
— Netflix (@netflix) June 30, 2020
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Chris Mundy hinted at fan-favorite Ruth starting her own operation.
“If we’re lucky enough to get a season 4, I think it will be about whether or not Ruth really can create something of her own that she wants and is sustainable, or if she wants something else.”
After Wendy and Marty refused to punish the KC mob adequately for her beating, Darlene Snell steps in to avenge Ruth by shooting Frank Jr in his private part and enticing his father with a lucrative business partnership.
Ruth’s cousin Wyatt is already in a relationship with Darlene, which sets up the trio to take on the Byrde’s in the fourth and final season.
Ben Davis may not be dead in Ozark Season 4
Tom Pelphrey’s Ben Davis proved to be a popular addition to the series. Davis joined the third season as Wendy’s mentally ill brother who joins his sister in the Ozarks and quickly forms a relationship with Ruth Langmore.
Ben’s mental health becomes a liability for his family as he threatened cartel lawyer Helen in the presence of her daughter Erin after his release from a mental hospital. Helen subsequently demanded that Ben is killed for exposing cartel business.
In the ninth episode of Season 3, Wendy appears to give up Ben’s location and he is apparently killed by Mexican cartel enforcer Nelson Bonilla off camera.
Since Ben Davis is not killed on camera, this had led to conspiracy theories that he may still be alive. Tom Pelphrey revealed that cast members also share the theory that Ben may still be alive. When asked whether Ben may still be alive, the actor said the following to EW.
“That’s so funny because Laura remembers this, but we had similar conspiracy theories on-set at the time that the script came out, and Rita [Parillo], who does the hair on the show, was one of the first people to speculate that perhaps Ben wasn’t dead.”
In the interview, Pelphrey said he will like to visit the cast on set, which may be a cover for him returning to film more scenes. However, it is purely speculative at this point as filming has not begun.
All three seasons of Ozark are currently available on Netflix.