S04.E01: The Beginning of the End

[AZChristian]

From an interview with Chris Mundy, the showrunner, about the car crash at the beginning of the episode.

Spoiler

In an interview with TV Line, Chris Mundy revealed the hidden meaning behind the unexpected scene.

The showrunner stated: “There’s a feeling on our show all the time where anything can happen at any time, and I like that unease."

He added: “We felt like people might be confused for a split second, but then when the [action cuts immediately] to Mexico they’d realize [it was a flash-forward]. But we didn’t want to do any more of the math for them.”

 

[iMonrey]

Quote

The plot armor is strong on Darlene.  I don't care what anyone says, a guy gets his junk blown off by a rival and there WILL be retaliation.  Darlene should be dead, but I at least expected some kind of damage to have been done to her person. 

Quote

They're correct in Darlene being a problem. I mean, they sent someone for the brother last season. They could do it now. This is the only problem I've had with the show. There's no reason for her to not have been whacked by now except plot. 

 

I agree it's unlikely that someone wouldn't have killed Darlene by now. It was one thing when her husband was alive and they had paid goons and were dangerous in their own right. Now it's just her, on her own. With Wyatt. Not exactly a hurdle for a big Mexican drug cartel. If they wanted her out of the way, she'd be dead right now. I also think Wendy and Marty could have taken care of her one way or another - they've overcome far more difficult obstacles than her. I just think the show is really invested in the Darlene and Wyatt relationship at this point and they like the character and actress. 

[EllaWycliffe]

13 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I agree it's unlikely that someone wouldn't have killed Darlene by now. It was one thing when her husband was alive and they had paid goons and were dangerous in their own right. Now it's just her, on her own. With Wyatt. Not exactly a hurdle for a big Mexican drug cartel. If they wanted her out of the way, she'd be dead right now.

To be honest, the idea that the Navarro cartel couldn't kill Jacob and Darlene when they tried (and that there was never any public backlash over a huge gun battle on the road) was kind of an issue for me. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I might give that a handwave in that the Ozarks are completely new territory so they screwed it up the first time. However, Darlene lingering around makes Navarro look like an idiot, and he's clearly not. I guess you could fanwank that she's kind of under the cartel radar and really never was much of competition. At this point, Navarro is over it. Marty and Wendy have shown to very valuable, so I can buy Navarro actually telling them to handle it as a sign of respect. 

Taking that all out; it's patently absurd Frank hasn't bothered to retaliate. 

[SoMuchTV]

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

From an interview with Chris Mundy, the showrunner, about the car crash at the beginning of the episode.

  Reveal spoiler

In an interview with TV Line, Chris Mundy revealed the hidden meaning behind the unexpected scene.

The showrunner stated: “There’s a feeling on our show all the time where anything can happen at any time, and I like that unease."

He added: “We felt like people might be confused for a split second, but then when the [action cuts immediately] to Mexico they’d realize [it was a flash-forward]. But we didn’t want to do any more of the math for them.”

 

Can you say, is that spoiler "safe" once we've watched the first half of the season?  Or better to avoid it until the series finale, if one wants to avoid being spoiled for that?  Thanks!

[AZChristian]

1 minute ago, SoMuchTV said:

Can you say, is that spoiler "safe" once we've watched the first half of the season?  Or better to avoid it until the series finale, if one wants to avoid being spoiled for that?  Thanks!

My philosophy is, "When in doubt whether someone will be annoyed by reading something, SPOILER TAG IT."  LOL.

[Shermie]

It’s not a spoiler at all; there’s no info in that link that anyone who has viewed the first five minutes of the first episode doesn’t know. Not sure why it’s spoiler-tagged.

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I sure hope the show is not 'spoiling' that the Byrdes don't get away with it. I'm rooting for them to get away. 

The Byrds are terrible people, they don’t deserve to get away. Are they likeable and is the story entertaining? Sure. But they chose a life of crime, including the distribution of illegal drugs, which causes untold amount of misery and death to millions of people every year. Just like the family in Breaking Bad, they made their bed and they have to (maybe literally) sleep in it. I feel sorry for any minor children, but that’s about it. 

[DoctorAtomic]

It's tv. 'Deserve ' can be broadly interpreted. 

[AZChristian]

20 minutes ago, Shermie said:

It’s not a spoiler at all; there’s no info in that link that anyone who has viewed the first five minutes of the first episode doesn’t know. Not sure why it’s spoiler-tagged.

Did that just because of the confirmation of the meaning of the crash given by the showrunner.  My choice to do so . . . better safe than sorry, IMO.

[tennisgurl]

I am guessing that the car crash was a flashforward? The Byrdes get away with everything only to get hit by the karma stick in a random car wreck? Great having this show back, will be very interesting to see where this all goes. Have they even really explained why they had Ben killed to Jonah? Not that it makes it alright, but he was pretty much definitely going to get them killed. 

I like the new guy, he's a bit of wildcard but not so wild that he cant be cunning. "Helen was so hot, like a scary teacher." If he wants to kill Darlene, it would be a public service, both to the people of the Ozarks and to us, the audience. In anything close to the real world, she would have been killed ages ago, being a toxic mix of evil and stupid. No way would she get close to surviving stepping to a Cartel. 

[Gerg]

On 1/21/2022 at 10:57 AM, Chaos Theory said:

I love how in the talk about percentages it’s not the money cut between Darlene, Ruth and Wyatt that is the issue with Darlene but who gets custody of Wyatt.   I mean it does make sense because the two of them split 75% of the business.   But it was still fun to watch.  And I actually do kind of like the relationship between Darleen and Wyatt.  

“You don’t think attempted murder is cause for grounding?”

What I love about this show is that such a minor event like a guy looking for a signature could end up being a huge problem for the Byrdes.    They can’t exactly tell him that Helen got her brains blown out in Mexico so he will keep picking and actually end up being more of an issue then the FBI or Darlene, Ruth and Wyatt.  
 

I really like the idea that Jonah is working with Ruth.  It makes sense.  He’s been pushing at the edges since he found out his father laundered money.  Now that he knows his mom ok’d the murder of his uncle it’s the perfect excuse for him to rebel and makes far more sense then the half ass rebellion of his sister who I like more playing “company man”.   It is an interesting family dynamic.  

Not to mention Javi who is likely working against them and his uncle because family sucks. 

Poor sheriff.  You were a sucky  dirty sheriff but you didn’t deserve to go out like that…..actually attempting to do your job.  

Funny that navarro's nephew can kill a sheriff but not a done dealer. All kinds of things if you think about doesn't make since in this show. Albeit its a good show.

[Lady of nod]

On 1/21/2022 at 6:09 PM, SoMuchTV said:

I’m feeling very dim now, but can someone help me understand the timeline at the beginning of the episode?  Marty and Wendy and both kids are in the car and are run off the road, resulting in a violent multi-rollover.  Then Marty and Wendy are at the cartel guy’s estate, picking glass out of their hair, no sign of the kids. Then they talk to cartel guy and his nephew. There seem to be no lingering injuries for anyone. And the kids seem to be back home. 

Was some of that a flashback or flash forward or dream sequence?  I feel like I’m missing something I should have understood. 

I think they were picking Helens brains out of Wendy’s hair and the car crash is in the future 

[SoMuchTV]

27 minutes ago, Lady of nod said:

On 1/21/2022 at 6:09 PM, SoMuchTV said:

I’m feeling very dim now, but can someone help me understand the timeline at the beginning of the episode?  Marty and Wendy and both kids are in the car and are run off the road, resulting in a violent multi-rollover.  Then Marty and Wendy are at the cartel guy’s estate, picking glass out of their hair, no sign of the kids. Then they talk to cartel guy and his nephew. There seem to be no lingering injuries for anyone. And the kids seem to be back home. 

Was some of that a flashback or flash forward or dream sequence?  I feel like I’m missing something I should have understood. 

I think they were picking Helens brains out of Wendy’s hair and the car crash is in the future 

Thanks to everybody who helped clear up the mystery.  I tried to go back and edit my original post to let new readers know that everything is explained/speculated on downthread, but it was too late to edit.

[Avabelle]

I legit hate Wendy and honestly think watching her suffer, lose everything and/or die will be the most satisfying end to her character.

 

[MargeGunderson]

1 minute ago, Avabelle said:

I legit hate Wendy and honestly think watching her suffer, lose everything and/or die will be the most satisfying end to her character.

 

Honestly, that’s the only ending I want to see for Wendy. She is really the worst of the bunch.

[mansonlamps]

I am shocked that some are rooting for the Darlene/Wyatt pairing.  Regardless of the age difference,  she is a psychopath and he is a sweet innocent.   

[Dobian]

And Wendy doubles down to defend her title as the most loathsome television character ever created.

I just finished binging Deadwood.  Al Swearengen was by every definition a bad man, and I love him to death.  Wendy Byrd I want to throw into a wood chipper while still alive.

Ten bucks that Darlene or one of her crew will kill Cartel Nephew Guy, in some stupidly improbable scenario.

Edited February 15, 2022 by Dobian

[millennium]

Javi is feeling like a character borrowed from Better Call Saul.

[DoctorAtomic]

Kind of Salamanca always needing to be talked down. I don't think he's nearly as smart as Salamanca though. 

[millennium]

5 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Kind of Salamanca always needing to be talked down. I don't think he's nearly as smart as Salamanca though. 

Yes.  Like Lalo.  Same swagger, same glib, breezy, affable psychotic presentation.

Edited February 19, 2022 by millennium

[DoctorAtomic]

Javier doesn't have a tunnel under the tub though. 

[SlovakPrincess]

Maybe I've just gone insane from binge watching the entire series in a matter of days, but both psycho Javi and the PI from Chicago are kinda cute and I at least appreciate the eye candy.  

Javi speaks for all of us when he asks why is Darlene still around?  I guess just to collect all the disenchanted young people in town who conveniently overlook the fact that she's a nutcase because they're angry at their parental figures - Wyatt, Ruth, now apparently Jonah is going to be helping her operation.  Good grief.  

Agent Evans finally got in trouble for his unethical behavior.  Agent Miller is ... still the exact same amount pregnant, even though it seems like months of show time have passed since she was first introduced.  

Ruth being an asshole to her ex-boss at the motel - and then gleefully firing her - is yet another example of Ruth refusing to own her own shit.  Ruth used to steal from guests, she 100% deserved to get fired.  And yet she somehow thinks she deserves revenge.  

And how convenient that Wyatt has totally forgiven Ruth for killing his dad and Ruth has totally forgotten she once wanted Wyatt away from a life of crime and in college.  He's just pointless as a character now.