S04.E07: Sanctified

[DoctorAtomic]

I had to laugh when Javier just walked in a shot Darlene on the couch. Literally anyone could have done that at any time and there were 100 different reasons. 

I can't remember the exact scene, but something pinged me last night watching that Omar has got something up his sleeve. Not that he was expected to be arrested, but I have a feeling he's playing a longer game with Javier. 

Edited January 30, 2022 by DoctorAtomic

[Johnny Dollar]

I think that once Maya had Omar arrested the bigwigs at the FBI nixed his deal and offered it to Javi instead. They would still be able to claim credit for taking down a drug lord while essentially becoming drug dealers and money launderers themselves. It’s not they this shady shit hasn’t happened before in real life (see Iran/Contra).

Even with the FBI deal, Javi still wants to kill Marty and Wendy so I’m not sure why they are trying to save him from Ruth. If he’s out of the picture I’m sure the FBI would put Omar right back at the top.

I understand Jonah is mad at his mother for killing his dear Uncle Ben that he knew for a couple of months, but his mouth is go8ng to get everyone killed. Does he really want Ruth to go hunting after a ruthless drug lord armed with a shotgun?

[BC4ME]

9 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

Even with the FBI deal, Javi still wants to kill Marty and Wendy so I’m not sure why they are trying to save him from Ruth. If he’s out of the picture I’m sure the FBI would put Omar right back at the top.

I would hope that Marty at least is trying to save Ruth from Javi not Javi from Ruth but I could be wrong.

[Johnny Dollar]

Marty is trying to save Marty. He doesn’t want Ruth to go after Javi because the cartel will kill the Byrdes if anything happens to Javi. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

8 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

Marty is trying to save Marty. He doesn’t want Ruth to go after Javi because the cartel will kill the Byrdes if anything happens to Javi. 

Yeah, charitably, Marty is not so much worried about Ruth being able to find and gun down Javi. She literally knows nothing about him, and she's just one person.

What Marty is worried about is even an unsuccessful attempt on Javi's life will likely make Javi or his successors blame Marty and the Byrdes for tipping Ruth off and not doing enough to stop her attempt.

[MargeGunderson]

23 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Yeah, charitably, Marty is not so much worried about Ruth being able to find and gun down Javi. She literally knows nothing about him, and she's just one person.

What Marty is worried about is even an unsuccessful attempt on Javi's life will likely make Javi or his successors blame Marty and the Byrdes for tipping Ruth off and not doing enough to stop her attempt.

Or that the Byrds’ deal with the FBI is off if Ruth kills Javi, because he’s their connection to the cartel. 

[DoctorAtomic]

They'll just reinstall Omar. I'm thinking he's spinning it to get Javier whacked while he's in prison. Everyone isn't looking at him because they think he's just stuck there. Omar is a far more rational actor for the FBI than Javier by far. He just didn't want the ten year restriction. 

[Shermie]

Quote

I guess I'm a party of one but I like Wendy- or, at least, I find her very compelling. 

Party of two, I guess. I don’t like Wendy, but I like that a woman is getting this kind of meaty character. It’s refreshing to watch a crime drama that isn’t a sausage fest.

Quote

Not sure if I missed something, but what happened to the baby? 

Zeke was in the car seat beside Ruth when she drove away from the Byrde’s house. I had expected her to leave him with them, since Ruth is hardly maternal, but maybe she thinks of Zeke as Wyatt’s son, so she feels connected to him that way.

I’m always fascinated that these drug lords can be (what they think is) devout Catholics. I mean, confessions and baptism, who are they trying to fool? It’s the same mentality that has someone refusing to use birth control (I’m Catholic!) but they’ll still have premarital sex. I don’t care what people do in their private lives, but it irks me when they pick and choose among their religion’s rules, thinking they’re good Christians. A murdering drug lord can do all the Hail Marys he wants, but does he really think he’s going to heaven?

[DoctorAtomic]

48 minutes ago, Shermie said:

Party of two, I guess. I don’t like Wendy, but I like that a woman is getting this kind of meaty character. It’s refreshing to watch a crime drama that isn’t a sausage fest.

Quote

Add Helen, Ruth, and Darlene in there too. Diversity in crime!

 

[AZChristian]

2 hours ago, Shermie said:

Party of two, I guess. I don’t like Wendy, but I like that a woman is getting this kind of meaty character. It’s refreshing to watch a crime drama that isn’t a sausage fest.

Zeke was in the car seat beside Ruth when she drove away from the Byrde’s house. I had expected her to leave him with them, since Ruth is hardly maternal, but maybe she thinks of Zeke as Wyatt’s son, so she feels connected to him that way.

I've begun to think of Wendy as a younger Darlene, but with something other than jeans to wear.  If Darlene thinks somebody needs to be killed, they are going to dead fairly soon.  Wendy has become like that.

Maybe Ruth thought that having Zeke might make the Byrdes happy - and she wasn't about to do that.

[CaptainE]

3 hours ago, Shermie said:

I’m always fascinated that these drug lords can be (what they think is) devout Catholics. I mean, confessions and baptism, who are they trying to fool? It’s the same mentality that has someone refusing to use birth control (I’m Catholic!) but they’ll still have premarital sex. I don’t care what people do in their private lives, but it irks me when they pick and choose among their religion’s rules, thinking they’re good Christians. A murdering drug lord can do all the Hail Marys he wants, but does he really think he’s going to heaven?

That’s kinda funny.  And not haha funny.

Millions of people have been killed by “religious” people, Catholic and otherwise.  In the good ol USA, it was common for some  to go to church then attend a lynching in their Sunday best.   Don’t get me started on Mormon hypocrisy.
 

Back to the show, what is the actual plan now for Navarro?  He has to go to prison because of the public arrest, and it’ll be for life unless it’s a sham trial.  So what is the motivation for him to call Javi at Wendy’s request.  I know she’s an all powerful, infinitely  amazing senator manipulating, political genius, but there is absolutely no upside for Navarro to do what she wants.  “I don’t bluff”  (outmaneuvering the FBI too)

Furthermore, what is the motivator for Javi to do an 11 year deal with the FBI, and risk getting killed by a savvy underling, when he could slip back to Mexico, and run the gd cartel just as he was promised he would be able to? A steady stream of busts for FBI spending money will be picked up on, just as Javi suspected a mole.  The only thing I can think of is that Omar would have him whacked if he still held sway from prison.  

 

[EllaWycliffe]

4 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Maybe Ruth thought that having Zeke might make the Byrdes happy - and she wasn't about to do that.

I mean maybe, but this was something where I gave Ruth credit for having some sense in a crisis. Wyatt for whatever reason loved the baby. Wyatt is dead. Darlene is dead. There's a murderer around. Its not wise to leave the baby in the house where his sort of mother and father are lying dead in puddles of their own blood. I mean it is a nice "fuck you" to the Byrdes but it also just seemed wiser than leaving the poor kid there. 

[Rootbeer]

4 hours ago, EllaWycliffe said:

I mean maybe, but this was something where I gave Ruth credit for having some sense in a crisis. Wyatt for whatever reason loved the baby. Wyatt is dead. Darlene is dead. There's a murderer around. Its not wise to leave the baby in the house where his sort of mother and father are lying dead in puddles of their own blood. I mean it is a nice "fuck you" to the Byrdes but it also just seemed wiser than leaving the poor kid there. 

That is especially true since Ruth was not going to be notifying the sheriff that there were two dead bodies up there and, since no one but Darlene, Wyatt and the baby lived there; it could be a long time before anyone came along and discovered what had happened.  The baby could've easily died from lack of food and water in the interim.

[DoctorAtomic]

Ruth could also just drive a few hundred miles, or even to Chicago, and leave the baby with child protective services with some made up story about how she found it abandoned or something. It's not like he can be an eyewitness to identify Javier. 

I don't think if the actually-doing-her-job-sheriff comes sniffing around again that she's not going to be curious as to why and how Ruth has a baby now. I don't think the sheriff actually could recognize that the baby is Zeke, but I wouldn't take a chance that she actually knows something about him. 

[Marley GMA]

On 1/23/2022 at 10:28 AM, margol29 said:

Not sure if it was ep. 6 or 7, as I binge watched all in one day, but I didn't get the scene with Ruth going to the lady in the wheelchair's house. Who was she to Ruth? She seemed to know her mom really well. Why was she giving Ruth all those seed packets? Ruth was still planning to leave at that time. She would not be planting any gardens. Just seemed like a weird scene thrown in.

I think she was giving them as a wedding gift to Wyatt and Darlene.  I thought I saw them as a gift in her car while she was driving to their house (where she ultimately found them dead).  Not sure, though, who the woman was in the wheelchair, just a friend of the mother maybe.

[Lady of nod]

On 2/1/2022 at 2:30 PM, CaptainE said:

That’s kinda funny.  And not haha funny.

Millions of people have been killed by “religious” people, Catholic and otherwise.  In the good ol USA, it was common for some  to go to church then attend a lynching in their Sunday best.   Don’t get me started on Mormon hypocrisy.
 

Back to the show, what is the actual plan now for Navarro?  He has to go to prison because of the public arrest, and it’ll be for life unless it’s a sham trial.  So what is the motivation for him to call Javi at Wendy’s request.  I know she’s an all powerful, infinitely  amazing senator manipulating, political genius, but there is absolutely no upside for Navarro to do what she wants.  “I don’t bluff”  (outmaneuvering the FBI too)

Furthermore, what is the motivator for Javi to do an 11 year deal with the FBI, and risk getting killed by a savvy underling, when he could slip back to Mexico, and run the gd cartel just as he was promised he would be able to? A steady stream of busts for FBI spending money will be picked up on, just as Javi suspected a mole.  The only thing I can think of is that Omar would have him whacked if he still held sway from prison.  

 

Thank you. None of this Navarro/ Javi/ FBI storyline makes any sense to me. And it all happened in like half a minute. This series has some great writing but I think they lost the script  here.. It’s like they tried to put way too much into this end of part 1 of the season. And I don’t see how Javi would actually being on board with any of this.

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 2/1/2022 at 1:30 PM, CaptainE said:

Back to the show, what is the actual plan now for Navarro?  He has to go to prison because of the public arrest, and it’ll be for life unless it’s a sham trial.  So what is the motivation for him to call Javi at Wendy’s request.  I know she’s an all powerful, infinitely  amazing senator manipulating, political genius, but there is absolutely no upside for Navarro to do what she wants.  “I don’t bluff”  (outmaneuvering the FBI too)

Furthermore, what is the motivator for Javi to do an 11 year deal with the FBI, and risk getting killed by a savvy underling, when he could slip back to Mexico, and run the gd cartel just as he was promised he would be able to? A steady stream of busts for FBI spending money will be picked up on, just as Javi suspected a mole.  The only thing I can think of is that Omar would have him whacked if he still held sway from prison.  

 

Omar is impressed with Wendy and (I feel) completely wants to bang her. So I could see him being willing to do her a favor if it costs him nothing.

Knowing that the FBI has Omar in its custody, Javi could very well conclude that it is easier to run the cartel with the FBI taking a partner approach than with the FBI being antagonistic (particularly when Omar is snitching.)

[CaptainE]

18 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Omar is impressed with Wendy and (I feel) completely wants to bang her. So I could see him being willing to do her a favor if it costs him nothing.

Knowing that the FBI has Omar in its custody, Javi could very well conclude that it is easier to run the cartel with the FBI taking a partner approach than with the FBI being antagonistic (particularly when Omar is snitching.)

What favor is Omar doing for Wendy?

How would the rest of his cartel react to this “partner approach” of Javi?

[DoctorAtomic]

7 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Knowing that the FBI has Omar in its custody, Javi could very well conclude that it is easier to run the cartel with the FBI taking a partner approach than with the FBI being antagonistic (particularly when Omar is snitching.)

Javier is arrogant enough that he thinks he'll be able to push the FBI around, and that he's leading the team here. 

7 hours ago, CaptainE said:

What favor is Omar doing for Wendy?

I actually think Omar likes the Byrdes to a point now. He respected Marty enough to take a risk on the Ozarks, and in not too much time, Marty produced, and Wendy all of a sudden emerges as a business and now political leader in the midwest *and* Marty got him an FBI agent to where getting out of the business was and kind of still is a real possibility. That's a lot of heave lifting on the Byrdes' part. Wendy also making the call on Ben was a huge factor in where their relationships are now. Of course, as soon as the Byrdes become a liability, he'll kill them; they know that. I do think, however, when he says 'I win; you win', he genuinely means if he gets out, he'll let them go from the cartel. 

Of course, they have Javier to deal with, but I think underestimating Ruth isn't smart. 

[CaptainE]

13 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

 

I actually think Omar likes the Byrdes to a point now. He respected Marty enough to take a risk on the Ozarks, and in not too much time, Marty produced, and Wendy all of a sudden emerges as a business and now political leader in the midwest *and* Marty got him an FBI agent to where getting out of the business was and kind of still is a real possibility. That's a lot of heave lifting on the Byrdes' part. Wendy also making the call on Ben was a huge factor in where their relationships are now. Of course, as soon as the Byrdes become a liability, he'll kill them; they know that. I do think, however, when he says 'I win; you win', he genuinely means if he gets out, he'll let them go from the cartel. 

 

Sure, he has liked them, or Marty would’ve been done when telling him no and hanging up on him.

I still want to know how Omar isn’t in for life.   Wouldn’t happen in this day and age.

[Goldfish77]

While I love this show. I sometimes wonder why parts of it seem like it is set in the late 80s-early 90s.  I mean Charlotte was taking the SAT on a scantron sheet (both the SAT and scantron sheets are so out of date)  and the vibe of the Lake area is exactly like Lake of the Ozarks was back then (I spent a lot of time there then, as I still do now)

[DoctorAtomic]

SATs where I am *just* went digital. I can see there are still some states that aren't technologically in the 2000s, let alone the 2020s. 

[Goldfish77]

4 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

SATs where I am *just* went digital. I can see there are still some states that aren't technologically in the 2000s, let alone the 2020s. 

In Missouri, the ACT has been digital for at least 6 years, not sure about the sat since both of my boys only took the ACT

[sugarbaker design]

On 2/1/2022 at 10:32 AM, Shermie said:

Party of two, I guess. I don’t like Wendy, but I like that a woman is getting this kind of meaty character. It’s refreshing to watch a crime drama that isn’t a sausage fest.

3 please.  It's not often one gets a chance to watch a TV drama that features a leading female role that is slowly being corrupted by greed, control, the lust for power and the perverse need of public admiration and respect.  In Laura Linney's capable hands, it's fascinating to watch.

[TVbitch]

The deal stuff with Omar/Javi/FBI/Byrds got confusing. I had to google to figure out exactly who was screwing who.

This show will lose all credibility with me if Marty and/or Wendy survive it. There is just no way. I can see them letting Ruth or one of the kids live just to throw the audience a bone. 

Edited February 12, 2022 by TVbitch

[Raja]

On 1/23/2022 at 7:28 AM, margol29 said:

Not sure if it was ep. 6 or 7, as I binge watched all in one day, but I didn't get the scene with Ruth going to the lady in the wheelchair's house. Who was she to Ruth? She seemed to know her mom really well. Why was she giving Ruth all those seed packets? Ruth was still planning to leave at that time. She would not be planting any gardens. Just seemed like a weird scene thrown in.

Just planting seeds for later is my guess. And judging by the Dancing on the Ceiling crack and the music over the closing credits someone launch a dig at the I'm Easy Lionel Ritchie in favor of the earlier Commodores funk. And I can support that decision.

Edited February 8, 2022 by Raja

[tennisgurl]

I cant really be mad about Darlene meeting the business end of Javi's gun, her dumb petty self should have been killed ages ago. I cant believe that she didn't get killed after shooting that guy from the KC mob's dick off. It just sucks that Wyatt had to go down with her, I was so hoping that he would make it out of this alive. If only he had just run away from Darlene when he had the chance and didn't get pulled back in. I don't really blame Wendy and Marty for Wyatt dying, they told Darlene to stop selling drugs or the cartel would kill her, this is on Darlene. Ruth vs Javi should be interesting, battle of the unhinged. 

I always really like Charlotte and Jonah scenes, and its interesting how they have sort of switched places in the family. Jonah was the one who started out wanting to get involved in the family business while Charlotte was freaked out by it, but now Jonah is the one disgusted by his parents while Sophie is totally on board. Of course, where Jonah draws the line seems to be more about being mad at his mom than a more general moral stand, its not like Darlene is any better then his parents.

Mya might feel like hot shit now, but her career is pretty much over now after blowing up that whole operation and going against her bosses. She is probably going to be chained to a basement desk until she hits retirement age.

Its been a good half season, I wish we could see more now. 

[Avabelle]

Frank jr has really grown on me this season. I love his friendship with Darlene and how his face lights up when she calls him. Is his personality transplant a result of having his dick blown off? I don’t recall him having any redeeming qualities while it was still intact.

Also while Jonah is a brat - I love him. Simply because anyone who has the ability to wind Wendy up gets points from me. She is awful. If Navarro had popped up a few seasons ago I could absolutely see her having an affair with him.

what is the deal with the private investigator? Any why was he onto Maya?

Edited February 10, 2022 by Avabelle

[Duke2801]

On 1/23/2022 at 8:35 AM, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

As Darlene's sister-in-law, does Ruth now inherit the Snell farm, assuming Darlene died without a will? Remember that Darlene hadn't had Zeke anywhere near long enough to formally adopt him and never had children of her own.

 

 Ruth was Wyatt’s cousin, not his sister. Wyatt’s only sibling was Three. 

[qtpye]

On 1/22/2022 at 8:46 PM, Pike Ludwell said:

When Wyatt agreed to move away with Ruth, I was thinking "Good!! He's finally come to his senses. So this string of episodes with him acting insane is finally over!!" Then he totally flakes out and decides to marry Darlene! I was not bothered at all with either him or Darlene being shot. They were both sorts that world could do without just fine. 

(I'm aware of Wyatt's concern that Zeke would go to foster care. But Zeke was not a blood relative of Wyatt, so his falling for Zeke to the extent he did was part of his overall messed up thinking. And foster care would be fine for the child. Foster parents can be outstanding and as Wyatt should have realized -- much better than growing up with Darlene. And the new, big reason for disliking Darlene now was still there. So I reject making his concern for Zeke into an understandable excuse for Wyatt's changing his mind and deciding to marry Darlene. Wyatt was simply a guy stubbornly, stupidly persisting with very annoying and very messed up thinking, so I wasn't sad at all to see him go.)

When Marty went to that attorney's house and was surprised by Javi, I was hoping that attorney had an ounce of fight and preparation in him. There was plenty of opportunity to bang something over the head of Javi, or, even better, since he knew he was in danger from this guy, have several guns hidden around the house and he could get to one while Javi's back was turned. But instead Javi was allowed to do whatever he wanted there. That scene was more upsetting to me than when he killed unliked characters like Darlene and Wyatt.

 

On 1/23/2022 at 3:28 PM, EllaWycliffe said:

Agree in that her career is toast. While I get the cynical money reasons in play for the deal with Navarro, the actual argument that controlling the cartel for five years gathering info and airtight evidence doesn't actually sound bad, now does it? Now, she's got Navarro publicly busted with her in the forefront and yay for her but she's done as an agent on high profile stuff. They won't *fire* her.... right away. They WILL reassign her to some place where she can't do any damage and will never be trusted with any significant cases again. She's not going any further with the FBI. 

 

Can't believe the KC Mob didn't hit her for shooting off the dick of the boss's loved son. 

On a complete aside, am I the only one who doesn't think the "Lets get married, that way they won't take away Zeke" would work? Darlene was already an exception, being normally too old to foster. Marrying an 18-19 year old after having a heart attack doesn't scream "stable home" to me. 

 

On 1/23/2022 at 10:20 PM, Blue Plastic said:

IANAL but can't imagine an old lady who grows poppies for heroin and a young man with no job, skills, or income would be considered as foster or adoptive parent material just because they got married, even putting aside the very illegal line of business that they are in.  How would Wyatt support the baby when Darlene died?  Made no sense at all and kind of took me out of the show, but I loved the episode anyway.

I know this might be an unpopular opinion but I disliked Wyatt and never thought he deserved Ruth’s devotion.

I think she thought he was special because he read and was not a brute like the rest of the men in his family.

Wyatt was never much of a doer. I think he liked Darlene because as his sugermama, she allowed him to lead a lifestyle of total leisure. It never seemed like he cooked or cleaned. He looked after Zeke once in a while but It seemed like Darlene still did most of the work.

When Ruth bought that crap motel for $450,000, I was like, girl…take that money and make a better life for yourself somewhere else. However, what people said upthread about the poverty mindset applies to her psychology.

She will never be able to lift herself up until she believes she deserves better.

[qtpye]

On 2/1/2022 at 6:16 PM, EllaWycliffe said:

I mean maybe, but this was something where I gave Ruth credit for having some sense in a crisis. Wyatt for whatever reason loved the baby. Wyatt is dead. Darlene is dead. There's a murderer around. Its not wise to leave the baby in the house where his sort of mother and father are lying dead in puddles of their own blood. I mean it is a nice "fuck you" to the Byrdes but it also just seemed wiser than leaving the poor kid there. 

If Wyatt truly loved Zeke, then he would have gotten the baby as far away from Darlene as possible.

Edited February 12, 2022 by qtpye

[EllaWycliffe]

6 hours ago, qtpye said:

I know this might be an unpopular opinion but I disliked Wyatt and never thought he deserved Ruth’s devotion.

I don't dislike Wyatt but season 3 and 4 did him no favors, and in retrospect, I dislike how he takes advantage of Ruth's bouts of good nature without being willing to give in return. Wyatt was content to let it be all about Wyatt and what Wyatt wanted. I'm saddened that no one in the Langmore family including Wyatt and Ruth ever accepted that Ruth was in some ways Wyatt's equal intellectually. She understands the money laundering business, and can organize a high tech casino takeover and only Marty ever seems to acknowledge she's pretty smart. Wyatt, on his "I like literature and science fiction" pedestal has that high schooler snobby attitude that makes me want to laugh every time he's talked into something stupid. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 2/9/2022 at 6:17 PM, Avabelle said:

what is the deal with the private investigator? Any why was he onto Maya?

I think that we are to think that the PI is to be taken essentially at face value: that he is an ex-Chicago homicide detective who got hired by Helen's ex-husband to get her to sign off on the divorce, that while investigating the case he started to develop a theory that Ben killed Helen and the Byrdes helped cover it up. The PI ran into Maya at the Byrdes' house as he said. So it may be that he has changed his theory, especially if he knows/suspects that Helen was connected to the cartel. It seems like way too big a coincidence that the FBI agent who led arresting the head of the cartel Helen worked for also is connected to Marty.

[millennium]

On 1/22/2022 at 9:20 AM, EllaWycliffe said:

Plus Wyatt had turned from interesting into a useless character. 

I think Javi summed it up:  "Sorry ... whoever you are."

[Dobian]

I found it ironic that Javi shot Darlene through the heart after she just had a heart attack.  It was sure a bad week for Darlene's heart!

When Ruth was going nuclear on the Byrde's, I was picturing the scene from Scanners where the guy's head explodes.

No, I can't mourn poor innocent Wyatt.  The guy was weak as a kitten and dumb as a brick.  Darwin sorted him out.

"Nah we don't want to take down the drug cartel, it will only be replaced by another drug cartel.  And that means more work for us!  Let's make some money instead!"

I thought Darlene was wearing the most plot armor on this show, but that distinction goes to Marty and Wendy.  How many fucked-up deals have they done between Omar, Javi, and the FBI already?  I think every cartel house in Mexico has posters of them on the wall by this point.

Edited February 26, 2022 by Dobian

[DoctorAtomic]

Marty and Wendy wheel and deal, but they produce. That's what I like about Omar - he's strictly results oriented. If you want to go back to the beginning, Omar should have shot Marty and his partner both for stealing, but Marty was able to pitch the Ozarks. That's kind of the buy in right there. 

After last season, it was ridiculous Darlene was still around. What I thought was funny was that Javier just walked in and offed her. Anyone could have done that at anytime. 

[cincivic]

I shouted "Hallelujah" when Javi killed Darlene. It's about freaking time. Frank, Sr. was so stupid in not questioning where Darlene was walking to in her house, away from him. He knew she was bat crap crazy.

[qtpye]

On 2/26/2022 at 2:53 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

Marty and Wendy wheel and deal, but they produce. That's what I like about Omar - he's strictly results oriented. If you want to go back to the beginning, Omar should have shot Marty and his partner both for stealing, but Marty was able to pitch the Ozarks. That's kind of the buy in right there. 

After last season, it was ridiculous Darlene was still around. What I thought was funny was that Javier just walked in and offed her. Anyone could have done that at anytime. 

 

13 minutes ago, cincivic said:

I shouted "Hallelujah" when Javi killed Darlene. It's about freaking time. Frank, Sr. was so stupid in not questioning where Darlene was walking to in her house, away from him. He knew she was bat crap crazy.

Yes, it made no sense that she got away with the crap she did just because she was supposedly a badass "boss bitch".

The other women on the show are more impressive than her and they get taken down regularly.  Look at how much Ruth has suffered.

[DoctorAtomic]

Ruth is a little more complex because she was clearly sharp from the first time she met Marty, but she was saddled with her demeaning father about the 'family curse', and no one was ever in her corner, except Marty. Even when Marty came up with the plan to buy all the drugs, he went to Ruth to make the deal. I know she's going off half cocked on Javier, but I think she's actually not going to be reckless once she calms down for a minute. 

Darlene did not suffer from any self-esteem issues, but she wasn't nearly as smart. I'll concede that may have kept her alive sometimes, but once the husband died, and they were able to end around about owning the land under the water, she either plays on their team or she's gone. She could have been a subsidiary of the cartel or helped them branch out around the Ozarks and made a ton more money. 

I'll also give that Omar let it up to Marty and Wendy to clean up this problem, and they're not entirely experienced in that department, but Wendy got the job done before, and she could have done it again. 

If this is how TPTBs planned her exit, I think it worked. She's so up into herself, she didn't even know who Javier was, and completely dismissed Marty's warning before.

[EllaWycliffe]

43 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

Darlene did not suffer from any self-esteem issues, but she wasn't nearly as smart.

This. Darlene was also ruled by her racism, whereas Ruth has no issue seeing Mexicans as a worthy threat. It simply never dawned on Darlene that the cartel was a genuine threat. 

Personally, the harder plot point for me to swallow was Omar not just sending a hit team or man to deal with Darlene and her stupid heroin business, and or Frank Sr not immediately wiping her off the face of the earth for what she did to Frank Jr.

Oh, and the idea that Wyatt was sleeping with her. Sorry, can't see that happening.

[DoctorAtomic]

Frank Sr definitely. There's no way he wouldn't have sent someone to her house instead of him, and if Frank Jr is actually a made man, I don't recall, then immediately she's gone after she shot him. At the time it happened, she didn't have any value. 

Omar, I saw it more as a test for Wendy and Marty to see what they could do and how he would consider their position in the organization. In a larger picture, to Omar, Darlene was a small pest. She wasn't really costing them money; robbing their shipments, etc. They knew she wasn't a threat to go to the cops either. I do agree with Javier though, she needed to go. You need to keep a clean house. 

I think if they showed her as low key savvy or there was some value she had after they established the riverboat casino, then you could see her around. 

 

[IslandGirl]

On 3/18/2022 at 8:06 AM, EllaWycliffe said:

Oh, and the idea that Wyatt was sleeping with her. Sorry, can't see that happening.

While Darlene’s face showed her age, she did have a great figure, so I could see Wyatt sleeping with her. I found it interesting she referred to him as her son in the hospital—she struck me as the type who wouldn’t give a crap what other people thought…

[UnknownK]

11 hours ago, IslandGirl said:

While Darlene’s face showed her age, she did have a great figure, so I could see Wyatt sleeping with her. I found it interesting she referred to him as her son in the hospital—she struck me as the type who wouldn’t give a crap what other people thought…

That could just be because it was family visitation only.

[IslandGirl]

On 4/25/2022 at 1:17 PM, UnknownK said:

That could just be because it was family visitation only.

You’re absolutely right, but somehow I think there was more to it than that…

[SlovakPrincess]

Eh.  I found this episode annoying more than anything.  

Nothing the FBI was doing made any sense.  I guess we're supposed to believe they're corrupt, too, and just wanted to seize money instead of actually stopping the flow of drugs and all the rampant murdering?  And the FBI is willing to deal with Javi but doesn't bother to tell him "hey don't murder anyone on US soil during this 5 years or the deal's off, okay?"  I can kind of see why Maya snapped and came up with her own plan to try and make sure Omar actually did some prison time, since her bosses are corrupt assholes.  Or maybe I'm just missing something here?  

Poor Wyatt.  Darlene should've been dead two seasons ago, so that's kind of a big shrug for me.  Although didn't the Snells have a guard and security gate in the first season?  Now everybody just wanders into the Snell living room like this is a sitcom?  🙄  

And now Baby Zeke has been present for five homicides.  Which is, y'know, a lot, for a 1 year old!  Hope he doesn't remember any of this later!  Poor kid is gonna have anxiety and nightmares for the rest of his life and have no idea why.

Of course Jonah wanders in without understanding any of the context of the situation and blabs to Ruth about Javi's identity (so she can go get herself killed by Javi and fuck up the Byrde family's future, probably).  Seriously, every time a Byrde kid has to rebel against their parents, they lose half their IQ points.  Jonah has been trying my patience like crazy this season.  

What was with the scene with the seed lady?  

[roughing it]

20 hours ago, SlovakPrincess said:

What was with the scene with the seed lady?  

She was a friend of Ruth’s mom. Ruth was getting seeds as a wedding gift for Wyatt and Darlene. She brought them to the Snell house where she found them murdered.