Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Did you hear the good news? Netflix has officially renewed Ozark, Jason Bateman‘s money laundering drama, for a second season. It’s a great day to be a fan of great television.
Starring Bateman and Laura Linney, the Netflix original follows one couple as they evade the cops, drug cartels, and run-of-the-mill criminals as they try to hustle for their lives. It’s an action-packed and crime-fueled thrill ride, much like a faster and more insane Breaking Bad. It’s also one of Netflix’s surprise sleeper hits. Speaking as a fan of the series and as critic of great TV, I’m incredibly happy the show will be coming back to us, both because I will always love seeing Laura Linney swing a dead opossum with the force of an enraged mother and because that season finale left me with a lot of questions. This is by no means a comprehensive list of loose ends Ozark needs to tie up, but it’s a start. Here’s everything I expect Netflix to answer with Ozark‘s second season.
How is the rest of the cartel going to react once they learn Del is dead?
For all of Season 1, Marty (Jason Batman) had one powerful ace up his sleeve. No matter what crimes he committed or how much money he laundered, he had a no-nonsense drug lord breathing over his shoulder, waiting for his money. Any time Marty was in trouble, he’d throw out the name Camino Del Rio (Esai Morales) and that would normally shut everyone up. However, Season 1 ended with Buddy (Harris Yulin) killing Del’s informant, Garcia (Joseph Melendez) and the Snells killed Del. I don’t know how the rest of these powerful criminals are going to take this news, but I bet they won’t take it well.
What’s going to happen when Ruth’s father gets out of jail?
Despite how fearless Ruth (Julia Garner) is, there is one person who can make our favorite teenage antihero sweat — her father. Throughout this season, Ruth’s father has been a powerful guiding force despite being stuck in jail. If Bill Dubuque and Jason Bateman’s dreams are realized, this series will last for five seasons, and Ruth’s father will likely be released from jail. What happens when he gets out? Or better yet, what will he do once he learns that his brothers are dead?
What’s going to happen to Buddy Dieker? Can the Byrds keep living with him?
Buddy didn’t just kill anyone. He killed a trusted informant for a major drug dealer. Terminal disease or no, that’s not good for anyone. What’s going to happen to him once the rest of Del’s gang learn who killed Garcia? Also, the finale saw the Byrds reunited but without anywhere to go. Will they return to Buddy’s house? Should they?
What the heck is happening with the Snells?
It’s hard to give the Snells (Peter Mullan and Lisa Emery) a specific question other than what and why. Over the course of the first season, this creepy Southern gothic power couple ran an opioid ring out of a church, dodged the law, went face-to-face with Marty, probably but almost definitely murdered a pastor’s pregnant wife and ripped out her baby, and murdered several members of a cartel. I don’t know what this show has in store for them, but now Marty is stuck with them, and I need to know everything. If we could get another flashback series specifically focusing on this couple, that would be great.
Is Ruth going to raise her cousin?
In a rare moment of compassion, Ruth ended the season by offering to act as the temporary guardian for her cousin, Wyatt (Charlie Tahan). Maybe she was feeling sentimental, maybe she felt guilty about killing two of her uncles — who knows. Will she keep up the offer?
Where is Grace’s body?
As I mentioned before, the Snells possibly, maybe, but almost definitely murdered a pastor’s wife and took her baby. Where is God’s name is Grace Young’s (Bethany Ann Lind), and what horrors did she have to endure during the final moments of her life? Will Pastor Mason (Michael Mosley) ever know what really happened to his wife?
Is Rachel sucked into this nightmare too?
Ozark’s scrappy bartender was so close to knowing none of this nonsense. Unfortunately, because Marty has a bad habit of telling anyone who looks at him that he’s laundering money, that changed toward the end of the season. Rachel (Jordana Spiro) now knows about Marty’s crimes, but she still accepted money from him. That means she’s in this thing, for better or for worse.
What happened to Wendy’s lover’s son?
In the middle of avoiding the cops and laundering as much money as humanly possible, the son of Wendy’s lover made an appearance. You remember Wendy’s (Laura Linney) lover, right? The man who was forced to commit suicide because of Marty’s drug cartel “friends”? The son bothered Wendy for answers for a couple of episodes before disappearing again. Is he going to come back in the future? And if so, how will that affect the never-ending swarm of people out to catch the Byrds in their many, many crimes.
Is Jonah a sociopath?
Here’s what we know about the Byrds’ youngest child — he likes dead animals and killing animals, he’s interested in guns, and he’s not above using Tuck (Evan George Vourazeris) to illegally get a gun. Marty and Wendy may have briefly questioned whether their son was mentally disturbed or unwell, but we need an answer.
Are Charlotte and Jonah supposed to just go back to school like regular children?
They now know that their parents are involved in laundering money for a drug cartel, and they’ve seen a man murdered. Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) even went as far as to point a gun at a man. These kids know things that most adults aren’t aware of. How can they just casually go back to school?
Do the Langmores just own bobcats now?
The uncles never returned the bobcats, and now they’re dead. So … does that mean Wyatt and Ruth just have pet bobcats now? Is Ruth going to mother them as well? Side note: I would 100 percent watch a spin-off series about Ruth raising Wyatt and some bobcats with her strip club money as long as Laura Linney is in it as well.
Is the lake magic?
Hear me out on this one. This idea comes from my colleague and Decider’s resident social media guru, Karen Kemmerle. On two occasions, people almost drown in the lake where most of Ozark‘s drama takes place. Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) almost kicks the bucket while taking an ill-fated swim, and Pastor Mason comes disturbingly close to drowning his newborn son. Either these two humans are very lucky or there’s something going on with Ozark‘s lake.
