Who dies in Ozark season 4 part 2? Recapping every shocking death
Breaking down each surprise death in the final season of Ozark
Ozark season 4 part 2 is here, which means we finally know how Netflix's crime series ends.
Part 1 saw the Byrdes in a tight spot after Javi Elizondro (Alfonso Herrerra) killed Wyatt Langmore (Charlie Tahan) and Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) – and Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner), cousin of Wyatt, swore vengeance on the cartel boss.
But did she go through with her plan to murder Javi? And who else might have died in the final seven episodes? We've rounded up every shocking death in Ozark's swan song below – naturally, there are major spoilers ahead. Turn away now if you haven't finished the series!
Who dies in Ozark season 4 part 2? Every single death *spoilers*
Javier Elizondro
The first person to die in Ozark season 4 part 2 is none other than Javi Elizondro, Omar Navarro's (Felix Solis) nephew – and the brand new boss of the cartel.
He shot Wyatt Langmore and Darlene Snell dead back in the season 4 part 1 finale, and Ruth has been sworn on vengeance ever since. Jonah and Charlotte Byrde (Skylar Gaertner and Sofia Hublitz) give Ruth the information she needs to find Javi, and she procures a gun from Frank Jr. (Joseph Sikora). After a lot of thinking, she ultimately decides to go through with the murder.
She threatens Clare Shaw (Katrina Lenk), along with Marty and Wendy Byrde, and gathers them all in the pharmaceutical boss's office. There, she holds them at gunpoint until Wendy calls Javi (she later reasons to Marty that it was inevitable anyway). Wendy lures Javi over, and when he arrives, Ruth immediately shoots him and kills him. The Byrdes deal with the body.
Arturo Cabrera
The next person to die in Ozark season 4 part 2 is cartel member Arturo Cabrera (Reinaldo Faberlle). After Navarro takes the blame for Javi's death to appear strong to the cartel, his sister Camila Elizondro (Verónica Falcón) – Javi's mother – tries to have him killed. Marty, in Mexico to give the impression Navarro is still in charge, must find the culprit. He thinks Cabrera is behind it after discovering he's been stealing from the cartel.
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Cabrera is tortured in the same room Marty was back in season 3, under Marty's supervision. Eventually, Cabrera breaks and falsely confesses to trying to have Navarro killed. Marty orders his death, and he's shot.
Nelson
Navarro's enforcer is taken down by the combined efforts of Ruth and Rachel (Jordana Spiro). The duo execute a hostile takeover of the Missouri Belle, and refuse to continue laundering money for the cartel. Wendy asks Nelson (Nelson Bonilla) to scare Rachel, which he does, but still Ruth won't give in. She sees the enforcer tailing her when she goes to speak to the sheriff, and flips off his car.
When she comes back outside, though, Nelson is gone. Realizing the man is after Rachel, she calls her new business partner and warns her of what's coming, telling her to get a gun and climb up to the trailer roof. Rachel does this, and when Nelson arrives, shoots him down. Ruth then buries him under the concrete of her swimming pool.
Marty finds out, but, because Navarro thinks Nelson's disappearance is a sign that Camila is preparing to kill him, Ruth and Rachel get away with the murder.
Omar Navarro
Omar Navarro himself goes down in the final episode of Ozark. It's all because of that deal with the FBI – after Javi is killed, it's off. The Byrdes try to renegotiate another one with Navarro and the Bureau, but for that they'd need to get the cartel boss off a list that stops the US government doing business with him. That proves to be too complicated, so the Byrdes switch angles to Camila instead. She agrees, despite learning Navarro wasn't the one who killed her son.
Navarro is transferred from his prison, and on the way, one of the guards kills the other and gives the cartel boss a gun, urging him to run. He does, but the sound of a gun cocking stops him. The gun the guard gave him is empty – it was all part of a plan to stage the scene to look like a prisoner attempting to escape. Navarro is then shot dead by the guard.
Ruth Langmore
She's been there from the start, but Ruth Langmore doesn't survive till the end. At the big fundraiser for the Byrde family foundation, Camila approaches Marty, Wendy, and Clare to find out what happened to Javi. She threatens Clare in a particularly nasty way, and the pharmaceutical boss breaks and admits that Ruth pulled the trigger. She keeps Marty and Wendy out of it, though.
Camila then makes it clear that she's going to kill Ruth, and threatens the Byrdes and their children so they can't warn her first. Marty and Wendy discuss it, but decide there's nothing they can do, so make no attempts to talk to Ruth.
When Ruth arrives back to the former location of the Langmore trailers, Camila is already there waiting for her. The new cartel boss holds Ruth at gunpoint, but she doesn't back down – in fact, Ruth says she's not sorry, and even encourages Camila to pull the trigger when she doesn't immediately fire. Eventually, though, Camila does shoot, and Ruth dies.
Mel Sattem
Private Investigator Mel Sattem (Adam Rothenberg) was intent on discovering the truth about Wendy's brother Ben (Tom Pelphrey) throughout the season, and finally did in the finale. He figured out that Ben's ashes were being kept in the goat-shaped cookie jar, and it turns out Marty did a bad job of cremating the man, because there's identifiable DNA left among the ashes.
Mel tells the Byrdes that they're not going to win and become the next Kennedys, because the world doesn't work that way. "Since when?" asks Wendy, and then the sound of a gun cocking can be heard. It's Jonah with his shotgun.
The Byrdes look pleased, Jonah shuts his eyes, Marty and Wendy look over at Mel, and the screen goes to black. We hear the sound of a gunshot. Since Jonah didn't waver or switch aim last minute, we can safely assume he shot the PI – and at that range, there's no way Mel lives to see another day. That means the truth about Ben's fate dies with him, too.
If you're up to speed on Ozark, check out our breakdown of the Ozark season 4 part 2 ending explained, and see our guide to the best Netflix shows streaming now to fill out your watchlist.
I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.