Ozark Recap Season 3 Episode 8: BFF

There are a lot of words we can use to describe the Netflix original series Ozark, and “sad” is usually not one of them. But sad is how we are feeling in our Ozark recap of season 3, episode 8.

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*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

This episode begins with Marty going to therapist Sue’s house. He notices the flashy Maclaren car is gone. He knocks, looks in windows, then goes in an unlocked door. He finds her computer is dead, and the Byrdes’ file gone. Then he finds Helen Pierce’s name in Sue’s appointment book. He knows what happened to Sue and starts rubbing his fingerprints off everything!

Charlotte, Jonah and Erin are dropped off at community service. Helen tells Wendy that she and Marty are endangering everything. Wendy tells her their “partnership” won’t work if she keeps her in the dark. 

Ben is a Loose Cannon

Ben and Ruth are having sex. It’s clear that it’s been a few weeks and Ruth is healed. Ben drops Ruth at the casino for work and she seems scared. 

Marty is running through all the things that need to get done for the foundation party. Ruth is on it, but you can tell her feelings toward Marty have changed.

Meanwhile, after Ben drops Ruth, he goes straight to see Frank Cosgrove Jr. Apparently he’s been showing up every day, asking to see him. This shows Ben’s naivety – does he really think Frank is just going to accept a meeting with him? When the security officer tells Ben that, once again, Frank isn’t available, Ben blows through security. But he quickly reconsiders and turns his truck around when a whole bunch of guys come out toward his car.

Later we see Ben drinking at a bar. Some well-dressed guy comes in and asks for a list of their whiskeys. The bartender says “you’re looking at ‘em.” Clearly this guy is too fancy for Kansas City.

Ben: “Nice tie.”
Guy: “Thanks.”
Ben: “I was being sarcastic.”
Guy: “So was I.”

Then – BAM- Ben grabs the guy and smashes his head against the bar and kicks the crap out of him. “Nice tie motherfucker!”

WHOA.  

Helen calls Wendy in the middle of the night. It seems that Ben is in jail in Kansas City and told them Helen was “the family lawyer.” She is NOT happy that she has to keep cleaning up their messes.  

Ruth goes to pick him up and she’s pissed. This scene is reminiscent of the scene when Cade robbed the convenience store after getting out of prison. There are a lot of parallels in this episode between Cade and Ben, and how Ruth relates to them.

Ben is asking Ruth why she still cares about the Byrdes after they don’t lift a finger over her attack. Ben says, “That’s enough for you?” Ruth replies, “No, but that’s what I got so shut the fuck up.” 

Ben tells Ruth Wendy wasn’t always soft. As a kid she took out a kid’s front teeth for calling them poor. Ruth tells Ben Wendy is not soft. She’s done it before when it suited her, she just didn’t feel like doing it now. Ben presses her, but she doesn’t tell him about Wendy killing Cade. 

Marty wants to know how Wendy is planning to handle Ben. It’s revealed that they had him committed 10 years ago. Marty wants to commit him again and has already made some phone calls. Wendy says no, she can’t do that to him again.  

Wendy tells Ben it’s not safe for him to be there. She asks how much it’s going to cost to get him out of town. Ben says his life is here now. Wendy, says, “No, it’s not.” Ben replies, “Fuck you!”

Marty is Still Trying to Get Maya on Board

Marty feeds Maya more evidence on a financial criminal, and Maya still won’t take it, telling Marty, “You can’t have your cake and avoid prison too.”

Later, Wendy is talking to the Missouri State Senator, Andrew Wade. She slips him the same information that Marty tried to give Maya. She tells him she tried to give it to the FBI agent at the casino, but she wasn’t interested. Wade asks for the FBI agent’s name. This is just what Wendy wanted – they are trying to get Maya in trouble with her boss.

And the plan works. Maya’s boss calls her in and tells her the Missouri State Senator slipped them evidence, and that she knows Maya ignored it. She demotes Maya.

Showdown at the Foundation Party

Everyone is arriving at the Missouri Belle for Wendy’s Foundation kick-off party. Erin kisses Jonah. (We’re still just not on board with Erin’s character at all.)

Maya is talking to Marty and she walks away in a huff. Marty tells Wendy Maya lost her job and Wendy says then need to find a way to get it back.  

As Wendy is on stage introducing Andrew Wade, Ben arrives at the party. He starts yelling at Wendy and she tries to calm him down. He figured out what Wendy did. Marty comes over and Ben punches him in the face. Security takes Ben away, and they cut to Helen’s steely face. Ugh, I think Ben is dead.

Marty and Wendy are in Sheriff Nix’s office. He says, “It’s jail or the hospital.” They want him to go to a private hospital, but the Sheriff says it has to be the State Hospital. We are wondering why?? Was this explained?

They tell Ben and his screams are haunting. Marty and Wendy are listening through security cameras. He cries out Wendy’s name. She is devastated. Amazing acting from all in this scene, but especially Tom Pelphrey as Ben!

The next morning Ruth and Wendy go to see Ben in the hospital. Ben won’t see Wendy, only Ruth. Ruth asks him what happened. Ben says he figured out that Wendy killed Cade. Ruth admits it. Ben tells her she deserves better and shouldn’t have to accept what’s happening.  He asks Ruth to get him out.

Ruth goes home to find Wyatt waiting for her. He says maybe Darlene can help get Ben out. Darlene goes to Sheriff Nix and tells him to let Ben go. He will, but she needs to find someone else to run her product. DEAL.

Things Come to a Head with Helen

Helen tells Navarro she is “having misgivings about our partners here.” Navarro says “do whatever you need to do.” UH OH.  

Ben gets out of the hospital and takes a cab to Helen’s. Ben is in a rage and tells Erin everything! Welp. That’s gonna be the end of Ben. 

The symbols in the opener of this episode (and their meanings) are: Neck tie (Ben’s fight); Taxi (Ben takes a few taxis); Handcuffs (Ben gets arrested); two people on a trampoline (Charlotte & Jonah).

Dirty Dilemma: Wendy

What should Wendy have done about Ben? Did she have any choice?

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