Ozark creator weighs in on show's 'ambiguous' ending
Ozark creator Chris Mundy has shared his thoughts about the series finale after fans were left with questions over a shooting right as the screen cut to black.
The Netflix drama came to an end in 2022 after five years and four seasons, forcing fans to say goodbye to Jason Bateman's character Marty Byrde and all the turmoil he faced throughout the show.
The final episode, which aired in April 2022, saw Marty's son Jonah aim a gun in the vicinity of Marty, his wife Wendy, and private investigator Mel. Remind yourself of the events here:
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The screen cut to black as gunfire rang out, and with no visual on who was hit, some fans were left questioning whether Jonah shot Mel or his own parents.
"Well damn! This is where you leave us? Who did Jonah really shoot? Damn! Out of all of them I rooted for Ruth!," one fan commented after watching the finale, while another wrote: "It’s no way in helll they ended Ozark like that. Who did Jonah shoot?!"
Though many viewers agreed the ending was ambiguous, creator Mundy didn't feel that was the case at all.
Speaking at the Netflix-hosted Q&A panel in Hollywood on Friday (17 February), Mundy admitted he was surprised to hear of the audience's reaction because to him, the victim of the shooting was clear.
“Definitively in my mind, and anyone’s free to think whatever they want, but in my mind, he absolutely shot Mel and Mel is dead. And that’s that,” Mundy said.
“I just didn’t want to see it. It was over. If you shot him then you’re in the blood and the guts… but the show was over. He did it," the creator added.
Bateman addressed the death of Mel and of Ruth Langmore, who also lost her life in the finale, as he said the Byrdes 'have to pay a bill of some sort'.
With Marty and Wendy having to watch their teenage son kill a man, Mundy said it 'would have been false if there weren’t consequences' for their actions.
The couple had to face that their son had 'become a murderer', Bateman pointed out, and how Jonah now has the 'scarlet letter'.
Although the ending of the series left fans with questions, many still praised the finale and described it as an 'amazing' way to end the show.
"Ozark’s ending was amazing. Perfect ending to one of the best shows I ever watched. Jason Bateman is a legend," wrote one fan.
The show has since been nominated for four Screen Actors Guild awards.
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Emily Brown