Ozark Scenes That Went Too Far

Given that "Ozark" is a crime-ridden story dripping with blood, deception, and all-out chaos, it's fair to say that bad things happen a lot in the Netflix series. Death, after all, tends to be a common occurrence in crime dramas, and scenes that go too far — which "Ozark" is flooded with — come with the territory as well.

Since "Ozark" first premiered in 2017, a lot has happened to the Byrde family –- consisting of Wendy (Laura Linney), Marty (Jason Bateman), Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz), and Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) — and the Langmores, consisting of Ruth (Julia Garner), Three (Carson Holmes), Wyatt (Charlie Tahan), Russ (Marc Menchaca), Boyd (Christopher James Baker), and Cade (Trevor Long). Not all of these characters or their acquaintances make it through the series alive, and a lot of blood has been spilled in the Missouri Ozarks, Mexico, and Chicago over the course of the show.

In a series like "Ozark," gruesome and uncomfortable scenes are part of the regular formula. Characters are bound to die, and audiences are frequently left breathless and distraught on the edge of their seats. Each viewer's tolerance for such scenes is different, but it's clear that some "Ozark" moments are objectively extreme. From the cringe-worthy and the shocking to the downright brutal, here are some "Ozark" scenes that went too far.

At the beginning of "Ozark" Season 1, Wendy Byrde is having an affair with her lawyer, Gary (Bruce Altman). When the severity of Marty's debt to Camino Del Rio (Esai Morales) and the Navarro Cartel first becomes clear, Gary urges Wendy to leave her husband and take the kids with her, rather than following Marty on his money-laundering mission in the Ozarks. Unfortunately for Gary, his interference draws Del's attention, leading to him throwing Gary off the top of a high-rise. The brutal murder is witnessed by Marty while he's walking outside the ground floor of the building.

This is a key early moment where Marty and the audience both realize how serious Del and the cartel are. From the moment of Gary's death, it's clear that any wrong move could get the Byrde family killed. This is also a perfect moment for viewers to decide if they want to proceed with the show or find something else to watch. After all, if the creators are willing to show such a horrific death in the very first episode, who knows how dark things will get later on? Spoiler: It's very dark.

The "Ozark" creators made it clear early on that Del isn't someone you want to mess with. After Marty and Bruce Liddell (Josh Randall), his Chicago business partner, agree to work with him as his new financial advisors, Del has his previous money man Louis (Ivan Martin) killed in front of them. It's not just a quick and easy death either, as Del's men proceed to gouge out Louis' eyes. Of course, Louis was stealing money from the cartel, and Del believed he'd been working with the FBI. Later on, Louis' eyeballs get mailed to the Byrde family in a gruesome power play.

Though some people are more squeamish than others, gouging someone's eyes out and then putting them in a glass is kind of the definition of "going too far." The dark deed sets the stage for the entire series, as it proves that Marty and his family really are in grave danger. Betrayal and murder are both expected in a crime drama, but seeing someone's eyes being gouged out is a whole other level.

There's something primally disturbing about a person ripping off someone else's nails. Unfortunately for Marty, he gets a full dose of that treatment at the end of "Ozark" Season 1. After Del's enforcer Garcia (Joseph Melendez) is killed by the Byrdes' friend and tenant Buddy (Harris Yulin), the cartel lieutenant comes looking for answers, and he isn't too kind with how he gets them. 

In a move that would probably have worked on anyone else, Del has Marty's toenails ripped off one by one with a pair of pliers until he reveals what happened to Garcia. The cameras aren't shy in this scene either, showing closeups of the torturous procedure throughout and providing iron-clad proof that the show may have gone a little too far. Luckily for Marty, he can be pretty convincing, and he sells Del on a compelling pitch for new business opportunities, saving his own skin in the process. Things seem to be back to a status quo until Darlene Snell shows her violent side and shoots Del dead. Marty and his family are subsequently relieved of his torment, but, as is often the case in such stories, a new and arguably worse boss is right around the corner.

For a while on "Ozark," it looked like Russ and Boyd Langmore had a foolproof plan: Rob and kill Marty and escape into the night. But instead of letting her dear uncles enjoy their "retirement plan," which would have likely had terrible implications for Ruth, she electrocutes them –- the same fate she had previously planned for Marty. Despite him arguably being the calmest and most collected character in the entire series, there's no doubt that Marty's life is a constant string of near-death experiences, often of his own creation. 

Even though they had bad intentions, Russ and Boyd's electrocution is still difficult to watch, and it's heartbreaking to see Ruth turn against her family in such a dramatic way. She rigs the water around the Byrdes' dock in a no-coming-back move that's brutal to say the absolute least, saving Marty and adding substantially to Ruth's long list of crimes.

Pastor Mason Young (Michael Mosley), as his name suggests, is supposed to be a holy person — a man of God, if you will. Yet the waters in the Missouri Ozarks are tainted, and they'll make even the noblest people do some pretty crazy things, especially if they're involved with Marty and Wendy Byrde. Things seem to be going well for Mason for a while, with the Byrdes even building him a new church, but his life takes a dark turn after his wife is murdered. Mason begins to behave in increasingly erratic ways, leading to a serious "too-far" moment when he nearly drowns his baby, Zeke, in the Lake of the Ozarks.

Though Mason is ostensibly just baptizing his son, he keeps Zeke under the water for way, way too long, suggesting to the audience that he intended to drown him. Thankfully, the baby survives the ordeal and lets out a cry after being pulled from the water, seemingly breaking whatever dark spell had captured his father's mind. The look of unwavering determination on Mason's face is unsettling to say the least, and the fact that no words are spoken during the baptism makes the whole thing even more unsettling. Poor little Zeke has a tough time throughout "Ozark," but this scene completely ups the ante.

Cade Langmore, the father of Ruth and brother of Russ and Boyd, isn't a good person. Yet even he occasionally seems righteous when compared to some of the other "Ozark" characters, despite the creators painting him in a dark light. Just before FBI Agent Roy Petty (Jason Butler Harner) is about to go back to Chicago, he decides to take one last fishing trip in the Ozarks. In an attempt to destroy Marty, Cade attempts to snitch on his own daughter, but the lawman rebuffs him, insults him, and makes some pointed remarks about other members of his family. At that point, Cade loses his cool and beats Roy to death with his own tackle box.

He stops for a moment after the first blow, realizing the ramifications of assaulting an FBI agent, but he quickly finds his resolve and viciously finishes. Cade then stabs the lifeless Roy and sinks the body by putting rocks in his pockets. There's no doubt that Cade did a number of awful things in his time, but ruthlessly killing a defenseless man is up there with some of the most egregious, especially given the technique used.

A lot of people die in "Ozark," and oddly enough, many of those deaths basically occur by accident. That's the case with Carl Knarlson (Adam LeFevre), who, without meaning to, kills his wife Anita (Marceline Hugot) after a brief quarrel. In typical fashion, Marty and Wendy try to manipulate Carl and Anita into selling them a casino -– or rather, Wendy wants to make them sell by any means necessary, while Marty has some misgivings, possibly in part because he knows that anyone who gets into business with them is directly placed in grave danger. 

Carl and Anita end up getting into a fight over the issue, and in a brief moment of anger, Carl hits her. As they're perched at the top of a steep hill, the blow ends up knocking her down a long fall to her death. This scene is a lot to deal with, given that Carl is a good person overall and that he never meant to really hurt Anita. It might not be the most extreme death in "Ozark," but it's definitely hard to watch. It's a brutal example of how manipulative Marty and Wendy can be, and how their criminal behavior hurts everyone around them, even those who are more tangential to the overall plot.

In one of "Ozark's" truly horrifying scenes, Marty gets kidnapped and taken to Mexico by the Navarro Cartel. One moment he's in the Ozarks, and the next he's in an underground cell south of the U.S. border. In the moment, Marty doesn't know if he's going to live or die, and that tension extends to the audience as well. After being imprisoned, Marty is violently tortured, but he does manage to survive the ordeal.

Marty's experienced some serious things throughout the series, but being kidnapped by one of the scariest crime organizations in the world is up there with the worst situations he's ever had to deal with. That's saying something considering how many people around him have died and how often he's been threatened and held at gunpoint. What makes this scene particularly hair-raising is how truly helpless Marty is and how the cartel is able to take him from Missouri to a completely different country without any trouble at all. Of course, once Marty gets to Mexico, things don't get any better for him.

As most "Ozark" viewers know, Ruth Langmore isn't afraid to stand up for herself or say whatever's on her mind. This trait is only magnified after Marty takes her under his wing, as she starts to believe that she's untouchable. In reality, though, not a single character in the entire series is ever truly safe. Frank Cosgrove Jr. (Joseph Sikora), heir to the Kansas City Mob, is a frequent thorn in Ruth's side, exhibiting repeatedly rejected advances and overall deplorable behavior. Ruth being Ruth, she eventually gets fed up with his actions and throws him over the side of a boat.

This moment by itself could be celebrated by both Ruth and the audience, but an angry Frank Jr. returns shortly thereafter. He proceeds to brutally beat Ruth to the point of her being hospitalized. Given that Ruth's a fan favorite, and that Frank Jr.'s retaliation is so extreme and barbarous, this moment is one of the toughest "Ozark" scenes to watch. Marty doesn't do anything about the attack, but fortunately for Ruth, Darlene ends up taking matters into her own hands.

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Darlene Snell is a vicious person. If crossed, she tends to take things to bloody places. Her list of bad deeds includes kidnapping Jonah and cutting his hair to send a message, killing Del, and poisoning her own husband. She also runs a drug ring, which affects countless people in negative ways. She essentially steals Pastor Mason Young's baby, Zeke, even though she seems quite unqualified to raise a young child. Darlene is a true wild card and someone you definitely don't want to mess with –- something she proves in a more positive way by standing up for Ruth.

After hearing about Frank Jr. beating and hospitalizing Ruth, Darlene trails him and surprises him while he's sitting in his car. Armed with a shotgun, she spends a short minute insulting him before firing point-blank into his nether regions. It's an extreme tactic to be sure, but it just goes to show that you don't want to mess with Darlene or anyone she cares about. Unfortunately for her, that unwavering brashness is also what ultimately gets her killed.

The "Ozark" Season 3 finale is a truly wild ride. Ben Davis' (Tom Pelphrey) body is cremated, Darlene shoots Frank Jr. in the groin, and Jonah confronts Helen at gunpoint. Perhaps most shocking of all, the season ends with cartel kingpin Omar Navarro (Felix Solis) killing Helen in front of Marty and Wendy, covering them in her blood. It's the point when Omar bets all his chips on Wendy and Marty, and it's also the moment when the couple realizes they could be next in line to get clipped if they don't meet all of his demands. 

The scene is a graphic display of violence that some viewers may feel goes too far, but of course, that kind of content has always been the "Ozark" calling card. Like most crime dramas, the show isn't afraid to kill off characters, and audiences have been reminded of that every season. Given the cold manner in which Wendy aids in her own brother's murder in the previous episode — a deed that takes place off-screen — it seems only right that she's immediately thrown into one of her most dangerous situations yet.

No one's ever safe in "Ozark," and that's especially true in Season 4. Though she had a good run with her brash (and often deadly) behavior, it seemed like it would only be a matter of time before Darlene finally met her demise. In Season 4, she takes things even further than before by murdering Frank Sr. (John Bedford Lloyd), the head of the Kansas City Mob, and by continuing to sell drugs against Javi (Alfonso Herrera) and the Navarro Cartel's wishes. 

These rogue actions, for better or worse, lead to one of the craziest moments ever in "Ozark." Javi infiltrates Darlene's home, waits for her and Wyatt to return, and then unceremoniously shoots them both. He's so nonchalant that he even utters the cold-blooded line, "Sorry, whoever you are," to Wyatt before murdering him. The aftermath of the scene is equally distressing, with Ruth discovering the bodies and proceeding to threaten the Byrdes at gunpoint.