Ozark season 4 part 2: When will the next part be released, why is the series split in two, what happened at the end of part 1 and will this be the final season of the Netflix drama?

Sadly, season four of the popular crime drama will be the last but the series has been split into two halves for the final chapter.

The first part of season four was released on January 21 and Ozark fans will not have to wait too long to see how the show ends.

The series follows Marty Byrde (played by Jason Bateman), a financial planner who moves his family from Chicago to a summer resort community in the Ozarks.

Marty goes on the move after a money-laundering scheme goes wrong, ordering him to pay money to a Mexican drug cartel.

Over time, Marty and his wife Wendy (Laura Linney) become entangled with local criminals who make the matters worse.

Here is everything you need to know about Ozark season four part two:

When will part two be released?

A release date is yet to be confirmed for part two but according to The Hollywood Reporter, the second instalment is set to be released later this year.

Part one of the final season is currently on streaming platform Netflix and all 14 episodes were written and filmed at the same time.

This means that it is possible that part two will arrive sooner rather than later.

Why is the series split into two?

Production for season four wrapped back in October 2020 and Netflix revealed in June 2021 that the series will be split into two halves.

There are many possible reasons as to why the series was split into two.

One reason for cutting the season in half is to save money.

As the season is 14 episodes long, it is cheaper to split the episodes in half rather than filming two separate series.

This allows the actors to move on to other projects and commitments instead of waiting to film the last instalment.

Awards eligibility could be another reason for the split.

By cutting the season down the middle, each set of episodes will air in different award show windows and Ozark has been a big winner for Netflix at the Emmys in recent years.

The final reason for splitting the season in two could be so viewers simply have another part of the show to tune in to, rather than one extra-long series.

What happened in part one?

The first part of season four sees Marty and Wendy attempt to strike up a deal with drug cartel leader Omar Navarro (Felix Solis) but as they edge closer to freedom, a twist in the storyline changes everything.

Omar attempts to come to a deal with the FBI where he will continue as the leader of the drug cartel for the next five years to provide them with intel.

This deal would free Marty and Wendy from the cartel so they can move back to Chicago and give Omar freedom to move between the US and Mexico without prosecution.

As Omar is about to board a private plane to go back to Mexico, Agent Maya Miller (Jessica Frances Dukes) arrests him as she is unhappy with the deal and goes to the press so the FBI cannot backtrack, meaning that Omar goes to prison.

Arguably, the most shocking scene in part one is in the finale when Omar’s nephew, Javi Elizonndro (Alfonso Herrera), shoots Darlene Langmore (Lisa Emery) and her husband Wyatt (Charlie Tahan).

Javi was angry that Darlene didn't take the cartel’s advice and shut down her heroin business.

This was most surprising to viewers as Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) had just convinced Frank Cosgrove Junior (John Bedford Lloyd) to not kill Darlene after she had killed his father.

Ruth arrives at Darlene's house and finds the bodies, accusing Frank of the murder spree.

He pleads his innocence and Ruth makes a beeline for the Byrde's house.

She is then told it was Javi who murdered the newlyweds and the series ends with Ruth attempting to confront the acting leader of the cartel.

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What will happen in part two?

A trailer is yet to be released for the final instalment of the crime drama.

Following on from the storylines of part one, the Byrdes could move back to Chicago but it is possible that they will have to remain in the Ozarks to continue working with Javi, who is dealing with the aftermath of the murder of Darlene and Wyatt, and his uncle's arrest.

The series will also follow what Ruth does next after finding out who murdered her cousin and whether she will survive as she stands up to the cartel.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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