By JASON MARTIN (@JMartZone – September 18, 2018)

How far is too far?

When has a road been traveled where it’s impossible to backtrack and fix the mistakes of the past?

These are questions we can begin to ask about Marty Byrde, because he’s starting to consider them himself. While his wife is busy trying to keep the family alive by whatever means necessary, Marty is undergoing an immense crisis of conscience. He doesn’t say it, but one can extrapolate his thoughts as Jason Bateman gives off the blank and shocked expressions following the accidental murder of Mason Young.

“What have I done? When did I decide to go so wrong?”

The answer, unfortunately, is when he chose to get into business with the wrong guy, thinking “what could it hurt,” and being taken down this hill to nowhere. It’s led him to the Ozarks, it’s led him to dark color palettes and infidelities and tears and drugs and Jacob and Darlene Snell and Helen Pierce. And now he’s in so deep, there doesn’t appear to be a way out.

Similarly, Mason goes too far with the kidnapping, and he’s already fragmented into a million pieces. When Wendy tells him about what happened to Grace, whatever might have been left shatters on that basement floor. All he has left is the son that was taken from him, and he’s going to do anything he has to in order to get Zeke back in his hands. This was a spectacular extended sequence, interspersed with a few other stories, and the acting from both Laura Linney and Michael Mosley must be applauded.

The discussion itself revealed much about both people, especially Wendy, who as she rationalized why she walked away from faith, believing God left her behind, she’s explaining why she can do all the bad things she’s done. Mason is a true believer, unable to back away from it, instead leaning into his Christianity. She spins that Adam and Eve story to try and humanize them so she can identify with them. There’s a lot of guilt inside her, but it’s covered up by layer after layer of deceit and hardness.

She and Marty are again moving in opposite directions, because as he’s trying to find some semblance of a soul inside him, trying to right some of his mistakes, she’s attempting to suppress her own morality in order to get the casino built. She’s thinking practically while he’s thinking emotionally, which is going to force a new brand of obstacle in the Byrde marriage. She tries to play to Mason, but when she gets the chance, she still bops him with the fire extinguisher in the back of the head and tries to run. We might all do the same, but for some reason, WHEN Ozark chose to do it in the story, I felt sympathy for Mason, not for Wendy Byrde.

We saw the Kansas City Star interview to open the episode, which we wouldn’t fully understand until the end of the episode, when it recurred. Why was Marty so spaced out? Well, he killed a man and had a panic attack. He’s starting to see the gravity or his life choices, and he’s remorseful maybe most of all for involving Rachel in things. The text message exchange that occurs in person is one of those moments where you believe Marty does feel sorry he can’t get Rachel out, because of what it might mean for his own family.

Also remorseful is Ruth Langmore, once the scheme to snag the Flir thermal system goes awry when the owner comes home early and nearly shoots her and her father. She is a total wreck, and hasn’t been anywhere near right since she was waterboarded, but dating back even further than that to Cade’s harmful, callous words to her in that truck. He apologizes after he screws up, just like a classic abuser. Notice in that final scene, we see him actually being her dad, saying everything’s okay. “There’ll be other boats. All that matters is you’re okay.”

She then mentions she’s figured out where Marty’s money is, and she’s right (we think at least), that it has to do with the hearse. We’ve seen Marty grab and stash bags of cash inside caskets at the funeral home. So, she may actually be able to make up for the mess on the boat. She’s totally under Cade’s control though, and she’s unable to handle her own life because her mind has betrayed her and she’s legitimately frightened at this stage.

As well she should be.

Wilkes is screwed. Even though he doesn’t want to be involved, what’s his “one way out?” It’s not like he can just disappear, because again, Wendy will do what she has to do. He wants to get away from them as soon as possible, and tells her he’ll help her, but that they’re going to be parting ways relatively soon. He sells the Byrdes to a man that can get Zeke back and save Wendy, as Mr. Gilroy tries to drive a hard bargain about Marty and Wendy taking on a foster child.

Much of this season has been about overcoming a circumstance or an outcome. Think back to Mason telling Wendy he knew when they first approached him they weren’t believers and were lying to him. “And I still thought maybe I could change you. Still thought I could turn you into something you weren’t.”

Marty wants to rewind time over a decade to when his life made sense and was on track, before he ate from the evil tree. But, what I feel we’re likely to discover is that even though he wants to be someone new, he’s too far gone. The show is going to tease us with this, but in the end will potentially go to the other extreme. Also, Ruth wants to be something else. She doesn’t want “Langmore” to define her or Wyatt, but her own father basically tells her that’s futile. Charles Wilkes probably wants to go back in time as well, to the moment he got in bed with the wrong people.

As Marty stares into nothing and doesn’t hear the reporter’s question, he’s daydreaming about what his life can never be again. Wendy has put on the face she needs, but Marty can’t do it. “And when I put it that way, we sound pretty boring.” He can’t speak, and doesn’t even try, because he didn’t hear her talk. He’s in his own world.

Or more accurately, he’s in a prison of his own making. His world is a living, breathing (on the count of four) hell. In his head, he’s pondering Mason’s words in that basement. “You can do whatever you want. You’re the devil.” That’s tough to deal with, wouldn’t you agree?

I’m @JMartZone. I want this blog to look like an approachable mom and pop operation.