(Spoilers for Ozark will be found below.)
Ozark (sadly) came to an end about a month ago, and Ruth Langmore is already sorely missed. Marty and Wendy Byrde and the kids miraculously survived, despite all odds, and showrunner Chris Mundy previously explained this ending as a metaphor for capitalism. However, that hasn’t quelled people’s thirst for an eventual spinoff, and Mundy confirmed that followups are possible (although not currently in the works) while Jason Bateman signaled that he was open to the possibility. Now, Mundy is answering to a fan theory that won’t quit.
That theory surrounds the moments (after Ruth is obviously already dead, given that her vengeance against Navarro came back to bite her in the butt) when the cookie jar full of Ben’s ashes returns to the scene. Private investigator Mel was clutching that thing and suggesting that the evidence contained therein would put the Byrde parents away, and then Jonah pulled the trigger and blammo, end of show. We don’t see who or what Jonah shot, but Mundy feels that this is a “pretty unambiguous” development.
Oh really? As much as I’d like to believe that Jonah suddenly recognized Wendy as the root of all evil, Mundy is pouring cold water everywhere. Via IndieWire, the showrunner declared (alongside moderator Jimmy Kimmel at a recent For Your Consideration event) that Mel bit the dust:
While some fans believe young Jonah (Skylar Gaertner), son of lakeside criminal kingpins Marty and Wendy Byrde (Jason Bateman and Laura Linney), shot down the cookie jar full of incriminating evidence, Mundy said “I think he shot Mel [the cop], and Mel is dead. And I think they went to their crematorium, just off screen.”
So there you have it. As a followup, Kimmel declared “I’m glad you’re not playing coy about this [like] ‘Well, that’s for you, the viewer, to decide,’ and then 14 years later you go ‘Yeah, that’s what happened.’” And is this a satisfying conclusion? That’s a tough one. Jonah did break bad already, so it makes sense, even if it’d be a lot cooler if Jonah shot Wendy and then Ruth miraculously sprang back to life, and then it would be Ozark: The Zombie Years. Clearly, I’m overthinking this one.
(Via IndieWire)