‘Ozark’ Making Ruth Its Hero Is the Best Move Its Made in a While

Ozark has always shared DNA with Breaking Bad, and it’s never just been the a “respectable white man enters the world of drugs” thing. As Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams’ show has progressed, it’s been harder and harder to find a protagonist to root for between Wendy’s (Laura Linney) chilly lies and Marty’s (Jason Bateman) robotic way of operating. But quietly, this corrupt series has found its true hero. Season 4 cements Ruth’s (Julia Gardner) status as the heart of this complex story, pushing Ozark to new highs ahead of its finale. Spoilers ahead. 

Ruth Langmore has been integral to the fabric of Ozark. It wasn’t until Marty was forced to go toe-to-toe with this blonde wisp of a woman that Season 1 established the unexpectedly funny, charming, and dangerous trifecta that would come to define this series as a whole. But for the show’s first two seasons, Ruth often felt like its delightfully vulgar source of comic relief. She often appeared when the trials of the Byrde family became too heavy with a quotable zinger like “I don’t know shit about fuck.” That changed in Season 3.

Ruth’s romance with Wendy’s brother Ben (Tom Pelphrey) gave her a rare gift, transforming her into a fully realized person in her own right. Before Ben, Ruth was acting for someone else. Sometimes it was to convince her abusive father Cade (Trevor Long) that she was worthy of carrying the Langmore name. Other times it was to protect her cousin Wyatt (Charlie Tahan) and give him a chance at a better life. With Ben, Ruth never had to prove herself or save anyone. She never had to be anyone she wasn’t with Ben. That simple act of acceptance allowed Ruth and the audience to see her the way her boyfriend did: as a whip-smart and loyal ally you wanted on your team. In the reflection of his eyes, she became far more than Marty’s fiery business partner, and she finally saw herself as a person more than her last name.

That’s the new and self-realized Ruth who heads into Season 4, an installment that robs her of not only the father who destroyed her self-esteem and the man who rebuilt it but also the boy who represented her hope of something better, her cousin Wyatt. And it hurts. Ruth has never been like Marty or Wendy. The Byrde family’s greatest strength has rested in how snugly they fit into the gaps of polite society. But with Ruth, we met her when she was a nobody. Season 1 Ruth was a petty criminal stuck in the middle of nowhere who transformed into a cutthroat yet compassionate leader as well as a savvy businesswoman. We’ve stood in Marty’s shoes, fondly watching this young woman come into her own. That she should loose the two people in her life who loved her unconditionally feels unfair to the point of being unjust.

It’s a credit to Julia Garner’s truly spectacular performance that Ruth has become so fearfully, painfully human. Garner has always felt like she’s walking on a submerged balance beam while playing Ruth. Too vulgar and angry, and Ruth feels like a cartoon. Too sad and vulnerable, and she feels like Ozark’s resident punching bag. Against all odds, Garner has found her footing between these extremes, creating a character who doesn’t only feel authentic. She feels wholly unique.

To understand that dichotomy, you have to look no further than Garner’s delivery of the line “If you want to stop me, you’re gonna have to fucking kill me” in Season 4’s “Sanctified.” That line or lines like it have been uttered all throughout the history of film and television. Yet it’s Garner’s savage, throat-scratching screaming of these words that revitalizes these tired words. In that scream, you feel every second of pain Ruth has bottled. That’s not a guttural yell that can comfortably fit into the tried-and-true archetypes of obedient partners, shrill finger waggers, or seductive femme fatales — the roles that women most commonly occupy in the world of crime dramas. No, that scream can only come from Ruth Langmore. It’s one of those infrequent moments that reminds you acting truly is an art.

As Ozark heads into its final seven episodes, there’s no telling where the series is going to go. But through even the most chaotic, heart-pounding twist, one thing is for certain. If Ruth’s there, Ozark will continue to break your heart.

Watch Ozark on Netflix