Episodes
Marty Byrde and his partner Bruce are Chicago-based financial advisers who launder money for a Mexican drug cartel. Bruce and ...read more Marty Byrde and his partner Bruce are Chicago-based financial advisers who launder money for a Mexican drug cartel. Bruce and the trucking company owners who move the cash skim $8 million, which causes their cartel contact Del to kill Bruce, Bruce's fiancée Liz, and the father-son trucking company owners. To save his own life, Marty uses a promotional flier Bruce showed him as the inspiration for a spur-of-the-moment claim that the Ozarks are a good potential location for laundering, and that if allowed to live, he will wash $500 million in five years. Partly persuaded, Del gives Marty a few days to replace the $8 million Bruce stole, which he does by liquidating all his personal assets and closing all the company accounts. Del then tells Marty to move his family to the Ozarks and prove his claim by laundering the $8 million in three months. Marty's wife Wendy is having an affair with Gary "Sugarwood" Silverberg. She follows his advice to leave Marty and take their two children and as much money as she can secure, which causes Del to have Silverberg killed as a warning to Wendy to keep the family together. show less
Wendy, Marty and their two children arrive in the Ozarks and begin to meet local residents, including several members of the ...read more Wendy, Marty and their two children arrive in the Ozarks and begin to meet local residents, including several members of the Langmore family who work at the hotel where they are staying. Marty attempts to find local businesses he can invest in so that he can commence money laundering for the cartel, while Wendy goes house hunting. Charlotte and Jonah disregard their parents' instructions to guard the hotel room, with Charlotte falling for a ruse planned by cousins Ruth and Wyatt Langmore. Ruth enters the vacant hotel room and steals part of the $8 million Marty is supposed to launder. Marty risks his life to recover the cash from Ruth, Wyatt and other Langmores, but it is clear they will continue to be trouble. The FBI discovers the remains of Bruce and the others who were killed with him, which makes them suspicious of Marty's sudden move from Chicago. Agent Roy Petty decides to follow Marty to the Ozarks, convinced he is somehow involved. Marty considers committing suicide so Wendy can collect his life insurance and flee with the children, but changes his mind after he realizes that the Blue Cat inn and restaurant might be a suitable place to invest in. show less
The Byrdes move into a lakefront house while Buddy, the terminally ill homeowner, moves to the basement. FBI Agent Trevor Evans, ...read more The Byrdes move into a lakefront house while Buddy, the terminally ill homeowner, moves to the basement. FBI Agent Trevor Evans, Roy's former boyfriend, follows Roy's instructions to approach the Byrdes, who are not intimidated and continue maintaining their innocence. The Byrdes are made aware that while skimming money, Bruce was also an FBI informant. Trevor sees that Roy is becoming obsessed, foretelling continued problems for the Byrdes. Charlotte and Jonah are told the real reason for their move to the Ozarks, and Jonah does online research to learn more about the cartel. Wendy gets a job as an advance person and "stager" for the real estate broker she dealt with when buying Buddy's house. Charlotte's job interview does not end well after she spots Wyatt outside the store and punches him in retaliation for his ruse at the hotel. Marty begins activities at the Blue Cat, despite the suspicions of Rachel, the primary owner. Ruth uses her knowledge of the Byrdes' cash to persuade Marty to hire her as a dishwasher at the Blue Cat, and informs her cousins and uncles that her plan is to learn Marty's money laundering operation, and then kill him and take the money. show less
Marty gathers information on Lickety Splitz, a money-losing strip club; turned away by the owner previously, he still intends to ...read more Marty gathers information on Lickety Splitz, a money-losing strip club; turned away by the owner previously, he still intends to control it so he can use it for money laundering. Jonah finds the carcass of a coyote and cuts it open, giving his parents cause for concern. They are relieved to find that he was only studying the vultures that came to feed. Marty hires Ruth to break into the Lickety Splitz safe. Working undercover, Roy watches Marty at the Blue Cat, and develops an interest in Russ Langmore, Wyatt's father and Ruth's uncle. Bobby Dean, the owner of Lickety Splitz, is arrested because of Ruth's plan, and Marty gains access to the safe. He posts Bobby's bail and uses the information from the safe to force Bobby to sell the club. Jacob and Darlene Snell are revealed as major heroin dealers, for whom Bobby was laundering money. They kill Bobby as retaliation for losing the club, and to keep their drug business secret. Marty shares business secrets with Jonah, including how to make new cash used in drug transactions look old so it can be mixed with cash from legitimate business before being deposited at the bank. show less
Bobby's body turns up at the Byrdes' boat dock, which they unconvincingly explain away as an accident. Shown copies of ...read more Bobby's body turns up at the Byrdes' boat dock, which they unconvincingly explain away as an accident. Shown copies of the sale documents for the strip club, the sheriff realizes he has no evidence the Byrdes had a motive to kill Bobby, and takes no further action. Jacob Snell attempts to persuade Marty to launder money for him at Lickety Splitz. Marty sees Mason Young, the local pastor, holding boat-based Sunday services on the lake, and realizes that building Mason a church could present an opportunity to launder money. Marty asks Ruth to run the strip club over the Fourth of July weekend, which leads to him hiring her as the full time manager. She betters Bobby's management with actions, including hiring new staff, that turn Lickety Splitz into a moneymaker. Roy continues to use Russ as a fishing guide, and attempts to kiss him, provoking a violent reaction. Ruth continues to follow her incarcerated father Cade's advice to learn more about Marty's money laundering, and discovers the hiding place where he stashed the $8 million he brought from Chicago. show less
The Snells show Marty their operation and inform him they use Mason's church on the lake to distribute heroin. They warn ...read more The Snells show Marty their operation and inform him they use Mason's church on the lake to distribute heroin. They warn Marty to stop church construction, with implied threats to Mason's pregnant wife Grace if Marty does not persuade him to resume boat-based services. Marty appears likely to meet the three-month deadline for laundering the cartel's $8 million, and he and Wendy temporarily reconcile in celebration. During sex, Marty intentionally reminds her of an encounter with Sugarwood, causing her discovery of the video Marty's private investigator made. Charlotte works at the Blue Cat and declines Wyatt's "anti-tourists" party invitation to go with Zach, a tourist from Chicago. She loses her virginity, but Zach departs the next day without saying goodbye, prompting Wyatt to tell her tourists always leave, and she is now "one of us" – a permanent local resident. Russ acknowledges he is gay and begins a sexual relationship with Roy. Ruth and Russ devise a plan to kill Marty at Cade's instigation. Russ tells Roy, who secretly intervenes. Wendy and Marty recognize the contents of Del's package as a warning to speed up the money laundering. Rachel confronts Marty over irregularities in the Blue Cat's books. show less
Mason does not end construction at the church, and to dissuade the Snells from killing him, Marty hands over the $700,000 of ...read more Mason does not end construction at the church, and to dissuade the Snells from killing him, Marty hands over the $700,000 of cartel cash he has not yet laundered. Marty tells Mason the Snells are drug dealers, and want him to resume services on the lake. The Snells tell Mason Marty was only constructing the church so he could launder money. Understanding Marty's claims of philanthropy and temporary construction delays are false, Mason burns down the building's framework. Charlotte and Jonah start school, and Charlotte is depressed about the family's changed circumstances. After she skips classes to take a bus to Chicago, Ruth and Wendy catch up in St. Louis and bring her back. Roy convinces Russ to try starting a bait and tackle shop and get Marty to invest. Roy also convinces Russ to say that he will not be involved in any more attempts to kill Marty. Cade tells Ruth not to visit him in prison again unless Marty is dead. After returning home, Charlotte goes for a night swim. Ignoring Marty's advice to stay near the shore, she swims far into the lake. After nearly allowing herself to drown, she touches bottom and realizes the water is not as deep as she thought. She giddily makes her way back to shore, her depression gone. show less
A flashback to 2007 shows Wendy and Marty driving when she reveals she is pregnant again. While discussing the news, they are ...read more A flashback to 2007 shows Wendy and Marty driving when she reveals she is pregnant again. While discussing the news, they are involved in a car accident that causes a miscarriage which results in Wendy's extended period of depression. Wendy unsuccessfully attempts to reenter the job market after the births of her children. As a public relations operative for political campaigns, she is revealed to have worked for Bobby Rush's early Congressional campaigns and Barack Obama's campaigns for the Illinois Senate. Del approaches Marty and Bruce to launder the cartel's money and after reviewing Del's ledgers they decline, but agree to reconsider. Marty expects Wendy will be opposed, but to his surprise, she approves. Bruce and Marty commit to work for Del, and Del has his previous financial advisor Louis killed in front of them. Not only was Louis skimming, which Del suspected and Marty confirmed when analyzing the ledgers, he was also informing to Roy at the FBI. Roy has a steady boyfriend and fledgling FBI career, but a difficult relationship with his mother, who is a heroin addict. Unhappy at the FBI's insistence on pursuing terrorists rather than drug dealers, Roy plots to get his way. show less
A flashback to 2007 shows Wendy and Marty driving when she reveals she is pregnant again. While discussing the news, they are ...read more A flashback to 2007 shows Wendy and Marty driving when she reveals she is pregnant again. While discussing the news, they are involved in a car accident that causes a miscarriage which results in Wendy's extended period of depression. Wendy unsuccessfully attempts to reenter the job market after the births of her children. As a public relations operative for political campaigns, she is revealed to have worked for Bobby Rush's early Congressional campaigns and Barack Obama's campaigns for the Illinois Senate. Del approaches Marty and Bruce to launder the cartel's money and after reviewing Del's ledgers they decline, but agree to reconsider. Marty expects Wendy will be opposed, but to his surprise, she approves. Bruce and Marty commit to work for Del, and Del has his previous financial advisor Louis killed in front of them. Not only was Louis skimming, which Del suspected and Marty confirmed when analyzing the ledgers, he was also informing to Roy at the FBI. Roy has a steady boyfriend and fledgling FBI career, but a difficult relationship with his mother, who is a heroin addict. Unhappy at the FBI's insistence on pursuing terrorists rather than drug dealers, Roy plots to get his way. show less
The Byrdes try to be supportive of Wyatt and his brother Three, but Wyatt suspects Marty killed Russ and Boyd. Mason's ...read more The Byrdes try to be supportive of Wyatt and his brother Three, but Wyatt suspects Marty killed Russ and Boyd. Mason's conscience renders him unable to preach on the lake. He arrives home to find the Snells retaliated; Grace is gone, but he discovers a newborn. Marty decides it is not safe if his family stays. Garcia, the cartel operative intervenes to keep them from leaving. Jonah sneaks out and returns with his rifle. When he attempts to shoot Garcia, he finds Buddy unloaded it. Buddy holds a shotgun on Garcia as Wendy and the children depart, then shoots him. Rachel finds part of the $50 million, which she takes as she drives away. Del tortures Marty to find out where Garcia is. Marty explains a plan to use the cartel to distribute Snell heroin, while the Snells allow a casino on their property to launder cartel money. Del is intrigued and intends to explain away Garcia's death if there's a deal. Del and the Snells agree, but Darlene kills Del when he replies to her putdowns with one of his own. Wendy and the children decide to stay and face the risks with Marty rather than flee without him. show less