Warning! The following list contains massive spoilers regarding the entirety of Ozark Season 2 and will list every major death of the new episodes. If you have not watched Season 2 in its entirety and still want to, we highly advise you hold off on reading this list until after completing the season!
Jason Bateman's Netflix drama Ozark took viewers on a wild ride in Season 1 and left a cliffhanger that only teased additional craziness down the road. The much-anticipated Season 2 delivered that promised craziness in spades and left a surprising character body count in its wake. The season, thankfully, didn't touch Game of Thrones' death count numbers, although the importance of the characters killed off almost certainly put it on the same level.
That said, not all characters and their storylines are created equal, so we ranked every major death in Ozark Season 2 from least to greatest in regards to how much it'll matter should the series continue on to Season 3:
Roy Petty - Bludgeoned To Death By Cade Langmore
There's no denying Roy Petty was a major player in most of the events surrounding Season 2, although the Cartel ensured he was essentially powerless by the season's end. This no doubt led to his apathy when he was approached by Cade Langmore about wanting to be an informant, and because Petty had dropped his guard, this led to Cade catching him upside the head with the tackle box and pummeling him to death. Cade dumped Petty's body in what appeared to be the same fishing spot Roy met Russ Langmore in Season 1, and it looked like law enforcement was on their way to uncovering his body in Ozark's closing moments.
As big of a character as he was, Roy Petty's death in Ozark is rather inconsequential towards the show's future. In fact, Petty's death is almost beneficial to the F.B.I., as the agent was getting increasingly sloppy with his methods of obtaining information. His death will undoubtedly help cover up anything he did that would've constituted a mistrial should the F.B.I. move in on the Byrdes or Cartel, and all that information he gathered is in the agency's hands and ready to hand off to the next agent on the case. The only question now is if the F.B.I. has another agent tough enough to hang with the various criminals of Ozark.
Mason Young - Shot In The Neck By Marty
Pastor Mason Young had fallen on hard times ever since the Snells killed his wife, and was seen earlier in the season preaching on a street corner with his baby Zeke. Wendy tried to help and make amends by gifting the pastor a large sum of money but wound up getting kidnapped after Young thought she was responsible for child services taking his baby. Marty goes through the ringer and pulls off the impossible to meet Young's outrageous demands, but eventually has to cap the preacher when he goes unhinged and threatens to kill Wendy anyway.
Marty having to kill Mason certainly rattled him, to the point the Byrde patriarch wasn't fully himself towards the end of Ozark Season 2. That's what Wendy thought anyway, which inevitably led to the power shift we see happening in the season finale where she's making decisions for the family's future. We're not sure how much things will change with Wendy calling the shots over Marty, although her first major move in the role showed she's not as concerned with how her actions affect her relationship with other characters.
Buddy - Died Of A "Bum Ticker"
Ozark fans knew Buddy wasn't long for this world, as his heart problems were a major part of his character since the beginning. Buddy's heart finally gave out on him in episode 6, but not before he helped Wendy burn down the Snell's opium field so the F.B.I. wouldn't find it. The moment led to a great exchange between the two in the car, right before Buddy silently passed in the middle of Wendy talking about the Gold Coast.
Buddy's death may at first seem like the least important major death of Season 2, but he's certainly going to be missed as the Byrdes take on Frank Cosgrove and the Kansas City mob. Frank and Marty's relationship was largely contingent on Buddy's past with Frank, and now that Marty officially went back on having the casino being a union operation, he doesn't have his friend to help reel in the supposed psychopath. Of course, there are no guarantees Buddy could've done that anyway if he were still alive, but one would think having him around for more insight about how Frank operates and how to fight back against him will certainly be of use in future episodes.
Cade Langmore - Gunned Down By The Cartel
Cade Langmore was a nuisance in just about every situation that he was around for in Season 2, and, at first, it seemed like Ozark was going to let him get away with it. Ruth's dad received a sweet half-a-million dollars from Wendy and was ready to skip town and start fresh somewhere else before the feds found the body of Roy Petty. Unfortunately for Cade, viewers saw that Wendy's generosity was actually a trick, and Cade was quickly gunned down on his way out of town by a member of the Cartel.
Wendy's decision was a rash one, and one that will almost certainly have some backlash if discovered. Ruth's final moment with her father showed that even though she and Cade had their fair share of fights and insane drama, she still loved him. If Ruth finds out that Wendy was the one responsible for the hit on her father, it's very likely she'll go on a warpath to get vengeance against the Byrde family. Considering she knows all the ins and outs of the Byrde's businesses, how to run the books, and where the money is stored, that could be very bad for the family going forward.
Jacob Snell - Poisoned By Darlene
Darlene Snell has been the wildcard of Ozark for quite a while, although who could've predicted that when the couple went to walk into those woods she would be the one coming out alive? Just when it appeared as though Jacob was about to put an end to his wife's insane behavior, he fell to the ground and gasped for air while Darlene told him about putting cyanide in his coffee. Surprisingly, Jacob could only laugh as the two shared a warped but tender moment just before his passing.
With Jacob gone, there's absolutely no one that can reign in the craziness that is Darlene Snell. Darlene seemed content with her new baby boy (Mason Young's son, Zeke) at the end of Ozark Season 2, but everyone knows her mood can change on a dime without the slightest provocation. We have no doubt she'll continue to spread random chaos should Ozark continue, and we're sure she's only going to get crazier until someone takes her down.
Did we get the order right? Fans can weigh in on who they thought was the most important death in Ozark Season 2 in the comments below. For more on upcoming Netflix shows, visit our Netflix premiere guide. For a look at what's coming to traditional television over the next few months, visit our fall premiere guide.
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