Dhruv Trivedi
Netflix’s ‘Ozark’ closes season 4 with a dark chapter that makes it clear that things are changing, though possibly not for the better. The Navarro cartel is in a precarious position, and Wendy and Marty Byrde find their fates inextricably tied to the cartel boss. For most of the show, Omar Navarro has held sway over the cartel and the lives of everyone acquainted with it. However, season 4 introduces not just one but two potential contenders for the top spot.
Omar Navarro’s manic nephew Javi and Javi’s mother Camila both have ambitions to control the cartel. This, predictably, requires Navarro to be out of the way. Locked up in prison, the cartel’s original boss also seems less powerful. Is ‘Ozark’ season 4 part 2 the end of the road for Omar Navarro? SPOILERS AHEAD.
Is Omar Navarro Dead or Alive at the End of Season 4 Part 2?
Omar Navarro spends most of season 4 in prison even as the cartel falls in and out of his control. After Javi, it is revealed that his mother, Camila, also wants Navarro out of the picture. Thus, Wendy and Marty find their efforts to extradite him back to Mexico blocked by Camila’s lawyer. Of course, the fact that she wants her brother out of the way is kept a secret. However, the Byrdes realize that they should perhaps switch loyalties and back Camila instead.
Thus, perhaps not realizing just how shrewd she is, Marty and Wendy reveal Navarro’s collusion with the FBI to Camila, advising her to take his place as head of the cartel. They also promise to broker a deal between her and the FBI. This is essentially the green light for Navarro to be taken out of the picture since neither the Byrdes nor Camila have any use of him. A plan to kill him and make it look like he was shot while trying to escape is formulated.
Meanwhile, Navarro still thinks he is going to soon be sent back to Mexico and regain his freedom. Therefore, he readily goes along when orders arrive to relocate him. However, en route to his new prison, on Camila’s orders, and with the Byrdes’ knowledge, Navarro is shot and killed. The policeman who kills him then pretends to have survived a struggle with Navarro.
Navarro’s death puts Camila firmly in the boss’ seat of the Navarro cartel and, therefore, positions Marty and Wendy under her thumb. The new power dynamic is very clear near the end of the season 4 finale (episode 14), where Camila plots to kill Ruth and the Byrdes are unable to stop her. In fact, Camila seems to be a deceptively ruthless criminal who is much more dangerous than she looks.
With Omar dead, Marty essentially loses all authority in the Navarro Cartel, which he had because of the former boss’ blessing. It is also clear that Camila doesn’t trust the Byrdes and will not tolerate them any more than she has to. The only leverage they have over the new mob boss is that they know she is also secretly working for the FBI. However, knowing such a dangerous secret about a cartel head also makes the central couple’s position deadly, where the slightest misunderstanding can get them killed.
For all his outbursts and ruthlessness, Omar Navarro is a relatively level-headed leader. This is why both Marty and Wendy have been able to advise and steer him to their mutual benefit. However, with the old boss dead, Camila presents an uncertain future where the Byrdes seem to have lost many of their former allies and are now at the mercy of an unknown new cartel boss. Their only solace is the letter from the FBI that saves them from prosecution. However, there seems to be nothing that can shield them from Navarro’s replacement, Camila.
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