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Throughout the third season of Ozark, we follow Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney) as they fall in deeper with the Mexican drug cartel. There is more death, plot twists, and relationship drama than ever before in the Missouri Ozarks. 

One major plot point that comes into play is the Mexican cartel leader, Omar Navarro (Felix Solis), and his trust and distrust in Marty, Wendy, and his attorney, Helen Pierce (Janet McTeer). Who is more valuable for Navarro to keep around?

[Spoiler alert: Ozark Season 3 spoilers ahead.]

Janet McTeer and Laura Linney
Janet McTeer and Laura Linney | Steve Dietl/Netflix

What happened during the shocking last seconds of ‘Ozark’ Season 3?

In the last few episodes of Ozark season 3, it is evident that Wendy’s brother, Ben Davis (Tom Pelphrey), is becoming a problem. Marty and Wendy try to keep him out of harm’s way by putting him in a mental institution. However, Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) uses her connection with Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) to get Ben out of the facility.

Once released, Ben is more out of sorts than ever before and cannot stop himself from contacting Helen to plead his case. Wendy ends up giving the OK to Helen to have her brother killed.

Then, in the middle of the night, the leader of the drug cartel, Omar Navarro (Felix Solis), calls the Byrdes to insist they fly to Mexico for his son’s baptism, immediately. Helen and the Byrdes fly to meet Navarro with three of the cartel leader’s children.

When they arrive at the church, Navarro thanks them all for coming, and someone off-screen shoots Helen in the head. The blood and her brains splattered all over both Wendy and Marty.

“Well, today is our beginning,” Navarro tells the Byrdes as he immediately hugs them both as the season comes to an end.

‘Ozark’ Season 3: Why did the Mexican drug cartel leader, Navarro, kill Helen?

“He knew Helen and the Brydes were in a power struggle and off’ed Helen because he needs them more than Helen,” one fan explained on Reddit. “I think he plans on using Wendy as his new Helen while tempting Marty with more power to give him a sense of control because Marty wants control in his life.”

Although Navarro relied heavily on his attorney, fans feel she became less useful as the season went on. 

“The lawyers’ use had limits,” added another fan of the show. “She never created two casinos for him, and the Byrdes did. And second, she never ended the cartel war for him, and the Byrdes did. I think Navarro simply saw they were much more valuable to him. He didn’t want competition amongst his top people, so he killed the lawyer, who was the lesser of the two.”

‘Ozark’ Season 3: Three reasons why the Byrdes are more valuable than Helen to Navarro

Fans note that Navarro tested Marty, Wendy, and Helen earlier in the season in different ways. Marty proved himself when he was abducted showing that the casino operations could not run without him. Wendy proved her loyalty when she had her brother killed to protect Navarro’s interests. However, Helen did not show she was trustworthy.

“Remember, Navarro was waterboarding Helen at the start of the season to determine loyalty because he didn’t know if he could trust her due to her family,” added another Redditor. “I guarantee Navarro knew Helen’s daughter had left, even if he maybe wasn’t told why which of course would make him suspicious and wonder if she is holding things back.”

Viewers feel that Marty and Wendy showed their loyalty to Navarro, while Helen did not. That’s why the season ended with her death. 

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