Ozark showrunner explains why that shocking Ruth Langmore finale death had to happen

Ozark season 4 part 2 had its fair share of surprises, but there's one in particular that had people talking. Major spoilers ahead!

Towards the very end of the episode, new cartel boss Camila Navarro (Verónica Falcón) seeks revenge for the murder of her son Javi (Alfonso Herrerra) by shooting Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner). Ruth is killed – but the Byrdes manage to leave the cartel, and a last minute save from Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) means they'll never face repercussions for the death of Ben (Tom Pelphrey), either.

"It started to feel like the writers were just imposing a happy ending on things because we're kind of like surrogate parents of the characters. Are we telling a true story if something [tragic] doesn't happen?" Mundy told TV Line of the decision to kill Ruth.

"We talked about it, we debated it and I knew what each person in the room thought," he added. "It was really hard and emotional trying to figure out what the right decision for the show was."

As for why the Byrdes escape the cartel while Ruth dies, Mundy explained that choice, too. "Capitalism doesn't work unless there is a winner and a loser," he said. "And there's a degree to which the Langmores are going to be the losers of that equation, while somebody else builds their fortune. The Byrdes came in and climbed their way up off the backs of people like the Langmores, and they're representative of a lot of people. There's something about it that's cynical and there's something about it that's very, just, true. So we were trying to write into that truth."

All fourteen episodes of Ozark season 4 are streaming on Netflix now – and for even more on the show, check out our guide to the Ozark season 4 part 2 ending explained and who dies in Ozark season 4 part 2.