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The writing of Netflix's Ozark yields a lot of great moments. In this show about drug dealing and money laundering, there are some quotable moments that put either a specific scene or even an entire episode into a sharp and understanding perspective.
Most of the characters throughout this crime drama undergo immense character growth and development, and some of their lines and quotes are reflections of that. Some quotes and lines of dialogue in Ozark serve as summaries of a character's actions or of the circumstances in which they find themselves. Other quotes are a little more abstract in that they highlight the metaphors presented in the show. There are potential spoilers for every season of Ozark.
10 Camino Del Rio
"What Should My Father Do About A Woman Who Steals From Him?"
Camino Del Rio, also known simply as Del, is a high-ranking member of the Navarro drug cartel, and is suspecting Marty Byrde and his partners of stealing money from their money-laundering operation. To weed out the thief, Del tells a story about a family member stealing from his father's store.
He then asks everyone in the room what his father should do with that family member. Marty answers the question a little later when his wife, Wendy, is stealing from him. Marty understands Del's intention by asking and uses it to save Wendy from being killed.
9 Ruth Langmore
"I Couldn't Have Them Kill You."
Ruth Langmore is a very brave and loyal character who has her loyalty tested throughout the show. She often placed her loyalty on her family, especially on her cousins, Wyatt and Three. However, with that being said, Ruth also placed her loyalty largely on Marty Byrde. A lot of what she knows about the money laundering business came from Marty. He even recruited her into his operation.
At the end of season one, when her uncles, Russ and Boyd, were planning on killing Marty, she couldn't take that risk, so she killed them by electrocution. Ruth tells Marty that she killed them. This quote breaks down Marty and Ruth's relationship throughout the show.
8 Jonah Byrde
"I Don't Want To Be Mike Fleming."
At the end of season one, Marty was struggling to come up with a plan to bring the Snells and the Navarro cartel together. Given he was running out of time, Marty devised a plan for his family to flee with new identities. Wendy, Charlotte, and Jonah would become the "Flemings".
In the car, while Charlotte was arguing with Wendy, Jonah expressed his dislike for changing identities. The first time he says this quote, it seems superficial and surface-level, but when he explains himself, he describes how Jonah Byrde ceases to exist if he chooses to live as "Mike Fleming".
7 Helen Pierce
"You Ever Get The Call About Me, You'd Let Me Know."
Helen Pierce is the attorney of the Navarro cartel which meant that she held a high position within the cartel. Unfortunately, her position does not grant her immunity from everything. In terms of being killed, Helen had the same chances as anybody else in the cartel.
In season three, Helen, Wendy, and Ruth are scrambling to solve a problem with their laundering operation. When Helen leaves, she seems to realize that things getting out of her control because she asks Nelson, her bodyguard, if he would let her know if and when the cartel decides to kill her. This shows that no one is truly safe when dealing with the Navarro cartel.
6 Marty Byrde
"You Come Anywhere Near Me, My Family, Or Ruth Again, The Next Time You See Your Son, He's Gonna Be Hanging From A Bridge In Juarez, You Got That?"
Throughout Ozark, Marty Byrde has never really been an aggressive or threatening person. Even when he accidentally shot Mason Young, Marty tried to help him and stop the bleeding. However, circumstances throughout the show have changed Marty's demeanor.
After Frank Cosgrove Jr. brutally beats Ruth and a member of the KC Mob is outed as a snitch, Marty confronts Frank Cosgrove Sr. Frank tried to convince Marty that it was all a misunderstanding to which Marty responds with a threat on his son's life. Marty's words in this situation show the aggression that has been growing within him as the show has progressed.
5 Trevor Evans
"I Find Comfort In The Idea Of You Waiting Every Day For That One Slip-Up Or Betrayal. That One Wild Card."
There were two FBI agents following the Byrdes as they left Chicago for the Ozarks: Roy Petty and Trevor Evans. Both were romantically involved with each other prior to getting involved with the Byrdes. Agent Evans became more invested with the Navarro cartel and the Byrdes when Agent Petty died towards the end of the second season.
At the beginning of the third season, Agent Evans visited Marty at the Missouri Belle and questioned him. As he was leaving, Agent Evans expressed his contentment in the fact that Marty would be looking over his shoulder for that one mistake that would get him caught. Of all people, Marty is well aware of the possibility of a slip-up that could cost him and his family greatly.
4 Omar Navarro
"Partners? No, no no. You Exist For Me To Use."
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Omar Navarro runs the Navarro drug cartel. If that wasn't enough to show how dangerous he is, Omar had Helen Pierce killed right in front of Wendy and Marty and hugged them while all three of them were covered in Helen's blood. Navarro approved of a business deal between the Byrdes and a horse farm.
Once the deal was made, Navarro had the horse neutered. Wendy called Navarro and expressed her concerns, saying that they were supposed to be partners. Navarro responded aggressively by telling Wendy that he simply uses the Byrdes for his benefit. His tirade was so intense that he caused Wendy to flinch over the phone.
3 Mason Young
"I Think You're The F***ing Devil."
The Snells used Pastor Mason Young's church congregation on the water to distribute their heroin. Mason and his wife, unfortunately, found themselves in between the unmoving lethality of the Snells and the calculating wit of Marty Byrde.
After Mason's wife gave birth to his son and was killed by the Snells, Marty paid him a visit to check on him. Mason began to question his belief in God, and when Marty tried to reassure his belief, he agreed saying that there has to be a God because there is a devil and that Marty was the devil. While Marty is not inherently evil, he has done some terrible things to people either directly or indirectly and uprooted the lives of the innocent people living in the Ozarks.
2 Charlotte Byrde
"Just Because We Didn't Have Anything To Do With Your Mom, It Doesn't Mean We're Not Capable In The Future If We Don't Have Any Other Choice."
While Charlotte Byrde is not a particularly threatening character, she does have her moments. Her most harrowing moment comes in the fourth season when she meets Erin Pierce to tell her about her mom's death. The Navarro cartel killed Helen Pierce, and Erin was able to piece that together given the Byrdes' relationship with Helen and the cartel.
Charlotte pleaded with Erin to not talk about her mom being missing anymore to avoid putting herself or her family at risk. When Erin challenged her, Charlotte threatened her which is a little out of character for her, but it shows her character growth throughout the show.
1 Ben Davis
His "Normal" Monologue
It is hard to pinpoint a quote from Ben Davis because a lot of what he says is very surface-level or lacks as much substance as some lines of the surrounding characters. However, Ben shines the brightest towards the end of the third season. The episode, Fire Pink, opens up with Ben having a seemingly one-sided conversation with a cab driver.
He tells a story about a homeless man on whom the world looks down, which is exactly how he feels being someone suffering from a mental disorder. Ben's words here are extremely powerful because they showcase his broken mentality and mental instability.