In the second part of Ozark’s fourth and final season, a face from the past pops up to give Ruth Langmore a helping hand with her hostile takeover of the Missouri Belle.
Rachel Garrison was introduced in the Netflix crime drama’s first season and played a key role before she upped sticks and exited towards the end of the show’s second chapter.
When Ruth walks into Rachel’s place of work in Miami, it’s been well over a year since they last spoke, but the pair quickly pick up where they left off and Rachel grants Ruth’s request to head back to the Ozarks with her.
But who is Rachel? And why did she leave? Allow us to explain…
Who is Ozark’s Rachel Garrison?
Rachel is the former owner of the Blue Cat Lodge. When Marty first arrived in the Ozarks, he visited all of the local businesses, offering investment and insight to increase footfall and boost profits.
After some convincing, she took Marty up on his proposal and he began making a number of changes, including hiring Ruth as a dishwasher. The initial interactions between Rachel and Ruth were frosty but over time, they softened to one another.
Unfortunately for Rachel, her business had fallen under the control of the cartel, but she didn’t know that, not at first, anyway. Eventually, she discovered that Marty was cooking the books after she did a little digging into the Blue Cat’s accounts and she was furious.
Rachel had refused to heed her initial scepticism and was now paying the price.
She demanded that he leave but Marty refused. If he walked away, he’d incur the wrath of the cartel, signing death warrants for both himself and his family. The only option on the table was for the Byrde patriarch to continue the current operation.
A short time later, Rachel uncovered $100,000 in cash that had been squirrelled away by the Byrdes in a nearby property. Initially, she left it where it was but when a member of the cartel arrived at the bar looking for Marty, she took that as her cue to run.
She hopped in her car, cash in tow, and fled.
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/01/Rachel-Ozark-2ca0ca9.jpg?quality=90&resize=603%2C413" "\"\"")
The next time we saw Rachel, she was in jail after she was caught driving under the influence. FBI Agent Petty, who had been working undercover on the Byrde case, ordered her to return to the Ozarks and snoop on Marty. If she refused, he threatened to have her imprisoned for life.
With no alternative, Rachel did as she was told and headed back to the Blue Cat, which had recently been shut down by the authorities.
Wendy, suspicious about the timing of her return, confronted Rachel and demanded to know why she had reappeared at the exact moment Marty’s businesses were being squeezed. And she was right to be cautious…
From that point onwards, Rachel was forced to wear a wire during her interactions with Marty. Petty also encouraged her to seduce him in an effort to extract a confession and the pair did share a number of kisses. But as their previous interactions demonstrated, there were genuine feelings between Marty and Rachel.
Rachel also made an attempt to cosy up to Marty’s inner circle, including his daughter Charlotte, but she was also wary and kept her distance.
Eventually, the pressure proved too much for Rachel and she confessed to Marty that she’d been wearing a wire, but he barely blinked given his suspicions.
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/04/Marty-and-Rachel-Ozark-c985960.jpg?quality=90&resize=603%2C413" "\"\"")
During Rachel’s covert meetings with Petty, he would supply her with OxyContin to keep her sweet, but her addiction, which had initially benefitted the agent, later proved to be his downfall.
With Rachel’s Oxy supply running low, she was forced to seek her fix from elsewhere. She managed to acquire some of the cartel’s heroin, which originated from the Snell’s farm. But Darlene had laced the batch with Fentanyl and Rachel overdosed.
She wound up in hospital, where she was greeted by Petty and informed that she would be detained as punishment for not following his orders. But with Marty’s help, she managed to escape his clutches.
He sent cartel hitman Nelson to visit Petty’s mother, who was also an addict, and supply her with drugs. Marty had the moment recorded and showed the footage to Petty, who was apoplectic. He then ordered the agent to have Rachel released and drop the charges, otherwise Nelson would call in on his mother once more. Petty complied and Rachel was finally free.
Marty purchased her a plane ticket to Miami, where he had also paid for her to attend a rehabilitation clinic. The money from the Blue Cat would also wind up in her account.
They shared one last kiss, before going their separate ways – but the pair have since been reunited, thanks to Ruth, although their reunion was anything but affectionate. Given that Rachel is seemingly out to destroy the Byrdes, both for her friend and to satisfy her own grievances, perhaps Marty regrets that show of good faith after all.
Ozark seasons 1-4 are available to stream now on Netflix. Check out our Drama hub for all the latest news. If you’re looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide.
The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.