Here’s What The Symbols in ‘Ozark’s Hypnotizing Opening Credits Mean

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Ozark

If you’ve seen Netflix’s latest crime drama, you already know that Ozark is full of mysteries. Starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney, the crime thriller follows the shady world of money laundering after one man is forced to clean up money for a drug cartel or risk putting his family in danger. It’s an intense series filled with crazy twists and turns, but almost all of those twists could have been predicted if you were paying attention to each episode’s opening credits.

Every episode features four symbols inside of an “O” that are arranged to spell out “Ozark.” However, these symbols are more than just a clever way to start a show. More often than not, they outline the key themes and moments of this crazy series. In case you were curious about the meaning behind every gun and needle, we did the heavy lifting for you. Here are the exact moments in Ozark that correspond to each episode’s symbols in both Season1 and Season 2.

Season 1, Episode 1: “Sugarwood”

**What's the symbol?:** A man whose hands are tied up
**What does it mean?:** That's our good pal Marty begging for his life. After drug cartel leader Del (Esai Morales) learns that Marty's partner has been stealing money from him, Marty convinces him to spare his life in exchange for a bigger money laundering market.

**What's the symbol?:** The Chicago skyline
**What does it mean?:** This is an almost exact shot of the building you can see when Wendy is confronting her lover. But more than that, it indicates a major change for the Byrd family as they're pushed out of the city they call home.

**What's the symbol?:** A gun
**What does it mean?:** This is definitely the gun Del used to wipe out most of Marty's business associates, most notably the woman who ran to the bathroom.

**What's the symbol?:** A dead body
**What does it mean?:** That's the fate of Wendy's lover, who was pressured to commit "suicide" by Marty's drug dealing friends after Wendy told him too much.

This is the episode that started it all. Ozark began with a bang, and it never really let up for there. In “Sugarwood,” Marty (Jason Bateman) was given his money laundering ultimatum, his business partner and most of his professional associates were killed, Wendy’s (Laura Linney) lover was forced to commit suicide, and the whole family made their drug-assisted move to the Ozarks.

Watch Ozark Season 1 "Sugarwood" on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 2: “Blue Cat”

**What's the symbol?:** A tunnel filled with money
**What does it mean?:** This one likely has to do with Marty's new money-coated hiding space, a pipe in a dilapidated shack. There's always money in the ... stand.

**What's the symbol?:** A lodge
**What does it mean?:** Specifically, this is likely the Blue Cat Lodge, which is the first business that took a chance on Marty. Of course as Rachel (Jordana Spiro) later learns, that was a terrible idea.

**What's the symbol?:** A human bone
**What does it mean?:** This is a bone the police found in the Ozarks, which helps set off an investigation.

**What's the symbol?:** A suitcase
**What does it mean?:** This one is all about Marty getting his money back after the Langmores stole it. Before he shoved it back into two coolers, all of those millions were being kept in two suitcases.

Ozark’s second episode was all about unsuccessful hustling and proving that the Byrds weren’t in Chicago anymore. Time and time again, Marty goes to different local businesses trying to catch a break and prove he can turn their operations around. Each time he’s brushed off, until he proves himself to Rachel (Jordana Spiro), the owner of the failing Blue Cat Lodge. Meanwhile, his daughter Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz) makes some ill-advised local friends that put the Byrds in contact with the Langmores.

Watch Ozark Season 1 "Blue Cat" on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 3: “My Dripping Sleep”

**What's the symbol?:** An FBI badge
**What does it mean?:** The FBI are about to get more involved in Marty and Wendy's life whether they like it or not.

**What's the symbol?:** Stripper legs
**What does it mean?:** This has to do with Marty's interest in taking over the strip club as well as the scene when he uses his lap dance time to pump a stripper for dirt on her boss.

**What's the symbol?:** A vulture
**What does it mean?:** There as the birds of decay that haunt Wendy as she tries to figure out what to do in her new life.

**What's the symbol?:** Security cameras
**What does it mean?:** Marty forces Ruth go with him to deposit some money, making sure that they're both caught on camera. If she wants to work for him, she has to do what he says, and if she tries to steal or overexert her power, he will make sure she pays for it.

The Byrds finally find their groove in the show’s third episode, and so do the FBI. In this one, Wendy demands a job from her real estate agent, and Marty decides he wants to invest in a strip club while figuring out what the heck he’s going to do with the meddling Ruth (Julia Garner). Meanwhile, FBI Agent Evans confronts Marty and Wendy about their shady dealings.

Watch Ozark Season 1 "My Dripping Sleep" on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 4: “Tonight We Improvise”

**What's the symbol?:** A safe
**What does it mean?:** Ruth and Marty yank out the company's safe during their plan to take over the strip club.

**What's the symbol?:** Poison
**What does it mean?:** When Bobby Dean visits his boss to tell them about the Byrds, he gets a little more than he bargains for in the form of a needle shoved in her neck.

**What's the symbol?:** An axe chopping wood
**What does it mean?:** This is the first image we see when we meet the Snells (Peter Mullan and Lisa Emery), and it captures them perfectly.

**What's the symbol?:** A man fishing
**What does it mean?:** This image alludes to Agent Petty's (Jason Butler Harner) growing friendship with Russ Langmore.

The main event of this episode is Marty and Ruth’s takedown of the strip club. After pumping the club for information on multiple sides, Marty calls in an underage complaint to the police while Ruth tries to break into the safe. Meanwhile, Agent Petty (Jason Butler Harner) starts to form a close friendship with one of the Langmores, and we’re introduced to the shady Snells.

Watch Ozark Season 1 "Tonight We Improvise" on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 5: “Ruling Days”

**What's the symbol?:** The American flag
**What does it mean?:** It's finally the Fourth of July, which means Marty can hopefully start turning over some money. There's hope that the Byrds can live through this thing after all.

**What's the symbol?:** An unfinished church
**What does it mean?:** Marty and Wendy decide to invest in building an actual church for Pastor Mason Young's (Michael Mosley) water-based congregation.

**What's the symbol?:** A cowboy boot
**What does it mean?:** Jacob Snell (Peter Mullan) pulls Marty over to eerily talk to him about his congregation plans. Little does Marty know that his money laundering plans are about to interfere with the Snells' heroin empire.

**What's the symbol?:** A poppy
**What does it mean?:** Heroin is made from the Snells' favorite flowers -- poppies. And the Snells have more than enough of those to go around.

Marty decides to expand his scope ever further and goes from one end of the morality investment spectrum to the other. Marty and Wendy want to build a church for Pastor Mason Young (Michael Mosley). Meanwhile, Ruth is still plotting, both the Langmores and the Snells are still being nefarious in their own ways, the FBI is still searching, and the son of Wendy’s deceased lover makes an unexpected appearance.

Watch Ozark Season 1 "Ruling Days" on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 6: “Book of Ruth”

**What's the symbol?:** A dead mouse
**What does it mean?:** When Ruth was experimenting with her electrifying plan to kill Marty, she practiced on a mouse.

**What's the symbol?:** Binoculars
**What does it mean?:** While Agent Petty is spying on Marty, Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) points a gun at him. This is important for two reasons: the FBI are always watching, and Jonah is terrifying.

**What's the symbol?:** A ladder
**What does it mean?:** This water-soaked ladder combined with electricity was how Ruth was planning to kill Marty at the demands of her imprisoned father. Sadly for her, it didn't work.

**What's the symbol?:** A jar of eyeballs
**What does it mean?:** That was Del's present to the Byrds. There's almost a 100 percent chance those eyes came from someone Marty and Wendy knew, but their point is clear. Del is always watching.

This episode is the reason why you shouldn’t tell everyone you come in contact with you’re working for a drug cartel. Marty and Jacob Snell face off even more, a confrontation that starts with Jacob almost running Marty over. Meanwhile, Ruth works on her plan to kill Marty, and Rachel learns that her investor and friend has secretly been cooking the books this whole time.

Watch Ozark Season 1 "Book of Ruth" on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 7: “Nest Box”

**What's the symbol?:** A pair of goggles
**What does it mean?:** Charlotte tries to run away from home. She returns, but before she talks to her parents about it, she goes for a swim that almost ends with her drowning.

**What's the symbol?:** A pig on a spitroast
**What does it mean?:** The Snells throw a party, and Pastor Young tells them they can no longer deal drugs using his water congregation. The Snells don't take this well.

**What's the symbol?:** A can of gasoline
**What does it mean?:** Pastor Mason Young, after learning from the Byrds what his church is really being used for, sets the unfinished building on fire.

**What's the symbol?:** Prison
**What does it mean?:** Ruth visits her creepy and manipulative father in prison again, which is never a good thing for Ruth, the Langmores, or Marty.

Life is all about compromises, and the same can be said for the world of Ozark. Marty works with the Snells to figure out a way they can both use a church to carry out criminal activity. Meanwhile, Agent Petty manages to gain the trust of Russ Langmore (Marc Menchaca) and convinces him to be a spy for the FBI. Also, Charlotte is over the Ozarks after the man she has sex with leaves without telling her. She tries to run away from home, but is stopped.

Watch Ozark Season 1 "Nest Box" on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 8: “Kaleidoscope”

**What's the symbol?:** A jungle gym
**What does it mean?:** Agent Petty pressures Marty's someone on the inside to turn in everything her has on Del. And by pressure I mean he threatens him with jail time.

**What's the symbol?:** Golf clubs
**What does it mean?:** This was the moment that Del saw Marty's worth. While other people were overhyping their performance or trying to talk business on the golf course, Marty was calm and composed.

**What's the symbol?:** A pregnancy test
**What does it mean?:** Wendy has a miscarriage after a car accident.

**What's the symbol?:** Pills
**What does it mean?:** Agent Petty learns that his mother has still been abusing drugs even though she promised to quit.

It’s flashback time! Set 10 years earlier, “Kaleidoscope” shows us how Marty and Wendy came to be in the money laundering business in the first place. It turns out Marty’s relationship with Del was far more friendly than he was letting on, and Marty isn’t as much of a victim as he led us to believe. Meanwhile, Agent Petty has to deal with his mother’s drug addiction.

Watch Ozark Season 1 “Kaleidoscope” on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 9: “Coffee, Black”

**What's the symbol?:** A stack of money
**What does it mean?:** This is less of a direct moment from Episode 9 and more of a general idea. The Byrds are closer than ever to completing their goal.

**What's the symbol?:** A boat
**What does it mean?:** The Langmores drive over to the Byrds' house, looking to expose Marty. However, when they grab hold of Ruth's electrically-charged ladder, they die.

**What's the symbol?:** A rifle
**What does it mean?:** Jonah, being the creepy kid that he is, convinces Tuck to buy him a rifle. You know what they say about introducing a gun during the first act.

**What's the symbol?:** A broken TV
**What does it mean?:** Agent Petty, angry, sad, and drunk after learning that Russ is dead, picks a bar fight and shoots the TV.

We’re back in present day, and this super fast series is about to crank it up a couple more levels. Russ Langmore learns of Agent Petty’s secret identity and has to decide whether he’s going to betray his family or risk betraying the FBI agent. However, that moral dilemma is quickly solved when he and his brother fall victim to Ruth’s electrifying plan. Meanwhile, Wendy, who is helping her real estate boss with the death of his mother, decides to acquire a funeral home for money laundering purposes. The Byrds are close to their summer quota and something similar to freedom.

Watch Ozark Season 1 "Coffee, Black" on Netflix

Season 1, Episode 10: “The Toll”

**What's the symbol?:** A body bag
**What does it mean?:** After Jonah and Buddy take out one of Del's lackeys, Marty and Buddy dispose of the evidence in the funeral home's furnace.

**What's the symbol?:** Writing on a hand
**What does it mean?:** Agent Petty finds a man he thinks is connected to Del and writes down his license plate number.

**What's the symbol?:** Bound legs
**What does it mean?:** At one point Del, having figured out all of Marty's dodgy tricks, ties up his legs and pulls off his toenails.

**What's the symbol?:** A baby
**What does it mean?:** This is the most disturbing element of the series. After finding his now-born child away from his pregnant wife's body, Pastor Young snaps and tries to drown his baby. Thankfully, he's unsuccessful.

This is when Ozark goes into overdrive. The Snells exact their revenge on Pastor Young in the most disturbing way possible, murdering his wife and cutting the baby out of her womb. He’s so traumatized by this, he attempts to drown the baby before changing his mind. While this is happening, people are dying. Jonah and Buddy shoot an employee for Del, and the Snells take out Del and several of his lackeys as Marty watches. Marty tries to give his family new identities and send them away, but they all reunite at the last moment, now in more danger than they’ve ever been in before.

Watch Ozark Season 1 "The Toll" on Netflix

Season 2, Episode 1 "Reparations"

Symbols in Ozark — Season 2, Episode 1 "Reparations"

New season, same old antics. The first episode of Season 2 is all about inevitable consequences. As Marty and Wendy start to move forward with the casino they promised the cartel, the Snells are forced to own the fact that Darlene (Lisa Emery) murdered one of the cartel’s top men. Meanwhile, Ruth is initially excited by her father Cade’s (Trevor Long) release from prison, but things quickly sour between them.

Watch Ozark Season 2 "Reparations" on Netflix

Season 2, Episode 2 "The Precious Blood of Jesus"

Set several weeks after the events of last episode, this one’s all about legislation. The pressure’s on for Wendy to coerce, bribe, and extort her way to lift Missouri’s casino cap. But Wendy is Wendy, so this is old hat for the political pro. Meanwhile Ruth is sent to pick up a riverboat for Marty, the Kansas City mob is hurting people to show their disapproval of the upcoming casino, and we finally learn what happened to Rachel.

Watch Ozark Season 2 "The Precious Blood of Jesus" on Netflix

Season 2, Episode 3 "Once Upon a Langmore..."

“Once Upon a Langmore…” does a lot to set some major season set pieces into play. The episode explores the deepening of the Byrde and the Snells’ alliance, which is slowly turning into something that resembles friendship. Meanwhile, Ruth continues to fight her feeling of guilt over killing her uncles with her passion for Wyatt to get into college, and Rachel and her newly reignited addiction problems return to the Blue Cat.

Watch Ozark Season 2 "Once Upon a Langmore..." on Netflix

Season 2, Episode 4 "Stag"

Agent Petty is fully back in the game, and he’s not messing around. Petty rejoined Season 2 in its second episode, but it’s not until “Stag” that we learn what he’s been up to as well as how furious he is with the Byrdes. He sends Rachel in to spy on Marty with a wire. Wendy and Marty are immediately distrustful of the woman who once stole from them and don’t give away any secrets. But they’re not the only ones who know about Marty’s less-than-legal business. This episode also sees Ruth bashing in some administrator heads to get her cousin into college and the return of Pastor Mason Young.

Watch Ozark Season 2 "Stag" on Netflix

Season 2, Episode 5 "Game Day"

The FBI are hot on Marty and Wendy’s tracks. Knowing that the government’s next step will be to investigate their business partners, the Byrdes beg Darlene and Jacob Snell to burn down their poppy fields. Naturally the Snells won’t budge, prompting Wendy to get creative. Through the raid, Marty and Wendy learn that their daughter Charlotte stole $5,000 from them. But the real star of this episode is Ruth. After Agent Petty frames Ruth to look like she’s been working against the cartel, the cartel corners her at home. Ruth admits to trying to kill Marty, and the cartel operatives waterboard her to test her loyalty.

Watch Ozark Season 2 "Game Day" on Netflix

Season 2, Episode 6 "Outer Darkness"

If she were dealing with any other crime family, Wendy’s plan to burn down the poppy fields may have gone off without a hitch. But these are the Snells we’re talking about. There are bones in those fields. It doesn’t take long for the FBI to find the bodies, so to speak, and arrest Jacob for possible murder. The graveyard affects everyone, including Pastor Mason who believes that his dead wife Grace may be on the plot. But thanks to some quick thinking on Marty’s end, no one gets the answers they’re looking for. He and Wendy swap out the onsite bones with Snell family bones, bride and threaten the lab technicians, and get Jacob out of jail.

Watch Ozark Season 2 "Outer Darkness" on Netflix

Season 2, Episode 7 "One Way Out"

Ozark doesn’t really do bottle episodes, but this thrilling episode comes close. Someone calls child services on Pastor Mason, probably because he’s been preaching in the cold with his newborn baby. Mason assumes that Wendy is responsible for him losing his baby and snaps. He kidnaps Wendy and holds her ransom, telling Marty that if he doesn’t bring his baby by sunrise Wendy will die. Marty complies, but the encounter comes close to costing both he and Wendy everything.

Watch Ozark Season 2 "One Way Out" on Netflix

Season 2, Episode 8 "The Big Sleep"

**What's the symbol?:** A man with a bag over his head
**What does it mean?:** Once the Nevarro cartel learns of the bad batch of their drugs, they go to every one of their suppliers. Another innocent man pays for Darlene's craziness by being suffocated to death by a plastic bag.Photo: Netflix

“The Big Sleep” starts with Ozark’s first serious time jump. Through a series of flashbacks and flashforwards, the episode shows how Darlene came to spike the cartel drugs that caused Rachel’s overdose. Darlene’s latest psychotic grab for the cartel’s respect has rubbed them the wrong way. Because of the bad batch, the FBI are looking more closely at the Nevarro cartel than ever before. They want Darlene dead, and they want Jacob to do it. Meanwhile, Wyatt gets back into high school giving him another chance at college, Ruth and her father try to steal money from Marty, the Byrdes take in the now-dead Mason’s baby, and Marty sends Rachel away to rehab.

Watch Ozark Season 2 "The Big Sleep" on Netflix

Season 2, Episode 9 "The Badger"

After a full season of being horrified from the sidelines, it’s finally Charlotte’s time to shine. Most of “The Badger” revolves around the teenager’s fairly smart decision to legally distance herself from her parents. While Wendy responds to the news with shock and outrage, the announcement leaves a more contemplative Marty. Meanwhile, Wyatt gets into Ole Miss just like he and Ruth wanted, and Jacob tries to make good on his promise of killing his wife.

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