When it comes to crime dramas, plenty of characters become memorable for their horrifying and equally entertaining actions. Ozark is no exception to this and nearly every one of its characters can be remembered for the worst decisions they ever made as opposed to their sparse heroic moments. No one is a better example of this than Marty (Jason Bateman) and Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney), the series' leads. How they treat one another, their children, and their business associates, has provided the series with some of its most memorable moments and most detrimental outcomes.
From the initial lives the Byrdes led in Chicago, their entanglements with the cartel, and the impromptu lives they were forced to create in Ozark, the Byrdes were always forced to wiggle their way out of tight situations. As unpredictable as Marty and Wendy could be throughout Ozark there were always characters that managed to outdo them. On the endless list of foes the family created throughout Ozark, there are no characters that posed a more significant threat to the Byrdes than Darlene Snell (Lisa Emery) and Javi (Alfonso Herrera).
Darlene and Javi were enemies from the first moment Javi was introduced in Ozark's fourth season. Darlene's actions in Ozark's first season had largely gone unpunished prior to Javi's arrival. Unlike his uncle and leader of the cartel, Omar Navarro (Felix Solis), Javi refused to see the benefits of potentially creating a working relationship with Darlene. Given the issues the cartel was facing, dealing with Darlene's antics wasn't high on the list of priorities, but Javi ensured that it was. The cunning nature Darlene had shown throughout Ozark's four seasons and Javi's own crude actions aligned the characters in a way that neither would ever willingly admit. What the pair could agree on were the problems the Byrdes caused for them. Instead of forcing themselves to work with the Byrdes, had Javi and Darlene ever chosen to team with one another, they would have posed a threat that not even the Byrdes had the connections to stop.
Despite their animosity toward one another, Darlene and Javi are strikingly similar. Both have proven they will do anything to stay on top, including killing those close to them. In season 2, Darlene poisoned her husband for becoming a self-determined detriment to their business, and went on to shoot Frank Jr., and wage war against the Byrdes. Her decision to use Marty and Wendy's youngest son Jonah (Skylar Gaertner) to launder money for her partnered business only creates further problems. While often off the wall, Darlene's actions have usually been heavily weighed by her. She understands the connections a business like hers needs to survive, even if she doesn't fully know the operation of the cartel and the danger she has put herself and her loved ones in by acting against them. In part, this is where Javi would have made a powerful ally for Darlene to have.
Darlene's decision to shoot Del in the first season of Ozark is the root of Javi's frustrations. In Javi's first Ozark scene, Navarro mentions how impatient Javi is, particularly with assuming control of the cartel. Javi's frustrations with an unpunished Darlene are also clear, and quickly asks what will be done to handle her. Javi takes matters into his own hands after arriving in the Ozarks. He first chooses to stay in the empty home of the cartel's former lawyer, Helen Pierce, who had been killed shortly before Javi's introduction. He then kills Sheriff Nix for his involvement with Darlene's business and drops his body on the doorstep of the Byrdes. Javi's choice to begin eliminating people without any regard for the consequences partly stem from his belief that he's untouchable, and he is almost right.
Like Javi, Darlene also imagines herself to be untouchable. Within the Ozarks, there are very few who would ever dare to cross Darlene, but that fear doesn't extend far beyond the area. Javi has the opposite effect. Those that know of Javi's family know better than to pick fights with the cartel. However, Darlene's willingness to take someone like Javi and his family on is brave and should be valued as such. Javi's failure to see what benefit someone like Darlene could pose for him is an example of how they could have benefited from one another. To balance them out, Darlene's business partner Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) could have been of use. She knew the Byrdes better than anyone and could have been useful to their demise, and could decrease the tensions between Darlene and Javi that were sure to flare at times.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" is a mindset that could have served Darlene and Javi well. Together, they could have gotten what they wanted. Had Darlene and Javi ever put their differences aside to work as a team, there would have been no limits to what they could accomplish. The Byrdes could have been shut out and dealt with for all the problems they had caused throughout Ozark and their businesses could have thrived. Javi could have benefited from having someone with Darlene's strategy on hand, and she could have used someone with his level of connections to expand her business. While the pair certainly share qualities and tensions that would have been difficult to manage, the payoff and entertainment that could have come out of it would have been well worth it.
Ozark is now streaming on Netflix.