The Outer Banks Showrunners Unpack *That* Season 4 Finale Twist

Spoiler alert: This article discusses major plot points from the Outer Banks Season 4 finale episode. It’s a sad day for the Pogues. The Season 4, Part 2 finale dropped on Netflix on Nov. 7, and it ended on a bittersweet note, with JJ Maybank making the ultimate sacrifice to save his girlfriend, Kiara.

In Episodes 9 and 10, the crew journeys to Morocco in search of the Blue Crown, a piece of Blackbeard’s treasure that they could use to protect their beloved home Poguelandia from zoning changes. After saving Sarah from drowning and retrieving the crown for his friends, JJ ultimately dies at the hands of Chandler Groff, his biological father. He hands over the crown in exchange for Groff to spare Kiara’s life, and Groff stabs his son in the stomach and runs off with the prize. JJ dies as he tells Kiara to look after the others, and the friend group vows to avenge him on their next quest.

According to Outer Banks showrunners Jonas Pate, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke, this tragic ending for JJ has been in the works for a long time — and actor Rudy Pankow was all in on the story arc for his character. Below, the showrunners tell Elite Daily about the backstory behind creating that twist and why Season 4 is “JJ’s year.”

Elite Daily: In your Instagram note about Season 5, you said that the Season 4 finale episode is your “best, most powerful” one yet. What do you love so much about this finale?

Shannon Burke: So many different plot points come together for every character, particularly for JJ and Kiara. It’s JJ’s year, and we knew it would be from the very beginning of the show. We set him up to do some JJ-esque things that push the envelope.

In the beginning, you feel like he’s almost gone too far: putting the group at risk and being reckless. He has all his family stuff, and it climaxes in Episode 9, when he’s on the boat and redeems himself by saving Sarah. He’s come back into the fold. When you get to Episode 10, he’s in a new place with Kiara. For the first time, he’s really engaged with her and ready to make up for what he’s done.

The whole arc feels complete, and it comes to a tragic and terrible ending. But we set it up pretty well, and the actors just crushed it. Everyone brought their A-game. It’s really moving, and it embodies the Pogue philosophy of sacrifice.

Jonas Pate: Josh and Shannon wrote a really powerful storyline for JJ. He’s a beloved character, so we wanted to bring the most emotional and cinematic experience possible. Shooting in Morocco was amazing. Madison Bailey and Rudy gave amazing performances, as did the whole cast. We felt like we honored the character as well as we could.

Around Season 2, we told Rudy that we thought his character was going to die a tragic death in Kiara’s arms.

ED: You mentioned that this has always been the plan — for JJ to have this character arc. Did you conceptualize his death from the very beginning of the series?

Josh Pate: In a general sense, yes. It was a card we knew we wanted to play at some point, and it was just a question of when. Everything started naturally evolving toward it landing where it did.

Shannon Burke: Around Season 2, we told Rudy that we thought his character was going to die a tragic death in Kiara’s arms. It was a totally abstract thing, and he was excited about it and said, “Yeah, let’s do it.” He came into Season 4 really committed from the very first day, and at every step he was a 100% collaborator in making the arc better and more unique to his character.

ED: So Rudy was excited — how did the rest of the cast react when they found out about JJ’s death?

Jonas Pate: I think they were like, “Better him than me.” [Laughs] No, they were bummed because the cast was close. It was a really emotional ending because they knew it was the end of a good work run, but they appreciated the story. Everybody felt ready to contribute to it.

ED: I’ve noticed a few fans online guessing that JJ might die or leave the show this season. Have you seen any of those rumors? What do you think?

Jonas Pate: We’re kind of half-aware. We don’t follow everything, but every now and then something bubbles through. I have seen a few little things like that, but I’ve seen it about other characters, too.

Josh Pate: The fans’ theory is that there are so many people on set who know the storyline, so once in a while, there’ll be something leaked that’s absolutely true. But it’s so mixed in with other things that are completely false, that I think from the outside it’s hard to pick out which things are real and which aren’t.

ED: I know you can’t tell me any plot details about Season 5 yet, but what do you want fans to know about how you’ll bring the series home?

Jonas Pate: I’d say it ain’t over yet. I know it’s a tough spot right now, but we’re excited about the last chapter.

Josh Pate: There’s still treasure, but there’s also this objective to avenge JJ, and we can’t wait to tell that story.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.