Rudy Pankow Just Broke His Silence On That Game-Changing OBX Twist
"This is by far the biggest thing I’ve ever done."
Spoiler alert: Do not read if you haven’t watched Outer Banks Season 4, Episode 10.
Outer Banks is known for its shocking twists, but really raised the bar with its Season 4 finale. In the last moments of the season, a beloved main character was suddenly killed off. Stabbed by his own biological father, JJ Maybank suffered what may be one of the most emotional TV deaths in recent memory, and Rudy Pankow is well aware of how much losing this character will hurt the show’s fans.
In a Nov. 7 interview with Netflix, the Outer Banks showrunners confirmed it had always been in the plans for JJ to die. “When I first found out JJ was gonna risk it all and not make it, I understood it,” Pankow told the outlet. “The risks got bigger and bigger, and the stakes got higher and higher.”
The Pogue’s penchant for throwing himself into the deep end may have been his undoing, but it’s also what made JJ so lovable. “He has to judge every moment in his life, if it’s worth it [to take the risk], and I think it’s constantly, yeah, it is for him,” Pankow said. “Even throughout the pain and the suffering and the struggles for JJ, it’s worth it for him to go to that length. He lives his life to the utmost fullest, and I don’t think he regrets any part of it.”
Because of this, Pankow felt the pressure to make his final Outer Banks scene as special as possible. “I knew everyone was on board to bring their all, and I felt that from everyone,” he said of filming JJ’s last moments. “[Madison] Bailey and I brought it, and I know that we crushed it. It was emotional, but I think deep down, everyone was on the same page… ‘Let’s make an impact.’ And I think we did that.”
Though Pankow obviously won’t be back for the fifth and final season, JJ’s impact isn’t going anywhere. “His death really does set up the future of OBX with the question, what is worth it? And when someone that close to you is gone, how do you navigate that?” Pankow said.
He also expressed his gratitude for these past four years of playing JJ. “This is by far the biggest thing I’ve ever done in [my] experience, and to have this as my start is a start of a lifetime. I’m going to miss it,” Pankow said. “To all the fans that show so much support and love for JJ, I just want to say thank you. It really did make an impact on me, playing him. It’s been an honor to bring him to life for you guys, and it’s been a joy to play him. And P4L!”
