From a shocking pregnancy to a major character death, Outer Banks made some controversial narrative swings while wrapping up season 4.
Warning: This story contains spoilers about season 4 of Outer Banks.
During the second half of the season, which premiered on Thursday, November 7, John B (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) were out of options after their land was about to get taken from them.
There was also the issue of JJ finding out that Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane) was his biological dad. That revelation led JJ to make several bad decisions, which then made the Pogues travel to Morocco to track down Groff and bring him to justice.
But first, Pope was arrested trying to protect JJ. Pope briefly gained an ankle monitor — and considered joining the marines to avoid an arrest — but he subsequently ditched both to help his friends. Sarah, meanwhile, found out she is pregnant and started to question whether she and John B would be able to raise a child in their day-to-day chaos as teenage treasure hunters.
Rafe (Drew Starkey) was dealing with the fact that he got swindled out of nearly half a million dollars. Luckily he teamed up with the Pogues to get it back from Groff — but not before proposing to Sofia (Fiona Palomo), who still hadn’t told Rafe about how she double crossed him.
Outer Banks season 4 came to a frustrating end with JJ getting killed by Groff. The rest of the Pogues vowed to avenge his death. Fans don’t have to be worried about any unanswered questions because Netflix renewed Outer Banks for a fifth — and final — season before the current season came to an end.
Keep scrolling to find out where each character stands at the end of Outer Banks season 4 — and how the story set the show up for its final adventure:
John B. Routledge
As if there wasn’t enough on John B’s plate, he found out that Sarah is pregnant with their baby. The couple tried to get a marriage license, but JJ wreaked some havoc on the town that caused most businesses to temporarily shut down. John B and Sarah then got involved in helping save JJ when he was kidnapped by Dalia and the rest of the dangerous treasure hunters.
John B spent the season determined to find enough money so he could provide for Sarah and their unborn baby for the rest of their lives. That led to him driving Rafe’s boat to Morocco where John B told JJ about his and Sarah’s good news. JJ, however, was dealing with his own issues, and the duo had a brief falling out. JJ’s successful attempt to save Sarah’s life after their boat hit a huge storm restored his and John B’s friendship.
By the end of the season, John B survived but had to mourn JJ along with the rest of the Pogues.
Sarah Cameron
Mere days after Sarah expressed her disinterest in having a baby as a teenager, she started to get tired. This inspired her to get some pregnancy tests, which confirmed what fans — and Us — already knew: Sarah is pregnant.
Sarah only confided in Kiara before telling John B the news. From there, Sarah tried to prepare for parenthood while clearly concerned about whether her and John B’s lifestyle is suited for a baby. Sarah also got a chance to reunite with Rafe after he offered his help to track down Groff. The truce didn’t last long and soon enough Sarah was delivering food to Rafe since he was tied up at the bottom of his own boat.
On the way to Morocco, the boat hit a storm and Sarah was subsequently knocked out into the ocean. JJ tried to save her but they both seemingly didn’t make it. Days later, JJ and Sarah washed up on shore in Morocco and reunited with their loved ones.
Sarah seemingly turned over a new leaf with Rafe in Morocco as the group tried to get the blue crown before Dalia’s crew.
Kiara Carrera
The fourth season returned with Kiara being entrusted with Sarah’s secret — and JJ’s. She was briefly locked up by Groff after she figured out that he was the villain but she was saved just in time to help JJ. Kiara and JJ’s relationship largely took a backseat as he came to terms with his paternity. Kiara did seem to find common ground with her own parents, who supported her when the Pogues tried to get their land back and when her father stopped her from getting shot by the police.
When Kiara and the others got to Morocco, some of their time was running out. Kiara got to spend a few extra hours with JJ as they worked to retrieve the blue crown. JJ ended up being successful but died before any of them could celebrate. In his last moments, JJ told Kiara he loved her and she decided to avenge his death in return.
Pope Heyward
Things went from bad to worse for Pope when during a town council meeting about their land, he shoved a police officer who was planning to shoot JJ. Pope was charged with a felony and ordered to wear an ankle monitor. He was even being convinced by his dad and uncle to enroll into the marines so he wouldn’t have to serve time, but Pope had other plans.
He ran away, rejoined his friend group and got rid of his ankle monitor. Pope was one of the people struggling to see JJ’s perspective as his friend continued to self-sabotage, but Pope and JJ didn’t get much time in Morocco before the latter was killed off in a controversial twist. Pope, however, took a new approach to life by committing to living as if he had nothing to lose. That meant killing the man who murdered Terrance when Cleo wasn’t able to.
JJ Maybank
While initially denying that Groff was his dad, JJ came around to the concept. This turned into JJ accidentally teaming up with Groff, who was being hunted down by Dalia and her crew. Unfortunately, JJ didn’t know that Groff was double crossing him. Groff would intentionally commit crimes he knew JJ would be blamed for before killing Hollis — and leaving the gun in JJ’s car.
JJ eventually figured out what Groff was up to. When he wouldn’t agree to help Groff, JJ was nearly killed before his friends rescued him. JJ then went on a downward spiral of drinking and creating tension between him and the other Pogues. JJ pushed nearly everyone away before the storm caused him to stop feeling sorry for himself. Instead, JJ jumped into action and dove into the dangerous waters to save Sarah, who he knew was pregnant with John B’s child.
During his time in Morocco, JJ was determined to make up for the mess he got everyone into. He chose not to save Groff when the group found him stranded in a well. From there, JJ had a head start to find the blue crown but was stabbed by Groff once he got it. JJ bled out from the injury after reflecting on how he got everything he wanted in life before his death. The rest of the Pogues mourned JJ by promising to avenge him — and get the blue crown back from Groff.
Cleo
The second half of Outer Banks season 4 showed Cleo coming to terms with Pope potentially leaving her for the marines. He didn’t enlist, however, which reunited Pope and Cleo. Throughout the rest of the episodes, Cleo was there to help save the day when needed on the way to Morocco. She got the rest of the Pogues out of several bad situations once they were actually in Morocco but got shot in the arm as things were heating up with Dalia’s crew.
Cleo’s injury stopped her from exacting revenge on the man who killed Terrance. Pope did it for her before the season was over.
Rafe Cameron
The eldest Cameron still wasn’t sure about working with Hollis and Groff but ended up signing a contract anyway. Once he realized the truth, Rafe attempted to take Groff down by going to the police. He saw another opportunity to hunt Groff down himself through the Pogues, but Rafe proposed to Sofia before he left to retrieve his money.
Rafe subsequently convinced Deputy Shoupe (Cullen Moss) to let him and the Pogues walk free so they could bring Groff back from Morocco. The others didn’t trust Rafe’s intentions and he very quickly ended up a hostage on his own boat. Before he drowned, Kiara tied him loose and he remained with the Pogues when they washed up in Morocco.
The second half of season 4 separated Rafe from the others as he briefly teamed up with Groff to track down the crown. Once Groff told him about Sofia, Rafe changed his mind and Groff ended up trapped in a well as a result. Rafe reconnected with the Pogues when they saved his life and he seemingly reconciled with the group. He also ended his engagement to Sofia. After JJ’s death, Rafe convinced the others to shift their focus to finding Groff and getting revenge for what he did to JJ.
Chandler Groff
While there hasn’t been a definitive paternity test, Groff and JJ immediately decided that they are in fact related. JJ’s attempts to get to know his father didn’t go so well though since Groff is a con artist and a murderer. Groff not only killed the man the police found at the beach but he was also responsible for Larissa Genrette’s death, and he shot Hollis (Brianna Brown) once she questioned his motives.
Groff meticulously pinned the last murder on JJ by making the evidence point to him. He then reunited with Dalia’s crew as he pretended to be on their side again. Groff’s scheme didn’t last long, though, and he was nearly killed before Rafe saved him. He pissed off Rafe, so he was left for dead in a well. JJ considered saving him — but didn’t — and Groff managed to escape all on his own.
By the time he crossed paths with JJ again, his son had the blue crown that Groff was looking for. Groff threatened JJ, who gave the crown up easily, but Groff needed revenge since JJ left him to die, leading him to stab his son. Groff ended up triumphant at the end of season 4, but it might not last long — finding him will be the season 5 mission.
