Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead

On November 7, Outer Banks season four ended nearly a month after the release of part 1. Part 2 showcases five episodes, starting at the moment part 1 left off. If you don’t remember all the details of the first half of season four, check out my previous article that gives a full recap and review of the first five episodes. 

Recap of Part 2

As a refresher, here are the major plot points from part 2. First, we see the finishing scene in the lighthouse, where Luke reveals to JJ that his biological dad is Groff. Back in Charleston, John B. and Cleo can save Sarah and Pope from being trapped in the tomb. The Pogues are then taken to court for a hearing about the rezoning of their land. This causes major upset, leading JJ to rampage and vandalize the downtown. This means he is a wanted man in the city for the rest of the season. While the police are looking for JJ, Pope tackles an officer who had pulled out a gun, so now he has the choice between jail time or serving in the military. Meanwhile, Rafe and Groff close the deal, but it was apparent earlier in the sixth episode that Hollis and Groff are up to no good.

Next, JJ finds Groff, and he confirms that he is his real dad, but only after being chased down by the Corsairs. Just when you thought it couldn’t get more unpredictable, a HUGE bombshell is dropped–Sarah is pregnant! In the meantime, only Kie knows, but this means she will be more vulnerable. To close the seventh episode, the trio (John B, Sarah, and Kie) come to the rescue of JJ and Groff as they were almost killed by the Corsairs, who are after revenge for Groff killing one of their own (aka the mysterious body found in the sand from part 1). As they escape, JJ steals the map for the Blue Crown from the Corsair’s boat. 

The Pogues then learn from Groff that the map can only be deciphered with a special lens, which they need to get from Larissa’s grave. Individually, a lot is going on: Sarah tells John B. she is pregnant, Pope is supposed to leave for the Marines but bails at the last second, JJ tells Kiara that Groff is his dad, and Groff seems to have a plan to double-cross everyone. Groff and JJ then go to retrieve the lens from Larissa’s grave. Groff secretly calls the police and reports teen grave robbers, but he talks to them when they arrive and says that they left. It turns out this was all his plan to get the lens from JJ and leave him stranded for a few hours. Groff goes to Poguelandia and steals the map, but when Kiara shows up, he knocks her out and locks her in the cooler. Then he heads back for JJ and drives to Hollis’s house. Hollis threatens to rat him out to the cops about Genrette’s death, so he kills her. He takes the money and the gun, which he plants in the van to try and frame JJ. The two head out on a boat while the Pogues free Kiara and track JJ’s location. In a climactic scene, Groff tosses JJ’s phone in the water; once he realizes JJ is catching on to him, he throws JJ off the boat, too. Thankfully, the Pogues can rescue him and head back to land. At the police station, Rafe reports Groff and Hollis for scamming him out of 400k. Sheriff Shoupe puts the pieces together and realizes Groff is the fugitive they are after. 

In episode nine, Groff calls the police and tells them to check on Hollis. When they do, they find her dead and go after JJ. The Pogues evade the police by stealing a boat and heading to the opposite side of the island. There, Rafe and Shoupe meet them, but before that, Rafe proposes to Sofia and promises to return in a few weeks. Rafe convinces Shoupe to let them go since they would have a better chance of finding Groff, who is headed for the Blue Crown in Africa. The gang heads out to Morocco on a ship, but they lock Rafe in a room since they don’t trust him. John B asks JJ to be the godfather of his kid, but JJ is drunk and cruel with his words, which causes a rift between them. They encounter a storm on the water, and Sarah gets knocked off the ship. JJ jumps in the water to save her, and they aren’t seen until a day after the rest of them have reached the shore. 

The season finale starts with the Pogues venturing to the main square. Sarah feels nauseous, so they steal some apples. Unfortunately, they are caught since the vendor alerts the local police, so they go on the run and split up from Rafe. Rafe finds Groff and saves him from Lightner. Rafe demands his money back, but Groff tells him that it’s Sofia’s fault and that she played him. Their fight ends with Groff being pushed down into a well. Then, Rafe calls Sofia and tells her to leave his house. The rest of the Pogues find the boat that Groff and the Corsairs had used, and John B. and Sarah go inside to try and find some clues. The mercenaries almost catch them, but the Pogues escape just in time in a stolen Jeep. They wind up passing the well that Groff is trapped in, but all that happens is that JJ drops him a jug of water. Next, everyone comes crashing together–the Pogues, the Corsairs, and Rafe–in the race for the Blue Crown. From the clues they found, they figured out the location of the crown. JJ decides he will climb up the statue to get the crown, but it’s even more dangerous because they are in the middle of a sandstorm. Groff manages to escape the well and returns after JJ retrieves the Blue Crown. Groff holds Kiara with a knife to the throat, forcing JJ to give him the crown. In the arguably most significant twist of the entire show, Groff stabs JJ, who ends up dying with only Kiara by his side. In the closing scene, the group buries JJ in the lonely desert. 

Review

Part 2 of the show’s fourth season was wild and unpredictable. While the twists were shocking and entertaining, some moments felt unrealistic or confusing. Namely, Groff’s character caused major whiplash because his plans were unclear, and it seemed like there was a new revelation about him in almost every episode. Most upsetting was JJ’s death since he is a main character the audience has grown to love. Sofia Marin (11) comments, “This season’s ending left me devastated because one of my favorite characters was killed. He was a great source of comedic relief and kept the Pogues together, so I wonder how they will continue the next season without him.” Overall, this season lived up to the adventure on a large scale. I enjoyed watching the developing relationships between the couples and friendships. The change of setting to Morocco brought a heightened sense of adventure as it challenged the Pogues in a different environment. 

In bittersweet news, it was confirmed that there would be a fifth season but that it would also be the last. This final season will continue on the same storyline since the fourth season ended in a cliffhanger. As a fan of the show, I hope to see how JJ’s death affected the dynamic of the Pogues’ friendships and what happens with Sarah’s pregnancy. There will most likely be an overarching theme of revenge, but hopefully, they don’t lose sight of the adventure and the fun moments in between.