Pogues
7 Burning Questions We Need Answered in ‘Outer Banks’ Season 5
[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Outer Banks Season 4 finale.]
Ride or die. It has been the mantra of the Pogues from the beginning of Outer Banks, but the Season 4 finale of the Netflix series gave it a whole new meaning.
In the final moments of Part 2, JJ (Rudy Pankow) climbs to the top of a centuries-old statue in Morocco and retrieves the famed Blue Crown relic, a victory for the Pogues’ adventure in the G-game. But before he can celebrate with his friends, his ruthless dad Groff (J. Anthony Crane) holds Kiara (Madison Bailey) at knifepoint until he hands the treasure over. In doing so, JJ tells his dear old dad that he doesn’t need the treasure because he has a family full of friends and that’s all he ever wanted.
Groff doesn’t take too kindly to the dig at his terrible track record as a dad and plunges a knife into JJ’s stomach, killing his own son. Although the Pogues have lost parents and friends along the way, losing one of their own is the most tragic blow that they have yet to face. But we don’t know how it will affect them going into the show’s fifth and final season. All we see in the climactic scene is each one of them – Rafe (Drew Starkey) included – vowing to get revenge on Groff.
As we settle into a postseason dry spell waiting for OBX5, here are the burning questions we need to be answered in the final episodes.
Outer Banks, Season 5, TBA, Netflix
1. What do the Pogues look like without JJ?
The biggest question after this season is more of an existential one. JJ was the energetic heart of the Pogues, whose reckless behavior often dragged them into sticky situations but always brought them back together. Without his unwavering commitment to the “Pogues 4 Life” philosophy through thick and thin, it makes you wonder how the dynamic of the group will change. It isn’t unlikely that the Pogues will ever part ways, but without their live-wire friend at the center, they are bound to shine a little less bright — at least for a little while.
2. Are Sarah and John B really ready to be parents?
Sarah (Madelyn Cline) and John B (Chase Stokes) are going to be parents! We put an exclamation point there because it is huge news — but is it good news? These are, after all, 20-year-olds who can barely keep themselves out of gun-slinging, globe-trotting treasures hunts, let alone hold down regular jobs. Is a baby the right decision right now? Only time will tell. That being said, we agree with their friends. Sarah and John B will be amazing parents when they are ready, and we would wage a big bet that the baby’s name will likely start with a J. But are they ready to put down the treasure maps and lead a normal life, baby in tow?
3. What will revenge do to the Pogues?
For the surviving Pogues, JJ’s death is sure to galvanize their resolve to exact revenge on Groff. But these young adults aren’t killers (at least not cold-blooded ones). With revenge hardening their hearts in those final seconds of the season, it’s clear OBX5 will find our hometown heroes with less to smile and laugh about until the job is done. We already saw Pope (Jonathan Daviss) grapple with killing one of the Lupine Corsairs bandits in Morocco, and he was supposed to be the good one of the group, as Shoupe (Cullen Moss) says. Growing up has hit the Pogues hard, but the death of JJ and their thirst for vengeance definitely cost them the last ounces of their innocence.
4. Can Sarah and Rafe finally make amends?
Rafe made some solid progress this season to becoming more than just the unpredictable monster on a warpath that he has been for pretty much the entire series. His relationship with Sofia (Fiona Palomo) leveled him out, even if it imploded in the finale after they got engaged. And he genuinely seemed like he wanted to help the Pogues find Groff, even if it meant also getting his investment back. But more importantly, despite her initially letting her friends tie him up on the boat to Morocco, Sarah and Rafe made serious strides toward reuniting during a tense heart-to-heart under the threat of gunfire and death. She forced him to see he hasn’t been listening to her about what really happened to their dad because he just wanted to blame her. But they are all each other has left when it comes to real family. It’s time to bury the hatchet, and not in each other’s backs. We see a little bit of it in the finale, but can it translate to their return trip home?
5. What will happen to Groff?
Something tells is Groff isn’t long for this world. But for now, he is on the lam to Lisbon with the Pogues hot on his trail for killing JJ and stealing the Blue Crown. We hesitate to even call him JJ’s dad because he doesn’t deserve the title after killing his son. So instead, we will refer to this horrible mustache man as the cockroach that just won’t die. The Lupine Corsairs couldn’t kill him, even though they tried. The Moroccan well Rafe pushed him down didn’t do the job. And neither could the late Hollis Robinson (Brianna Brown). With the crown in his hand (which is covered in the blood of his son), Groff has the wind at his back. He just better watch it.
6. Can the Pogues ever go home again?
Let’s be honest, JJ (may he rest in peace) left a mess for the Pogues to face when they finally make it back to the Outer Banks. He vandalized an entire city street, punched/assaulted just about every Kildare County Sheriff’s deputy on the force, and nearly burnt down the house of the real estate mogul that stole the land for Poguelandia 2.0 — though that last one was richly deserved. Back home, there is bound to be a reckoning from law enforcement, the rich Kooks with a bone to pick and the families that have watched their children risk their lives time and time again. Thankfully, the parental units (especially Kiara’s) seem less hostile these days. That’s a good thing because the Pogues are going to need all the help they can get to clear their names by the time the sun sets on this story.
7. Will the Kooks get what's coming to them?
The bratty Kooks with their baseball bats, tennis skirts, and well-manicured aggression succumbed to mob mentality as they hunted JJ and the Pogues in the back half of Season 4. And it is well past time for them to get taken down a peg. While we admit we felt a fleeting glimmer of sympathy for Topper (Austin North) in the past, he and his fellow Kooks became full-fledged villains this season, especially Ruthie (Mia Challis), who callously killed a baby turtle and should be serving a life sentence for her crimes. With so much talk of the Pogues repeatedly having opportunities stolen from them by the Kooks, we have to imagine that karma will visit the Figure 8 Island dwellers by the time the series ends. But seriously, put Ruthie in jail immediately!
