Season 4 of Outer Banks left the fans without breath and with their hearts broken over a jaw-dropping twist nobody saw coming: the tragic death of fan favorite JJ Maybank, played by Rudy Pankow. To many viewers, JJ was the heart of the Pogues, who stood for loyalty, adventure, and deep bonds of friendship.
However, a massive backlash among fans has erupted after his sudden death in the final moments of the season, with many believing the show lost its appeal. The hit series was supposed to end with season 5, but a twist like this makes the writers' choices questionable, and a few even vowed to boycott the last season.
For their part, comments and posts on websites like Reddit and Twitter carry shrill outcries over JJ's fate, the changing dynamics of character roles, and a string of unanswered questions about why Outer Banks has dramatically altered its roots.
Here’s a look at what fans are saying about this shocking development:
"This is worse than Game of Thrones!" — @im_vary_dum
This sentiment was echoed by many as they compared it to Game of Thrones's exceedingly maligned conclusion.
@im_vary_dum described how the series finale didn't only kill the character arc of JJ but also took one of the few things that kept Pogues grounded. Game of Thrones does have the consolation of having good production value all over, but Outer Banks claims to have lost both its narrative and visual appeal, according to some fans.
"JJ literally dies for no reason." — @VictoriousWizard
For many Outer Banks fans, JJ's death served no purpose and was uncalled for. According to @VictoriousWizard, the show did not make sense to kill a character as core to Pogues as JJ easily and in a lazy manner that did not appease the audience at all.
The other characters' hasty grieving sequence did not help because not even a moment passed for them to sufficiently mourn JJ as they continued with themselves.
"Every single character flip flops their motivations." — @im_vary_dum
For example, @im_vary_dum represented the defects present in season 4, specifically calling attention to how JJ's death is a huge chunk of the character development that went wrong.
Audiences recalled how quickly the characters' motivations would flip, with John B. ready to give up treasure hunting one day and then taking Sarah to Morocco the next. How Terrence's death and even abrupt character changes drained the show of its once-high-stakes adventure appeal was also criticized.
"People invested 40hrs and more watching OBX and hyping up the new season only to be backstabbed." — @Eeepp
The die-hard fans felt the loss of JJ was equivalent to a part of Outer Banks having been lost.
In reaction, @Eeepp struck a chord with many when he said that JJ had been too integral to the show; his character embodied friendship and loyalty. Many feel the show will be empty and not appear as natural in season 5 without JJ.
"Rafe doesn’t deserve redemption!" — @VictoriousWizard
The frustration levels are fueled even further, though, when Outer Banks Season 5 looks into possible redemption for Rafe (Drew Starkey).
@VictoriousWizard was loud against this plotline, saying that Rafe's a viole,nt unpredictable man whose history cannobeot redeemable. It's like an attempt in the name of fan service instead of being able to go on and make sense, which has been infuriating for fans.
Why fans are unhappy with Outer Banks’ direction
However, much as the complaints about JJ's death create the impression that many viewers have lost patience with Outer Banks' often clunky story processing, they belie a deeper dissatisfaction with Outer Banks developing storyline. Praised initially for its refreshingly new take on a high-stakes teen adventure series, Outer Banks has slowly slid into soap operatic, melodramatic territory.
Fans are sick of the rehashed treasure-hunting plots and zombies who die for no reason in life and kill for no reason in death. The resolution to kill a character who played an integral part in the Pogues' family life seems to have permanently turned many fans against the show.
Thus, the attention has shifted from what the creators are meant to create to shock value, particularly due to the Sarah pregnancy saga and the seemingly ongoing love triangle between Rafe, John B., and Kiara.
Will season 5 redeem Outer Banks, or is it too late?
Now that season 5 will be the final installment; many wonder if Outer Banks will return to where it once was. After all, the show's appeal once stayed in the underdog spirit of the Pogues: the closeness and tight friendship and how they fight for justice and adventure with their scrappiness.
Fans have taken to speculating on whether the show can regain its original charm, especially given JJ's murder and the arc into Rafe's redemption looming over the horizon. Then, the audience will be glued to their seats to see if a good resolution that would bring justice to Pogues is possible or if it continues to alienate viewers with divisive choices.
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You can watch Outer Banks Season 4 on Netflix.
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