Larissa Genrette takes center stage for Outer Banks Season 4 as she becomes connected with a mysterious past and the infamous curse of Blackbeard, integrating her into the storyline that surrounds JJ Maybank. As the season progresses, it is discovered that Larissa, JJ's biological mom, supposedly died violently.
This plot expands into a murder tale involving deception and buried secrets. Many fans question Larissa's fate by doubting her husband Chandler Groff as the killer while they wonder if her death is connected to the alleged curse afflicting the Genrette family.
Let's break down what happened with Larissa and how the tragic ending sets the tone for ongoing mysteries throughout the rest of this season.
Who is Larissa Genrette and how is she connected to Blackbeard on Outer Banks?
She comes into our view from the connection to the Genrette family with lineage tied to Blackbeard's death. The show then reveals that an ancestor of hers, Francis Genrette, had killed the legendary pirate. Then there's Larissa's marriage to Chandler Groff, whose manipulative relationship with Larissa ends in treachery.
In episode 5, it is revealed that Larissa and Groff share a son whom Groff secretly placed in the care of Luke Maybank: JJ Maybank.
Wes Genrette (Larissa's dad) remains in the dark about having a grandson due to his heavy pleading with Chandler to his little brother, Luke, to keep JJ a secret. He thinks Wes would take him away if he was alive.
Was Larissa Genrette’s death on Outer Banks a murder?
From having been portrayed as the wretched figure afflicted by postpartum depression, Larissa's death evolves into a double suicide with her infant son on board the boat named Albatross. According to a local newspaper clipping, she died from the Genrette family curse, when she had supposedly seen the ghost of Blackbeard's wife, Elizabeth Teach.
However, by the end of the season, so subtly giving bits of hints and clues throughout, it is pretty strongly indicated that Chandler Groff orchestrated her death, doing it in such a fashion to look like a cursed tragedy, which it is proven, in a flashback sequence where JJ finds a head wound on Larissa's corpse.
Chandler hit her over the head, killing her, and then framed it as an accident. All this adds one more dimension to the morally wicked personality of Chandler while infusing greater suspense in the supernatural mystery of the Genrette family.
Is Larissa Genrette still alive on Outer Banks?
The mystery around Larissa's death led to dozens of fan theories. Such fans speculate that perhaps Larissa could have been alive under another identity. According to one such theory, Larissa staged her death while taking the identity of Hollis Robinson, a character related to Chandler.
“She looks a lot like the lady from the painting above the mantle,” user Several_Coyote1853 noted.
But such a development would open up the scope for it to be true that Hollis was indeed Larissa but under a new identity. Many fans feel that this plot twist would be too far-fetched and would overcomplicate an already intricate storyline.
Reddit user Mausbarchen commented, “It seems unlikely for a prominent community member to vanish and reappear under a new name without being recognized.”
This throws a shadow over the possibility of such a turn on the Outer Banks.
Is Outer Banks' Larissa Genrette based on a real person?
Though Outer Banks is laced with real historical characters and events, Larissa Genrette is not real, as is her ancestor Francis Genrette, who was merely written into the show for its narrative purpose. Blackbeard was a real pirate by the name of Edward Teach, who famously died in a fight, led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard.
However, TIME points out there is no "Francis Genrette" in historical records who murdered the famous pirate Blackbeard. Outer Banks interpolates fictional characters such as Larissa and Francis Genrette into real historical contexts. While doing so, it adds to its story by blurring the lines between history and legend.
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Stream Outer Banks Season 4 on Netflix.
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