Sorry Jiara Fans, This One Moment In 'Outer Banks' Proved [Redacted] Was Always Going To Die
Major Outer Banks season 4 spoilers ahead.
If you're like me, you've been crying about the Outer Banks season 4 ending since part 2 dropped on November 7 — and there's a good chance you can't stop watching those edits to "White Ferrari" by Frank Ocean. ICYMI, Outer Banks season 4 killed off beloved Pogue JJ at the hands of his high-key sociopathic father Chandler Groff. Some fans are so heartbroken they don't plan on watching season 5, but if you ask me, this one JJ and Kiara moment at the beginning of season 4 actually teased we were always going to say goodbye to him.
There was one Outer Banks season 4 moment that told me JJ was going to die.
- Outer Banks fans are heartbroken the show killed off fan favorite JJ Maybank (Rudy Pankow).
- Some fans are too heartbroken to watch the show again knowing how JJ's fate plays out.
- But there's one moment in the first episode that teased something bad was coming.
The JJ x Kiara moment you might have missed...
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix
In the Outer Banks season 4 premiere, JJ and the rest of the Pogues create a whole new life for themselves after finding the gold. They start a business, build a home together, and in a scene that delighted OBX fans everywhere, JJ starts doing a crazy dance on the dock when he realizes they finally achieved their dream. When Sarah asks if he's okay, Kiara points out how he's never had a home, and that he's happy. Growing up with an abusive father figure like Luke could have erased all of JJ's joy, but knowing he has a soft place to land makes him more joyful than ever.
Jiara shares a super sweet moment as they relish in the fact they somehow managed to make their dreams come true. With their arms around each other, Kiara tells JJ she loves him before they share a kiss — but he doesn't say it back.
I immediately clocked this as a potential tragedy waiting to happen. After all, is there anything more upsetting than the "I never said it back" trope?! You know, where one person confesses their love but the other is too shy or afraid to say it back, then something horrible happens and they regret it for the rest of their life. Well, thankfully, JJ got to tell Kiara he loved her one last time before he DIED — Chandler Groff when I find you it's on sight!!
And the one that brought their characters full circle
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix
While JJ and Kiara talk about what they'd wish from the Blue Crown (an artifact that, according to legend, grants wishes), JJ seems to look at Kiara's left hand before refusing to answer on the grounds that, if she knows the wish, it won't come true. Paired with the fact he stole a ring from the jewelry store during his episode 6 crash out, fans are convinced he was planning to propose.
But when Chandler stabs JJ and leaves him for dead, JJ tells Kiara he loves her, and that he doesn't need to wish on the crown because he already got everything he ever wanted. I CRIED. It's such a beautiful and heartbreaking moment that brings the character's arc full circle after he told John B. in season 1 he was convinced he'd never get another chance with Kie. Madelyn Cline was right — JJ was absolutely the heart of the show, and although he's the most rough-around-the-edges, seeing him wear his heart on his sleeve in his final moments was the perfect way to say goodbye. Even if his 7-minute memories made me cry even harder.
What did you think about JJ's death in Outer Banks? Well, This Heartbreaking Outer Banks 5 Theory Makes THAT Death Even More Emotional.
