Warning: This story contains major spoilers for the season four finale of “Outer Banks.”

“Outer Banks,” a show about treasure hunting, family mysteries, island survival and more, just aired its biggest plot twist yet.

For the first time, one of the core members of the group, known as the Pogues, died in the course of their high-risk adventures.

Part 1 of Season 4, which released on October 10, followed the Pogues as they launched a new treasure hunt: Blackbeard’s Treasure Hunt. isfinished with Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline) and Pope (Jonathan Daviss) in trouble, JJ (Rudy Pankow) stunned to discover the truth about his birth parents, and ringleader John B (Chase Stokes) seeing apparitions of his dead father.

In Part 2, the stakes get higher and higher. Here’s what happens in the finale and why fans wish it did”a lie“.

Who dies in ‘Outer Banks’ Season 4, Part 2?

The final episode of season four, “The Blue Crown,” which arrived on Netflix on November 10, sees the Pogues in Morocco as they try to track down Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane), JJ’s real biological father who has attempted to frame the Pogues for murder several times during the season.

At the end of the episode, JJ and Kiara (Madison Bailey) briefly taste victory after recovering the blue crown, one of Blackbeard’s artifacts. She is then captured and held at knifepoint by Groff, who threatens to kill Kiara if JJ doesn’t give him the crown.

“You could have stayed with me, JJ. Think of what you could have had,” Groff says.

“I already have it all and I have everything I ever wanted. Things you’ll never have,” JJ says.

JJ hands over the crown and pulls Kiara back. They share a brief hug, before Groff stabs JJ in the stomach.

As Kiara tries to stop the bleeding, JJ, struggling to breathe, says, “I never told you my wish. I already got it. I already got my wish.”

“Take care of others,” he says, before appearing dead. “I love you, Kie.”

In the final minutes of the episode, John B narrates a montage of some of JJ’s best moments on the show, while the rest of the Pogues mourn over his body. And in the final scene, gathered around a campfire, the Pogues, plus unlikely new ally Rafe (Drew Starkey), swear revenge.

While the Pogues have moved into the anger phase of grief, fans seem to be stuck in denial and depression.

“They killed JJ Maybank and wasted the whole damn show.” said one person in X.

“What if JJ was momentarily unconscious when they buried him and in episode 5 they reveal that he was actually alive and crawled out of the grave?” another wrote. (Another fan suggested going to “supernatural” route to revive the character.)

“I’m so sorry jj, you deserved so much better, you were and will always be my best character on Outer Banks, you will be sorely missed, I just wish this was a lie.” a third saidaccompanied by a dramatic edit set to Billie Eilish’s “The Greatest.”

“Outer Banks” creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate and Shannon Burke told Netflix Tudum that JJ’s death was always part of the show’s plan.

“JJ’s death was a tough but necessary piece of story architecture, and we plan to honor it as much as we can because we love the character as much as the fans do. And Rudy is a great friend of ours,” Josh Pate. saying.

In Tudum’s article, “Outer Banks” star Madelyn Cline described JJ as the “heart of ‘Outer Banks,'” a snippet some fans latched onto.

“Heart of the outer banks, yes, well, AND THEY TOOK IT AWAY FROM US.” said one person in X.

On the set of the scene, even “the sound guys were crying,” Jonas Pate told Tudum.

It looks like Pankow is ready to leave the show. The actor expressed his gratitude for the show and its fans in the interview with Tudum, saying, “I’m going to miss it.”

How will JJ’s death affect the fifth season of ‘Outer Banks’?

Pankow told Tudum that his character’s death “sets up the future of ‘OBX,'” with two key questions: “What’s worth it? And when someone so close to you is gone, how do you handle it?” .

“Outer Banks” will return for another season, the creators announced on November 4days before the premiere of Part 2 of Season 4.

In a letter shared on Instagram, they said they initially envisioned the show as a “five-season journey.”

“Now, with a little sadness, but also excitement, we leave season 4 behind and move on to season 5, in which we hope to bring our beloved Pogues home in the way we have imagined and planned for years,” it reads in the letter. read. “Season 5 will be our last season and we think it will be the best yet. We hope you will join us to paddle out to the surf zone once again.”

More ‘Outer Banks’

This article was originally published in TODAY.com