Not enough time has passed yet to look at Season 4 of Outer Banks with fond memories, and it is truly questionable whether such a moment will ever arrive. Three years in a row, Netflix delivered a new season of the adventure series following the Pogues as they try their best to stay out of trouble (or occasionally get into trouble) with the Kooks and simultaneously go on dangerous treasure hunts.
With Outer Banks Season 4 having been released at the beginning of November, the overall positive perception of the show was crushed in an instant. It is no secret that the drama surrounding the hit Netflix series took on a new dimension, leaving avid fans questioning the showrunners and writers of Outer Banks. Multiple instances are dragging down the popularity level of the YA drama series, so let’s take a look at why Outer Banks Season 4 is the most infuriating yet.
Outer Banks Season 4’s Storyline Is One Big Question Mark
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Season 4 picks up right where Season 3 left it with a massive cliffhanger, revealing the possibility that JJ is actually the son of Chandler Groff. It was later confirmed by Luke, the man who raised JJ, that he was only meant to look after him for a while until JJ’s mother, Larissa Genrette, was able to deal with her own struggles. However, Larissa then died in a boat accident and Chandler never came back, as he instead embarked on a gold-hunting journey.
Once he did return, so did the Blackbeard curse, in which apparently Genrette family members are killed by a ghost. It does kind of feel like Outer Banks tried to tap into spooky season. So, when Chandler’s father-in-law is killed (Spoiler Alert!) by none other than Groff himself, he uses the moment to make a lot of money with the Genrette’s land, and scams Rafe Cameron. Still following? One would think the land belongs to JJ, but it actually went to the state, leading Rafe to team up with the Pogues to hunt down Groff once he left for Morocco to find a valuable blue crown.
The confusion starts with the mysterious curse, which is never truly explained, continues with Chandler’s unexplainable hatred (this guy is apparently simply evil to his core), and ends with the Pogues trying to get the blue crown before Groff, even though every little thing points to how bad of a decision it is. As if this wasn’t enough, Outer Banks Season 4 is filled with completely unrealistic moments, like Sarah and JJ getting lost in high sea, but then suddenly appearing again just walking down the beach looking, well, rather normal, or JJ trashing an entire downtown without getting caught.
JJ and Groff’s Strange Relationship
The relationship between JJ and Groff seemed odd from the very first moment on. To the viewers, it was obvious the entire time that something was really off with this guy, and that the Pogues should, under no circumstances, trust this man. The rest of the Pogues seemed to at least have some concerns about Groff, but JJ? No, clearly not him.
In fact, JJ seems to purposefully ignore any strange signs. Whether it’s Groff unconvincingly crying in front of them about the death of his father-in-law, locking JJ in a catacomb and leaving him there upon making up a half-hearted reason to justify his action, or bringing out his worst acting skills yet when he is trying to convince JJ that he wants to become a loving father.
The only thing that makes it even more unbearable is that the writers added bits and pieces, phrases or hand movements, which both do at the exact same time to somehow fortify the fact that Groff and JJ are truly related. It’s unfortunate that they spent their effort on including such moments, only to make it clear that Groff simply does not care about JJ at all. Why? That’s still something no one really understands, but maybe Outer Banks just needed yet another dad turned culprit. Here is hoping that a potential Outer Banks spinoff will come up with a better idea.
Pope’s Out-Of-Character Behavior
When JJ starts trashing the town, Pope jumps in and pushes a police officer, which leaves Pope with an ankle monitor and a possible sentence. So, in mere seconds, Pope is turned into a felon, and his future is allegedly destroyed, which leads him to even more bad decisions. His character is changed, and his situation is portrayed in such a black and white way, which allegedly leaves him no other choice but to act out. It’s unrealistic, at best.
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Let’s also take a trip down memory lane, and look at the hectic time during which Pope grabbed his father’s gun and set out on a killing mission, dedicated to putting an end to Rafe’s life. He clearly didn’t end up killing Rafe, but the reason for that is that Cleo came to find him and stopped him. She tried to convince him that taking revenge by killing Rafe wouldn’t change anything, but would only make his own life much worse. Guilt, possible charges, you name it. Adds up, right?
So now, in Outer Banks Season 4, there is Cleo yet again, but this time around she is the one who seeks revenge after Terrance aka Captain T, who practically raised her during her teenage years, was shot in front of her eyes by Lightner, one of the mercenaries who are hunting down the blue crown. It’s infuriating that they would kill off someone like Terrance, when Outer Banks should get rid of its worst character. When Pope and Cleo are chased by the mercenaries and face Lightner, he shoots Cleo in her arm, which leaves Pope to make a decision. Actively pushing Pope to kill Lightner in her stead, she tells him to pull the trigger and take revenge in her place.
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Is this the Pope everyone loves? Well, no, not really. Yes, he came close to shooting Rafe once and anger has gotten the best of him on a couple of occasions, but, out of the entire group, Pope could very well be the last person to actually kill someone. If only looked at through the lense of a life-and-death-situation, it’s understandable that Pope wanted to protect Cleo and himself, but the idea of taking revenge is highlighted throughout the entire build-up until Pope actually shot Lightner in the head.
John B and Sarah’s Cringe Contest
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Despite some major hiccups in the previous seasons, in Season 4 of Outer Banks John B and Sarah are going stronger than ever. It’s cute, it’s awesome, it’s fun, but they really overdid it at times. While fans are definitely there for the occasional banter and romantic gesture between these two, there is a fine line between cute and cringe. Unfortunately, Season 4 apparently ignored the line and shot far over it.
John B talks about wanting to start a family from literally out of nowhere. Sarah explains they are too young, but a couple of days later Sarah finds out she is indeed pregnant. Shocker. The way they behave after this news is lovely in a different romantic series, but feels so fake and out-of-place in Outer Banks. It is difficult to tell how Sarah’s pregnancy will impact the final season of Outer Banks, but there was genuinely no need whatsoever for this plot twist in the latest season, as her pregnancy didn’t change anything. For a brief moment, John B talked about not going on the trip to Morocco, but the crown is extremely valuable, so of course they still went. It’s just too much, too unrealistic, and, to be frank, too annoying.
JJ’s Death Makes no Sense
Mentioning the most shocking character death in Outer Banks in relation to why Season 4 is the most infuriating, is likely anything but shocking, because it seems as though the entire universe agrees that JJ’s death doesn’t make any sense. Putting aside the fact that he was the fan-favorite for the longest time and one of the most important characters in Outer Banks, the storyline leading up to his death is not set up properly. In fact, it is even confusing. It starts with what has been previously mentioned that the way Groff went about giving JJ away seemed rather odd. On top of this, however, there are moments in which Groff admits that he has been a terrible person, but he wants to change.
When the moment just before JJ’s death comes, Groff has everything he wanted. He has the Crown, he has the money, and he doesn’t have to bother with JJ. At the same time, JJ states that he also has everything he ever wanted, and he doesn’t need the money or the Crown. However, Groff still stabs JJ to death, and there is absolutely no explanation for it. Added on top of this, is the fact that JJ is then buried in Morocco, and that’s just it.
Over the course of 3 seasons, JJ embodied the heart and soul of the Pogues, keeping the group together and drawing in fans all over the world. Season 4 assassinated his character, taking his decision-making to a whole new, extremely exaggerated level, and taking away every bit of authentic character depth. The YA teen drama series failed JJ, failed its fans, and failed in building up excitement for the fifth and final season of Outer Banks. Regardless of what is to come, Outer Banks Season 4 will probably always remain the most infuriating one. Outer Banks is available to stream on Netflix.
