Review
Netflix’s Outer Banks has only one season left in its run, meaning that the series will have a lot of questions to answer in season 5. Since 2020, Outer Banks has the Pogues in their various treasure hunts, which have seen the teenagers uncover secrets both near their homes in North Carolina’s Outer Banks area and in foreign countries. Season 4, part 2 saw the Pogues travel to Morocco in search of the Blue Crown, a fabled Blackbeard treasure.
While the group did eventually uncover the crown’s location, their victory was short-lived, as the season’s villain, Chandler Groff killed JJ in Outer Banks‘ season 4 finale. The death of a major original character is a huge loss for the show, and it certainly gives the remaining characters a strong drive to avenge JJ in Outer Banks season 5. Although it may be some time before audiences can watch season 5, the show’s final season will have to answer many big, lingering questions to give the characters a truly satisfying ending.
8 Who Is John B's Mother, And Where Is She?
His Family Has Largely Been Absent
Outer Banks is no stranger to family mysteries and massive reveals. Pope’s relation to Denmark Tanny earlier in the series was a good twist, and the season 4 reveal that JJ was actually the son of Chandler Groff was even bigger. Even John B himself had a pretty big family surprise in season 3 when it was revealed that his father, whom he had believed was dead, was actually alive and on the same island as the Pogues. Throughout all this time, though, John B’s mother was never mentioned.
Given how much John B’s belief that his father was still alive influenced the series from season 1, it seems unusual that his mother has not been mentioned even once. When Outer Banks first began, the characters were all still in high school, and John B was living by himself. It is odd that his mother did not come up, even if just in conversation briefly, at all. What’s more, the parental relationships in the show are very important to the characters’ development, so it would be nice to finally learn if John B’s mother is still alive.
7 What Happened To Wheezie?
She Is Still Stuck With Rose
The Cameron family has been through a lot of ups and downs throughout Outer Banks, but one family member has remained largely uninvolved in the drama. The youngest Cameron sibling, Wheezie, has been far less involved in the various treasure hunts than her older siblings, but that also means that she appears a lot less too. In fact, Wheezie has not made an appearance since Outer Banks season 3, prompting the question of what happened to her after leaving town with Rose.
Especially considering that Sarah’s pregnancy will likely prompt her to keep her family closer, season 5 needs to bring Wheezie back.
After Ward Cameron’s death in season 3, Sarah’s stepmother, Rose, believes that Sarah killed her father. While audiences clearly know that this is not true, Rose used her beliefs as justification to keep Wheezie from Sarah throughout season 4. Despite not being involved in her family’s treasure hunting, Wheezie was often Sarah’s only ally in their family’s house, so it is a bit sad that she is simply gone. Especially considering that Sarah’s pregnancy will likely prompt her to keep her family closer, season 5 needs to bring Wheezie back.
6 Is Rafe Really Joining The Pogues?
His True Motives Are Still Unclear
Outer Banks season 4’s ending saw a major shift in the Pogues and their allegiances. While they have been at odds with Rafe for essentially the entire show, season 4 gave Rafe a bit of a redemption arc. He is still quite clearly motivated by money and his need to feel superior to those around him, but as the season progressed, he did become increasingly helpful to Sarah and the other Pogues. By JJ’s death at the end of the season, he was clearly as angry about Groff’s actions as everyone else, though his motives might have been different.
The series really set Rafe up to join the group throughout the whole season, but it is only when he learns of Sarah’s pregnancy and the truth about what happened to their father that he really begins to come around. Then, after JJ’s death, he is finally able to sympathize with the Pogues’ loss and advocates revenge. Groff taking the Blue Crown, which Rafe had wanted badly, does leave room for Rafe’s actions to be financially motivated, so it remains to be seen whether Rafe is truly one of the Pogues or is using them to get to Groff himself.
5 Will The Lupine Corsairs Reappear?
It Seems Unlikely That They Would Give Up So Easily
The Pogues’ foes have been increasingly dangerous in each season of Outer Banks, and the Lupine Corsairs raised that to a new level in season 4. The Lupine Corsairs are revealed to be a group of mercenaries formed by a mysterious benefactor, Anton Finch, who frees criminals from prison in exchange for them working as mercenaries and pirates to find artifacts for him, leading them to clash with the North Carolina teens in season 4. Groff is also working with them, though he seems just as willing to double-cross them.
In Outer Banks‘ season 4 finale, all the different treasure hunters converged in Morocco, leading to a dangerous play for the Blue Crown. While the Pogues found it first and managed to stop the Lupine Corsairs, Groff stole the crown and got away. In comparison to Groff’s heinous decision with JJ, the Lupine Corsairs became less important in the final minutes of the season, but, given how ruthless they are, it seems likely that they might reappear as an enemy of the Pogues in season 5, looking to get revenge.
4 How Will Kiara And The Pogues Change After JJ's Death?
The Group's Dynamics May Be Different Without Him
Undoubtedly, one of the biggest changes going into Outer Banks season 5 is the loss of Rudy Pankow’s JJ. JJ was one of the original Pogues and has always been an incredibly lovable character despite his more reckless decisions. He has always been there for his friends, so the Pogues’ dynamic will necessarily change without him. This will be especially true for Kiara, as the couple has struggled through so much to be together. Without JJ, Kiara may become much more focused on revenge and may find herself at a loss for what to do without him.
The group as a whole will be changed as well because they lost such a faithful friend. Not only will they all be grieving over his death, but the death may also make them more likely to seek out violent revenge, which they have all stopped short of doing in the past. Groff’s actions are unforgivable, so Outer Banks season 5 will have to explore how the Pogues will choose to move on from JJ’s death and whether they will still take the moral high ground in their pursuit of Groff and the Blue Crown.
3 Will The Pogues Get The Blue Crown Back?
They Need To Prove They Can Outsmart Groff
Along with exploring how the loss of JJ will impact how the group interacts, season 5 will also see the Pogues focused on getting the Blue Crown back from Chandler Groff. Outer Banks has taken a similar approach in the past, with the group losing a treasure at the end of the season and attempting to get it back at the start of the next. So the format in itself is not entirely surprising, but the stakes do feel much higher this time.
The search for the Blue Crown has already cost the life of one of their best friends and taken them farther from home than ever. More than that, season 5 will be Outer Banks‘ last season, so the show will have to wrap up all the characters’ stories and their quest for the treasure by the end of its run. Fitting with their decision to avenge JJ’s death by ing Groff to Lisbon, season 5 will likely see the Pogues’ trying to get it back, though whether they ultimately will accomplish this remains to be seen.
2 Can The Pogues Still Save Their Home And Business?
They Seem So Far From Where They Started In Season 4
After being on the run for so much of the first three seasons, Outer Banks season 4 opened with the Pogues attempting to settle down a bit and truly make the Outer Banks their home again. In doing this, they built themselves a home and a business on JJ’s father’s former property. This provided the Pogues stability, but it was quickly taken away from them as they no longer had enough money to pay property taxes. Their entire search for the Blue Crown began because they needed enough money to maintain their lives.
With their focus notably shifted back to their former treasure-hunting ways, the series has left the fate of the Pogues’ home in North Carolina unanswered. It felt inevitable that the show would get back to the action and adventure pretty quickly, but I still enjoyed the scenes of them setting up their business and settling into their house. The scenes also gave them more adult responsibilities that hinted at what could lie in their futures, so it would be nice to see if they ultimately go back to it.
1 What Will Happen To Sarah, John B, And Their Baby?
The Show Needs To Give Them A Happy Ending
Outer Banks‘ treasure-hunting plots are very entertaining and very fun, but the best part of the show is still the characters and their close relationships with each other. Sarah and John B’s relationship and the trials that they have faced together have been a primary facet of the show, and season 5 will necessarily have to explore Sarah’s pregnancy. Not only will the pregnancy affect Sarah and John B, but it will also impact the entire group and force them to be more careful about Sarah’s health.
Sarah’s baby is going to be a huge aspect of Outer Banks season 5, and I hope that the series will give the couple and their child a fitting happy ending to round out the group’s story.
Whether they ultimately get the Blue Crown back or not, Sarah and John B may have to consider settling down much more seriously in order to care for their child. Neither of them has much family, but their friend group will certainly be there with them every step of the way. Sarah’s baby is going to be a huge aspect of Outer Banks season 5, and I hope that the series will give the couple and their child a fitting happy ending to round out the group’s story.
