Outer Banks Season 4, Part 1 Ending: JJ Twist & How It Impacts Him In Part 2 Addressed By Creators & Star

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Outer Banks season 4!

Outer Banks showrunners Josh Pate, Shannon Burke, and actor Rudy Pankow break down the massive JJ twist at the end of season 4 part 1, and tease how it will lead into part 2 on Netflix. In the episode, "Albatross," JJ's abusive father Luke tells him the truth about his parentage, revealing JJ to be the biological son of the late Larissa Genrette and Chandler Groff, making him a Kook. Outer Banks season 4 part 1 debuted on October 10, with part 2 releasing on November 7.

Josh Pate tells Entertainment Weekly that season 4 of Outer Banks is "JJ-centric." Changing his family tree "was one of the first ideas." Though they wanted the revelation "earlier into the season," they "like where it landed." Burke explained that the news "starts him on a long journey" and will bring "the most extreme sequence of events" in the coming part 2. Check out what they said below:

Pate: We've centered on a character each season, and we knew this season was really going to be JJ-centric. And that was one of the first ideas that we had. What would be the worst thing that could happen to JJ is that he finds out he's actually a Kook, because he's the Pogueist Pogue, and that would just put him in the frying pan. That was an idea we had pretty early on in developing the season, and we loved the idea. And we toyed around bringing it up, that reveal, earlier into the season, but we like where it landed. But it's all part of the JJ year. It was fun to go through how he might react to that, which is complete denial. 'It's not true. It can't be true.' It was fun to put him through that. Burke: It really starts him on a long journey, where he goes through probably the most extreme sequence of events in Outer Banks. This is the first step in things that, obviously, we don't want to talk about since it's the entire second part. But JJ, he does not take it well, which will be clear right away. Pate: He rejects it utterly. But I think a part of him knows it's true — there's a deep part of him that is afraid that it might be true.

In an interview with People, Pankow explained that JJ is "still in denial" at the end of episode 5. With JJ "completely losing that identity," the character will have to deal with the loss of belonging, given that being a Pogue is "the foundation" of who he is. At the same time, JJ is known to be impulsive, and with Luke "just trying to make another buck," adding to everything that's going on, JJ is holding his emotion in. The actor teases that JJ is "going to let it out." Check out his comment below:

What the Pogues all deal with is: we can persevere. And I think that's a huge thing about the Pogues is that they persevere. And now, [JJ] completely losing that identity, [he's feeling] like, 'Okay, where do I belong? Where do I belong — and are my friends going to think differently of me?'I also think he's still in denial of it. I think at the end of [episode] five, he's still in denial — that that is something that he is. And that Luke is just trying to make another buck somehow, which grinds his buttons probably just as much. Internally, I think, is where it starts. You can only contain the beast for so long. Yeah. You've got to let it out somehow. And I can tell you, he's going to let it out.

There Will Be A Lot Of Action

Close

Outer Banks season 4 part 1 ends on a cliffhanger. Having just received the news in the worst way possible, the episode leaves JJ at a raw place in need of pause. However, what comes after is likely the storm. With the showrunners teasing an "extreme sequence of events," it's safe to assume that JJ will react to the news in a big way. Part 2 will see a lot of actions from the character as he deals with the emotional aftermath of learning the truth.

Related Who Is Francis Genrette In Outer Banks Season 4? The Real Person Who Killed Blackbeard Explained The man who the Pogues meet at the end of Outer Banks season 3 returns in season 4 and reveals his ancestor, Francis Genrette, killed Blackbeard.

JJ prides himself as a Pogue. Taking it away from him also puts him in an extremely vulnerable state and an odd place among his fellow Pogues. Pankow's comment suggests that JJ will likely try to keep it a secret, not wanting others to find out the truth about his parentage. At the same time, the revelation raises the stakes with him having to deal with the rest of the Pogues being in dangerous situations.

Our Take on JJ Twist

It's Right On Time

Outer Banks season 4 part 1 ends with a bang, leaving viewers reeling. There's simply no better way to conclude a semi-finale. The revelation comes as a shock, but not one that's completely unforeseeable. JJ being a Kook also recontextualizes everything viewers know about him. The twist offers a fresh look at his actions and decision-making. With the first five episodes building up to the revelation, it's also interesting to see how his other identity is already part of him.

Now that JJ knows the truth, he's likely to rebel against the part of him that he hates. JJ might act out of character and make mistakes. With that being said, Outer Banks season 4 part 2 is going to be intense, especially with everything else that's going on. The revelation about JJ is likely to have some impact on season 5 as well.

Source: EW, People