Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers from Outer Banks season 4, part 2.
It wouldn’t be a season of Outer Banks without a memorable and diabolical villain, and Chandler Groff might be the show’s worst antagonist yet. Netflix’s action-adventure mystery teen drama revolves around the Pogues — John B, Sarah, Kiara, JJ, Pope, and Cleo — who often (aka all the time) find themselves in trouble as they have become expert treasure hunters over the years. As a result, the Outer Banks characters have encountered many villains, and a decent number of them happen to be their parents.
Note: Netflix renewed Outer Banks for a fifth and final season just ahead of the season 4, part 2 premiere in November 2024. J. Anthony Crane is expected to reprise his role as Chandler Groff in the show’s last episodes.
During Outer Banks season 4, part 1’s ending, JJ learned that Luke Maybank wasn’t his biological father. Groff and Larissa Genrette were JJ’s birth parents, further proving JJ has the worst luck in the Netflix TV series. Larissa died when he was a baby, and Groff is perhaps the most nefarious character Outer Banks has ever introduced. While season 4, part 1 barely skimmed the surface concerning Groff’s past and plans, it set up his infuriating reign in part 2, which ended in tragedy, thanks to J. Anthony Crane’s character.
Chandler Groff Grew Up On The Cut Before Marrying Larissa Genrette
Groff Was A Pogue
It’s rare when someone who grows up as a Pogue on the Cut in the Outer Banks becomes a Kook as an adult, but Chandler Groff did it. JJ’s biological father was born into a lower-income family, and, as a result, he lived on the Cut as a child. Groff’s father owned an inn, but he was still a Pogue, through and through.
| Outer Banks Season 4 Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Chase Stokes | John B. Routledge |
| Madelyn Cline | Sarah Cameron |
| Madison Bailey | Kiara “Kie” Carrera |
| Jonathan Daviss | Pope Heyward |
| Rudy Pankow | JJ Maybank |
| Carlacia Grant | Cleo |
| Drew Starkey | Rafe Cameron |
| Fiona Palomo | Sofia |
| Austin North | Topper Thornton |
| Cullen Moss | Deputy Shoupe |
| J. Anthony Crane | Chandler Groff |
| Rigo Sanchez | Lightner |
| Brianna Brown | Hollis Robinson |
| David Jensen | Wes Genrette |
Even though he grew up as a Pogue, Groff completely shed that part of his identity when he was an adult. He desperately wanted to climb the social ladder. So, Groff did what he had to do to get rich. He married Larissa Genrette in Outer Banks and then murdered her (and paid off Luke to raise JJ and ensure no one knew he was alive). Co-creator Shannon Burke further explained Groff’s past and motives while speaking to Tudum by Netflix. She said:
“He has that line in the Twinkie where he says, ‘But then I married a Genrette and moved into Blackstone.’ You can feel him sort of mocking it, where he’s moved up in the world. But he kills Larissa, and then he’s just on the run.”
Why Chandler Groff Killed Larissa Genrette & Abandoned Their Son, Jackson (JJ)
Luke Raised JJ Instead Of Groff
As mentioned above, JJ learned that Groff killed Larissa in Outer Banks season 4, part 2. Everyone thought she and her newborn baby (JJ) died in a boating accident as a result of the Genrette family’s curse regarding Blackbeard and his wife, Elizabeth. However, Groff fabricated the curse as a cover for Larissa and her father’s, Wes, deaths. He made them and the whole town believe that their tragic endings were caused by their family’s curse when, in actuality, Groff murdered Larissa and Wes because of his greed.
Everything is all about money and social standing for Groff in Outer Banks season 4. He killed his wife and gave away his own child just so that he could be next in line to receive the Genrette family’s inheritance once Wes died. Unfortunately for Groff, all of his crimes were for nothing. Wes didn’t leave anything for Groff in his will and his father-in-law ensured that Goat Island would be turned into a nature reserve after his death in Outer Banks season 4. Consequently, Groff needed to look elsewhere to obtain more money and power, which is why he wanted the Blue Crown.
Chandler Groff’s Criminal History & Role With The Lupine Corsairs Explained
Why Groff Joined The Lupine Corsairs
To no one’s surprise, Groff has a criminal history, which is revealed in Outer Banks season 4, part 2. According to Dalia, the Captain of the Lupine Corsairs, Groff was “just a grifter rotting away in a lockup in Tangier.” The Lupine Corsairs broke him out of his jail cell, and in return, Groff stole from them. Groff became a member of the Lupine Corsairs, alongside Dalia and Lightner in Outer Banks, but he turned on them the second he had the chance to.
Note: In Outer Banks season 4, episode 9, Deputy Shoupe learns that Interpol has a warrant out for Groff. Groff has been arrested for or been accused of counterfeiting, art forgery, and money laundering. Plus, he has five fake passports and was married to four different women, each time under a different name.
The group of mercenaries were the ones who were originally in possession of the captain’s log (which Wes shows the Pogues at the end of Outer Banks season 3). They offered Groff a share of the fortune they would get once finding Blackbeard’s treasure with help from the captain’s log. However, Groff was greedy and stole the journal for himself. The Lupine Corsairs sent Omar (the man whose body the police found buried on the beach in season 4, part 1) to retrieve the captain’s log, but Groff murdered Omar, and that’s why the mercenaries wanted JJ’s biological father dead.
What Chandler Groff’s Plan Is With The Blue Crown After Stealing It & Killing JJ
Outer Banks Season 4 Ends With Groff Winning
In a shocking turn of events, Outer Banks season 4, part 2 ended with Groff killing JJ and taking the Blue Crown for himself. Groff threatened to kill Kiara, so, JJ gave him the artifact. Tragically, JJ giving Groff the Blue Crown wasn’t enough for him as he murdered his own son, despite being in possession of the treasure. As for why Groff killed JJ, co-creator Josh Pate told Tudum by Netflix:
“[Groff] can compartmentalize and rationalize his actions to himself in a way that always makes himself justified in doing it. We were trying to make a truly malevolent character.”
Now that JJ is dead, Groff will want to sell the Blue Crown for an obscene amount of money. Thanks to Rafe, the Pogues know that Groff’s buyer is in Lisbon, Portugal, meaning that is where the villain will be headed at the beginning of season 5. However, the Pogues will stop at nothing to avenge JJ’s death in Outer Banks, and they will follow Groff to ensure he doesn’t get away with his crimes, or he isn’t successful in selling the Blue Crown.
