Hold onto your hats, Pogues!
OUTER BANKS SEASON 4: MORE INFO ON JJ’S DEPARTURE
Season four of Outer Banks delivered a wild ride, but it turns out things could have been very different. Sources close to production have revealed that the original plan, which involved a shocking twist: the death of JJ, was slated for the series finale.
Apparently, the behind-the-scenes drama during the filming of season three was so intense that it led to Rudy Pankow’s (he plays JJ Maybank) departure from the show a season early.
This reveal explains a lot about the delayed production of season four. Insiders say that the writers had to scramble to re-work the entire season. Massive rewrites were necessary to shift the narrative and give the remaining Pogues a new direction.
While the show’s creators have remained tight-lipped about the reasons behind his departure, rumors are swirling about what really caused Pankow to jump ship. Some speculate that Pankow simply felt it was time to move on to other projects while others believe JJ’s sudden demise had to do with the drama surrounding Rudy’s real life girlfriend.
An exclusive source shot down the later rumors telling us, “Elaine wasn’t on set for any of Rudy’s intimate scenes. When she worked for the show season three, she wasn’t scheduled to work the day/night of their kiss and she had friends in town that she hung out with and posted about that day. She was not on set for the entirety of season 4 except one day towards the end of filming and mostly hung out in the trailer. The reality is that she decided to grow in a different direction from the show years ago (after season 3) and she is just living her life.”
One thing is certain: Outer Banks will never be the same without JJ Maybank. We wish Rudy Pankow all the best in his future endeavors, and hope that one day, he might reveal the true reason behind his departure from the beloved Netflix series.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunners Shannon Burke and Josh Pate talked about how JJ’s death had been part of the pipeline for a while. Burke said, “We knew at the end of season 3 that season 4 was going to be JJ.” Pate added, “Believe it or not, this is something that was always sort of baked in the cake, and we just wanted to tell the story as elegantly and interestingly as possible.” There is nothing elegant about the way that JJ’s story concluded in season 4.
If anything, the way that Pankow’s character was killed, kind of felt like a punishment for wanting to leave the show. Because if this was planned, if this tragic character was so beloved and would do anything for his friends, he would have had a different end. JJ would have gone out saving his friends or doing something noble for the rest of the Pogues that grew up like him. Or they could have even made it that he decided to finally go out there and do that surfing trip he dreamed and shared with Kiara. Instead, we got a quiet and shocking death after dragging JJ through painful moment after painful moment this season.
But in case I’m wrong, and the manner of JJ’s death wasn’t a punishment for the actor leaving the show, then it just was bad writing. If you’re going to write a character arc in season 4 like you did with a character like JJ, there has to be a payout. It’s part of the basic social contract between a viewer and a show like this. Because this isn’t Game of Thrones where you expect characters, especially main ones, to die. This is a show where family is at the heart of things and our Pogues always make it through. And there was always a comfort in that certainty. So killing JJ so suddenly, especially after the painful revelations in part 1 of season 4, feels like a slap in the face.
Certainly, as fans and critics, we’re not in the writer’s room for Outer Banks. We didn’t make the decision to kill JJ Maybank. But we’ve watched this show, obsessed over it, followed all of these characters’ highs and lows, come to appreciate their romances, and created communities surrounding this show about a bunch of kids who end up being treasure hunters. We understand what Outer Banks is about. And we have learned what to expect from these characters and the show itself from the creatives behind the scenes. That’s why we can say with our whole chest that season 4 part two feels unwarranted, out of place, and like a poorly written AU fanfiction of a show that has felt like a respite and comfort for many.
JJ Maybank’s death on Outer Banks feels like the uncertainty and unforgiving nature of real life creeping into our escape. And for that, we’ll hold on to our anger and keep it close. Because if the showrunners could do this to one of the most beloved characters, how can we trust them to keep John B, Sarah, her child, Pope, Cleo, and Kiara alive by the end of season 5? We can’t.
