Outer Banks season 4 part 2 ending, explained: What just happened?

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead from the Outer Banks season 4 finale from this point forward. Proceed with caution if you haven't finished part 2!

Well. What the hell are we supposed to do now? Outer Banks season 4 part 2 made its debut on Nov. 7, finishing out the teen drama's penultimate season with its most gut-wrenching moment ever. While the Pogues race to Morocco to find the Blue Crown, an unexpected tragedy strikes that will cast a shadow over the show's forthcoming fifth and final season.

In its feature-length season 4 finale, Outer Banks takes the biggest swings yet, and that's saying something for a show that constantly aims for the fences. If you're still in a state of shock and processing what just happened in the finale, we're going to dive into the two most urgent takeaways from the finale and look at what's ahead for the Pogues in season 5.

Here's your last spoiler warning!

The Pogues (and Rafe) find the Blue Crown

Once the Pogues and Rafe arrive in Morocco, they attempt to stick together but end up getting separated. The Pogues enter survival mode in order to break onto a ship to find clues to point them toward the Blue Crown, while Rafe goes on a solo mission to find Groff and the scroll. Rafe being Rafe, he steals the scroll and pushes Groff into a well, leaving him for dead. The Pogues later end up at the well, and in spite of Groff's begging, JJ doesn't save his birth father.

Later, the Pogues and Rafe meet back up and join forces again after Sarah saves him from Dalia and her mercenaries. They find safety, but Rafe struggles to trust the Pogues and Sarah. He hasn't gotten over blaming Sarah for their father's death, but the siblings have a moment when Sarah explains that Ward died saving her life. It's an oddly touching moment between Sarah and Rafe, and Drew Starkey's performance makes it so easy to feel empathy for Rafe (even though he still mostly sucks).

Just as they discover where the Blue Crown could be thanks to a figure visible on the map in the sun, a literal perfect storm hits. A sandstorm causes chaos and visibility issues, Cleo's shot in the arm, Pope gets revenge for Terrance by killing Lightner, Sarah saves John B's life, Rafe injures his hand... It's a mess. But JJ decides to scale the monument as Rafe takes out mercenaries, and JJ's able to grab the Blue Crown in the eye of the lion-shaped statue. All of their fighting finally paid off! Well...

Rest in peace, JJ

Thankfully, JJ and Kiara are able to get away from Dalia before she can shoot them, but Kiara runs right into Groff, who's escaped from the well. The evil dads in this show have nine lives! Groff holds Kiara at knifepoint and threatens her life if JJ doesn't hand over the Blue Crown. Carefully, he gives his birth father the crown as Kiara's unhanded and safely behind JJ. Unfortunately, we can't say that they were officially in the clear from harm. Groff had other plans.

In an act of defiant and immature retribution, Groff stabs JJ in the stomach for not giving him the rope and leaving him to rot in the well. And just like that, JJ's birth father takes off with the Blue Crown as Kiara's left to watch the man she loves slowly die in front of her. After they each say "I love you," JJ dies. The rest of the Pogues (and Rafe) round up around Kiara and react to the tragic death of their brave and loyal friend who deserved better from life and his fathers.

Groff gets away with the crown and murder (the murder of his son, but we shouldn't be surprised when he killed his wife and JJ's mother!), and the Pogues sit around a campfire stewing in their anger and grief. Rafe tells them Groff's headed to Lisbon, where they should go to get revenge for JJ. Kiara and John B agree that JJ wouldn't simply wallow if one of them had died. He would do something about it. Season 4 ends with Kiara promising to get revenge on Groff for JJ.

See, it's a MASSIVE swing for Outer Banks to take by killing off one of the Pogues. But this just makes the final adventure and mission in season 5 that much more personal. Nothing will light a fire under them like the grief of their beloved friend's untimely death. Rafe, too, has reason to get revenge on Groff, so they're surprisingly lucky to have him on their side. It's a daring plot twist to kill JJ, but going into the final season, it's the shakeup of stakes the series needed. Rest in peace, Jayj!

Watch Outer Banks only on Netflix.