Warning: This story contains major spoilers for the season 4 finale of “Outer Banks.”

“Outer Banks,” a show about treasure hunting, family mysteries, island survival and more, just released its biggest twist yet.

For the first time, one of the core members of the group, known as the Pogues, died during their high-stakes adventures. And the actor behind the character says he “understood”.

The first part of season 4, released on October 10, followed the Pogues as they embarked on a new treasure hunt: the search for Blackbeard’s treasure. It isnded with Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline) and Pope (Jonathan Daviss) struggle, JJ (Rudy Pankow) reeling from discovering the truth about his biological parents, and ringleader John B (Chase Stokes) seeing apparitions of his deceased father.

In the second part, the stakes only increase. Here’s what happens in the finale — and why fans wish it dida lie“.

Who dies in ‘Outer Banks’ Season 4, Part 2?

The season 4 finale, “The Blue Crown,” premiering on Netflix on November 7, sees the Pogues in Morocco as they try to find Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane), JJ’s real biological father who attempted to frame the Pogues for murder several times during the season.

At the end of the episode, JJ and Kiara (Madison Bailey) briefly taste victory after retrieving the blue crown, one of Blackbeard’s artifacts. Afterwards, she is captured and held at knifepoint by Groff, who threatens to kill Kiara if JJ does not give him the crown.

“You could have stayed with me, JJ. Think of what you could have had,” Groff said.

“I already have everything and I have everything I ever wanted. Things you’ll never have,” JJ says.

JJ puts the crown back on and removes Kiara. They share a brief hug – before Groff stabs JJ in the stomach.

As Kiara tries to stop the bleeding, JJ, who is having trouble breathing, says, “I never told you my wish. I already made it come true. I already got my wish.”

His last words before appearing to die were: “Take care of others…I love you, Kie.”

In an interview with TudumPankow said his character “has to judge every moment of his life, whether it’s worth it.”

“When I first found out that JJ was going to risk everything and wasn’t going to make it, I understood it,” Pankow said. “And the risks have gotten bigger and bigger, and the stakes have gotten higher and higher.”

In the final minutes of the episode, John B narrates a montage of some of JJ’s best moments from the series, as the rest of the Pogues mourn his body. And in the final scene, gathered around a campfire, the Pogues, along with their unlikely new ally Rafe (Drew Starkey), swear revenge.

How Fans React to JJ’s Death on ‘Outer Banks’

While the Pogues have moved into the anger and grief phase, fans seem stuck in denial and depression.

“They killed JJ Maybank and ruined the whole damn show.” said one person on X.

“What if jj was momentarily unconscious when they buried him and in s5 they revealed that he was actually alive and had crawled out of the grave”, another wrote. (Another fan suggested while going A “supernatural” route to revive the character.)

“I’m so sorry jj, you deserved so much better, you were and always will be my best character on the Outer Banks, I’m going to miss you so much, I just wish it was a lie,” a third saidaccompanied by a dramatic montage of “The Greatest” by Billie Eilish.

Outer Banks creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate and Shannon Burke told Netflix’s Tudum that JJ’s death was always part of the show’s plan.

“JJ’s death was a difficult but necessary part of the story structure, and we plan to honor it as much as possible because we love the character as much as the fans do. And Rudy is a great friend of ours.” , Josh Pate said.

In Tudum’s article, “Outer Banks” star Madelyn Cline described JJ as the “heart of Outer Banks,” a sound bite that some fans latched onto.

“The heart of the Outer Banks yeah well AND THEY TOOK IT FROM US,” said one person on X.

On the set of the scene, even “the sound guys were crying,” Jonas Pate told Tudum.

It looks like Pankow is set to leave the show. The actor expressed his gratitude to the show and its fans in the interview with Tudum, saying, “I’m going to miss it.”

How will JJ’s death play into ‘Outer Banks’ season 5?

Pankow told Tudum that his character’s death “established the future of OBX” with two key questions: “What’s worth it? And when someone so close to you is gone, How do you deal with this?”

“Outer Banks” will return for one more season, on the creators announced on November 4a few days before the premiere of the second part of season 4.

In a letter shared on Instagram, they said they initially envisioned the series as a “five-season journey.”

“Now, with a little sadness, but also excitement, we leave Season 4 behind us and look forward to Season 5, in which we hope to bring our beloved Pogues home as we imagined and planned for years,” the letter reads. read. “Season 5 will be our final season, and we think it will be our best yet. We hope you’ll join us for another trip to the surf break.”

More “Outer Banks”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com