“Outer Banks” Season 4 Part 2 Ending Explained: Who Died and What Happened to Sarah and John B?

'Outer Banks' season 4 left off with a shocking twist finale, leaving viewers clamoring for more

Warning: Outer Banks season 4 spoilers ahead!

Outer Banks season 4 came to a close with the release of part 2 on Nov. 7, but the ending shocked many fans.

Though the cast teased that the show was going even deeper and bigger than it ever had before, viewers still weren't expecting the death of a major character in the season finale — and the latest development in Sarah and John B's relationship.

Related: Outer Banks Season 5: All About the Netflix Series' Final Installment — and How They'll Explain that Shocking Season 4 Death

The season wrapped up with the Pogues surviving their journey to Morocco, where they were in a race to find the Blue Crown, a coveted prize dating back to Blackbeard. The group faced a gang of mercenaries, as well as JJ's (Rudy Pankow) father, Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane).

While they did ultimately get their hands on the big prize, it didn't come without the sacrifice of one of their own — and a vengeful set-up for season 5.

So who died and where do the Pogues go from here? Here's the Outer Banks season 4 ending, explained.

How did Outer Banks season 4 end?

The final episode of season 4 unfolded over the course of 85 minutes, starting with the Pogues — John B (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), Cleo (Carlacia Grant) and JJ — arriving in Morocco, alongside Sarah's questionable brother Rafe (Drew Starkey).

The crew sets off to find the Blue Crown while Rafe is out for Groff's head, as he stole $400,000 from him. After a series of spouts with Moroccan police, in classic Pogue fashion, the group finds the map that will lead them to the big prize.

However, once they reach the remote area that the crown is in, they face off with mercenaries who are seeking the same treasure — and aren't afraid to kill the teens for it. Finally, amid a sandstorm and murderous enemies, JJ obtains the Blue Crown and brings it down for the Pogues. However, in the final moments of the episode, it is taken from them, leaving them right where they started once again.

Who died in the season 4 finale?

Following his success at retrieving the crown, JJ reunites with Kiara and the two head off to find the others. However, after climbing his way out of a well that Rafe pushed him into, Groff suddenly appears and puts Kiara in a chokehold. He tells JJ to hand over the crown, and he'll let Kiara go free.

In a touching moment, JJ tells Groff he doesn't need the treasure because he already has everything he needs: his friends. Though Groff does let Kiara go, in one last moment, he stabs JJ deep in the stomach, telling him he should have given him a rope to climb out of the well when the Pogues passed him by earlier.

JJ falls and dies while Kiara cries over his body. Before his last breath, the fan favorite tells Kiara, "Take care of the others. I love you, Kie."

Following the scene, a montage of JJ's best moments in the show plays, while John B says in a voiceover, "If JJ was the king of anything, he was the king of friendship. He held us all together. He was the best friend we ever had."

Showrunner Shannon Burke told Teen Vogue ahead of the finale airing that JJ's death may have come as a surprise to fans, but it was the co-creators' plan all along.

"We had thought that it was going to be JJ basically from the beginning," she said. "For a long time we had known that someone was going to die."

What happen to John B and Sarah?

In part 2 of season 4, Sarah finds out that she is pregnant. Though she is nervous at first, once she tells John B, the two are excited and ready to usher in a new chapter of their life.

"I was really scared to tell you," Sarah tells John B in episode 8, but he reassures her, "We're gonna figure this out. Because we always do."

While in Morocco, Sarah struggles to keep up with the Pogues and the arduous tasks they put themselves through. In the final moments of the episode, she and John B find protection from an impending sandstorm while JJ and Kiara fight for the treasure.

It is unclear what will happen to the couple and their baby in season 5, though it is likely that the focus will be on their growing family.

Did the Pogues get the Blue Crown?

Though JJ did retrieve the Blue Crown after the gang figured out the cipher to read the map, in the final moments of season 5, they lose their treasure once again.

JJ hands over the crown in exchange for Kiara's life, and Groff runs away with the artifact, leaving the Pogues empty-handed once again.

What happened to Chandler Groff?

After getting the coveted prize he was so desperately seeking, Groff leaves season 4 of Outer Banks as a victor. In the final shots of the season, he cuts his hand on the crown, presumably trying to use its alleged magical powers to grant the bearer their deepest wish.

Earlier in the episode, Groff told Rafe the crown is worth hundreds of millions — and he has a buyer in Lisbon. At the end of the finale, Rafe invigorates the Pogues who are sitting around a campfire, processing JJ's loss, telling them that if it were his friend, he'd want to go out and avenge JJ by bringing justice to his killer.

While Pope at first tells Rafe to shut up, the other Pogues slowly agree with him, acknowledging that its what JJ would have done. The episode closes out with a camera focus on Kiara, who tearingly looks into the fire and says bluntly what she's out for: "Revenge."

Is there going to be a season 5 of Outer Banks?

Ahead of part 2 airing, the showrunners confirmed there will be a season 5 of Outer Banks — but it will be the show's last season.

“We’re planning a story of redemption, and a season that embodies the friendship that JJ had come to represent," showrunner Josh Pate told Tudum. "JJ's death was a hard but necessary piece of the architecture for the story, and we plan on honoring that as much as we can because we love the character as much as the fans do."

Stokes, who plays the show's ringleader, also shared the news on his Instagram, writing that his heart was "heavy."

"One last ride. Thank you to everybody who has tuned in these past 5 years. You’ve given us more than we could ever give back to you ??," the Uglies actor wrote in the caption. "It’s always gonna be Pogues 4 Life."