Outer Banks Writers ‘Second-Guessed’ Season 4 Finale Death

Fans were shocked when a beloved character died during the season 4 finale of Outdoor benches – and the showrunner admits they “second guessed” their decision.

Warning: Outer Banks season 4, episode 10 spoilers below.

After one tumultuous treasure huntJJ (Rudy Pankow) was presented with the Blue Crown by his biological father, Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane) – and was stabbed. JJ died from the injury and captured the hearts of fans when he told Kiara (Madison Bailey) That he loved her.

While you’re talking to Entertainment weekly on Thursday, November 7, co-showrunner Shannon Burke said they “always” knew they were going to kill JJ. Despite his murder being planned, Burke admitted that the writers “100 percent” considered changing the story to not have him die.

“It’s really scary. “We had been talking about, ‘One of the Pogues is probably going to have to die,’ and Rudy seemed very excited that it would be him,” Burke said. “We all thought it was probably going to be JJ, and as you go along it seems like it was going to happen to him because he takes so many risks and it’s set up in the story to be logical and also terribly emotional.”

Burke continued: “As we got closer to the moment, it was scary and we weren’t sure. We definitely wondered if we were going to do this. We were very hesitant and weren’t sure if it would work, but everyone did their best and I think it’s very effective and ultimately makes for a good story. But we were incredibly unsure about doing it until the last minute.”

Burke explained that it felt like the story was “going in that direction,” referencing the idea of ​​the entire series: having four kids grow up together.

“We doubted ourselves as we got closer, and on the day we filmed that, I thought they all did a great job. Everyone was crying on set,” she said. “Maddie was great, Rudy was great and Tony was so bad. They all brought their A-game, and it breaks my heart every time I see it. When we saw it filmed, we thought, ‘Oh, this is going to work.’ Every time we see it we cry. It’s just heartbreaking.”

Although JJ is no longer alive, Burke isn’t opposed to the idea of ​​bringing Pankow back for the series. fifth and final season. “I wouldn’t put it out of the realm of possibility,” she said. “I wouldn’t say for sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened.”

Following JJ’s death — and fan outrage — Pankow, 26, reflected on his character’s arc and eventual downfall.

“For JJ, he has to evaluate every moment in his life whether it’s worth it (to take the risk), and I think it’s constantly, yeah, that’s it for him,” Pankow told Netflix’s Tudum on Thursday. “Even with the pain, suffering and struggle for JJ, it’s worth it for him to go this far. He lives his life to the fullest, and I don’t think he regrets it.”

Outdoor benches season 4 is currently streaming on Netflix.