Rudy Pankow, Cast React To Season 4 Finale’s JJ Death

SPOILER ALERT: The story consists of particulars concerning the Season 4 Half 2 of Netflix‘s Outer Banks.

Season 4 Half 2 of Netflix’s Outer Banks was a tortured hero arc for proud Pogue JJ Maybank. Reeling from the invention of his Kook ancestry within the last minutes of Half 1 and from the menace towards Poguelandia 2.0, he snapped and went on a rampage. He then was betrayed by his organic father Chandler Groff who tossed him overboard to die.

However, after hitting all-time low and resorting to ingesting, he bounced again with a exceptional act of sacrifice, leaping after Sarah when she was swept by a wave throughout an enormous storm because the Pogues’ boat was approaching the Moroccan coast. He attacked a militiaman who was about to shoot Sarah and John B. JJ then climbed a tall statue within the desert throughout a sandstorm to get the Blue Crown for the Pogues. He rapidly gave it as much as save Kiara when Chandler had her at knifepoint solely to be killed by his Chandler, leaving his buddies devastated.

Whereas the event could have shocked followers, it didn’t come as a shock to Rudy Pankow, who performs the fearless — and generally reckless — JJ.

“After I first discovered that JJ was going to threat all of it and never make it I understood it as a result of after I learn the character breakdown for the audition, it mentioned, loyal to a fault,” he mentioned in an Inside Look video function about JJ’s demise, which you’ll watch beneath. “And I believe, because the stakes bought larger and better, his entire factor is, he takes the danger and places his buddies earlier than himself.”

JJ has executed that quite a few occasions all through the seasons, together with taking the blame when Pope capsized Topper’s boat, getting arrested for it and being badly crushed up by his violent drug addict father Luke consequently.

Pankow is properly conscious of the profound impression JJ’s demise would have on the Pogues and the present.

“He has to evaluate each second of his life whether it is price it, and I believe he’s continually, yeah, it’s,” Pankow mentioned of his character. “Life is absolutely treasured and fragile and his demise actually does arrange the way forward for OBX with the query of what’s price it and when somebody that near you is gone, how do you navigate that.”

JJ and John B had been finest buddies since childhood — or “brothers for all times” as emotional John B known as it when JJ and Sarah lastly washed ashore in Morocco after the storm, asking JJ to be his and Sarah’s unborn child’s godfather.

“The fantastic thing about John and JJ, it exhibits the true definition of what friendship is – it’s not simply the excessive fives, it’s the lows, it’s holding one another accountable,” Chase Stokes (John B) mentioned. “And I’m ceaselessly grateful for the expertise that I’ve had with Rudy, it’s simply been such a enjoyable part of the present to shoot.”

Madelyn Cline (Sarah) known as JJ “the center of Outer Banks.” “He’s such a wild card and it was one thing that all of us love,” she mentioned.

Added Carlacia Grant (Cleo), “His character has all the time represented selecting friendship,” and Jonathan Daviss (Pope), “He’s simply the embodiment of that Pogue picture.”

Over the past two seasons, JJ had discovered love with one among his Pogue buddies, Kiara, whose life he saved in his last minutes, telling his father that he doesn’t want the treasure as a result of “I have already got all the things I’ve ever wished.”

“Being a Pogue is so much about making your individual definitions of happiness, pleasure and neighborhood, and I believe his character embodies the spirit of by no means giving up and rebelling towards what is anticipated of you to avoid wasting what actually issues,” Madison Bailey (Kiara) mentioned.

(For Outer Banks co-creators/govt producers Jonas Pate, Josh Pate and Shannon Burke’ tackle JJ’s demise and what to anticipate from Season 5, learn Deadline’s unique interview.)

Alaskan native Pankow had just some shorts and a few small one-off visitor starring roles on his resume when he landed the sequence common function of JJ on Outer Banks.

“This present is by far the most important factor I’ve ever executed,” he mentioned. “To have this as my begin is the beginning of a lifetime. I’m gonna miss it.”

Pankow, who has been a lead in a number of movies since Outer Banks‘ breakout success, additionally addressed the sequence’ devoted followers.

“To all of the followers that present a lot love and assist for JJ, I simply wish to say thanks, it actually does imply so much to me. And P4L. [Pogues for Life]”