Outer Banks season 4 part 2 episode 6 “The Town Council” plowed forward through Luke’s revelation that he was in JJ’s bio dad in “Albatross.” They didn’t do a time jump. The Outer Banks writers kept the show grounded and continued with this intense scene that blew up JJ’s life. Everything that follows in this episode is a clear indicator that it’s now time for the Pogues to support JJ. Because he’s going through something unlike anything any of them have experienced.
By the end of season 4, I can’t help but hope that JJ is going to be the richest b*tch on the island, with a 300-year-old piece of land back in his name, and ultimately redefining what it means to be a Pogue on an island that is severely divided by where you grew up and how much money you have. And for JJ, he’s got that Pogue upbringing but (hopefully) super Kook money. He’s unlike anyone on this island and he’s going to change it for the better. We’ve just got some ugly things to get through first.
Let’s Get the Trash Out of the Way First
I found myself disappointed in Outer Banks as a show in season 4 part 2 episode 6. Let me explain.
A lot of it had to do with the people of The Cut once more trying to destroy the Pogue way of life. It’s a bit repetitive but true to our very own reality. The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. But a huge chunk of my disappointment with the show has to do with the show’s handling of Luke. I understand that our parents are humans. But it felt like Outer Banks was trying to redeem Luke with these flashbacks of him and JJ’s mother. They showed a Luke that was sweet, understanding and knew how to calm down a baby version of JJ. We even got to see Luke caring for a toddler JJ and teaching him how to fish. And I’m disappointed in Netflix and the writers for this show for giving us that while we clearly remember how he treated JJ.
A part of me gets the flashbacks, especially when they contrast Luke being a “good guy” with him signing that deed that invalidates JJ’s claim on the home that he grew up in. That was a way for the show to tell the viewer that this is who he is now. A jerk who doesn’t care for anyone if it means saving himself. But I didn’t need that to remember that Luke Mayweather is a bad guy and the worst parent.
In season 1, JJ and Pope rightfully sink Topper’s boat. JJ ends up taking the blame and Luke picks him up. And I knew that JJ was scared of his father from the first time he was brought up. But I didn’t understand how much of a trash father he was until he beat JJ to a pulp in that front seat. It was the single most violent child abuse scene that I have ever seen in my years watching TV. So Luke Mayweather can go to hell and stay there.
I don’t want any flashbacks and I don’t care for excuses.
Kiara was right to call out Luke during the town council meeting. Because even though Luke beat JJ, that boy loved him. That boy helped him escape. And that boy didn’t tell the cops where Luke was when he found out that he was back on the Outer Banks. I feel no shame or sadness for the hurt on Luke’s face when she called him out and when JJ locked eyes with him. That moment was the tipping point for JJ where life got too much. Everything that came afterward was his intrusive thoughts taking control but also JJ experiencing heartbreak because he finally accepted that his dad never had his back and he never will. So he let go and chaos ensued.
JJ Letting His Chaos Out
Having just recently done a rewatch of Outer Banks, JJ has always been there for others. He took the rap for Pope back in season 1 for the whole Topper boat thing. He ended up owing Barracuda in Season 3 while he was trying to help John B. He’s always there for others and he never lets people see that he’s hurting or that he might need help. A lot of that is tied to self-worth. JJ doesn’t feel like his problems are big enough for other people to care. He thinks this while also caring deeply for his Pogue family that he’ll do anything for them. In Season 4 Part 2 Episode 6 “The Town Council,” we see a clear shift in Outer Banks where JJ is the focus. He’s the one that’s going to need support. He’s also the one with the most emotional turmoil.
JJ has always been the kind of guy who acts first and asks questions later. And in this episode, we got to see that part of him combined with absolute rage at how the world just keeps pressing down on him. So he snapped. He started that fight at the town council and got arrested. And his friends came for him. At every turn, they were trying to help him and make sure he got out okay. Along the way, he burned trash cans, broke car windows, messed with the electrical system of the island, and broke a bunch of store-front windows. He let that little chaos gremlin living in his brain loose and dressed it in his indignation. And while he’s still really angry, I think there was something cathartic that started at the council and took him through their island…
There’s also something that happened during this whole chaos sequence that I must admit as a long-time viewer of Outer Banks.
I love this show, this family, and the adventures they’ve been on. But I’ve always felt this disconnect with them. I didn’t really ship anyone hardcore or think that any of them were hot besides acknowledging that aesthetically they’re good-looking. But watching JJ slowly get up from those pews, with his hair all messy, and that dark look in his eyes as music started playing in the background, that was hot. It was even hotter when he let his pain transform into chaos and he started destroying things.
I don’t really want to analyze what that says about me besides that it threw me for a loop. And I know they are going to be fangirls that are going to go absolutely feral for this. And honestly, JJ deserves it. Rudy Pankow deserves it for the way that he brought this story to life in a way that made me feel new emotions for his character besides me supporting his rights and his wrongs.
JJ Trusting Kiara
Sometimes I forget that a lot of time has passed between seasons 3 and 4. Within that time JJ and Kiara have gotten to know each other on a more intimate level. They’ve been friends for a very long time. Family as well. But a relationship changes when it turns romantic. It’s like you let that person see your soul in a way that your family will never understand. And when JJ came to Kiara in “The Town Council,” I was sure that he wasn’t going to tell her the truth about what Luke told him and how that Groff dude might be his dad. But JJ surprised me. He told Kiara the truth and she listened; the entire exchange reminded me that they’re partners in this.
Overall, JJ telling Kiara this information when he didn’t want to tell all of their friends, goes to show you how much JJ has grown. His impulsivity has always been this looming thing over his character on Outer Banks. And coming into season 4, it’s become abundantly clear that the changes that we are seeing now highlight the fact that in seasons 1 through 3 we haven’t seen the character development we’ve wanted for him. But we’re living in the now with a new perspective. And in the now, JJ has come to a place where he knows he can trust Kiara with something close to his heart. Something that is tearing him apart. He didn’t run. He stayed and he told her. And it bodes well for JJ and how he will react to everything that’s coming next in Season 4 Part 2.
Because yes, JJ did let the chaos gremlin in his mind accept the intrusive thoughts JJ has always thought about but ignored and combined it with the rage he was feeling at the moment. And yes, I think in the hands of other writers, JJ has the perfect makings of a villain because things like this twist characters up into unimaginable monsters. The difference is that JJ has a family in the Pogues that cares for him and will fight for him. Also, he has Kiara. She has always seen the best in him even when he hasn’t seen it in himself. And I think that her voice will bring him back from the brink of the darkness. But I also think that her faith in him has given him clarity that helps him see himself in a kinder way.
JJ will be okay. But it’s going to take a little time to get there. So prepare for a bumpy ride.
What do you think of Outer Banks season 4 episode 6 “The Town Council”? Let us know in the comments below!
Outer Banks season 4 is now available to stream on Netflix.
Need more? Read our other reviews below:
- Outer Banks Season 4, Episode 1 Review: ‘The Enduro’
- Outer Banks Season 4, Episode 2 Review: ‘Blackbeard’
- Outer Banks Season 4, Episode 3: ‘The Lupine Corsairs’
- Outer Banks Season 4, Episode 4 Review: ‘The Swell’
- Outer Banks Season 4, Episode 5 Review: ‘Albatross’
- Outer Banks Season 4, Episode 6 Review: ‘The Town Council’
- Outer Banks Season 4, Episode 7 Review: ‘Mothers and Fathers’
- Outer Banks Season 4, Episode 8 Review: ‘Family Plot’
- Outer Banks Season 4, Episode 9 Review: ‘The Storm’
- Outer Banks Season 4, Episode 10 Review: ‘The Blue Crown’
