Despite the happy ending, Outer Banks Season 5 should have been left in drafts. And an even crazier idea, if tensions were so bad with the cast that the actor playing JJ wanted to leave the show, they should have recast him. Instead we watched as JJ’s death tore apart some and seemingly didn’t matter as much to others in Season 5. That’s on top of non-existent redemption arcs, missed opportunities, and plotlines that didn’t matter because we were promised revenge and instead we got teen Breaking Bad.
After JJ died in Season 4, I was still holding out hope that this show would finally commit and do something supernatural when it came to the treasure hunting of it all and the Blue Crown. Instead we had Kiara grieving to a point where if you’ve never watched the show and you jumped in on Season 5, you would think that JJ was only Kiara’s friend. And I understand that people grieve in different ways, but the imbalance in Season 5 was so shocking that I felt like I didn’t know these people.
MORE: We’re Still Mad About JJ’s Death on Outer Banks Season 4
It felt in many ways that John B, who was also JJ’s best friend, was too busy with Sarah and their new baby that he didn’t really have time to grieve. And then there was Pope. He was also JJ’s best friend and it felt like his grief was sidelined. But also he was sidelined in general, his romance with Cleo taking a backseat too. And don’t even get me started on Sarah and Cleo. Sarah did join the Pogues earlier than Cleo did. But they were still friends with JJ. Where was the grief? Basically, where was the friendship group that had fought tooth and nail for each other for seasons on end? Because I felt, again, that I didn’t know these people.
This disconnect in Outer Banks Season 5 was made worse by the mess that was them traveling to Spain and the geography not making sense, on top of them returning home, and then drugs were introduced. And this mess and things not making sense worked before JJ died because we could suspend disbelief because they always survived. But just like they did on 9-1-1 with the death of Bobby Nash, when you introduce realism, we look at everything else that happens with a more discerning eye.
MORE: 9-1-1 Killed Off Bobby Nash Off for Realism—But This Show Has Never Been Realistic
All the additional plot points that they threw at the Pogues to distract from JJ’s death also made it feel like this season was overstuffed to distract us. (Spoiler: It didn’t work.) And it got to the point where I stopped caring and was wondering if maybe I should pick my own ending instead of feeling like the Pogues were strangers instead of characters that I spent seasons worrying if they had a roof over their head, food in their belly, and whether they were going to survive evil adults coming after them and stealing their gold.
I especially disliked the Rafe of it all. I love a redemption arc. And if you’re going to do one, let’s go! But it felt like Outer Banks did nothing with his character and then decided at the end that he was going to run away and it was okay because now he was a changed guy. Where did that “change” happen? When did it happen? Also why did Sofia get more screen time then Cleo? That’s another thing that I was supremely annoyed with. Because if you’re not going to give Rafe a redemption arc then what’s the point of spending so much time with him and his girl?
MORE: Chase Stokes Talks Outer Banks Coming To An End
Then there’s the “happy” ending that we were given in Outer Banks Season 5.
As a fan of OBX, I will admit that that ending made me cry. But I didn’t cry because of everything that happened in Season 5. I cried because of all the things that came before Season 5 and the characters that I had grown to love. I cried because they were safe, content, and no longer had to skimp and save every little scrap just to make it through the day. And I cried because they had been robbed of having JJ return to their lives, which Outer Banks perfectly set up and then biffed it.
In my mind, if I take Season 5 of Outer Banks into consideration, there came a moment during the wedding where you could see the back of a blonde head approaching the Pogues. And whoever this mysterious person is walks up to the group, they stare in shock, Kiara takes a step forward, and then the mysterious blonde says, “Hey, Kie.” Everyone is happy. The end.
With an ending like that, no actors with possible bad blood with the other actors have to return. But you will give the fans who have consumed your content, gone to the events, and invested in these characters, the happy ending they deserve. Because we don’t watch OBX for funsies. Like every show, this is a social contract. And what we were promised when it comes to Outer Banks, this show didn’t pay in return for our time. Instead we’re left disappointed and wondering if there’s a fanfic that already has fixed this ending. Or this entire season.
Outer Banks Season 5 is now available on Netflix.
