For a show about teen angst, adventure, and treasure, Outer Banks has a surprising amount of death. Every season, there have been multiple important character deaths. The Pogues avoided the Grim Reaper for the better part of four seasons, but you can't cheat death forever!
And, a few of those deaths have hit a lot closer to home than others. We shared a list of the five most devastating deaths in Outer Banks season 4.
In Outer Banks season 4, there was an extremely shocking and devastating character death. We'll break that death scene down shortly, so if you haven't seen season 4, you still have time to turn back!
Let's get the list started with the most devastating death from Outer Banks season 1, and that's Sheriff Peterkin. And, no, you won't find
5. Sheriff Peterkin
Played by Adina Porter
Sheriff Peterkin was one of the best characters in Outer Banks season 1. She showed interest in John B (Chase Stokes) and seemed to understand him and his character. Sheriff Peterkin went out of her way to help John B multiple times, and she always seemed hesitant to trust Ward Cameron (Charles Esten).
Sheriff Peterkin was one of the most shocking and devastating deaths in Outer Banks because, until that time, I don't think the audience really realized what kind of show this was. Yes, it's about treasure and having a good time all the time, but it's dark, too!
Rafe Cameron (Drew Starkey) killed Sheriff Peterkin after John B intercepted Ward's plane on the tarmac while trying to rescue Sarah (Madelyn Cline). Peterkin tried to arrest Ward, but Rafe showed up and shot the Sheriff. Ward, then, accused John B of the crime, which led to the manhunt and John B and Sarah fleeing in the storm.
Peterkin knew what Ward was about, but Rafe made sure she didn't stop them.
4. Big John Routledge
Played by Charles Halford
We only got to know Big John for one season, but it was clear that his days on screen were numbered. Like Ward Cameron and the other villains in Outer Banks, Big John was not willing to let anything stop him.
I did not like Big John as a character. It's clear he was selfish and didn't care about his son's well-being more than this treasure, but his death still hit pretty hard, especially because we saw how much it meant to John B.
In the end, his death meant something to the Pogues, in addition to John B. Remember, Big John realized he would never have reaped the rewards of El Dorado after getting shot by Singh, but he still did everything he could to make sure that Sarah and John B found the gold. He also did everything he could to help the Pogues find a way out of El Dorado after the cave-in and the ambush by Ryan.
3. Ward Cameron
Played by Charles Esten
Honestly, I almost didn't include Ward Cameron on this list. You won't see many other villains on this list. Fans celebrated their deaths, but Ward's death was the opposite. It hit quite hard after everything that happened.
Yes, Ward was one of the worst characters in Outer Banks in terms of what he did, how he operated, and the type of person he was. In the end, though, he sacrificed himself to save Sarah and the Pogues, and that counts for a lot in my book. He was willing to put his life on the line, and he ultimately did to save his daughter and her friends.
After the cave collapsed and the Pogues escaped with a little bit of gold and no pager, they were ambushed by Ryan (Lou Ferrigno Jr.). He tried to steal the gold and kill the Pogues, but Ward stepped in front of his daughter, saving her life.
Oh, and this was after Ward faked his death in season 2, which was legendary!
2. Captain Terrance
Played by Terence Rosemore
We didn't get to know Captain Terrance for very long, but he definitely made an impact.
Captain Terrance was the one who picked up John B and Sarah on the way to the Bahamas at the end of season 1. We saw him try to pull off the heist with John B, Sarah, and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) in season 2 before returning with the Lupine Corsairs in season 4.
Captain Terrance was basically Cleo's father figure, and he was one of the best father figures in a show full of bad examples. Captain Terrance died trying to save Cleo from Lightner (Rigo Sanchez) after the mercenary kidnapped and held Cleo hostage to retrieve Elizabeth Teach's amulet. He basically sacrificed himself to save Cleo, and his death hit harder than basically every death in the show. All except one.
1. JJ Maybank
Played by Rudy Pankow
Of course, JJ Maybank is the most devastating death in Outer Banks, and it's not particularly close. It's so heart-breaking!
JJ is one of the most lovable of all the Outer Banks characters, which makes his death in the season 4 finale especially hard to take. After finding the Blue Crown, JJ traded the artifact to make sure that Groff (J. Anthony Crane), JJ's biological father, didn't kill Kiara (Madison Bailey). Groff killed him anyway. It was an awful scene.
I had a feeling that JJ's days were numbered just how his arc has been over four seasons on Outer Banks. He's lived fast and loose in a lot of ways, and it's hard to imagine someone getting lucky over and over and over. He cheated death for as long as he could. Even in season 4, JJ's whole backstory seemed to set up that final scene.
Apparently, this was always the plan.
For me, JJ's death hits especially hard because he was always the one who was up for the adventure, but he regularly questioned whether the hunt, the adventure, and the quest was worth it. For many of the Pogues, it was. Even JJ, the quest was worth it, but it doesn't make it easier. The grass wasn't always greener. Now, it's going to be incredibly difficult for these characters to ever get over this next challenge, but they will try to get even. That's clear.