Outer Banks season 4 episode 9 recap: ‘The Storm’

The Pogues set sail for Morocco in the penultimate episode of Outer Banks season 4!

Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix © 2024
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix © 2024 | Netflix

In Outer Banks season 4 episode 9, the Pogues are chilling and laying low after the events of episode 8. Remember, Pope (Jonathan Daviss) and JJ (Rudy Pankow) are still fugitives. 

Groff (J. Anthony Crane) calls the Sheriff to tell them he hasn’t heard from Hollis Robinson (Brianna Brown). When they arrive at her house, they find her body, dead, and murdered. Groff tries to pin the murder on JJ and the Pogues, but Shoupe (Callum Moss) sees through it this time. 

The deputies find JJ and the Pogues, but they steal the boat and make a plan to travel to Morocco. They just need to steal a bigger boat. 

Somehow, as they cruise through the marina to steal the boat, Rafe (Drew Starkey) sees the Pogues and overhears them, somehow, talking about going to Morrocco. As the Pogues fail to steal a boat, Rafe makes a big move, Country Club! He goes to Barry (Nicholas Cirillo), my favorite OBX character, and trades a very fancy boat for a deep-sea vessel that Barry has. 

Unfortunately, the Pogues take too long, and they end up in a shootout of sorts with the deputies. Luckily, Mike Carrera (Marland Burke), who knows JJ wouldn’t actually kill anyone, knocks over the deputy as he shoots at the Pogues. It hits the boat, and it starts to deflate. 

Rafe proposes to Sofia 

Rafe makes a pit stop at Sofia’s before he tries to convince the Pogues to join him in Morocco. He proposes to Sofia (Fiona Palomo) as she tries to tell him what she did with Hollis  behind his back, but Rafe has turned the page. He doesn’t care, which is progress in my book. He’s a terrible person, but he’s winning over the fans on this season. 

Sofia agrees to marry him, and the couple makes big plans for when he returns with his money in a couple of weeks. 

Man, if that’s not the kiss of death for Rafe, I don’t know what is. I haven’t seen the finale yet, but I don’t like this is headed for Rafe. Hopefully, he survives whatever danger is waiting for them in Morocco. 

The Pogues make a deal with Sheriff Shoupe and head for Morocco with Rafe 

As this is all happening, Shoupe realizes that Groff is a bad dude, a con man. He heads for Bonner’s Landing, which is where the Pogues’ boat deflates, leaving them trapped. 

After the Pogues get into a big fight, Shoupe shows up. He tries to arrest JJ and Pope, but he knows that Groff is actually the person responsible for Hollis’s murder. 

Then, Rafe shows up to make a three-way deal with Shoupe. He explains that Groff killed Hollis, Wes Genrette, and the body they found in the dunes. Shoupe goes rogue and agrees to send the Pogues and Rafe after Groff in Morocco. 

What a power move by Rafe and Shoupe. Rafe agrees to share what happened in the past when he returns home with Shoupe, and it’s a deal. 

Before the deputies show up, the Pogues and Rafe leave on the ship headed for Morocco. They pass Poguelandia on the way out, and there’s a flashback to the Pogues having fun and eating dinner together. It’s basically a scene from Fast and Furious! When you’re a Pogue, you’re family.

The Pogues lock Rafe in the bathroom on the way to Morocco

The Pogues don’t exactly trust Rafe, which is definitely fair. He tries to convince them that he’s not interested in the Blue Crown or the treasure. He just wants to find Groff and get his money. JJ doesn’t let him finish. Instead, he knocks him out. The Pogues lock Rafe in the bathroom on the way to Morocco. For days, he’s left tied up. 

Along the way, the Pogues are kind of having a good time, but not all the time. There are some Poguelandia vibes on the open seas as they catch their own dinner, but JJ is not doing so well. He’s drinking all of the time, and he’s being nasty to everyone, including Pope, who saved his life, and John B (Chase Stokes), who tries to get him to stop drinking, help the group, and get his stuff together. 

Times have officially changed. John B tells JJ that Sarah (Madelyn Cline) is pregnant and he’s going to be a dad, and he wants him to be the godfather. JJ tells him that he’s going to be a terrible father, just like their dads. It’s a crushing blow to John B and their friendship. 

JJ makes up for it shortly, though. 

Groff joins the Lupine Corsairs in Morocco 

In Morocco, Groff rejoins the Lupine Corsairs to connect with the Captain (Pollyanna McIntosh) and Lightner (Rigo Sanchez) with the map and the lens for reading the map. 

As suspected, they let Groff make up for double-crossing them by allowing him to double-cross the Pogues and meet in Morocco. I don’t like these people at all! 

Sarah almost dies, but JJ saves her life 

This episode is called “The Storm” for a reason. As the Pogues approach Morocco, they get caught in a giant storm. As Pope and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) try to keep the ship sailing, John B tries to steer the ship through the storm, but it doesn’t go very well. A massive way knocks him off balance, and the ship loses power. Sarah knows something is wrong, so she tries to reach John B just as another massive wave knocks her off balance. She falls into the ocean, but luckily, JJ is there. He throws in a life preserver and dives into the sea. 


We don’t know if they’re alive or dead for a long time. The rest of the Pogues crash land off the coast of Morocco. They search the beach for JJ and Sarah and wait for a whole day. They think that they’re dead, but finally, finally, finally, JJ ans Sarah wash up on shore. 

JJ AND SARAH ARE ALIVE! 

YOU CAN’T KILL A POGUE, right? That’s the saying! 

After John B and Sarah hug it out, John B and JJ share a moment. JJ just saved the life of his wife, I guess, and unborn child. John B will be eternally grateful, of course.  “Brothers for life,” John B says. They put aside all the stuff from earlier. This is the emotional arc of the season, and it’s turning the Pogues’ way at the right time. 

There’s still a treasure to find and vengeance achieved in the Outer Banks season 4 finale, “The Blue Crown.” Let’s get to it!