The season ended in a redeeming Moroccan adventure, which forced a farewell with a longtime fan-favorite.

Spoilers ahead for season 4 of Outer Banks.

Before watching the finale of Outer Banks season 4, audiences might have found themselves increasingly frustrated with the direction of the show. What began as a refreshing, escapist adventure about teens hunting for treasure in the Carolinas seemed to have spiraled into a chaotic, implausible mess. The storyline stretched to include contrived plot twists, such as JJ’s (Rudy Panko) newly revealed Kook lineage; the Pogues’ outrageously improbable shipwreck survival and wash-up in Morocco; as well as an out-of-character Rafe (Drew Starkey) now in a surprisingly mature relationship with Sofia (Fiona Palomo), a Pogue. Even the relationships between characters—once the heart of the series—felt forced and misaligned, as if the spark that once made these dynamics so enjoyable was fading. Each character’s actions seemed increasingly inconsistent. Worst of all, even fan-favorite JJ, characteristically reckless, seemed to be spiraling into a dark place past the point of no return.

After episodes of seemingly endless, convoluted drama and equally confusing stakes, it seemed the magic of Outer Banks might have been hopelessly lost. Yet, in the season 4 finale, the writers managed to strike a spark of redemption, ending the season on an explosive cliffhanger, resuscitating our investment in the adventure-driven saga. Could it be that the sharp turn of events, culminating in the shocking death of a beloved tragic hero, was exactly what the show needed to get the series back on track?

Let’s wipe our eyes and unpack exactly what happened in the finale—and why, this time, it actually worked.

Why were the Pogues in Morocco in the season finale?

The Pogues were in Morocco for two reasons: 1) to find the Blue Crown, Blackbeard’s treasured artifact, apparently hidden somewhere in the town of Agapenta; and 2) to capture and avenge Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane), JJ’s murderous biological father, who had stolen the map to the treasure from the Pogues by swindling JJ earlier in the season, then leaving him to die at sea. (So much about this character brings to mind Ward Cameron, who had done the exact same thing to John B’s dad. Apparently Groff had also done the same to JJ’s mom, and now JJ himself. What is it with this series and villains always leaving their foes to die at sea?). The reason why the Pogues were after the Blue Crown in the first place was so that they could sell it in order to buy back Poguelandia 2.0.

Why was Rafe also heading to Morocco, and why did he invite the Pogues along?

Rafe was en route to Morocco to capture Groff and take back his end of the real estate deal that Groff swindled him out of. At some point, all of the Pogues become fugitives, and when all hope seems lost and Sheriff Shoupe finally catches up to them, Rafe leverages his (incredibly manipulative) negotiation skills to convince Shoupe to let them go—so they can have a chance at “catching the real villains in town.” Here, he’s referring to Chandler Groff and the mercenaries Groff’s in business with, called the Lupine Corsairs, who want a cut of the same Blue Crown treasure that the Pogues are after.

So, sure, all for mutual gain. But Rafe seems to have inexplicably evolved from the frighteningly unhinged, murderous, violent, drug-addicted Rafe we knew in the past. He even has an actual…loving, healthy relationship? With a kind, sincere girl? Or so he believes. Would it be naive to consider that there’s a chance this business exchange was about more than business this time? Is Rafe miraculously transforming into a character with a heart? Only time will tell.

Okay, but why was Groff in Morocco?

Groff was in Morocco because he had a map to Blackbeard’s treasure and was trying to buy himself time before he’d have to hand that map over to the Corsairs—and share the fortune with them. The Corsairs themselves were in Morocco waiting for Groff to lead them to the treasure. Although Groff had no intention of upholding his side of the bargain, the Corsairs threatened to kill him if he didn’t direct them to the prize.

Groff eventually plots his own escape, relying on his ability to emotionally manipulate JJ into leading him to the treasure without the surveillance of the Corsairs.

What were the Pogues trying to accomplish in the finale?

The simple answer: Avenge Groff, get the Blue Crown, save Poguelandia 2.0. Easy enough, right?

How did that work out for them?

Well, it’s complicated.

Rafe goes after Chandler Groff first, helping him escape Dalia (Pollyanna McIntosh), Lightner (Rigo Sanchez), and the rest of the Corsair mercenaries, but only to collect the $400,000 Groff took from him. In an attempt to distract Rafe, Groff admits that he paid Rafe’s fiancée, Sofia, to convince Rafe to follow through with the fraudulent real estate deal. Rafe manages to escape with Groff’s copy of the map and the cipher crystal required to interpret it, stranding him in a well in the middle of the desert. Seething, Rafe breaks up with Sofia over the phone as he walks away, leaving Groff to die. (Or so he thinks.)

In the meantime, the Pogues find the Corsairs and steal materials from their own copy of the map, as well as a stack of essential documents which could help them decipher it. Cleo steals a jeep and the Pogues dive in, narrowly escaping a shootout.

Everyone’s paths inevitably converge in an epic sandstorm gunfight battle—the kind you’d see in Dune or early Star Wars. Groff (somehow) climbs himself out of the well and sneaks onto the scene at the height of the storm.

In the swirling golden sand, bullets whistling past their ears, Sarah and Rafe take steps towards making amends; John B. and Sarah figure out where the treasure is hidden; Pope and Cleo ward off bad guys with physical combat; and Kie and JJ share a romantic Binary Sunset-esque moment before JJ heroically scales the monument where the Blue Crown is believed to be stashed. One final, joyous, victorious, classic-JJ wail of victory rips through the sandstorm.

Revived, JJ descends from the monument with the crown in hand, and at the bottom his face falls as he locks eyes with a fear-stricken Kie, who is being held at knifepoint by none other than JJ’s biological father, Groff. Groff bargains with JJ: either he gives up his girl, or the crown. Without batting an eyelash, JJ hands over the crown and takes Kie in his arms for one final embrace.

Seconds later, in perhaps the most gut-wrenching moment of the entire series to date, Groff stabs his own son, JJ—a character whose wavering hopes had been gloriously restored just moments ago. In a gasping-for-breath exchange with Kiara, JJ admits that he already had everything he had ever wished for. His last words are, “Take care of the others. I love you.” Guts were spilled—both JJ’s, and the fans’.

So, does JJ really die?

In a series where you can never really say with confidence if a main character is actually dead or not (we’ve had close calls with John B. Rutledge, Ward Cameron, and Sarah Cameron)…it’s tough to say.

In a final scene, we see the Pogues descending JJ’s body into the sand dunes and hosting a memorial service among themselves in his honor. John B. gives a solemn eulogy commemorating this fan-favorite character as the “glue” of the group, “the best friend they ever had.” It’s hard to imagine how the writers are going to “dig” JJ out of this one. Pankow even gave his formal goodbyes and thank yous to the OBX creative team and the fans.

But one X (formerly known as Twitter) user poses an interesting theory: Could the Blue Crown’s suspected supernatural ability to grant wishes point to JJ’s possible return in season 5? And could this characteristically absurd, plot device alone provide enough hope for JJ die-hards to pull their hearts back into the final season?

Perhaps this “wish” will be granted, but not in the way fans might expect. It’s possible that JJ’s “rebirth” may metaphorically take place through the birth of Sarah and John B.’s baby, who has been highly foreshadowed to be named in JJ’s honor. (Earlier in episode 5, JJ very “casually” mentioned that “JJ’s a great name for a child.”)

Now what?

At the scene of JJ’s burial, after a bleak moment of silence and “now what” energy, the group convenes one last time about what must be done. As five teenaged fugitives on the run in North Africa, on a never-ending quest for the prosperity of Poguelandia, the Pogues turn to the spirit of their fallen friend for answers, asking themselves, “What would JJ do?” This inevitably sets up season 5, the last and final season of OBX, where it seems The Pogues (and newly-anointed Pogue, Rafe?) will be following Groff to Lisbon to steal back JJ’s crown, cash it in for a fortune, and ultimately chase a larger motivator outshining all the others: a chance at revenge.

JJ’s steady descent this season seemed to signal the unraveling of the Pogues’ friendships, the plot, and the show’s purpose. However, in an artful and action-packed season finale, set against the stunning backdrop of Moroccan dunes, JJ manages to have returned to the essence of himself, heroically saving Sarah Cameron (from yet another imminent death); the love of his life, Kiara; the Blue Crown, which represents any hope at returning to a place of financial stability and the ability to return home; and possibly the direction of the entire series. While JJ loses the Crown to Groff in his last moments, his ultimate sacrifice seems to have reignited the passion of the group to put their heads and hearts together for one final showdown. A major loss like this seems to have brought the Pogues, and fans’, hearts back together in a major way.

Packing in the final moments with monumental losses and huge questions, the writers seem to have epically revitalized a series which might have otherwise been lost to exhausted fans. But that’s the Outer Banks for you, right? What’s one more chase? We’re finally at the home stretch.