'Outer Banks' Season 4, Part 1 Ending Explained – Who is JJ's Real Father?

Warning: Spoilers for Outer Banks Season 4, Part 1.

The Pogues are back in the Outer Banks and Season 4, Part 1 begins another wild adventure for the teenagers who have just completed their final mission (RIP Ward and Big John). Read on for a breakdown of the key moments from the first five episodes, including the shocking cliffhanger no one could have seen it coming.

In Season 4, the Pogues return home with the gold they discovered in El Dorado. After trading it in for $1.1 million, they used the money to open a bait, fishing and charter tour shop on the land they purchased and called it “Poguelandia 2.0.” But in true JJ fashion, he bets the crew's last gold nugget on a race against Rafe and Topper, which he ultimately loses.

Luckily for the Pogues, archaeologists excavated El Dorado six months after their discovery, and the teens were honored by the city in a ceremony at the end of season three. Viewers may remember a man named Wes Genrette (David Jensen) approaching the group. Ask for help finding Blackbeard's treasure. Although the Pogues are concerned about his family's curses, they agree to help him pay off their debts.

However, the Pogues quickly discover that they are not the only ones searching for the treasure, which includes a priceless amulet and a blue crown. An unknown man follows them and is later revealed to be a mercenary named Lightner, who almost kills Kiara and JJ and eventually kidnaps Cleo. In a dramatic twist, Cleo's old friend and father figure Terrance sacrifices his life to save hers at the end of Episode 4.

ForbesEverything you need to know about Outer Banks season 4 arrives on Netflix this weekFrom Monica Mercuri

What happens in Outer Banks Season 4, Episode 5?

While JJ and Kiara stay behind on Kildare Island, the rest of the crew travels to Charleston to continue their search for the Blue Crown. But Lighter and his boss Dalia are also there and get into a crypt under an old church before the Pogues.

Pope and Sarah volunteer to go into the catacombs, but when they come across Lighter and Dalia, they find themselves trapped underground. They remain silent and hide from Lighter, who escapes the tomb with a scroll they found from a burial site.

Cleo sees Lightner and Dalia emerge from the underground and plans to seek revenge for Terrance's death, but before she can act, Lightner sneaks up on her from behind. Dalia intervenes and tells him that she's not worth killing. Meanwhile, John B follows Lightner, ready to shoot, but hesitates when he returns to season three and remembers how his late father, Big John, shot some of Singh's men right in front of him.

“John B is very hesitant when it comes to pursuing anything that involves treasure, and that's because he's really struggling with the fact that he doesn't have the time he wanted with his father” Stokes told Netflix's Tudum. “And his memory of his father is now enshrined in this great giant victory in the search for El Dorado. But he realized that his father was a pretty shitty person. (And) he doesn’t want to go down that path.”

While Pope and Sarah search for an exit, a severe storm comes and floods the catacombs. They notice barnacles reaching up to the ceiling, meaning the room will soon be completely submerged – and that's the last we see of them in the first part.

The actors told the Hollywood Reporter that in real life they freaked out just like their characters. “It played exactly how it looked. Maddie was in there. She wasn't happy. The water drips even if you land inside, so it’s freezing,” Jonathan Daviss said. “It was fun because it really felt like I was filming one Indiana Jones (film) or something like that. I thought, 'This is what it's like to be on sets like that.'”

ForbesWhen will Outer Banks Season 4, Part 2 be released on Netflix? Full release scheduleFrom Monica Mercuri

How works Outer Banks Season 4, part one ending?

At the end of Outer Banks Season 4, Part 1: JJ is with his father Luke, who finally reveals a shocking family secret. Before Wes Genrette's death in Episode 2, he left a letter to “Master JJ Maybank” in case something happened, telling him to ask his father about the meaning of “Albatross.”

After some persuasion, Luke tells JJ that “Albatross” was the name of the boat that Larissa Genrette died on years ago. He then drops another bombshell, telling JJ that he is not his biological father and that the woman JJ believed was his mother was just one of Luke's former girlfriends.

Who is JJ's real father?

Luke reveals to JJ that Larissa is actually his real mother, making Wes his grandfather and Chandler Groff his biological father – meaning JJ might have Kook blood after all.

“That was the most extreme thing we could imagine: that JJ was actually a Kook.” Outer Banks Co-creator Shannon Burke narrated the Netflix series “Tudum.”

So what do we know about JJ's new father, Groff? Viewers saw him being questioned by police about his father-in-law's death. He also appears at the end of Episode 5 with Hollis Robinson, the local real estate agent who has been plotting all season to get the Genrette land – and even hired Rafe Cameron to help with the development deal.

Stay tuned to know more about it Outer BanksSeason 4, part two. The next five episodes of the season will stream on November 7th.