Outer Banks Season 5 series finale explained: The Pogues’ final fates, from JJ’s death to John B and Sarah’s wedding

The fifth and last season of Outer Banks dropped on Netflix this Thursday. The Pogues were at their lowest at the start of this season, as they were still reeling from JJ's death in the season 4 finale. Thus, the ten-episode final season was expected to tie up the plotline of the entire show, which started all the way back in the first season.

The final season puts the Pogues through the wringer as they are homeless, and the rest of the world is hunting them. How they manage to overcome the odds and avenge JJ forms the crux of Outer Banks Season 5. The official logline of this season reads:

"Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane) is still at large, Dalia (Pollyanna McIntosh) and the Corsairs are closing in, and the Kooks are trying to ensure the Pogues have no home to return to. So John B (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) must rely on their scrappy instincts — and an uneasy alliance with Rafe (Drew Starkey) — to keep from falling apart for good."

The synopsis ends by highlighting what's on the line for the Pogues in this season:

"The Pogues are in a desperate race to reclaim their future and finally win the freedom they’ve always been chasing. It’s the Pogues against the world as they seek to avenge their best friend and bring it on home … one final time."

Outer Banks Season 5 - How does the Netflix action-adventure drama end?

Here's how the final season ends:

John B. Routledge and Sarah Cameron

John B and Sarah's love story is the beating heart of the Netflix series; therefore, it is fitting that the two lovebirds get married in the finale. However, before this happy ending, this couple has been through a lot during the series, as they have no home, and their baby is about to be born. Adding to their woes this season is John B's entanglement with the drug lord, Julio Valdez.

At the start of this season, he comes across a contraband bale of weed that was floating in the ocean and sells it to the small-time local drug dealer, Barry, with the help of Rafe. But the transaction between John B and the drug dealer was at a discounted rate, something the original owner of the weed, Julio Valdez, learns. Soon, Valdez begins to threaten John B, making him one of Outer Banks Season 5's central antagonists.

Things take a dark turn as Julio begins to threaten Sarah's life. John B finally overcomes Julio by teaming up with Sheriff Shoupe as the two trap the powerful drug lord through a sting operation.

But the happiest moment in the finale is the birth of Sarah and John B's son, JJ, named after the couple's late friend. Speaking of which:

Chandler Groff

Chandler Groff made his mark as the series's most dangerous villain as he killed JJ (his own son) in the Outer Banks Season 4 finale. Chandler continues his dark descent in the fifth season as he tries to kill Wheezie, Rafe, Rose, and Kiara. Sheriff Shoupe arrests Chandler, but he is acquitted due to lack of evidence that tied him to JJ's murder. Kiara confronts Chandler for his role and traps him in the boat, which drowns in the finale, killing him.

Cleo helps out the Pogues

Cleo helped John B, Kiara, Sarah, and Pope escape on Rose's private jet as they were trying to escape Shoupe and his man. Cleo decides to give up her safety and stall law enforcement by burning down John B's van, Twinkle. She is arrested for her role in helping the Pogues escape and deported with a lifetime ban on returning to the US.

However, Cleo enlists the help of a fancy lawyer. She has access to the bottomless pit of money from the Royal Merchant gold, and thus not only is her lawyer able to overturn this ban, but the fifth season also ends with her becoming a US citizen.

The surprising hero of the entire season

Nicholas Cirillo's Barry was the surprising hero throughout Outer Banks Season 5. While his discounted weed transaction with John B was practical, it was truly selfless when he helped Rafe break Sofia out of prison and when he risked his life during the hurricane. He managed to survive all these events and even attended John B and Sarah's wedding.

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All five seasons of Outer Banks are streaming on Netflix.

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