After six long years and five spectacular seasons, Netflix’s Outer Banks has finally come to an end. The final season of Outer Banks not only continues our heroes’ quest for treasure, but their pursuit of a magical artifact that allegedly has the power to bring back the dead.
So do John B. (Chase Stokes), Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) wind up finally getting the treasure they so richly deserve? Does the Blue Crown bring JJ (Rudy Pankow) back from the dead? Does Kie die? Does Rose Cameron (Caroline Arapoglou) die? What happens at the end of Outer Banks?
**Spoilers for Outer Banks Season 5, now streaming on Netflix**
Here’s your quick guide to all of the biggest moments in the final season of Outer Banks…
Outer Banks Ending Explained: How Does OBX End?
Outer Banks ends with the gang finally getting their hands on the Royal Merchant gold for good. When the Pogues return to their home of Kildare (after an exciting adventure in Azerbaijan!), they learn that the no good, totally evil, absolutely awful Groff (J. Anthony Crane) stole the gold from Rose after nearly killing her.
Kie discovers that Groff has loaded all the treasure onto a boat and is trying to leave with it during Hurricane Cassandra. She sneaks on his boat with a knife and manages to get him tangled up in ropes that are hanging over the water. (Yes, it echoes her own near-death moment earlier in the season.) Kiara then uses her trusty knife to cut the rope holding him above the water. Groff drowns.
Kie then almost dies herself! She drops some of the gold off of the boat, but winds up in the water herself. John B. and Sarah arrive in the nick of time and take Kiara to safety. Later, after the storm, they return to those coordinates and retrieve all of the gold.
Now rich, the Pogues are able to live happily ever after. John B. buys back his home in Kildare and Sarah gives birth to their son, whom they name JJ after their deceased best friend. Pope is able to use his cut to help sort Cleo’s immigration status and, once engaged, they move into Tannyhill. Kiara buys her family a yacht and pursues her dream of being a marine biologist.
The final moments of Outer Banks? John B. and Sarah Cameron’s long-awaited wedding.
“You know, Jonas Pate, when we started this thing, he said that that’s exactly how it was going to end,” Chase Stokes told DECIDER’s Hope Sloop. “So I think in knowing that when we started this, that was how he hoped it to end, that it did go that way, it was a really cool thing. A lot of shows don’t get that opportunity.”
“It’s sweet, I loved it,” Madelyn Cline told DECIDER. “I think it might be my favorite sequence that we shot.”
Does Kiara Die in Outer Banks?
Nope! Although her life is put in danger many times, Kie survives.
Does Rose Die in Outer Banks?
No, Rose survives the final season of Outer Banks. Although it looks like Groff killed her, she manages to survive his treachery.
Does JJ Come Back in Outer Banks?
Even though Kie does get her hands on the Blue Crown, it does not succeed in bringing her beloved JJ back from the dead. Instead, she gets visions of the times they shared.
That said, you could argue that JJ does sort of return in the guise of little JJ Rutledge, John B. and Sarah’s son.
Outer Banks Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix.