Rudy Pankow is a clear standout in Outer Banks Season 4
WARNING: The following includes extreme spoilers for Outer Banks Season 4.
JJ Maybank - or Jackson Genrette, depending on who you listen to - has been in every single episode of Outer Banks. The character, played by Rudy Pankow, has been there from the beginning, the personification of the group's wild, crazy, and impulsive side. He is always there to make bad decisions, start random fights, and be the one to do the most dangerous missions. But throughout all of these bad things, JJ is one thing above all: a good friend. He is always there to comfort a friend, laugh off of worries, lend a hand, or fantasize about the future.
We have recently received Outer Banks Season 4, a two-part, ten-episode spectacle that includes some of the most shocking moments of the entire show. The season saw JJ and Pope become fugitives from the law, Rafe help the core crew, JJ find his real father, a heart-pounding conclusion in Morocco, and of course the mind-blowing cliffhanger ending.
But throughout the entire season, one actor consistently gave the best performances. Rudy Pankow, who plays JJ, guided his character incredibly well through JJ's incredible arc throughout the season.
Right in the beginning, JJ continued being the familiar JJ that we saw through all three of the previous season. He hung around with his crew, furthered his relationship with Kiara, and got angry at Topper and his crew when a beach day went wrong. But as the season got crazier, Pankow's acting got better. When JJ found out who his real father was, Pankow's acting conveyed the perfect blend of distrust and happiness he had found his father. As the police hunt for JJ heated up, Pankow's acting conveyed sadness and determination to stay with his friends.
And of course, after JJ's father betrayed him and left him for dead in the ocean, Pankow's acting gave JJ the perfect mix of his signature anger and brashness and real-feeling hurt that his own father had betrayed him. And when he comes across his father again, at the bottom of a well, JJ's conflict about whether or not he should help his father is masterfully played out by Rudy Pankow, culminating in JJ throwing him water but leaving him in the bottom of the well just like when he left JJ in the ocean.
But perhaps his best acting comes at the very end of the movie-length season finale. In a shocking twist, JJ's father is able to escape the well, tracking down JJ and stabbing him before running away with their treasure - the elusive Blue Crown. As JJ bleeds out in the Moroccan sands, his face shows the JJ grin we have come to know and love over these four seasons. He whispers to Kiara that his wish - what he wanted most in the whole world - has already been granted. And with his final breath, he tells Kiara that he loves her.
During this scene, Rudy Pankow's acting is absolutely incredible, ranging from surprise to desperation and overall acceptance, a worthy tour de force of JJ's character.
