Outer Banks season 4 concluded with the devastating death of JJ Maybank (Rudy Pankow), and it means season 5 will see everything changed for one character. JJ’s tragic death sets up Outer Banks season 5’s most personal quest yet for Kiara Carrera (Madison Bailey), who has now lost her boyfriend, and, for the first time, has a direct stake in the game. Previously, Kiara had tagged along with the Pogues on their treasure hunts for moral support, but has had little personal involvement until now.
Outer Banks season 4’s treasure hunt for Blackbeard’s shipwreck and fabled Blue Crown had personal stakes for JJ after he learns that his real biological parents are Larissa Genrette (Tommi Rose) and Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane). Larissa’s father, Wes Genrette (David Jensen), believed his family was cursed with untimely deaths because an ancestor killed the notorious pirate Blackbeard and his wife, then buried her without her precious amulet. Previously, the quest for the Royal Merchant was John B. Routledge’s (Chase Stokes) father’s life’s work, and the Cross of Santo Domingo was a family heirloom for Pope Heyward (Jonathan Daviss).
The Pogues Quest For Revenge Marks The First Kiara Has Personal Stake In
Little Is Known About Kiara’s Lineage
Each Pogue’s backstory has been explored at length except for Kiara’s. This includes Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline), whose villainous father Ward Cameron (Charles Estes) was intertwined in the hunt for the Royal Merchant in Outer Banks season 1, and was revealed to be the reason for John B’s father Big John’s (Charles Halford) disappearance, which was the catalyst for the entire show. Pope’s backstory is then explored upon the discovery that he is a direct descendant of Denmark Tanny, a formerly enslaved man turned wealthy activist in the 19th century (based on the real Denmark Vesey).
Nothing has been explored in relation to Kiara’s ancestry and local lineage, leaving an opening for season 5 of Outer Banks to do so. Treasure hunting aside, the group has already vowed to track down Chandler Groff in Portugal and take revenge on him for murdering his own son and their best friend JJ. As Kiara had a slow-burning romance with JJ that culminated in their relationship, she will likely feel the loss in a profound way, allowing for the show to develop her character through her quest for vengeance.
Kiara Has Been There Solely For Moral Support Throughout The Show
The Pogues Last Hunt Just Got Personal For Kiara
Outer Banks season 4 looked into JJ’s lineage, revealing that he was never a Maybank, and was adopted at birth to unknowingly help his father cover up his mother’s murder. This tied JJ to the Genrette’s history with Blackbeard and the Blue Crown. On the contrary, from all of these rich, developed backstories for each of the characters is Kiara. All that viewers know about Kiara is that her father was once a Pogue and her mother was always a Kook. The family own a successful restaurant and bar and live on the wealthy Figure 8 of the fictional Kildare Island, and Kiara is interested in environmental conservation work.
*** Now that JJ has died, the show has the opportunity to dial up Kiara’s personal involvement.
While most of the Pogues are involved in these extravagant treasure hunts in an effort to uplift themselves from poverty or family members with criminal pasts, Kiara maintained the most stable home life. While her parents often disagree with her exploits, especially her truancy from school (which gets her sent to a wilderness camp), she has the most upward mobility in life due to her socioeconomic status and new money. This makes her appearances in the group’s treasure hunts purely based on moral support for her friends with no personal gain. Now that JJ has died, the show has the opportunity to dial up Kiara’s personal involvement.
Outer Banks Season 5 Could Allow Room For Further Character Growth For Kiara
Kiara’s Character Has Not Grown As Much As Some Of The Other Pogues
Throughout each treasure quest, and John B’s occasional narration, each character has grown and matured in some way throughout the show. Kiara has remained fairly stagnant, save for her improved relationship with Sarah when the pair reconcile for the first time since middle school in season 1. John B learns to use his discernment when the Kooks try to provoke him, and aims to follow in his father’s footsteps as a historian, but without his father’s violent tendencies. Sarah has separated from her family’s unethical wealth, and Pope has learned newfound survival skills to combine with his book smarts.
JJ, while still coping with pent-up anger surrounding his traumatic life in Outer Banks season 4, came to terms with everything shortly before his death, and even revealed to Kiara that he already had his dying wish (her, and a simple life with his friends). Kiara has long straddled the line between the Pogues and the Kooks, and still makes some of the same rash decisions she did in season 1. This incredibly personal loss coupled with the finality of season 5 will tie up the loose ends for Kiara’s character in Outer Banks.
