Warning: This article contains spoilers for Outer Banks Season 4.
External Banks season 4 is full of shocking twists. Among them is the split-second decision beloved Pogue Pope Heyward (Jonathan Daviss Jr.) makes to shoot and kill Lightner (Rigo Sanchez). Pope is the most sensible member of the Pogues who previously wouldn’t have taken such drastic measures. However, from the start of the program, the Pogues faced powerful forces and the local socioeconomic politics of the wealthy Kooks. Pope’s death of Lightner will likely result in a major change to his future character arc.
Lightner was a violent member of the ruthless Lupine Corsairs, a group that sought out some of the world’s rarest artifacts at the expense of anyone in their path. At the beginning of season 4, Lightner kills Captain Terrance (Terence Rosemore), who was like a surrogate father to Pope’s girlfriend Cleo Anderson (Carlacia Grant). Terrance also saves the lives of John B. Routledge (Chase Stokes) and Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline) in season three when the two become stranded in the Caribbean. Cleo encourages Pope to shoot Lightner to avenge Terrance’s murder, reversing a previous scene.
Pope Killing Lightner In Outer Banks Season 4 Tragically Reverses His Decision With Rafe In Season 3
Pope has always been the voice of reason in Outer Banks
Pope’s decision to shoot Lightner directly opposes his character’s previous logic, as he almost shoots the violent and morally gray Rafe Cameron (Drew Starkey) in External Banks Season 3, after he steals her ancestral family heirloom. This actually allows for Rafe’s redemption arc External Banks 4th season to happen. Pope begins External Banks as a highly motivated student looking for a scholarship to attend college. He is a history buff and often the voice of reason who brings his longtime friends back to the land of their treasure hunting aspirations.
Although JJ Maybank (Rudy Pankow) is often reckless and puts the group in danger, Pope is measured and methodical. When he has the opportunity to kill the unstable Rafe by stealing the Domingo Cross, Cleo calms him down and Pope is unable to kill Rafe due to his strong morals. Pope’s fatal shot at the ruthless Lightner will haunt him in External Banks’ fifth and final season due to its typical peaceful nature. It’s also not just an inversion of logic, but of Cleo’s role in the matter when she advocates for him to kill Lightner.
Why Pope actually decides to kill Lightner in Outer Banks Season 4 and what it means for Season 5
Lightner represents all the Pogues who lost
Lightner represents everything the Pogues fought against all over External Banks. Not only does he kill Terrance, the only family Cleo had, but he also violently hunts the Blue Crown just for its wealth, while the Pogues appreciate the artifact’s history. Throughout their lives, the Pogues lost family members and were subject to poverty and other systemic problems in rural America. Lightner trying to take this away from them after everything they’ve been through is the final straw for Pope.
Now that JJ has also died, Pope will face complex feelings of grief in External Banks 5th season. Not only was his best friend murdered, but now he is a murderer himself. External Banks leaves the main group in search of revenge against Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane) for killing JJ, planning to follow him to Portugal. At the same time, Lightner’s crew is also probably after the Pogues looking for revenge. Only time will tell which group will take revenge first and what the consequences will be.