After hearing the explosion, Ward and the Pogues follow the sound. Ward gets to John B, Sarah and Big John first. He threatens to kill Big John, but before he does, one of Singh's men appears, demanding gold. Protecting his daughter from gunshots, Ward takes the bullets and pushes him and his assailant off the cliff.
When Sheriff Peterkin arrives to the airport tarmac, she attempts to arrest Ward because she found out that he was responsible for Big John's death. While arresting Ward, Rafe intervenes and shoots her, to 'save' his dad, in the hopes that he would now receive his fathers love and affection.
The perpetrator is unknown, but it's certain that it's one of Singh's men. There is a possibility that it was Singh himself. John's death was a result of greed, and it could have prevented. However, his sacrifice was for the good of the Pogues and his son, John B.
When Big John figures out where the gold can be found, he demands a larger percentage of the treasure from Ward. In a fit of rage, Ward then shoves Big John, causing him to hit his head on the side of the boat. Assuming Big John is dead, Ward throws his body overboard.
Ward Cameron Death scene | Outer Banks Season 3 - Ending |
Is Ward actually helping the Pogues?
Following his attempt to betray the Pogues and acquire the El Dorado gold for himself, Ward sacrifices himself to help save Sarah. This included him taking multiple bullets to the chest and falling off the edge of a cliff.
Sarah's dad, Ward Cameron, overhears John B and Sarah talking about finding the gold and asks John B to go out fishing with him the next day. On the boat, John B discovers that it was Ward who killed his father.
Finally! When they resurface, they find Singh waiting for them. (He used Big John's blood trail to track them down). Singh makes John B open his backpack filled with gold and then gives Big John three seconds to appear before he shoots.
Big John was shot while looking for El Dorado with John B and Sarah. He hung on for as long as possible, but in the end his injuries were too great. He died in the boat while John B and his friends were trying to take him to safety.
Season 3 tests John B and Sarah's love for one another more than ever before, and Sarah eventually cheats on John B during a whirlwind night spent with her ex-boyfriend, Topper. "I was so scared about this storyline because I felt that inherently wasn't in Sarah's nature," Cline said.
In season 2 of the Netflix series, Ward's death streak continued. He killed his pilot, Gavin (Adam Vernier), fearing Gavin would tell the police the truth about Sherriff Peterkin's (Adina Porter) death and expose Rafe (Drew Starkey).
Outer Banks season 3 explored the chaotic conclusion to a lengthy treasure hunt — and not everyone made it to the end. During the third season finale, which premiered on Thursday, February 23, John B (Chase Stokes) and Sarah's (Madelyn Cline) respective dads ended up dead on their way to El Dorado.
After cheating, heated fights and a return to trust, season 3 ends with Sarah and John B. coming back together, despite all they had gone through. So how do Stokes and Cline feel about their characters' emotional journey this season?
JJ proved his love for Kie by rescuing her from a behavioral camp and the two are now together, representing a reflection of each other's personalities as they navigate their relationship in season 4.
In the penultimate episode of Outer Banks Season 3, JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Kiara (Madison Bailey) finally kiss. And not only that, but they also declare their love for each other in front of all of Kiara's fellow “bad girls” at Kitty Hawk Adventure Therapy before escaping into the night.
In a sense, art imitates life, at least briefly in Outer Banks Season 3. Like the real-life relationship between Stokes and Cline, Sarah and John B. end things in the third season of the Netflix series.
Obviously, Ward's sudden death in episode six is one of the most shocking moments of the season, but throughout the rest of the episodes I couldn't help but wonder if it was actually real. My suspicions were eventually proven true when Ward reveals himself as alive to Sarah Cameron at the very end of episode nine.
A lot of characters end up sleeping with the fishes in Season 3 and at least two of them are a pretty big deal. Portis, Tommy Sowell, Carlos Singh, Ryan, and three of Carlos Singh's smugglers meet their fate in Season 3.
Everyone who's still alive, gets on the boat to head back to town, but Big John lost too much blood and dies in John B's arms on the way home from El Dorado.
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Outer Banks. Season 2 of Netflix's Outer Banks ended with a massive cliffhanger. Although fans (and John B) were originally led to believe his dad was dead, it turned out that Big John was still alive.
Drama and conflict ensue at the airport runway, as John B tries to stop the plane from taking off using “the Twinkie,” his Volkswagen van. The local sheriff arrives not long after, telling Ward he's being arrested for killing Big John.
After finding Rafe's fingerprints on the gun the Pogues secured earlier in the season—took them long enough—the police let John B. go. But that puts a target on Rafe's back, and so Ward takes the blame for the death of both John B.'s dad and Sheriff Peterkin. He doesn't go to prison, though. That would be too easy!
