The third season of Netflix’s “Outer Banks” was released last Thursday, and it was recently renewed for a fourth season. Seasons one and two followed John B (Chase Stokes) and his friends acting recklessly. By watching any episode of the “Outer Banks,” you can definitely expect a wild ride, full of twists and turns.
Throughout the show, John B and his friends consistently refer to themselves as “Pogues,” or the working class of the Outer Banks, whereas “Kooks” refers to the upper class. Through all three seasons, there is an obvious feud between the two groups, though this is not what the show is all about. It is an intense treasure-hunting adventure series where a group of teenagers solves mysteries in an attempt to find lost gold.
John B ropes all his friends into the treasure hunt in season one in remembrance of his father, who was believed to be dead, because solving this mystery was his father’s life’s work. Though as the story unravels, we learn that more characters than just John B have familial ties to the gold.
Season three of “Outer Banks” starts with the main group of teens stranded on an island after the events of the season two finale. Though they are saved not even 20 minutes into episode one, the group of teens is already in immense danger as their rescue plane crashes. This is how we are introduced to this season’s big bad villain, Carlos Singh (Andy McQueen), who is also after the gold John B and his friends are desperately hunting for.
The rest of the season follows the Pogues trying to assimilate back into their old lives while trying to solve the mystery of El Dorado, which should lead them to the gold they’ve been looking for.
Overall, I think this season was a little messy. There were some subplots that were there to create drama and suspense, but only ended up flattening out the characters. A lot of the main characters don’t have very memorable traits, and they all have similar reactions and characteristics, except for a few details here and there.
We did get to see some commendable character development this season with Ward Cameron (Charles Esten) and his son, Rafe Cameron (Drew Starkey). By the end of the season, you almost empathize with Ward despite him being an antagonist for the past two seasons.
I do really like the cinematography because it makes you feel like you are a part of the action. The over-the-shoulder and through-the-window shots paired with a slight tremor in the camerawork make you feel like you’re a spy in these scenes or watching a reality show. The soundtrack also suited the show and its characters very well.
The first season of “Outer Banks” came out during COVID when no one was allowed to leave their homes, so the action and adventure of the show were really appealing and made the show so different from other teen dramas.
I did enjoy watching this season, despite the crazy unbelievable plot lines. Watching these characters get themselves in and out of trouble through outlandish means is one of the best parts of the series.
I would definitely recommend this show to anyone who likes a good treasure-hunting story. Although I feel like season three could have definitely been better, I will probably stick around for season four.
3/5 Stars
jhammer@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @obxnetflix, Twitter
