Outer Banks Season 3: We’re Breaking Down All Those Unhinged Moments

Outer Banks hit the streaming giant on February 23, and it wasted absolutely no time, throwing audiences back into an intense and unhinged treasure hunt that far exceeded expectations.

The episode kicked off in Poguelandia, the deserted island where the Pogues made a humble home for themselves while secretly looking for a way off the island, but when the moment finally came, it simply thrust them back into the crossfire, with a new key player, Singh, far more nefarious than Ward Cameron determined to get his hands on the gold. Singh set his sights on El Dorado and threatened to kill anyone who got in his way.

Eventually, the Pogues (and Pogue-Kooks) came out victorious, but they definitely paid the price for unearthing the lost city of gold.

We’re breaking down the most shocking and jaw-dropping moments below:

Outer Banks. (L to R) Rudy Pankow as JJ, Chase Stokes as John B, Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron, Director Jonas Pate, Jonathan Daviss as Pope, Madison Bailey as Kiara, Carlacia Grant as Cleo in episode 301 of Outer Banks. Cr. Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix © 2023

Another Opportunity Presents Itself

We’re going on another treasure hunt! While most people would probably groan at the idea of getting tangled up in yet another risky adventure, the news was music to John B’s ears. He had a bit of a tough season getting overshadowed by his father, but it helped him realize that despite their core differences, he always was and will be his father’s son, and he’s determined to keep up his legacy by pursuing other gold-seeking opportunities like the one that presented itself following their domination of El Dorado and the time-jump that followed—the search for Edward Teach aka Blackbeard’s shipwreck. John B’s eyes lit all the way up as he exclaimed, “hot damn,” and well, it’s good news for OBX fans as well because it guarantees at least one more season! Hot damn, indeed.

From Misfits to Heroes

There’s a pretty clear-cut divide economically between the two tribes in Kildare, and the Pogues were largely frowned upon for three seasons. But that all changed when they returned from South America victorious. Suddenly, a town that turned its back on them on every occasion was hailing them as heroes and celebrating their accomplishments. While it must’ve felt good, I can’t imagine that anyone—especially John B, JJ, and Pope—would be swayed by a town that only cared about them now that they had glory, money, and power.

However, it’s an exciting development from a storytelling perspective because it’s almost like hitting reset for the future season/seasons. We’ve closed one chapter and are moving on with a new dynamic and evolved character. I’m interested to see how the series will handle this shift in the upcoming season, as it will be one of the first where the Pogues aren’t on the run, being hunted, or forced to hide from the public.

Everything We Know About Outer Banks Season 4

Outer Banks. (L to R) Chase Stokes as John B, Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron, Carlacia Grant as Cleo, Jonathan Daviss as Pope, Rudy Pankow as JJ in episode 301 of Outer Banks. Cr. Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix © 2023

John B and Big John Reunite

John B had a gut feeling that the church bells were a call from his father since that’s how he used to call him home, and though improbable since everyone believed him to be dead, it ended up being a heartfelt moment that lent itself to an exciting father-son reunion. Unfortunately, it was short-lived.

Big John was a bit of a disappointment, but in retrospect, we should’ve been prepared for it. When we first met John B, he was already an orphan who was pursuing the treasure hunt to find answers about his father’s death.

When someone dies, people quickly forget the bad things about them, holding onto only the memories they want to remember. We miss those who are gone, so our memories of them skew in a positive light. We eagerly ignore their bad qualities and forget their less-than-appealing behaviors, which is exactly what John B did. And therefore, the audience got that version of Big John: a good and caring father who put his son first. Unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case. Countless times, Big John was actually willing to lose it all on his quest for gold, putting John B in danger, dismissing his feelings, ignoring his concerns, overshadowing him, forcing him into uneasy situations (like when he killed two people right in front of his son), and damaging his relationships with his friends and even Sarah.

Maybe if Big John would’ve been just a little more careful, he could’ve cheated death yet again.

Death is Inevitable

Which brings me to my next point… death.

Tracking down a 500-year-old treasure that has been the stuff of myths and legends comes with its fair share of danger, so naturally, there was no shortage of character deaths this season.

It was a bummer that Big John died so soon after John B learned he was alive because they never got to have that true father/son moment that wasn’t centered around the gold, but there was no other outcome that made sense since Big John was careless and dove headfirst into questionable situations.

Ward’s death was also investable as he’s been the villain for far too long and needed one moment to redeem himself and make it up to his daughter. There was only so much more we were willing to take from him before the character was exhausted, so I’m glad the series knew when it was time to end his run.

Both Ward and Big John succeeded in fulfilling their lifelong mission of finding the gold, while simultaneously providing for their children and ensuring that their children were set for life. The hunt for the treasure may have consumed their lives, and though seeing it and touching it was short-lived, they did it and that was good enough. And then it went to their kids and provided a legacy and instilled in them a sense of adventure that they’ll carry on.

As for Singh, well, he was such a one-dimensional bad guy who was truly only there to create chaos and problems. Not only did he want the treasure, he felt entitled to it, but he didn’t deserve it. He got what was coming his way for being such a thorn and trying to kill them all on several occasions.

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

It seems to be the motto. Big John took it a little too far, but we’ve seen the Pogues adopt the mindset on multiple occasions, always pivoting and finding their way out of any mess. They are damn resourceful and don’t let any little hiccup veer them too far off track. They found their way off of a deserted island, managed to outrun Singh and his men multiple times, resurfaced in Kildare on a stolen boat, found a way to get to South America without money or passports and with an arrest warrant out for John B, made good with a drug dealer, broke out of a wilderness resort, and so much more. They are the literal definition of if there’s a will, there’s a way.

Outer Banks. (L to R) Carlacia Grant as Cleo, Madison Bailey as Kiara, Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron, Chase Stokes as John B, Jonathan Daviss as Pope, Rudy Pankow as JJ in episode 309 of Outer Banks. Cr. Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix © 2023

Kie’s Parents

Honestly, her relationship with her parents was glossed over toward the end, but I feel like the series should’ve taken a beat to address it considering the number of problems they caused. Kie’s parents were such buzzkills.

I can understand where they were coming from, especially after they thought they lost her forever. They were concerned about their baby girl and wanted the best for her as they thought she was getting sidetracked by the wrong crowd, but not once did they listen to her or try to understand her side of the story before sending her away to a wilderness camp that was essentially a prison. It was the ultimate betrayal and pushed her away even further when they should have been working harder to make the most of their second chance with her.

And we never saw what happened after JJ risked it all to break her out of the camp. Following the time jump, we saw her parents in the crowd supporting her and celebrating her success, but it felt misplaced considering everything they’ve done. I wish we saw a scene where they apologized and admitted that they underestimated her and her friends. At the very least, they definitely owe JJ an apology. He may have a reputation on the island, but he didn’t deserve to be berated and belittled at every turn. He was hurting, but he loves Kie so much.

Sarah’s Cheating

This is another situation where I can understand why she did it—she was torn between being a Pogue and a Kook, she was alone after losing everything, including her family, and she was alienated by John B, who ran off with his dad and lied to her for the first time ever. Sarah was in a low place, so she gravitated to what she knew and what felt safe at the moment: Topper. But honestly, I’m finding it much harder to forgive her than John B did simply because it was such a betrayal of trust, particularly after everything they’ve been through and their time on a desert island as Mr. and Mrs. Routledge. They made a promise to each other, and she broke it the first chance she got.

Sarah redeemed herself by the end, not only getting Topper to hit pause on pressing charges but getting John B out of jail, securing a flight to South America, and figuring out the final piece of the legendary puzzle that unearthed El Dorado, but it was hard to shake her infidelity and even more disappointing that the writers thought this was a good decision for her character.

Love Bubbling Up to the Surface

Many fans have mentioned that John B and Sarah’s relationship is the least exciting this season, and I have to agree. OBX Season 3 was Kie and JJ’s season—his romantic dash to save her from the wilderness camp, his vulnerability when apologizing, and their embrace in the cabin was the stuff that epic romances are made of.

A close second was definitely Pope and Cleo’s friendship-turned-relationship. Audiences knew that the series was setting it up, but the romance seemed to catch Pope by surprise. However, it was gradually building ever since she came back with him from the deserted island, became his closest confidant and trusted by his parents, and ensured that he stayed on the right track and made “smart decisions.” In turn, Pope gave Cleo something she’s never had—real friends, a real family, and a future.

I can’t wait to see where these promising couples will go next season!

Rafe Burning the Cross of Santo Domingo

This was also just super disappointing considering it was a priceless historical artifact. I know Rafe is too dense to understand its true value, but man, I really wish he didn’t do it and Pope was able to get this piece back for his family.

Rafe made plenty of missteps this season—melting down the cross being the biggest one of them—but he did also have a moment of clarity and saved his father after putting a hit on his back.

Ward and Rafe have had a tumultuous relationship through the seasons, but it would have destroyed Rafe if he was responsible for his dad’s murder. They needed to make amends before Ward’s death—with Ward making it clear that he was entrusting his son with the keys to the kingdom—so that Rafe felt confident that his father believed in him, which has always been a core issue between them.

It’s a bummer we didn’t get to see Rafe’s reaction to learning about Ward’s passing or his sister/the Pogue’s getting the gold, but hopefully, the next season will backtrack and fill in the blanks with flashbacks!

What did you think of Outer Banks Season 3? What was your favorite episode?