Warning! Spoilers ahead!

The wait is finally over! After more than a year and a half, the newest season of Outer Banks became available on February 23. Did it live up to expectations or was it a let down?

Characters

Mo Says: My thoughts on the characters from last season have completely changed after watching this season. My favorite relationship that developed that I’ve been waiting for is between JJ and Kiara, and I am so glad they finally decided to express their love for each other after waiting for so long. I also really like the relationship between Cleo and Pope because they have great chemistry and work really well together. Something I am really disappointed with is the fact that Sarah Cameron cheated on John B. They have been together since the first season, and I feel like it was very unnecessary for them to add that twist. At first, I was really excited to see John B and his dad reunite, but that excitement was quickly replaced with frustration and boredom because he was my least favorite character. Overall, I think there was a lot of character development but mostly in a negative way.

Nick Says: I also felt the characters let me down this season. I wasn’t excited about Kiara and JJ or Cleo and Pope. We aren’t 5 years old anymore. It’s ok if some people are single; not everybody needs a buddy. I thought it was way too convenient that all of the characters paired off. Everyone didn’t need to be in a relationship for me to feel like they were in a good place at the end of the season. I also feel like some of the characters’ personalities have majorly changed since earlier seasons and not for the better. For example, Pope used to really care about school and his academic future, and he used to be the brains behind the group. This season he was just there, and none of the plans this season came from Pope. He was boring, and those things that made him unique are gone. I liked Cleo as a character, but her purpose seemed to be to keep Pope in check, and Pope is supposed to be the one who doesn’t need someone to keep him in check. I agree with Mo about John B’s father. While I was happy for John B that they reunited, his father was a huge disappointment. He was completely selfish and cared more about the treasure than his son.

Plot

Mo Says: Outer Banks is such a good show but what happened to the young, wild, and free plotline? The entire season was based on finding El Dorado and there was little air time for going on a boat and hanging out on the beach which are the fun moments I enjoy most about the series. I also disliked how all the characters were always separated from each other. I find the plot so much more interesting and enjoyable when they all work together and are united. The treasure hunt will always be intriguing but, much like John B’s dad, the plot was based on finding the gold and paid little attention to the characters.

Nick Says: Kooks vs. Pogues? Or Pogues against the world? Like the characters, I thought that the plot this season did not stay true to its Kooks vs. Pogues appeal. I liked the fact that the Pogues were still hunting treasure, but it felt like the treasure hunt was packed into the last 1 or 2 episodes. The rest of the season was consumed by the characters running from bad guys all over the world. This season was overloaded with bad guys: Rafe, Topper, Ward, Singh and his henchmen, the sheriff, Kiara’s parents, the people at Kitty Hawk camp, Barry the drug dealer… Only Rafe and Topper kept the Kooks vs. Pogues theme going. I also didn’t like that the mysteries were not solved by the group. Instead, parts of it were solved by pairs of characters. I agree with Mo that the season was way too serious and didn’t have enough time spent on the fun the characters have together.

Ending

Mo Says: All this work to find the gold and they only get so little of it? I was really annoyed that they spent so much time on getting to the point where they have the gold physically in their hands but they only came out of it with so little. I was really happy that John B’s dad was killed off because I feel like he would’ve dragged the show in the upcoming seasons. Although they left us with an ending of another treasure hunt I think it would have been more interesting if they ended up filthy rich and had a season based around that. I felt like the first couple of episodes were slow and the finale was completely rushed. In the last episode, so much happened and for them to be faced upon another treasure hunt after I barely processed what happened moments before had the show moving at a very fast pace. I wish they included more depth in the earlier episodes rather than throwing it all together at the very end.

Nick Says: First of all, I was glad that the group finally walked away from a treasure hunt with some treasure. In the last few seasons, the fact that they lost the treasures after doing all the work gave you a reason to come back for more, but the same plot line again would have been disappointing. I disagree with Mo about them not getting the whole treasure at El Dorado. If they’d gotten it all, they wouldn’t have any reason to keep hunting treasure, which is what is fun about the show. They’d have had no reason to accept the job from the man who approached them at the end of the last episode, and there’d be no Season 4. I have to agree with Mo about John B’s dad. I’m glad he and Ward Cameron won’t be around for the next season. John B’s dad totally dragged the group down and divided them, and Ward’s antics were getting old.

Overall Impression

Mo Says: Looking back, I thought this season was action packed and thrilling but the first two seasons captured the characters more which I enjoy most about the show. This show has such great characters which makes it unlike other shows and I think they should use that advantage in future seasons. I am very excited to see where this journey continues and I am glad it is already renewed for a fourth season.

Nick Says: I was a little let down by Season 3. Season 1 set the bar extremely high, so it was going to be difficult for Seasons 2 and 3 to live up to it. Season 2 did a better job of staying true to the characters and the way they solve problems as a group. I thought Season 3 had a completely different feel with the characters separated a lot, more focus on couples’ relationships, and less focus on their chemistry as a group.