DISCLAIMER: This article contains minor spoilers for Outer Banks, specifically season four part one.
Outer Banks returned to headlines and Netflix’s Top 10 list last week after the premiere of its newest episodes.
The show begins focused on four friends living in Kildare County, North Carolina: John B. (Chase Stokes), JJ (Rudy Pankow), Kiara (Madison Bailey) and Pope (Jonathan Daviss). They are the Pogues: a name given for the poor side of the island, in contrast to the Kooks: the extremely wealthy. This class divide is the center of a lot of their problems, but also kickstarts an elaborate treasure hunting adventure. Through new friendships with Sarah (Madelyn Cline) and Cleo (Carlacia Grant), the treasure hunting chronicles take them underground, underwater and to the Bahamas and back throughout the first three seasons.
With the release of Outer Banks’ season four part one on Thursday, October 10, it’s no wonder the show has made its way back into discussion (and TikTok algorithms). Fans are speculating about the first part’s surprise revelations and where the second half of the season, which arrives on Netflix on November 7, will help the Pogues end up.
Will they finally take one last sigh of relief and complete their treasure hunting quests for good? Will this season be the last season? There’s a lot resting on the cliffhanger we’re left with at the end of part one.
I am an avid Outer Banks fan. I’ve watched every season immediately upon its release since April of 2020, when the first season pulled me out of the pandemic slump and encouraged me to keep looking forward to sunkissed memories on the horizon. It’s made me closer to my friends, it’s made closer to summer, it’s made me appreciate the little things more… It’s also definitely made me itch for a road trip to Charleston in the coming years.
The newest season brought back the best parts of the show, while also introducing some intriguing plot twists and character development.
The first five episodes of the fourth season give viewers a new approach to the Pogue treasure hunt. With the introduction of Blackbeard’s captain’s log, we enter a place we haven’t been before. This season definitely feels the most like a tribute to The Goonies and Indiana Jones: The treasure hunting trope takes on a whole new meaning. While this did seem a bit out of left field at the end of season three, they somehow made it work. At this point, what else could they do? There’s only so many ways that the writers and creators of the show could recreate the true mystery of the first season without it becoming incessantly boring and repetitive. I think this was the clever way to keep the story going, to make the world bigger than the Pogues themselves.
With the introduction of Blackbeard and his captain’s log, the story can better accommodate supporting characters that otherwise would not contribute.
While the new characters introduced so far this season are my least favorite in the show’s history, they do bring a lot of that exciting mysteriousness to the adventure. Beginning with Wes Generette, the old man who first approached them with the Captain’s Log, we are shown the true impact of the Pogue’s discovery of El Dorado. The old man invites the crew to his home on Goat Island, an eerie assimilation of fog and bad luck: Wes believes that he and his family are cursed through a direct relation to the man who killed Blackbeard and his wife Elizabeth. He offers the Pogues money to find an amulet that will supposedly protect him.
The Pogues find the amulet, but Wes dies anyway. Now, the speculation lies within whether the curse is real, or if there’s someone else who murdered him, lurking in the shadows.
His son-in-law, Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane), is a weird guy. He’s antsy and causes skepticism of whether the Pogues should even take the deal. He and Wes have an odd fascination with JJ immediately upon meeting him (for reasons later revealed in the final episode of part one).
Hollis Robinson (Brianna Brown), a successful realtor who takes an interest in Sarah’s brother Rafe (Drew Starkey), wants to strike a deal with him for a property venture on Goat Island. She was a friend of Ward’s (the late Cameron patriarch who, after a lot of back-and-forth, died a heroic death in the season three finale) and claims to want to help Rafe throughout the period after his father’s death. Her kindness, to me, seems fake.
All of these characters seem sinister. Maybe that’s the point, but they’re not as downright unlikeable as Ruthie (Mia Challis), Topper’s (Austin North) new girlfriend, or Lightner (Rigo Sanchez), the dangerous treasure hunter hot on the Pogue’s trail. Their storylines seem half-baked so far. I know they likely serve a purpose in Part Two, but they don’t really connect with me on the first go-around.
Speaking of Part Two, why are there two parts to begin with? One of my biggest pet peeves is when a franchise splits the newest installment into segments. The second part of this season comes out less than a month after the first. What’s the point in waiting? Give the people (me) what they want - give us the full season!
There is one highlight of this season that I adored, which was the true nature of the Pogues: The found family.
While this has always been present in Outer Banks, the beginning of season four specifically focuses on highlighting the Pogues’ togetherness. In the 18 months between their return and the introduction to the captain’s log, they finally have a chance to be (somewhat) normal teenagers.
The Pogues build their own business and home, where there’s a place for all six of them. They named it Poguelandia as a homage to the name they gave the island they were stranded on at the beginning of season three. They’re at college age (and most of them have a difficult relationship with their parents, anyway) so the moving out isn’t a surprise. The choice to have them stay together, though, is incredibly touching. There was so much time spent on the physical and metaphorical rebuilding of Poguelandia.
There’s time spent on the youthful, fun vibe that the show began with, where they finally have a chance to act like kids.
Because, let’s be honest, they haven’t had a ton of time to be kids. Between their familial trauma and growing up in economic distress, they already had a tough draw. Add in the treasure hunting? They’ve already touched gloves with death more times than I can count and never seem to have a chance to recover.
The backstory into the time skip finally gives them a semblance of that chance.
The glimpses into new relationships also had something for everyone. There was the long awaited introduction of JJ and Kiara as a couple this season, along with more from Pope and Cleo. Sarah and John B. return as a fan-favorite couple who have seemingly worked through all their issues. There’s also the first look at Rafe’s relationship with Sofia (Fiona Palomo), a Pogue who works at the country club he frequents. Each character plays a surprisingly large role in the show’s plot, rather than being reduced to their contribution to their relationship. So far, these pairings are exactly what the fans have been so excited for.
The show also reminded viewers that the couples weren’t the only reason the Pogues were friends. There are funny and endearing moments between JJ and Pope, Kiara and John B., Cleo and JJ, etc. that truly build the community of the show and boost the “Pogues for Life,” motto they all live by.
While each season of Outer Banks relies on plot twists, this season takes the cake for having the most. Within the first five episodes alone, there is so much happening: Each character seems to have their own plot twist, on top of the collective treasure hunting plot twists. This season is not one you can watch in the background of doing other things as successfully. You really have to pay attention. Otherwise, you’ll probably be incredibly confused.
One of my only criticisms is that while the best parts of each character return, the show occasionally goes back on valuable elements of their personalities for the sake of the story. The characters act out of character (or, out of pure stupidity) in order to move the plot forward. JJ loses all the Pogue’s money in the span of half an episode out of pure impulse. Pope lets Cleo wander off by herself in the middle of the night, resulting in her kidnapping. While some of these things can be considered “in character,” some of them are definitely not. JJ is impulsive, but he’s not dumb. Even if he were to bet the money, one of the other Pogues definitely would have stopped him before he could do it. Cleo would be able to defend herself. Pope would never let anyone wander off alone in the middle of the night - his anxious nature and general self-awareness so prevalent in the rest of the show would absolutely prevent him from doing so.
Those are just a few examples. Maybe I’m biased because they’re some of my favorite characters, but there’s a difference between a character’s growth and a change in their personality that’s so out of left field, it negates everything we’ve grown to love about them. Some of the scenes place a bit too much importance on the plot.
We’re left with a shocking revelation about JJ’s family at the end of the first part. Despite the third season ending with an uncommon Pogue success, they are once again “back in the G-game” (and back in danger). We’re left with half the group in Charleson, some still stuck underneath a cemetery, and half the group trying to unravel their pasts in Kildare. From the trailers for Part Two alone, viewers can tell that they end up in Morocco, but there are still so many questions left unanswered. Who all makes it to Morocco? What happens when they get there? Do they find Blackbeard’s treasure, or is it all a ploy?
While I’m disappointed I have to wait until November 7 to discover their fate, this first part of the new season was actually pretty close to being exactly what I hoped for. I encourage you to dive back into Outer Banks and watch the newest installment. There’s plenty of time to catch up before Part Two drops in November!
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