Picture this: running through coarse sand, towards the scintillating blue horizon of the ocean, all while laughing with friends. Sounds like an activity people do in Ventura, California, right? But what if I said along with all of that, you were away from home and one of your friends got kidnapped? It may seem unusual to us, but not to the Pogues (the name of the show’s friend group) in the third season of the Netflix-original drama “Outer Banks” directed by Jonas Pate. Released on Feb. 23, 2023, it allures viewers by rekindling the friendships the second season ended with and bringing forth new adventures and characters. 

Synopsis

This season opens with John B. Rutledge (Chase Stokes), JJ (Rudy Pankow), Pope Heyward (Johnathan Daviss), Kiara “Kie” Carrera (Madison Bailey), Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline) and Cleo (Carlacia Grant), who are all a part of the Pogues, stranded on a deserted island that they name Poguelandia. They seem to have the time of their lives in Poguelandia as they scavenge for resources to help them survive, yet eventually they hope to return to their homes in the Outer Banks. One day, they see a plane flying over Poguelandia and get the pilot’s attention. However, when the Pogues hop into the plane, they gain suspicion of the pilot and crash the plane into a beach in Barbados. 

As the Pogues searched for help in the area after the crash, Kie gets kidnapped and sent to Carlos Singh’s (Andy McQueen) mansion, all because he desires a diary that the Pogues acquired when they found the Cross of Santo Domingo, Pope’s family heirloom that leads to the enchanted land of El Dorado. Moreover, Singh invites Sarah’s brother, Rafe Cameron (Drew Starkey), to his mansion to intimidate Kie, but later Singh locks Rafe and Kie in the same room because he can’t get the diary. This moment establishes Singh as the main villain of this season. 

Although Kie escapes Singh’s house and reunites with her friends, Singh seeks revenge. There are tense moments throughout the season when viewers think Singh will defeat the Pogues, but the Pogues always prove the viewers wrong with their spontaneous and imprudent plans. 

Review

As a viewer, I enjoyed following the Pogues’ adventures this season because it was interesting to see the solutions these teenage characters came up with to reach the treasure in El Dorado. Additionally, I enjoyed the two new romantic relationships that were formed between members of the Pogues this season. I, like many other viewers, have waited for this to happen since the second season, so it was absolutely worth waiting for the third season. 

Unfortunately, this season’s ending did not live up to my expectations. I’ll not give away too much of it, but two characters die at the end, and if you are thoroughly watching the season, you might even be able to predict this outcome ahead of time. The season also ended with an uneventful “cliffhanger,” but the “Outer Banks” Instagram page announced on Feb. 18, 2023 that a fourth season is coming. Hopefully, the upcoming season will expand and have an unexpected ending that will leave viewers wanting to watch more of the show. 

Despite the uninteresting ending, I recommend anyone, especially students of Foothill Technology High School, to watch the third season of “Outer Banks” because of the engrossing quests the Pogues go on, as well as the updates on the romantic relationships in the show that were targeted towards its teenage audience. This season once again highlights the importance of companionship, and I hope the show continues to do so in its future seasons as it engages viewers with an intriguing plot line and allows them to find comfort in it as a “feel-good” show.