Ollie Piazza
This season kicks off with the Pogues stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere. After running away in hunt of the lost treasure the past two seasons they have been stuck for about a month now. We are greeted with our usual characters John B, Sarah, JJ, Kiara, Pope, and Cleo.
Quickly into the first episode the gang is faced with great danger, of what seems to be a rescue plane, but actually was sent to kidnap them. Outer Banks is infamous for keeping us on our toes and for always keeping it exciting. However the kidnapping wasn’t done by our usual suspect, Ward Cameron, instead a new sort of villain is introduced to us this season, Mr. Singh.
As time carries on the story line follows the suit of the young gang searching for mysterious treasure. However the biggest twist of the season would be John B being reunited with his father, who leads the charge in trying to find the lost treasure of El Dorado.
While I found this season interesting and very fitting of the Outer Banks theme, I found it not as exciting as the last two seasons. Things seemed to drag on and it did not seem like we had as much character development like we have in the past. It seemed as though this season was so focused on the treasure it lacked in the stories of the characters and their bond like we saw in the past. To me the characters are what I liked about the show and their relationships, not the actual adventure of trying to find hidden treasure.
Part of me felt as though this season was a remake of the first one but just centered around John B’s father. I found John B’s dad to be very selfish and until the last 30 minutes of the season I had honestly wished they hadn’t brought him back. The show was too focused on him getting his way and there was almost no conflict really between the father and son. Yes some gripes were shared here and there but overall John B sort of just followed his father around and ditched the rest of the Pogues.
I think the part I found the most frustrating of this season was knowing that Chase Stokes (John B) and Madelyn Cline (Sarah Cameron) really are not together in real life anymore. A part of me did not want this romance to continue in the show if it was not real outside the show. I think too that it did show a little bit how the couple’s relationship and acting was hindered because of the romance ending between them off camera.
What I did enjoy this season is how the bond between JJ and Kiara was built and handled. JJ has always been one of my personal favorites of the show. He seemed to be a forgotten character or a side character in the last two seasons, but in this one his character really comes to life and we learn a lot about him. I think another highlight of this season is the development of Topper. I was happy to see the difference they made in the beginning of the season but then quickly changed it up towards the end still making him seem to be a bad guy.
Overall, I found this season to be entertaining but not Netflix’s best season of the show. I am excited to see where they take it from here, now knowing that there will be a fourth season produced. Will the treasure hunting continue? Or will we be surprised with a new twist on the show and the characters? The ending of season three set the writers up for the opportunity for a fresh start for the Pogues and I hope they intend on using it to their advantage.
