It is unarguable that good writing can salvage or elevate even the most oft-repeated stories. When we started watching Season 1 of “Outer Banks,” we realized quickly enough that what makes this series based on a treasure hunt taken up by a few amateur teenagers so special is the seamless integration of details, not of the actual mystery but of the way the relationships between the characters intertwine with their motives and the ever-unpredictable weather of the Outer Banks. The writers evidently had a very keen awareness of what they were doing, and even the most inconsequential gags or details only served to enhance the narrative. For example, the scene in Episode 8 where the group breaks out into a fight only to be quieted down by JJ, which is actually his way of expressing his grief over never getting to meet his father again, not only brings together so many emotions but actually serves as a step in the protagonist’s character development.
Another instance from the same episode is that of the wasp nest. One might wonder at its relevance, but undeniably, it was its presence that helped the teens get the cross out of its position. While writing this scene, we are actually thinking about how the discussion in the writers’ room must have gone. The idea of having a wasp nest is so quirky yet so effective. It is shows like “Outer Banks” that validate our faith that there is hope for excellence after all in this era of content saturation. Carrying forward from a sharp Season 1, this is how the second season of “Outer Banks” plays out.
Spoilers Ahead
How Does John B Prove His Innocence?
Following the finale of “Outer Banks” Season 1, John B. and Sarah are going to Nassau on Captain Terrance’s boat, but when he discovers the bounty on John’s head, he decides to turn them in. Luckily, they escape, but Sarah wants John to stop trying to get the gold because she wants them to be safe. But John sees it as a way to prove his innocence since he needs money to get a lawyer and survive till he gets his old life back. While he unsuccessfully tries to steal the gold from Ward’s house, Sarah is kidnapped by the captain and his crew. To rescue her, John B gives them the melted gold biscuit and asks for their help in stealing the rest of it. This partnership gets tricky because the duo’s attempt to steal the gold backfires, so Sarah talks to the captain, who offers each of his crew members 10 million dollars if they help steal the gold. They are more successful this time around.
But unknown to Sarah and John, Ward Cameron has also come to the Bahamas. Back in the Outer Banks, the Pogues had set up a plan to clear John B’s name by scaring the pilot, Gavin, by telling him that they knew of his involvement in the murder of Sheriff Peterkin. Gavin tells Ward that he needs more money in exchange for giving him the murder weapon in his possession. Ward agrees to meet him, but he doesn’t have much money, which leads to a fight. Ward kills Gavin and loses the gun, which is retrieved by Kie by going into the gutter. When they give it to Shoupe, he doesn’t accept it as credible evidence, leaving the Pogues helpless once again.
Ward goes to the Bahamas with Rafe to take care of the gold. Sarah and John had found out from Wheezie the time and date when Ward was going to move the gold, and they stole it from him. Unfortunately, while escaping, Rafe shoots Sarah, though he is aiming for John B. Sarah is treated by a doctor known to Terrance, who tells the duo to meet him in a few hours on the ship. As luck would have it, the police have either killed or captured the captain and his crew and taken care of the gold. Cleo is the only person to escape, and she puts John B. and Sarah on a boat and asks them to escape. While everything is falling apart, a silver lining is that John and Sarah get married on the boat by making their vows to each other.
They find themselves in Charleston while on the way to the Outer Banks, where they meet the rest of their crew. They had come there because the Pope had received a letter from a certain Clara Limbrey that she had evidence that could prove John B innocent. Clara tells him that Denmark Tanny had brought freedom to his sons, but when he tried to do the same for his wife, she was shot dead by her owners as she was trying to escape. Denmark was killed because he had tried to bury his wife. She tells him that she wants the key to the Cross of Santo Domingo, which has been in possession of his family all this time. Pope has never heard of it, and when he tries to leave, it is clear that Clara doesn’t want him leading to another chase. It is at this time that the crew reunites and makes their way back to the Outer Banks.
Back home, Sarah goes to meet her dad and asks him to tell the truth as a last-ditch attempt. While he obviously disagrees, he sends the police after her, who follow her and find John B. He surrenders himself and ends up in prison, and it looks like he will most likely be sentenced to the death penalty. But before that can happen, Ward tries to have John killed in his prison cell, telling the officer to stage it like a suicide. But John is saved when the rest of the inmates are alerted to what is going on. JJ tries to break him out, but his plan is unsuccessful. But as it turns out, the apathy of Shoupe and the rest of the officers were just a deception so that they could investigate Ward Cameron in peace. They find that the gun the Pogues found was indeed the murder weapon, and that is enough to arrest Ward.
John B is cleared of all charges, and Cameron, knowing that there is no way out for him, blows himself up in his boat with everyone watching. He confesses to all his crimes and even takes the blame for the murder of Sheriff Peterkin to let his son off the hook. While this problem is behind them, Sarah breaks up with Jon as she needs time to process everything that has happened, and she is unable to lean on John as he wouldn’t be able to support her in her grief when he hated her father for what he had done to John’s family.
A New Adventure
While Kiara’s parents put her out of the house due to her irresponsibility towards them, Pope discovers that he is the descendant of Denmark Tanny. He receives the key from his great-grandmother, and when Carla and her half-brother Renfield try to take it from them, they outsmart them with a fake key, though that is a temporary victory. Clara is dying, and she believes that the Cross of Santo Domingo houses a biblical garment that can cure all ailments.
After Renfield retrieves the key from the Pogues by placing them under threat of their lives, the next step is for them to find the island room. Clara finds that in Sarah’s home, where an entire room is the map of the island, which has been hidden beneath the wallpaper all this time; when Sarah sees that, she and the Pogues figure out that the treasure must be at the base of the Angel Oak tree on Goat Island. When they reach there, they find that Clara has started the excavation, though all she finds is the grace of Cecilia Tanny, Denmark’s wife. Disappointed, she decides to try again. When they leave the place, the Pogues bury Cecilia once again so as not to leave her grave defiled. That is when they discover the clue to the treasure, which is in a church.
As we mentioned before, there is a scene where John B is bitten by an alligator while he, Pope, and Sarah are waiting for Kiara and JJ, who have gone to steal the former’s dad’s truck, to pull their bus, Twinkie, out of the swamp. The two of them meet JJ’s father on the way, and JJ helps him escape the island, probably never to see him again. Once the group is together again, they make their way to the church and find the cross hidden in one of the beams. But before they can take it with them, they have to get medical help for Pope, who has been stung by the aforementioned wasps.
None of the delays should have mattered except that Topper, whom we sometimes find endearing only to remember how obsessive he can be, had installed a tracker on Sarah’s phone. Rafe sees it and finds out that she is on Goat Island, where he had been a few hours before trying to find the cross. He figures out what is going on and takes away the cross before the Pogues can return for it. But that is not the biggest disappointment of the night. Clara finds that the garment she had been looking for all this time is not within the cross. When Renfield laughs at her and tries to go away with the cross, she shoots him. But Rafe, who has been helping Clara all this time for the money he could get from the cross, leaves her stranded and makes off with it.
As for the Pogues, John and Sarah make up, and when they are on their mission to retrieve the cross, Sarah is kidnapped by her mother and taken away on a ship, where it turns out that her father is alive after all, and they are all escaping to make a new life somewhere else. But another surprise for everyone is that the rest of the Pogues are also on the ship, for the cross, and for Sarah. Remember Cleo from Episodes 1 and 2? She is on the ship. After a series of altercations, all the pogues and Cleo end up on a deserted island, which they name Poguelandia, and presumably make their home for the foreseeable future. As for the Outer Banks, Clara meets up with Big John i.e., John B’s father who was presumed to be dead. The fact that he has survived is the biggest shock, as it was his disappearance that kicked off the entire chain of events of the two seasons. He tells Clara that she must help John B. if she wants him to do what she wants.
What Can We Expect From Season 3 Of ‘Outer Banks’?
If we are being honest, this cliffhanger scares us. “Outer Banks” is a series with some really amazing writing and a very well-knit storyline. We are scared that the writers might be getting a bit too fanciful and allowing the plots to start being absurd and not in the tasteful way they have been so far. Rafe and Ward have the cross and the gold, but knowing that it is the legacy of Denmark Tanny, the pogues’ need to get the treasure is a matter of pride and justice and not just the money. Additionally, despite Ward being such a villain, something about Clara scares us a lot, and we don’t believe that Big John is an entirely positive character. There are tough times ahead for the Pogues, especially Kiara, who is in danger of being sent away to a boarding school for “troubled teens” the moment she steps foot on the Outer Banks.
Rafe’s jealousy towards his sister is growing day by day and combined with the need to gain his father’s approval, there is no telling how ruthless he is going to be with the rest of the pogies in order to bring Sarah back for the family. We also expect to see something supernatural in “Outer Banks” Season 3. After all, the reference to the garment hints at that. Either way, despite the characters running around a bit too much for our taste, the script and the actors have delivered beautifully, and we cannot wait to see if “Outer Banks” Season 3 keeps up with that or turns out to be a letdown by trying to do too much.
