The highly anticipated fourth season of Outer Banks has been released, with the first five episodes premiering on Thursday, October 10, and the remaining half just released on November 7. With new mysteries, settings, romance, and drama, Season 4 of OBX is the most engaging and rewarding.
Outer Banks, known to fans as OBX, is a Netflix original series that takes place on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and follows a group of teenagers known as “the Pogues” who become caught in a thrilling treasure hunt. They work tirelessly, uncovering mysterious clues to chase a large fortune. The show, initially released on April 15, 2020, was an immediate hit among teens and adults alike.
The series follows four main characters: John B Routledge, the charismatic narrator (played by Chase Stokes); J.J. Maybank, the surfer and troubled teenage boy (Rudy Pankow); Pope Hayward, the intelligent student (Jonathan Davis); and Kiara Carrera, the animal lover (Madison Bailey). This group of four teenagers standing on the working class side of the Outer Banks call themselves the Pogues.
On the other side of this class divide are the wealthy, elite class that the Pogues call the Kooks. Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline), a wealthy Kook, helps the Pogues’ on their quest. Throughout the series, Sarah and John B become romantically involved, with fans invested in their ever-evolving relationship.
If you are anticipating watching Outer Banks in the near future, stop now! From this point on there will be spoilers for the first three seasons of the show.
Throughout the three seasons, the teens uncover mysteries as they fight for treasures and riches. With the first season consisting of a treasure hunt, the second revolving around a dangerous race to claim a golden cross, and the third emerging with a high stakes adventure to find the lost city of gold, Outer Banks builds suspense each season. By incorporating new “treasure hunts” each season, Outer Banks drew me in, urging me to question who was telling the truth, what certain clues meant, and how the Pogues would be able to escape certain trouble.
At the end of Season three, released in 2023, viewers, including me, were left in shock after two major characters died and the Pogues’ longtime quest ended. After finding El Dorado and claiming riches, it appeared as if the series was over. However, the explosive finale of Season three concludes with an 18-month time jump and a mysterious man proposing a new mystery for the Pogues. At the time, it was clear to me that the mystery was not over…not yet.
Hence, Season four had major expectations to fulfill for me. Without the main mystery that had hooked readers for three seasons, what would entertain the fans? I was skeptical of how the Outer Banks team would execute this difficult task.
Yet, as always, they managed to draw me in with a new, deeply captivating mystery and higher stakes than ever.
Wes Genrette, the wealthy Kook who approached the Pogues at the end of Season three, reveals to the group that he is searching for Blackbeard’s treasure in order to break his family’s generational curse. In exchange for finding Blackbeard’s ambulate, Wes offers a sizable prize. After blowing all their newfound riches on a business idea and foolish gambling (classic rash teenagers), the Pogues are forced to take up this treasure hunt and search for Blackbeard’s treasure.
Throughout the drama’s new season, the Pogues go on a series of perilous adventures in captivating settings. Part One of the season takes place on the Outer Banks and in Charleston, South Carolina. However, Pogues travel to Morocco in the final five episodes, searching for the final piece of the puzzle: the Blue Crown, the most valuable piece of Blackbeard’s treasure.
After watching the new season, some fans criticized the chemistry between two of the characters: JJ and Kiara. Since the first season, the couple developed feelings for each other and, much later, began dating. Their swoon-worthy romance is loved by many, though some complain that their relationship fell short this season. However, I disagree. While I do understand that Kiara and JJ’s relationship seems more tense amidst the extreme plot, I believe that this helps add a sense of realism to a somewhat unrealistic show. What makes OBX appeal to so many people is that it offers an escape from reality, while maintaining real-life relationships. The good, the bad, the simple, and the complicated, OBX is unafraid to portray it. While some viewers dislike these stylistic elements, I think that the complex romances and friendships are one of the main strengths of Season four.
Season four ends in a dramatic plot twist, which has left some fans enraged and many completely shocked. Still, Outer Banks Season Four impressed me; the gripping and action-packed episodes were even more thrilling than before. Furthermore, the romantic subplots, Pogue-Kook tension, and classic teenage drama did not disappoint. As of now, Season 5 has been confirmed, but no other details have been released.
Cover Image Source: Netflix
Indresh Chandel 