‘Outer Banks’ Review: Season 3 Might Just Be the Best Season Yet (2024)

*Warning: Spoilers ahead*

Attention my fellow Pogues and Kooks:Outer Banks season three is now streaming onNetflix, and I couldn’t be more excitedaboutthe latest installment. Yes, I’m one of the many people who completely fell in love with the drama when it first premiered in April 2020 and found myself watching the entire first season in one sitting. (I wish I was kidding.) Why am I so obsessed? The show has everything. Action? You betcha. Suspense? Of course. Teen angst? Yes, yes and yes.

But, in case you haven’t had the time to watch the show yet, here’s a quick rundown before diving into my Outer Banks season 3 review: The show follows a teenager named John B (played byChase Stokes) who enlists the help of his three best friends (known as the “Pogues”)to try andfindhis missing father, who mysteriously disappearedwhile searching for legendary treasure.

Fast forward to season three(aka our newest installment) andthe Pogues find themselves on a deserted island. Completely stranded, John B and his friendshave decidedto claim the island as their own, callingit “Poguelandia.” After watching the first two episodes of season three, I canhonestlysay that this new season is the best one yet. I knowit sounds like I’m just fangirling over here (and I am)but it really is that good.

The first episodeof the new seasonstarts with a one-month time jump, where we see our favorite group of friends—John B (Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Cleo (Carlacia Grant)—trying to survive on the deserted island. You see, the time jump occurs at the start of the third season because, in the previous installment, the Pogues find themselves lost at sea after trying to avoid getting captured by Ward Cameron (Charles Esten) and his son, Rafe (Drew Starkey). That’s when the group of teens stumble upon the deserted island, and we’re given a glimpse into their months of survival—hence the sudden jump to the present.

While in “Poguelandia,” we have a chance to see the special, genuine bond among the Pogue members that we've come to know and love in previous seasons. We seethecrew sit down and play an oh-so-scandalous game of truth ordare on the new beach. WewitnessJJ teach Kiara how to catch a fish. (Is it just us oraresome serious sparksflyingbetween the two of them?)

While the island may seem like a dreamy tropical paradise, the uncertainty of theirfutureloomsoverthe Pogues, andit leaves the viewer with an uneasy feeling. But, it seems that luck is on their side when a plane flies over the island and spots the castaways, landing to rescuethem.However, the teens start to put the pieces together and soon discover that their “knightinshining armor”has beenhired to find them. Could it beWard coming back to finish what he started?Or CarlaLimbrey (Elizabeth Mitchell), who is trying to take back what’s rightfully hers? For the sake of avoiding majorspoilers, the only thing I will say is the group of teenagers soon encounter a dangerous foe that’s even more terrifying than Ward and Carla combined, andI’llleave it at that.