Following the premiere of the first season of Outer Banks in 2020, it appeared Netflix had struck gold with the teen drama. Madelyn Cline, Madison Bailey, and Rudy Pankow emerged as stars while the show’s popularity among teens grew to new heights. However, following the third season, it seems to be losing its magic.
“Welcome to Poguelandia”
This season picks off right where season two left us, with our main characters stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean. Their stay is short-lived, as they are quickly rescued and taken to the island of Barbados, where things kick into full gear. This is where we welcome this season’s new threat, Carlos Singh (Andy McQueen). The new conflict between the Pogues and Singh is the main focus of the season and leads us to the search for El Dorado. Singh’s addition to this show is a much sought-after breath of fresh air into this show and helps drive the plot in a new way after a repetitive season two.
The story this season had the potential to be great. With the new addition of Big John Rutledge (Charles Halford) and the new heated dynamic between Rafe (Drew Starkey) and Ward Cameron (Charles Esten), there was a lot to look forward too. However, as the season progresses, the story seems to lose its direction, as well as its excitement.
This lack of direction leads to a couple of plot holes, and little to no stakes in the season’s final stretch. The main characters never really feel in danger, leading to predictability and a failure to hit the same highs as previous seasons.
Pogue 4 life
Despite some flaws, Madison Bailey and Drew Starkey give great performances. The two have amazing chemistry and their dynamic in the first two episodes is truly intriguing. It definitely could have been utilized more throughout the season, as they work great together and make it hard to look away. Hoping for more Kiara and Rafe in the future!
In terms of dialogue, the writing is the weakest from the series thus far. Phrases like “you know” and “boy” were probably said over 50 times throughout the season, and most of the time by the same characters. It’s not clear if this was intentional or not, but it quickly became annoying and repetitive, and a detriment to the characters themselves. Some of the main characters that audiences are supposed to support come off as unlikable and create a big issue going into the latter half of the season.
The search for gold continues in Outer Banks?
Although the ending of this season is very anti-climatic and confusing, it seems to lead to the idea of a fourth season. Considering that Outer Banks was #1 on the top Netflix Shows in-app chart the same day it released, the show is definitely popular. It should come as no surprise that Netflix is interested in keeping this show going, regardless of how well it played out.
What did you think of Outer Banks Season 3? Let me know on Twitter and make sure to check out the Fandom Academy podcast with new episodes every Tuesday!
