The pandemic continues to take a toll on all of us, but nothing provides a more enjoyable distraction than grabbing some blankets, snacks, and binge watching a Netflix show. Right smack in the beginning of the lock down, Outerbanks, released on April 15th, 2020, seemed the perfect quarantine show, filled with the adventure and thrill that most people miss.
Set in North Carolina, the show takes viewers on a wild ride with four reckless teenages who go on a hunt for the long-lost treasure. After his father was declared dead, the main character, John B (Chase Stokes) picks up on his father’s mission of finding gold rumoured to be on a sunken ship called the Royal Merchant. We liked the idea of a treasure hunt, although the narrative of finding treasure is overused, the writers found a way to weave it into the characters' storylines easily. John B’s friends - JJ (Rudy Pankow), Kiara (Madison Bailey), and Pope (Jonathan Davis) - have a special bond that we found joy watching, because they can be described as the epitome of what a friend group should be. Each of the side characters had their own background as well, and seeing them reveal deep aspects of themselves made us see connections within the characters and the plot.
Their group and others on the island make up the Pogues, the slums who live on the run-down part of the island and who have to work to survive. The Kooks are the complete opposite, filthy rich with loads of inheritance. The rivalry between the sides of the island became extremely important in the plot, as it was used to explain how John B didn’t only have a treasure to find, but enemies to deal with. Later as the story progresses we the viewers learn the differences between each character and how it brings them together during unusual times.
Sarah Cameron, (Madelyn Cline) the “Kook Princess,” joins the pogues after falling in love with John B. The villain of the story, Ward Cameron (Charles Esten) competes with John B and his friends to locate the gold and ends up exposing the truth about Big John’s disappearance. The writers had Ward make John B and his friends life a living hell, but the scenes between them had fighting, tension, incredible and an emotional effect on the viewers like ourselves.
The second season, recently released on July 31st, 2021, pans into the Pogues being split up with their plotlines taking them in different directions. This season focuses on issues like what happens after drug abuse, bad parenting, near death experiences, losing a friend, and much more. The portrayal of these issues really made this teen drama different from the rest, giving teens a sense and feel of what some children go through throughout their lives. John B and Sarah get stuck in the Bahamas while back home in the Outer Banks JJ, Kie, and Pope get themselves into another adventure to find Pope’s ancestors' gold cross. With the near death experience that Sarah faced while being in the Bahamas, John B and Sarah decide to flee the Bahamas and try to get back home. The group eventually meets in the middle, and works together to find what was stolen from them. The season ends on a huge cliffhanger, and leaves us aching for another season.
The show does a unique take on friendship, love, relationships that fall back into friendships, adventure, and drama. The writers of the show also do an amazing job showing the dark sides of teenage life like drug abuse, bad parenting, near death experience, losing all sense of reality and hurting loved ones. Many people who watch the show have also seen a pattern in the seasons on who the writers focus on. The first season mainly focuses on the main character, John B, and his journey uncovering secrets of his past. However, in the second season, the show goes more in depth of Pope’s life: who his family is and why the gold from the Royal Merchant is important to him. We hope to see this continue in the coming seasons, with Kiara and JJ’s perspectives explored.
Instead of staying true to the traditional, cheesy teen soap opera tropes, the show doesn’t venture into love triangles, high school drama/cliques (mainly because the characters never go to school), or love at first sight. The characters have a bond with one another that can be felt on and off screen. The complexity of the story and characters are refreshing and make the show one-of-a-kind.
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