The Netflix original series “Outer Banks” released its third season on February 23, and many fans were excited to binge the show. The show first came to Netflix during the height of the pandemic in April 2020 contributing to its popularity. The show takes place in Outer Banks, North Carolina, and has a suspenseful plot. The show focuses on the island being divided by social class, the wealthier are referred to as “Kooks” and the people from the rougher side of town as “Pogues.” Following a big storm, five teens; John B, Kie, JJ, Pope, and Sarah, take a boat out to find a sunken ship containing 400 million dollars. The show then starts with police chases, investigations, and teen relationships. The social divide is eventually broken because at the end of the day, every character wants the treasure, it is just a matter of who gets it first. 

As the first and second seasons follow the five teens looking for treasure, the teens face many obstacles. The show did a very good job of creating suspense, especially during police chases and adventures into the unknown for the treasure. At the end of the second season, the show left watchers with a cliffhanger, as the teens found a cryptic message sending them to a valuable artifact by a former character who was killed. This left many anxiously waiting to see if the five teens safely made it to the treasure. 

I was excited for the third season, as I was curious if they had finally found the treasure they were looking for. However, when I started the first few episodes of the show, I was left disappointed. The first episode of the third season begins with the “pogues” stranded on an island referred to as “Poguelandia.” This captured my attention, as it was a clear change of scenery. However, this plotline was immediately shot down within the first 30 minutes of the show as they were then rescued by a pilot. The storyline, and character development in the third season were slower compared to the previous seasons. The new season was also much more predictable, as it lacked creativity along with suspense. If the episodes did not drag into each other the season would have been much more enjoyable. The general storyline in the third season continued to tie back to the first and second seasons, lacking creativity. I was hoping they would be looking for a new treasure that would then introduce new characters and create character development. The only new main character introduced was ultimately a replacement for Ward Cameron (the original bad guy), as the show added another villain. However, you know the character will be the main antagonist within 30 minutes of watching the first episode, making the show predictable from the very beginning. 

It is clear that the third season is less action-packed and thrilling than the past two. It is known amongst audiences that the acting and storyline have never been top-notch; however, the excitement and adventure between the teens made up for it. In season three, the show lacked all of the above, putting the show’s flaws into the spotlight. Rather than the show being adventure-driven and a thriller, it turned out to be another soapy teen drama show added to Netflix. 

Overall, season 3 of “Outer Banks” was a letdown for fans and myself. Netflix could have done things differently to uphold the expectations and reputation of the show, and I was disappointed with the outcome. However, I will be looking forward to the release of season 4, which Netflix recently announced.