The time has finally come, season three of “Outer Banks” has been released on Netflix. The show has been very popular over the last few years. Many people binged it during COVID-19 due to the fact that there was nothing else to do and this was a way to live vicariously through the Pogues and the Kooks. The Pogues are portrayed as the less wealthy people of the island while the Kooks are the rich who feel they are superior. 

The last season was left on a cliff-hanger and there were many questions which made this new season very anticipated. All of social media hyped it up, many TikToks were made, and everyone was ready to dive back into the world of main characters, Sarah Cameron, John B, JJ, Pope, and Kiara. 

In season three, their journey continues. After two seasons of searching for the Royal Merchant gold, they still haven’t been able to keep it in their possession. Although there were new cool elements to the season, like new characters and different settings, the plot line was basically the same. When the two groups clash, they always run into complications. Somehow, the group always ends up running away from something and does an awful job at being inconspicuous. 

This season does introduce a new blossoming romance between JJ and Kiara which I was super excited to see. However, I was a little disappointed in the way it turned out, mostly because the romance was barely focused on. This took away the excitement and made the season feel almost the same as the last. I feel as though the reason why the first season was so popular was because of the forbidden love between John B and Sarah. 

I wasn’t surprised that it was renewed for a fourth season, but I honestly don’t know what else the writers could write about that would keep the show from being boring and repetitive. The way the third season ended makes it seem like it’ll be the same set up as it has been already. 

Although the show did in fact make me miss summer and showed iconic elements of the first season peaking through, I still feel like this season lost its focus. I was expecting it to be similar to the original season where the main focus was on the meaning of true and unconditional friendship and the carefree lives they lived, but it fell short and turned into a treasure hunt.

The whole show feels very unrealistic because the characters are supposed to be teenagers, but are played by actors in their 20s and 30s, which creates a standard that is impossible to reach because no actual teenager looks like that. 

Overall, I think that this season wasn’t terrible. There were some exciting twists and turns and I think the new elements really contributed to making the season less boring and repetitive. There were just some parts I wish were more focused on and realistic because I feel like the show lost its original appeal and attraction. 

⅗ paws