Outer Banks Recap: 10 Biggest Things To Remember Before Season 4

As Outer Banks season 4 drops on Netflix, it’s important to rewind to season 3 and remember where the show left off. Outer Banks will continue to focus on the Pogues, romance, and quests that offer a unique look into real-life history. Now home in the titular Outer Banks with a massively successful discovery under their belt, the Pogues find themselves are about to embark on another mission.

Last season, the Pogues of Outer Banks journeyed in search of El Dorado. The quest resulted in the death of one of the show’s original villains, Ward Cameron, and the gold that would lift several of the Pogues out of poverty on Kildare Island. These developments, along with several other key events, provide the framework for the character arcs sure to follow in Outer Banks season 4.

14 The Pogues Started Last Season In Barbados

The Crew Narrowly Escaped Ward Cameron In Season 2 And Washed Up On An Island

At the start of season 3, the Pogues are on a remote island, which they have nicknamed Poguelandia. While the group enjoys the freedom of the island, they also worry about their isolation, and are rescued by a pilot named Jimmy. However, it is quickly revealed that Jimmy has sinister intentions and intends to kidnap them. The group manages to force a crash landing on Barbados, where all but Kiara Carrera escape.

Kiara is then brought to the mansion of the mysterious Carlos Singh, who is clearly involved in a shady business. To make matters worse, Kiara also runs into none other than Rafe Cameron, who has notoriously put the group in harm’s way throughout the show’s three seasons. Rafe is meeting Carlos in an attempt to sell him the melted-down gold from the Cross of Santo Domingo, which he stole from Pope Heyward in season 2.

Singh is after Denmark Tanny’s diary, which John B.’s high school history teacher, Mr. Sunn, was originally in possession of. Tanny’s diary included key information about finding the lost city of El Dorado, which historians and treasure hunters alike had been decoding for centuries. In the meantime, he is also hoping to cut a deal with Rafe on the first batch of gold. Singh is involved because he wants to finish the quest that his enslaved ancestors started, avenging them by finding the lost treasure at El Dorado in South America.

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12 The Lore Of Denmark Tanny And The Royal Merchant

The Group Found And Lost The Show’s Original Treasure

Back in season 1, 17-year-old John B. Routledge is evading Child Protective Services after his father, Big John, a historian, has gone missing. The locals all presume that Big John is dead, though his body is never located. Big John’s life’s work was in locating the Royal Merchant, a ship that was believed to have sunk with a hefty treasure. However, the Outer Banks group realize that Denmark Tanny survived the shipwreck, and therefore the treasure is actually buried on Kildare Island.

Pope, hoping to learn more about Tanny, who is his ancestor, hunts down Tanny’s Cross of Santo Domingo, which is found in a local chapel, but is stolen by the greedy Ward family. Tanny was an enslaved man turned abolitionist activist who kept a diary of his life and travels, which Pope deciphers throughout the show. The devastating loss of this treasure in turn sparks the events of season 3, in which the group first land themselves in the Caribbean.

11 Big John And John B. Briefly Reunited

Big John Calls Out To John B. Using A Bell Tone From His Childhood

After a successful rescue mission that frees Kiara from Singh, John B. refuses to board the rescue vessel with the crew after hearing an oddly specific bell toll that he remembers his father using during his childhood. Throughout Outer Banks, John B. is haunted by his father’s disappearance, eager to understand what happened to him. As it turns out, Big John is alive and in hiding after being threatened by Ward Cameron and the many other parties after the precious treasure.

The father and son have an emotional reunion, and Big John’s knowledge is what guides the group to South America in search of the mother-of-all-treasures – El Dorado. Unfortunately, this season 3 reunion was short-lived. At the conclusion of season 3 of Outer Banks, Big John dies after bleeding out from a gunshot wound fired by Singh (who was also in search of the treasure). Luckily, before his tragic death, he is able to see El Dorado and the gold for himself.

10 What Is El Dorado?

Why The Lost City Is So Important

El Dorado, or, The City of Gold, is a storied treasure trove in the Orinoco Basin, Venezuela, first described by a Spanish soldier 450 years before the events of Outer Banks. The first clue the group discovers connected to this mysterious city of gold is the Cross of Santo Domingo, which they track down from the previous season. After a dispute at the entrance of the cave believed to hold El Dorado, Singh holds John B. and Sarah Cameron at gunpoint.

Big John uses dynamite to blow up the cave holding Singh, allowing Sarah and John B. to escape. Singh dies in the explosion, and Sarah’s father, Ward Cameron, additionally sacrifices himself to save her and the Pogues, after one of Singh’s henchmen attempts to attack them. After the deadly battle to reach the storied cave, luckily, it turns out El Dorado is real. The crew grabs some gold for themselves and gathers information on the historical site before heading back to Kildare Island.

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8 Where The Romances Of Outer Banks Stand

The Show’s 18-Month Time Jump Reveals What Happens When They Get Home

The group returns after their South America adventure to a hero’s welcome, both locally and nationally. Pope uses his money to fund his college education, and is still in a relationship with Cleo Anderson, who the group first met in Barbados. Despite some problems throughout the harrowing events of the season, it appears that John B. and Sarah are still going strong after their symbolic marriage in Poguelandia, and now run a surf shop.

One of the biggest mysteries going into season 4 of Outer Banks will be if JJ Maybank is still in a relationship with Kiara. The longtime friends reunite with a passionate kiss after he rescues Kiara from a wilderness camp her parents sent her to due to her long-term truancy from school and involvement with the Pogues. JJ is seen using his money to buy a new boat, while Kiara is seen participating in environmental conservation work. It is unclear if they are still together 18 months past El Dorado, but viewers will likely get answers in season 4.

7 The Cryptic Pogue Meeting About Blackbeard’s Treasure

Where The Journey Could Go This Season

At the end of a ceremony honoring the Pogues’ big discovery, an unknown older man comes up to the group, presenting them with artifacts he is seeking assistance in deciphering in connection to the myth of Blackbeard’s treasure. In keeping with the Outer Banks tradition of including real North Carolina history in the show, Blackbeard was a real pirate, who died in a battle near Ocracoke Island in the region.

This brief yet pivotal moment in the season 3 finale of Outer Banks sets up the upcoming quest for Blackbeard’s treasure. Now armed with knowledge of one of the most elusive legends in the world, the crew’s talents are returning to their Carolina roots. The man’s identity will likely also be explored in season 4, and it remains unclear what his motive in finding the treasure is just yet.

6 Rafe Won The Battle But Lost The War

Rafe Cameron Inherits The Family Fortune, But Loses His Father In The Process

Rafe is Outer Banks resident unhinged yet complex villain. Desperate to win the approval of his harsh father, Ward, Rafe often finds himself in the eye of the storm when it comes to his father’s sketchy business dealings. These often land him on the opposite side of his sister Sarah Cameron, who is now married to Pogue John B. The familial drama adds a unique layer to Rafe’s villainy.

Rafe is not shown in the Outer Banks season 3 finale, though viewers know that upon Ward’s death, the loyal Rafe is likely to seek vengeance on his father’s killers. Part of this revenge could include beating the Pogues to Blackbeard’s treasure to avenge his father.

5 Sarah Cameron And John B. Are Running A Surf Shop Together

Sarah Cameron Has Separated From Her Family

Sarah Cameron grew up in a wealthy family and is technically a part of the Pogues’ rival gang, the upper class Kooks. Since season 1, Sarah has moved further and further from her family, only keeping in touch with her younger sister Wheezie, who is stuck living with the family due to her status as a minor.

Sarah’s stepmother, Rose, is clearly in on the unethical dealings of Sarah’s late father, Ward, and is part of the reason why Rafe is so psychologically tortured. Given the revelations surrounding the Cameron family’s monopoly on Kildaire, Sarah had removed herself from the situation and her family’s wealth.

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3 There Are Several Family Mysteries That Could Be Explored

The Cameron Children’s Mother Is Not Revealed

It remains unclear who the Cameron children’s biological mother is, and whether she is alive or not. Given the children’s troubled relationship with Rose, it is clear that her entrance into their lives was not a smooth one. Perhaps part of the reason Sarah and John B. were drawn to one another is also the fact that John B.’s mother remains a mystery.

Similarly, the identity and status of John B.’s mother remains murky. It is clear that Big John raised John B. on his own until his season 1 disappearance. Also among the Pogues, JJ’s mother is confirmed to have left his emotionally abusive and physically abusive father. She remains unidentified. Now that the Pogues are likely to find themselves closer to home with Blackbeard’s treasure, it’s possible that some of these long-term mysteries could come back to haunt them.

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1 Even With Their New Wealth, The Pogues Of Outer Banks Are There For Life

The Pogues Are Not Chasing The Kooks Approval

While the Pogues were defined by their poverty and systemically broken families, they are also defined by their strong loyalty, ethics, and friendship. Their bond is what drives the plot of the show, and even with their new wealth, they will likely hold true to their principles.

Their bond is what drives the plot of the show,

and even with their new wealth, they will likely hold true to their principles.

While the ending of last season sets up a quest for Blackbeard’s treasure, motives and further backstory are still to be revealed. It is unclear whose side of the hunt the gang will find themselves on, but one thing viewers can count on is the group’s allegiance to one another in season 4 of Outer Banks.