Outer Banks

• Season 1 (2020)

  E.1 – “Pilot”
  John B, Kiara, Pope, and JJ are a group of friends (the “Pogues”) who live on Kildare Island. John B’s scheduled move to a foster home is postponed due to a hurricane. After the hurricane, the Pogues find a key to a motel room onboard a sunken ship in the marsh. The room safe has an envelope, a gun and a large amount of cash. JJ grabs the gun and a handful of cash from the room. Later that night the Pogues go to a beach party and John B gets into a scuffle with Topper (one of the Pogues’ rivals, part of the wealthy gang of Kooks). JJ threatens Topper with the gun from the motel room when Topper tries to drown John B. Later on, John B borrows scuba gear from his employer (Ward Cameron, father of “Kook princess” Sarah) so they can explore the wreck. While leaving the boat crash site they are chased and shot at by two other men in a boat, but Kiara sabotages the men’s boat and they get away. When they arrive home they find John B’s father’s compass in a bag from the wreck.

  E.2 – “The Lucky Compass”
  Sarah catches John B returning the scuba gear and agrees not to tell Ward but her younger sister, Wheezie, overhears them and tells Topper, who tells Ward when Sarah acts cagey, causing Ward to fire John B. John B and JJ find Lana, Scooter’s wife, being threatened by the two men who chased them off the boat. They try to help, but she tells them the compass is dangerous and asks them to leave. John B finds a clue inside it: “Redfield”. The two men show up looking for the clues from the Merchant. The group gets away and goes to the Redfield lighthouse, where a man tells them where to find the Merchant but calls the cops on them when he sees the compass. JJ and Pope get away but Kiara and John B get caught and are bailed out by Kiara’s dad. John B is chased by the two men again, but they leave when the sheriff shows up. He decides to give the compass to Sheriff Peterkin and finds out his great-grandmother’s maiden name is Redfield. The Pogues drive out to her grave and Kiara finds something.

  E.3 – “The Forbidden Zone“
  Kiara finds an envelope with a map of the Royal Merchant wreck and a tape recorder with John B’s father telling John B to finish what he started. The Pogues plan to retrieve the treasure onboard the Merchant. Rafe makes a deal with Barry to sell drugs. The Pogues head to the salvage yard to get a drone with a camera to explore the wreck. Kiara distracts the guard, while the boys try to get the drone. JJ doesn’t have the key code and the guard dog alerts the security guard, who chases them. Pope and JJ run away. John B gets the drone while JJ sweet-talks the guard into letting him go. Later, a fisherman finds the bodies of the two men who were chasing the compass and calls the cops. Rafe and Topper jump Pope; Pope and JJ retaliate by pulling the plug on Topper’s boat. The group finds the ship at almost 1000 feet down.

  E.4 – “Spy Games“
  With no gold to be found in the wreck, the group head home. The DCS and the police show up to take John B to a foster home. He escapes, but loses his dad’s picture and gets wounded; Sarah finds him, retrieves the picture and takes him to Tannyhill to patch up the wound. Topper finds his sunken boat and he, Rafe, and Kelce deduce that it was sunk by Pope. At Tannyhill, John B asks Sarah about a portrait on the wall of her father’s office, which she reveals is a portrait of Denmark Tanny, creator of Tannyhill. John B recognizes the name and realizes that Denmark survived the wreck. Sarah accompanies John B to the archives to find out more about Denmark. The Pogues (minus John B) go to a movie and are confronted by Topper and Rafe; Kiara sets the movie screen on fire as a distraction so Rafe and Topper leave. Later, to protect Pope, JJ tells the police he sunk Topper’s boat and is taken into custody.

  E.5 – “MidSummers“
  Sheriff Peterkin tries to get JJ to bring John B in by offering to keep JJ out of juvenile prison but after his abusive father nearly kills him over the restitution JJ owes for Topper’s boat, JJ runs away from home and helps John B evade the police squad Peterkin sent to the Routledge residence. Peterkin also knows about the Merchant thanks to a mystery benefactor who also has the compass, later revealed to be Ward. The Pogues crash the MidSummers party where John B tells Sarah to bring him a plat map of Tannyhill (where Denmark Tanny’s letter, found in Big John Routledge’s belongings, reveals the gold to be). Topper goes to Tannyhill to apologize for hounding Sarah about where she was the day before, but finds Wheezie in Sarah’s room; pressured by Topper, Wheezie reveals where Sarah is. Topper shows up at Hawk’s Nest to see John B and Sarah kissing and attacks John B, landing him in the hospital. Sarah tells Ward everything and Ward offers to be John B’s legal guardian. John B accepts Ward’s offer.

  E.6 – “Parcel 9“
  The Pogues deduce, thanks to Pope, that the gold is in an old well in the Crain house’s basement; John B brings Sarah in to help. Kiara and Sarah have a massive fight and leave. Ward kicks Rafe out of the house for being irresponsible. Kiara reveals some of her history with Sarah to Pope. Peterkin finds Big John’s glasses on the island Scooter was on during the storm and deduces that the deaths of Big John, Scooter and the two men who were pursuing the Pogues are connected. Sarah and Kiara work out their issues; at the Crain house, the girls deactivate the motion sensors; the boys go into the basement to retrieve the gold but the noise awakens Mrs. Crain. John B finds Mr. Crain’s bones at the bottom of the well, but also finds the gold almost by accident. Mrs. Crain tries to attack Kiara, but Sarah pulls her to safety. The girls join the boys as Mrs. Crain breaks through the parlor door. Mrs. Crain tries to shoot the Pogues but they escape with a few bars of gold.

  E.7 – “Dead Calm“
  Ward overhears Sarah and John B talking about the gold and sabotages the Pogues’ plan, insisting that John B go fishing with him. The Pogues try to pawn off the single gold nugget Kiara makes, but are ambushed by Barry. The Pogues incapacitate Barry and regain the nugget. JJ steals Barry’s cash stash and goes back home but it doesn’t work out. JJ stands up to Luke and leaves, before spending the cash on a hot tub. When Kiara and Pope show up, JJ breaks down, revealing that he got the hot tub for the Pogues – his family. Sarah and John B have sex in his secret spot. On the fishing trip, while trying to get John B to partner with him to retrieve the gold, Ward reveals everything he knows, including “Redfield” – the last message from Big John before his disappearance. John B realizes Ward was involved in Big John’s disappearance and turns the boat around, intending to turn Ward in to the police. The last scene indicates that Ward is about to attack John B.

  E.8 – “The Runway“
  John B escapes ashore and visits Lana, who reveals that Ward stole Big John’s map to the gold and left him for dead and Scooter found Big John’s compass with his last message to John B. John B tries to tell Sarah; Ward gaslights Sarah into staying away from John B and also retrieves the gold from the Crain house. Kiara and Pope have a fight; Pope runs out of his interview next morning when he realizes that Ward is leaving the island with the gold. Rafe also finds out that Ward and Sarah are taking a plane to The Bahamas. Lana finally reveals everything to Peterkin. The Pogues, Rafe, Peterkin and Ward (with Sarah in tow) all converge on the airstrip. Ward drags an unwilling Sarah into the plane with him. John B forces Ward to stop the plane. Kiara, Pope and JJ leave when the cops show up; Peterkin tells Ward he’s under arrest for the murder of Big John. When Ward resists, Peterkin draws a gun on him; Rafe shoots Peterkin.

  E.9 – “The Bell Tower“
  In the aftermath of the sheriff’s shooting, John B flees while Ward sends the plane carrying the gold to the Bahamas and attempts to save the sheriff with Deputy Shoupe’s help. However, the sheriff dies and Ward blames the murder on John B to protect Rafe and locks up Sarah who escapes with her sister’s help. As John B goes on the run, his friends attempt to protect him while the police lead a manhunt. The Pogues decide to steal JJ’s father’s Formula boat so that John B can flee the island while Rafe hunts him as well; Pope has his heart broken after confessing his love to Kiara. As John B evades the manhunt, he is trapped by Kelce and Topper, but briefly escapes; Topper then discovers Sarah and John B’s hiding spot and alerts the police about their location. Topper later tricks the police to prove how much he still loves Sarah so John B and Sarah can get away after Rafe sets their hiding place on fire.

  E.10 – “The Phantom“
  Ward and Rose plan to retrieve the gold. Police swarm the island. John B and Sarah stay in hiding; Ward intercepts Sarah when she tries to tell the cops, but she escapes. The Pogues steal the Phantom, JJ’s father’s boat, while John B returns home to retrieve the gold nugget and comes back in Shoupe’s police car. Rafe and Barry attack the Pogues, but Pope overpowers them; Barry learns of Rafe’s crime and implies he will blackmail Rafe. John B and Sarah flee on the Phantom as a tropical storm strikes, but are soon spotted. The authorities force them into the open sea. Ward tries to manipulate John B into bringing Sarah back. John B reveals Ward’s actions to the cops, leading to Ward’s arrest, but the Phantom capsizes in the storm, and John B and Sarah are presumed dead. As their friends mourn and Pope and Kiara start a relationship, John B and Sarah end up on a cargo ship; with the ship on its way to Nassau, they realize that they can get the gold back now.

• Season 2 (2021)

  E.1 – “The Gold“
  The Pogues mourn John B and Sarah; the community mourns Peterkin. The cargo ship’s captain, Terrance, tries to turn Sarah and John B in; they escape and alert the Pogues that they survived. Ward tells Shoupe to handle the Pogues as they push back on his narrative that John B killed Peterkin. John B tries and fails to get the gold from Ward’s Bahamian house; Sarah goes after him but Terrance kidnaps her and sends a crew member, Cleo, for John B. In desperation, John B gives Terrance the gold nugget and talks him into a plan to steal the gold. The Pogues plan to clear John B’s name; they find, threaten and wiretap Ward’s pilot, Gavin. Gavin blackmails Ward with Rafe’s gun; Ward tells Gavin to meet him as the Pogues listen in. Ward doesn’t have enough money to pay off Gavin. A security alert on Ward’s phone results in the Bahamian police showing up at his house and apprehending John B. The last scene shows John B waiting for the cops to show his face to Ward as Sarah watches in horror.

  E.2 – “The Heist“
  Nate recovers from his beating in the hospital and refuses to tell his father who attacked him. He finds himself strongly attracted to Cassie, who has been undergoing a depressive episode since her abortion and feels uneasy without a boyfriend. Cassie continues to see Nate despite the guilt she feels for supposedly betraying Maddy, who still loves Nate. One night while riding her bike, Rue witnesses Nate and Cassie kissing in his truck. Jules becomes insecure about Rue’s friendship with Elliot, unaware that the two are regularly taking drugs together. Kat begins losing interest in Ethan, fantasizing about more stereotypically masculine men and briefly becoming consumed by an online culture of toxic positivity. Cal begins investigating Nate’s assault and pressures Cassie into naming Fezco as the perpetrator; when Lexi decides to visit Fezco and get his attention, Cal and Fezco have a tense standoff at Fez’s convenience store, which Lexi witnesses. Cal then confronts Nate, who reveals that he is aware of Cal’s secret sexual exploits, including the video of him and Jules. Cal asks Nate whether he has the recording; Nate smiles without answering.

  E.3 – “Prayers“
  Sarah and John B go to the doctor; Terrance and Cleo leave with the gold. Pope’s scholarship’s benefactor, C Limbrey, claims they can clear John B and might be related to the wreck’s captain; Limbrey wants to meet Pope in Charleston. After the bullet extraction, Sarah flatlines but her pulse eventually returns. Rafe reveals he shot Sarah while meaning to shoot John B but doesn’t care that it was her; Ward sends the cops after John B and Sarah again. When Sarah wakes up, they leave the doctor’s but are chased by the cops, who’ve recovered the gold. John B accidentally hits Cleo with the car. Cleo reveals that the cops took the gold and possibly killed Terrance and his henchman Stubbs. Pope’s dad’s car breaks down on the way to Limbrey’s. Rafe tells Ward he needs help. Cleo distracts the cops so John B and Sarah can escape on Ward’s boat. John B and Sarah get fake-married on the boat. The two groups of Pogues converge on Charleston.

  E.4 – “Homecoming“
  Carla Limbrey’s slaveowning ancestors refused to let Denmark Tanny buy his wife and daughter’s freedom. Denmark died trying to get his wife Cecilia’s remains from the Limbrey house after the Limbreys set the hounds on her for trying to escape (Denmark’s baby daughter survived). Limbrey wants a key from the wreck and plans to hold Pope hostage so she can get it as ransom (she also has a tape of Gavin admitting that Rafe killed Peterkin). The Pogues flee from her and reunite with John B and Sarah. Ward tells Rose Sarah is alive and Rafe shot her. Rose tells him to choose between Rafe and Sarah. Kelce sees the Pogues buying beer and tells Rafe. Rafe and Barry show up to kill the Pogues but they hide. Pope and Kiara have sex. At Tannyhill, Ward tells Sarah he won’t choose between her and Rafe. Sarah tells him she’ll testify against him and leaves. The cops (sent by Ward) capture John B and an officer brutally beats him “for Peterkin”.

  E.5 – “The Darkest Hour“
  Ward bribes Deputy Plumb to have John B killed by another prisoner. Kiara’s mom kicks her out. When Pope asks, his dad says his grandmother used to have the key Limbrey wants. JJ tells John B his plan to get him out. Rafe sees Sarah’s messages to Wheezie and sends her a meeting place. JJ steals his cousin Ricky’s ambulance. Pope finds the key at his Mee-Maw’s old apartment. At the prison, a different patient enters JJ’s ambulance. Rafe threatens Sarah and tries to drown her; Topper pulls Rafe off her, beats him up and threatens to kill him if he ever hurts Sarah again. Plumb’s man on the inside tries to kill John B but John B calls for help. Alerted by JJ, Kie and Pope show up and JJ leaves with them. Shoupe finds John B, who reiterates his innocence and tells him about the attempted murder. Shoupe’s SBI colleague reveals that the gun Rafe used to kill Peterkin is enough to arrest Rafe. The SBI surround Tannyhill.

  E.6 – “My Druthers“
  John B is freed, but finds that Sarah is missing. Sarah returns with Topper, and she and John B have an argument. Pope and Kie decide to just be friends. Limbrey’s henchman, Renfield, attacks Pope’s dad, who suggests Pope go visit his Mee-Maw about the key. Renfield is revealed to be Limbrey’s half-brother. Rose sneaks Ward out of the house. JJ and John B make a plan. Pope’s Mee-Maw reveals that Denmark and Cecilia are Pope’s ancestors. Ward sends Rafe away, and he leaves with Barry. When Limbrey arrives, John B distracts her with his dad’s old key and Pope exchanges it for the exculpatory tape. Barry leads the cops to Rafe, and they arrest him. The Pogues give the tape to the cops. Topper’s grandfather, Judge Holden, signs the warrant for Ward’s arrest. The cops corner Ward on his boat and the Pogues join them. Ward blows up the boat, seemingly committing suicide. Topper shows up and holds Sarah as she cries, while John B stands on the dock looking conflicted.

  E.7 – “The Bonfire“
  In a recorded confession, Ward admits to killing Big John and Gavin. He owns up to Peterkin’s murder, allowing Rafe to walk free. Sarah ends her fake marriage to John B. Conflicted, she goes to stay with Topper. He invites her to the annual bonfire. A girl at school invites John B. The history teacher gives Pope Denmark Tanny’s diary, which reveals the Cross of Santo Domingo (the artifact the key leads to) was on the Royal Merchant. Rafe and Rose learn that Ward didn’t leave behind any records of the gold. Denmark’s diary reveals Captain Limbrey of the Merchant stole the gold and the Cross from a Spanish vessel that was on fire and had called for help, leaving the Spaniards to die. Tensions erupt at the bonfire, John B punches Kelce, and a fight breaks out. After the bonfire, Renfield shows up at the Cut and takes the key from the Pogues. Limbrey shows up at Tannyhill asking to see the island room. When Sarah comes by later, the island room has been ransacked and everyone, including Wheezie, is missing.

  E.8 – “The Cross“
  Pope and JJ deduce from Denmark’s diary and his last words that the treasure is buried near a tree named Angel Oak, near the Freedman’s Church Denmark built for the slaves he freed. At Angel Oak, the Pogues realize the true treasure is Cecilia’s body; they lay a wreath on her casket and bury her again after Rafe, Renfield and Limbrey defiled her grave looking for the cross. An inscription on the Merchant’s spyglass, hidden in the tree, reveals the cross is at the church. JJ and Kie get her dad’s truck so the Pogues can get to the church; Luke leaves Kildare for good and JJ says goodbye to his dad. At the church, Pope gets an idea when he sees wooden crosses above them through the spyglass. He uses a crowbar to reveal the cross under two hollow beams. Rafe and Renfield have followed the Pogues there. Wasps start stinging Pope and he falls on the cushions the Pogues have stacked under him. The Cross falls too.

  E.9 – “Trapped“
  The Pogues leave to get help for Pope’s allergic reaction; an epinephrine dose causes Pope to total their vehicle; at the church, they find that Renfield and Rafe took the cross. Tired of the Limbreys trying to steal his family legacy, Pope declares that he will go after the cross; the Pogues join him. An argument between Renfield and Limbrey results in him throwing her to the ground, her shooting him dead and Rafe leaving with the gold and the Cross. Rose tells Rafe something bigger is going on. Sarah attempts to sneak into Tannyhill but Rafe finds her and locks her up; Rose drugs her and they leave. Angered by Rafe having his cross, Pope pursues him; JJ and John B follow Rose. Rafe gets rid of Renfield’s body; Pope fights him to a stalemate, calls Kiara and takes JJ’s gun. JJ and John B see the Camerons board a boat named the Coastal Venture with the gold and the Cross (and Sarah as a hostage). Pope causes an explosion with JJ’s gun; the Pogues hide in a container. Ward is revealed to be alive.

  E.10 – “The Coastal Venture“
  Sarah argues with Ward and locks him in a room. Rafe checks for stowaways. Kie finds a way out of the container. Cleo is on the ship; she fights Pope but agrees to trust him because of John B and Sarah. John B tells the Pogues that Ward is alive. Pope takes down Captain Eberhimi; he, Cleo, JJ and Kie lock everyone in the hull except Rafe. Sarah gets the lifeboat; JJ and Kie help Pope lift the Cross. Eberhimi escapes and frees everyone. Ward escapes and tries to strangle Sarah; John B incapacitates him; he and Sarah jump off. Eberhimi throws JJ overboard; Kie jumps off to save JJ. The crew members help Rafe recover the Cross by shooting at Pope, who jumps overboard with Cleo; they get on the lifeboat, followed by Kie and JJ, who recovers consciousness; the Pogues leave, landing on a deserted island which they call “Poguelandia”. The Sheriff’s department investigates their disappearance. Limbrey meets Big John; he’s alive and agrees to help her if she helps John B.

Critical response
Steve Greene of IndieWire gave the series’ first season a B-.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 71% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 6.72/10. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 9 reviews.

The second season has a 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 6.70/10.

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