★★★★☆
Part One of Season 4 of Outer Banks, composed of five episodes, remains true to its predecessors.
Despite the introduction of a new treasure and a shift in protagonist, the newest addition to the hit Netflix series feels like more of the same.
The season opens with a narration by John B. (Chase Stokes) acknowledging the audience’s concerns for the plot’s development after the treasure hunt that was the basis of the whole show drew to a close in the previous season.
“So you might be wondering, what happens after you find the lost city of El Dorado,” John B. says.
The show reveals that the Pogues—the show’s group of teen protagonists who live on the “rough side” of the fictional Kildare Island—have made $1 million in gold, used it to set up a business, and are living the good life, free of adventure.
While prior seasons of the show have followed John B. as the primary male protagonist, it seems that JJ Maybank (Rudy Pankow) will take on a greater role this season.
Although John B. was hardly a rational protagonist, JJ’s actions are harder for viewers to sympathize with. John B. came across as a misguided teenager, making decisions based on his desire to satisfy his missing father’s dream of discovering long-lost treasure. JJ, however, comes across as nothing but a selfish and irresponsible character as we witness him spend $700,000 of his friends’ money in a bidding war for a house, and then gambles away the only money the Pogues have to keep their business afloat.
JJ has never been one to think before he acts, but his choices within the first few episodes of this new season contrast his character as one beyond impulsivity.
Within a single episode, JJ pays 33 percent over market value on a home, loses the Pogues’ savings on a dirt bike race, and, in an attempt to get the money back, drags the rest of the hesitant group into a shady deal that wraps them up in a new treasure hunt.
After three seasons of searching for gold on the sunken Royal Merchant, a new treasure is introduced.
After JJ loses the last of the Pogues’ money, they are recruited by Wes Genrette (David Jensen) and his son-in-law Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane) to find Blackbeard’s lost treasure in exchange for money. Genrette is after this treasure because he believes that, after his ancestor killed Blackbeard, his family was cursed, leading to the tragic death of his daughter and grandchild.
The Pogues, however, are not the only ones searching for Blackbeard’s treasure. The group encounters Lightner (Rigo Sanchez) during an already dangerous dive searching for an amulet on a shipwreck. Though Lightner is not afraid to use violence against the teenage characters, he falls flat compared to villains of past seasons.
Where past antagonists have had personal connections to both the Pogues and motivations to go after the treasure, Lightner is driven solely by greed, making him appear as more of a one-dimensional villain compared to those who came before him.
Though the show sometimes struggles to find its footing entering an entirely new chapter for the series, it should not deter longtime fans from continuing with the series.
The shift to a new treasure benefits the show, as it seemed to be struggling to find ways to extend the mystery in prior seasons. Season 4 seems more sure of itself in terms of the show’s plot direction.
The treasure hunt itself is entertaining, though nothing surprising compared to the Pogues’ continuous struggle as they compete against treasure hunters, parental figures, and local authorities as they set out to find the lost treasure of Blackbeard. The conflicts in each episode are high stakes, making for a tense, easy-to-binge viewing experience.
Following the trend of two-part releases for Netflix, Part Two of Outer Banks Season 4 will be released on Nov. 7, 2024. The first half of the season plays it safe, giving fans reasons to return in a month for the season finale.
