When Outer Banks first premiered in 2020, it didn’t take long for the coming-of-age adventure series to become a fan favorite. In 2024, the Netflix original is releasing its fourth season, with the first batch of episodes arriving on Oct. 10 followed by more to come in November. Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline are still leading the charge on-screen as John B and Sarah. Their feelings for each other are still going strong, but a lot has changed for the characters across 30 episodes. If you don’t have time to rewatch Outer Banks and catch up on all the drama before tuning into season four, our recap guide breaks down everything you need to remember.
Netflix Original’s First Season Introduced the Pogues and Kooks
At the core of Outer Banks season one is the tension between the Pogues – working-class residents of the North Carolina community – and the Kooks, made up of wealthy seasonal visitors. In the latter group, John B is the leader, his friend JJ is the free-spirited goofball, Pope (Jonathan Daviss) is the bookworm and Kiara (known as Kie) is technically a Kook but stays loyal to her pals in the Pogues. To John B’s dismay, his father, Big John, has been presumed dead for nine months after disappearing at sea. He was on a quest for a ship that went missing in the 1800s called the Royal Merchant, hoping to collect the treasure aboard.
With no legal guardian to care for him, John B evades child protective services to keep himself out of a foster home. Following a hurricane, a wrecked boat with Big John’s compass turns up along with clues that lead the Pogues to a map pointing to the Royal Merchant. It turns out Big John left a message to his son urging the teen to finish what he started, leading John B and his friends to uncover the wreckage – although the gold is missing.
Outside of the adventure in Outer Banks, fans also love the romance between Sarah and John B. The former is known as “the princess of the Kooks” and is the daughter of John B’s boss, Ward. It’s obvious that Sarah feels more at home with the Pogues than the Kooks, but her connection with John B causes tension between her ex, Topper, and her new man. As their bond deepens, the leader of the Pogues realizes Sarah’s family lives on a former plantation built by a freed slave named Denmark Tanny, who was also the sole survivor of the Royal Merchant crash.
John B and his pals find a letter from Denmark to his son before his death revealing the location of the treasure. Unfortunately for them, Sarah’s father overhears the news and tries to find the gold first. At this point, it’s revealed that Ward joined Big John in the hunt for treasure but betrayed and murdered him along the way. Sarah’s father has been desperately searching for the Royal Merchant since, even working with corrupt cops in hopes of finding it. When his men find the gold, Ward orders them to fly it to his home in the Bahamas.
With the help of Sheriff Peterkin, John B tries to stop the plane, but Ward’s unstable son, Rafe, murders the sheriff while trying to defend his father. Ward takes the opportunity to pin Peterkin’s death on John B, forcing the teen to go on the run with Sarah as police pursue them along with Topper and Rafe. Surprisingly, the former helps his ex and her new lover escape, proving how much he cares about her. At the end of Outer Banks season one, John B and Sarah flee straight into a tropical storm, leaving them presumed dead by the Pogues.
‘Outer Banks’ Season 2 Revealed a Lot About Popes’ Family History
Season two begins with confirmation from John B that he and Sarah are still alive, winding up in the Bahamas after fleeing North Carolina for their safety. When the Pogues hear the good news, they make a plan to exonerate John B for Sheriff Peterkin’s murder and expose Ward’s secret; they record Sarah’s dad killing his pilot, Gavin, but the video is destroyed before it can be used against him. By some miracle, the Pogues find the gun Rafe used to kill Peterkin but don’t help their case when they give it to corrupt interim Sheriff Shoupe. When John B and his other half make it back to the Outer Banks safely, they get fake married to prove their love.
Elsewhere, Pope meets a wealthy woman named Carla Limbrey whose ancestors have a dark connection to Denmark Tanny and the Royal Merchant. Like Big John and Ward, she’s been searching for the wreckage for years and has been double-crossed by the latter. Carla tells Pope she has a tape of Gavin confessing that Rafe killed the sheriff, but won’t use it to help John B unless the Pogues agree to help her retrieve a key belonging to Denmark. She believes Pope’s family has the key, as he’s a descendant of Denmark.
While her male contemporaries were motivated by money, Carla’s battle with a mysterious illness explains her hunt for the Cross of Santo Domingo. A magical shroud stored inside allegedly holds the cure she needs, and to ensure the Pogues help her find it, she kidnaps Pope and holds him hostage. His friends come to the rescue, but the group still has Carla, Ward and Rafe on their tail. To maintain some control, John B surrenders himself to the police and is arrested, but Ward quickly hatches a plan with another inmate to kill his daughter’s boyfriend. As Sarah tries to save John B, her brother tries to murder her; thankfully, Topper comes to the rescue.
Pope and Kie find the key Carla’s been looking for and hope it will help exonerate John B, but Sheriff Shoupe beats them to it as fingerprint evidence finally incriminates Rafe. Now, the Pogues can turn their focus back to taking down Ward, giving Carla a fake key in exchange for her tape of Gavin. When police see the evidence, a warrant goes out for the criminal, who flees on his boat as it blows up, appearing to die in the explosion. Later, authorities receive a taped confession in which Ward admits to the deaths of Big John, Gavin and Sheriff Peterkin, thereby exonerating Rafe. As Sarah grieves the loss of her father, tension mounts between her and John B, who’s relieved to be rid of a relentless enemy.
When Carla uncovers she’s been given a fake, she returns to the Outer Banks with her half-brother, Renfield, to find the real one. They pair up with Rafe and manage to steal the Cross but run into trouble when they all try to double-cross each other. Carla is forced to murder her brother before Rafe steals the cross for himself and connects with his mother, Rose, to flee with the gold, the Cross and a kidnapped Sarah. They head off on a ship called the Coastal Venture, which the Pogues sneak their way onto only to discover Ward Cameron is on board and not dead.
It turns out Ward planned all along to fake his death and take his family to paradise. John B manages to critically injure the Cameron patriarch, but it’s not long before the Pogues are forced overboard. As season two wraps, they wash up on a deserted island they eventually call Poguelandia, which is also where the third installment of Outer Banks begins.
John B Said a Tough Goodbye in Season 3
One month after the aforementioned events, a rescue plane appears to save the day for the Pogues. However, they quickly realize it’s a ploy as Kie is kidnapped after a crash. Outside of Poguelandia, Ward recovers from his injuries while Rafe steps up to lead his family in Guadeloupe. The latter finds a buyer for the Santo Domingo Cross, a man named Carlos Singh, who has kidnapped Kie; he’s also searching for the treasure of El Dorado, which can be found using Denmark’s diary. Carlos knows he can’t handle a mission this big alone, but not everyone is a willing accomplice.
Kie and Rafe steal a boat to escape Carlos, reuniting her with the Pogues before heading back to the Outer Banks. John B stays behind after hearing the sound of bells clanging that his father played in childhood; these take him to a church where he emotionally reunites with Big John. Carlos’ men interrupt the father-son reunion and send the duo fleeing back to North Carolina, where John B is happy to reconcile with the Pogues although Big John distrusts them (especially Sarah).
As they reconnect, John B expresses concern regarding the lengths his father is willing to go to for treasure. Carla confronts the duo, demanding Big John bring her to the magical healing shroud that he promised could cure her illness. He gives her a fake shroud, but she’s so convinced of its powers that it appears to remedy her ailments. While Sarah’s partner is distant, she spends more time with Topper, even kissing at one point. John B has bigger things on his plate at the moment though, as his dad is captured and taken to South America by Carlos as the hunt for El Dorado continues.
The Pogues’ leader turns to his friends for help, but when he finds out about Topper and Sarah’s romantic exchange, things become violent. Sarah talks her ex out of pressing criminal charges against John B, giving everyone time to fight the real problem – Ward. The Cameron family leader has returned to the Outer Banks to clean up Rafe’s mess, even attempting to reconcile with his daughter by helping her and the Pogues book flights. Eventually, a local notices Ward isn’t actually dead and alerts authorities, sending them to chase after the criminal.
Back in South America, Big John is rescued by his son as the Pogues race to beat Carlos to El Dorado. As they reach the entrance, Ward betrays his daughter’s friends and alerts the latter of their whereabouts. Gunfight ensues leaving Big John injured; Sarah rebukes her father again while the Pogues use Denmark’s diary to navigate a series of caves. When they finally reach the underwater entrance, John B and Sarah uncover tons of gold that they quickly fill their bags with. Of course, Carlos prevents them from leaving in hopes of taking the treasure for himself, but Big John’s quick thinking causes a cave-in that kills the threat.
Just when it seems like they’ve finally won, Ward returns to hold the group at gunpoint. Sarah takes the opportunity to make a final appeal to her father, causing an emotional breakdown. When one of Carlos’ henchmen threatens his daughter, Ward sacrifices himself to save her. Afterward, John B says a sad goodbye to Big John, who can’t continue on after being hit by a bullet earlier. In the final moments of Outer Banks season three, we fast forward 18 months to reveal what life is like for the Pogues thanks to their newfound wealth. It seems they have a reputation for solving mysteries, as a stranger approaches and asks if they can help find the long-lost treasure of Blackbeard.
