Outer Banks- New Show on the Block

(WARNING- SPOILERS AHEAD) On April 15th, 2020 Netflix released the newly anticipated teen thriller series by the name of Outer Banks. The series takes place in the Outer Banks off the coast of North Carolina. The main heroes in the story go by the names of John B (Chase Stokes), JJ (Rudy Pankow), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and Kiara (Madison Bailey).

The story opens to the narrator (John B) giving a basic layout of the island. John B explains that his dad has been missing for the last nine months, and his mom split when he was three. So his legal guardian is his Uncle T, who isn’t anywhere to be seen in the entire series. This prompts an oncoming visit by DHS, the visit however was cancelled due to an oncoming storm. That’s just divine intervention right there, no better way to say it. Soon characters John B and Pope decide it would be a good idea to surf waves in the midst of a hurricane. Hours pass by and the group decides that it is the perfect opportunity to go fishing. Driving their boat directly into the marsh, Pope spots a sunken boat deep in the water. You know what that means, exploration time. In the brief exploration of the sunken ship, a hotel key is recovered. Curiosity boils inside of JJ and John B as they take their path to the hotel room in which the key fits. In the hotel room they find a code for a safe. Once the safe is opened, the camera reveals a loaded gun with large quantities of ice cold cash. So naturally, JJ decides to snatch some stacks and snag the gun. Come on, you would do the same thing.

JJ and John B’s treasure hunt is rushed by the appearance of two sheriff deputies. The two narrowly escape the police, but as they see the police inside they notice how crooked the cops in the Outer Banks really are. Deputy Shoupe (Cullen Moss) and the other deputy pocket their own stacks of money, leaving an aroma of something bigger on the island.

The group of heroes returns to the island to set up the party. These parties are where we are introduced to the social barrier in the Outer Banks. The social groups are split between the Pogues, the people who work two jobs to earn their keep and live off the cut of the island. A little bit down the road are the Kooks, the wealthy people who live on Figure Eight Island.

At the party, we meet Sarah Cameron, daughter of wealthy entrepreneur Ward Cameron. In the same scene, Sarah’s snobby boyfriend Topper comes into the picture. Minutes go by and an altercation breaks out between Topper and JJ. John B tries to break the two of them up and gets hit by Topper. Eventually the two begin fighting vigorously when the fighting is soon halted by a gun pointed at Topper’s head. JJ fires a shot into the air and everyone scatters, this moment will set the tone for the rest of the season.

The next morning John B goes out to the boat in which he works to acquire scuba gear for further exploration of the sunken boat. The boat is owned by wealthy business owner Ward Cameron, father of Sarah Cameron. Sarah catches John B in the boat but is convinced that he is just refilling the tanks. Eventually he goes back to the Pogues and they head out to the marsh, unaware that the police have banned everyone from there.

Once the Pogues head to the spot of the ship, Pope explains how to properly scuba dive (with info taken from a book he read). So with the info from Pope, John B suits up and goes to the inner depths of the outer banks. While exploring the contraband of the boat, he finds a canister. However John B can not come up immediately seeing as Deputy Shoupe has found the Pogues in the marsh and is talking to them about the ban from the marsh. Once deputy Shoupe leaves, John B comes up to the surface. Not all is well and good for the Pogues however. Right after John B settles himself back on the boat, a boat is following close behind the group. As if that isn’t sketchy enough, gunshots are fired at the Pogues. Our heroes narrowly escape as Kiara throws a fishing net into the bad guys’ motor.

Once the Pogues make their way back to land, they open the canister. Desperate to find what is inside, they open the canister. Hoping to find money, a map, or something of value, they are somewhat disappointed to find a compass. But wait, there’s more. The episode ends with John B exclaiming, “This belongs to my Dad.” The same Dad who has been missing for the past nine months. Oh boy.

This show is essentially a cross between the Goonies and Riverdale. However there is so much jam packed into the first episode alone, that the CW could never match. For all of the Riverdale fans, this show was made for you. For everyone else, we’ll see how you like it. The Outer Banks is the perfect display of courage, heartbreak, and overall tenacity. Definitely will binge again once school is out.