Outer Banks Season 4: An adventure story that has lost its way

The highly anticipated fourth season of Outer Banks, released on Netflix in two parts, has divided fans. As a lover of the series, here are my thoughts on this latest instalment.

Season four begins with the Pogues in a surprisingly positive position after season three’s cliffhanger. The Pogues got some of the gold from El Dorado, and they have finally been recognised for their treasure-hunting skills. They have set up their own business and made a home for themselves, before they are encouraged to involve themselves in yet another search for treasure.

Which is where the narrative starts to unravel. The plot this season seems entirely irrelevant to earlier seasons; the Royal Merchant and Denmark Tanny provided a common thread throughout the previous three seasons. The Blackbeard storyline does not relate to this, and instead seems like a farcical means of forcing the Pogues to become treasure-hunters again. This is a flaw which becomes increasingly prominent in the later seasons, as the plot-hooks becomes less and less grounded in reality.

The band of mercenaries that served as minor antagonists were frustrating

The introduction of Groff as JJ’s father and the main antagonist of the season was a shocking and impactful turn of events. He is a terrifying character, willing to use violence as a means to an end. When he murders JJ, it feels like the summation of JJ’s deep familial problems across the three prior seasons.

Unfortunately, the band of mercenaries that served as minor antagonists were frustrating. Not only was the British accent distracting, but the characters themselves were not memorable villains. I think that the writers struggled to fill the void that was left after the death of Ward, whose villainy was well-developed over three seasons. We will have to see how Groff holds up in season five.

JJ’s death was one of the season’s major plot points. It was an emotional ending to the season; I know I teared up myself. It is also significant because it undermines the perceived ‘safety’ of the core characters. In the past, when the characters have been placed in dangerous situations, they have always managed to escape. With this trend now broken, the stakes are much higher for season five (although I would be surprised if they killed off another of the Pogues). Perhaps the final season will be tonally different from the others; we could see the central characters stray down a darker path.

With that being said, his death was not particularly well written. The increased focus on JJ this season made it predictable that, if any character was going to die, it was going to be him. The writers have claimed that Outer Banks was always going to be five seasons and that JJ’s death was planned from the start, but the lazy writing in this season and rumours of drama behind the scenes perhaps imply that this was not the case.

The lack of chemistry between Pankow and Bailey was obvious

There has been much speculation about off-screen drama between Rudy Pankow (JJ) and Madison Bailey (Kiara). Scenes involving the pair have occasionally been filmed using stunt doubles. This tension was supposedly fuelled by pressure from fans for the two to be a couple in real life, which impacted their off-screen relationships.

If this is the case, it indicates a lack of professionalism not exhibited by their co-stars Madelyn Cline (Sarah) and Chase Stokes (John B), who dated and broke up whilst starring as a couple on screen. The lack of chemistry between Pankow and Bailey was obvious this season, and does a disservice to their long-awaited relationship.

With all that being said, there are still a lot of things to enjoy from this season. Rafe’s character took an interesting turn, as he seemed more keen to work with Sarah and the rest of the Pogues, and was more interested in getting his own way financially rather than aggressively. Rafe’s relationship with Sofia, which was briefly included in season three, gets more screentime this season. Sofia’s identity as a Pogue on the outskirts of the Kook world complicates her dynamic with Rafe, and eventually leads her to betray him. For Rafe, whose character is built upon insecurities and trust issues, this provokes him to end their relationship, even though he only recently proposed to Sofia.

I am curious to see how they round up this epic adventure

In a similar way, Rafe’s relationship to Sarah is incredibly complex. Their sibling relationship seemed irreparable, particularly after Rafe almost killed Sarah (twice!). Nevertheless, by using their shared interests to work together, they end up coming to a greater resolution over their father. Their hug in episode 10 demonstrates a move towards rebuilding their relationship.

Although this was a heartwarming moment, I couldn’t help wondering: where are Rose and Wheezie? The youngest sister was integral to earlier seasons, but it appears that in season four she was written out to make the Rafe and Sarah storyline work by implying that Rafe and Sarah have no family left apart from each other. It would have been interesting to see how Wheezie coped with the death of her father, considering how much she may or may  not know about his previous machinations.

There are obviously many things for Outer Banks season five to explore. Sarah’s pregnancy means that her involvement in the season could look a little different. Groff remains the main villain and the Pogues’ resentment towards him will undoubtably be the motivation for the events of season five. He is a strong antagonist, but is in no way comparable to the brilliantly written Ward. The Pogues will definitely face more turmoil in the final season, and I am curious to see how they round up this epic adventure.