Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Carlacia Grant, Madison Bailey, Madelyn Cline, Chase Stokes, Jonathan Daviss, and Rudy Pankow in \'Outer Banks\' Season 3
Carlacia Grant, Madison Bailey, Madelyn Cline, Chase Stokes, Jonathan Daviss, and Rudy Pankow in \'Outer Banks\' Season 3
Culture > Entertainment

This ‘Outer Banks’ Season 3 Recap Will Jog Your Memory For Season 4

It’s almost time to head back to the OBX, Pogues. Season 4 of Netflix’s hit series Outer Banks is right around the corner, with Part 1 set to hit the streamer on Oct. 10 and Part 2 dropping on Nov. 7. Season 3 ended with our favorite Pogues — John B (Chase Stokes), JJ Maybank (Rudy Pankow), Kiara Carrera (Madison Bailey), Pogue (Johnathan Daviss), Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline), and Cleo Anderson (Carlacia Grant) —coming home after discovering the gold in El Dorado.

While fans (included me) are excited to see the Pogues back in action, it’s been a while since Season 3 premiered so here’s a recap of everything that happened so you can be up to date before watching Season 4, Part 1.

The Pogues started Season 3 stranded on Poguelandia after washing up ashore in the Season 2 finale. The group is then rescued by a pilot named Jimmy, who they fight with on the plane once they realize he was sent to find them and that he might be working for Ward Cameron (Charles Esten). The plane crash lands in Barbados and Kiara is taken by Carlos Singh (Andy McQueen) with Rafe Cameron (Drew Starkey).

The group (not including John B) leaves Barbados and heads to the Outer Banks. John B stays behind to see if his father is alive and ringing a church bell. At the end of Season 2, viewers found out that Big John (Charles Halford) was alive and in Season 3 episode 3, the father and son reunite. They returned to OBX as well. Pope and Kiara reunite with their respective families while JJ is met with an eviction notice.

John B’s gets closer to El Dorado.

Season 3 episode 5 showed the Pogues (minus John B) and Topper (Austin North) on a mission to steal the Cross of Santo Domingo, which was with was with Ward, before Rafe can. The Pogues realize Rafe beat them to it after their train heist. Rafe then melts the Cross into smaller pieces of gold.

Meanwhile John B and Big John find an artifact in hopes it will get them closer to El Dorado, but they get caught by Carla Limbrey (Elizabeth Mitchell).

There’s drama in the OBX. 

In episode 6, John B hides the artifact he and his father found from the other Pogues. Then the chaos begins with Sarah and John B fighting, her kissing Topper, and Pope quitting school after being placed in lower-level classes for missing half of the semester. From the looks of it all, everything was falling apart for the Pogues. The episode concluded with Big John being kidnapped by Singh and John B coming clean to JJ about El Dorado.

Kiara tells JJ how she really feels. 

Episode 7 started off with a peek into Sarah’s mind as she’s narrating and explains how she met Topper. In this episode, fans see a confrontation between Rafe and Ward about the Cross and a clue for finding El Dorado. Some of the Pogues attend an anniversary party for Kiara’s parents. There is also an “I love you” from Kiara to JJ — a long-awaited romance that picked up speed in Season 2 — but JJ doesn’t say it back to her. During the party, John B told Sarah the truth about El Dorado and she revealed what happened with Topper. John B then goes after Topper and he and JJ are soon kicked out of the party.

In episode 8, John B finds out that Topper pressed charges against him for assault and the cops were after him. JJ found a way to South America to rescue Big John by driving a truck containing drugs. JJ and John lose the truck to the police and John B is arrested but, not for long, as Sarah gets Topper to delay pressing the charges so he can be released from jail. Sarah made a deal with Ward and the Pogues fly to South America. After finding out he was manipulated, Topper burns down the Chateau. Meanwhile, Rafe put a hit on Ward, an idea he’s had since episode 7.

Kiara is taken away to a camp for troubled teens. 

The next episode saw the Pogues getting ready to leave OBX for South America except, Kiara had to stay behind as her parents had enrolled her at Kitty Hawk, a wilderness camp for troubled teenagers. She’s taken by Kitty Hawk employees to the camp but is eventually rescued by JJ, who noticed she wasn’t there to get on Ward’s private jet. After he finds her, he says “I love you” and they kiss. Barracuda Mike, who JJ lost the truck of drugs for in the previous episode, takes the group to South America. Before leaving, the other Pogues are convinced by Rafe to take Ward with them since the hitman is after him and his attempt to call it off fails.

The season ends with the Pogues getting a new mystery to solve.  

In the season finale, the Pogues find Big John, Ward tries to get to El Dorado, Pope and Cleo kiss, and Sarah and John B find the gold. The episode also has two deaths — Ward and Big John. Then there’s a time jump where we see the Pogues being honored in the OBX and given a new mystery to solve by finding the missing ship of Blackbeard.

Fans have to wait to see how the Pogues’s next adventure unfolds in Season 4. But don’t worry, the wait won’t be long!

Alisha Allison started as a national writer for the Entertainment/Culture section of Her Campus in January 2024. Alisha graduated from University at Buffalo. She has gained journalism experience from writing stories for her journalism classes, as an assistant editor on the news desk (former staff and contributing writer) for her university’s student-led newspaper, and a writer for Her Campus Buffalo. She was on the executive board for two chapters of national organizations at UB. Alisha plans on attending law school in the future. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and spending time with her friends and family. She also likes watching television shows, movies, and video essays, and reading novels.