Review: Outer Banks Season Two

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Gretchen Lucina

BINGE WATCHING: Season two exceeded my expectations, leaving me watching the series as fast as I could.

Gretchen Lucina, A&E Editor

The highly awaited season two of “Outer Banks” came out July 30, and like many others, I binge watched the season as well. The first season was a major hit last summer, released during the peak of COVID where everyone raved over the TV show. It grew much popularity on social media platforms like TikTok and was trending for months. 

The first season consisted of a hunt for gold between five teenagers: John B (Chase Stokes), JJ (Rudy Pankow), Kie (Madison Bailey), Pope (Johnathan Davis), and Sarah (Madelyn Cline). It ended with the cliffhanger that John B and Sarah escaped to the Bahamas leading the other three “pogues” (the name the group of teenagers call themselves) to believe they died during a massive storm.

Season two started as a run from the police to survive and turned into them doing anything they could to get the gold they lost from the first season. In addition, the ‘pogues’ were on another hunt for the golden cross that happened to be in Pope’s family for decades, trying to beat Carla Limbrey (Elizabeth Mitchell). Limbry is a new character that wants to find the cross because she thinks it will save her from her illness.  

Written by Josh Pate, season two was, to say the least, packed with plot. There was so much going on in the first episode that it felt like a full movie. Sometimes there was so much going on that I couldn’t keep up with the series of events. 

There were so many twists and turns that right when I think something is about to resolve, another mishap occurred. Each character had a near death experience, whether it be getting shot, getting bit by an alligator or almost drowning yet each of them still survived. It’s almost like every person in the show is immortal and not one person can get killed off. 

Even still, every turn kept me watching, and the show was over before I knew it—all ten 40-50 minute long episodes. One of the reasons why I like the show so much is because of the characters’ chemistry with each other. They aren’t just friends in the TV series but also in real life, which I think makes their acting better on set. 

Something I really liked about the series is that their wardrobes fit so well with the characters. I think the producers did a fantastic job of having their outfits fit their ages in the show and follow modern societal trends. Even though Sarah and John B did stay in the same clothes for what seems like half the season, the rest of their outfits were put well together.

A standout character that deserves the best acting award would be the  antagonist, Rafe Cameron. Played by Drew Starkey, Cameron is a psychopathic teenager longing for his father’s approval and by doing so, he makes terrible decisions. Rafe and Sarah are brother and sister, and Sarah has always been above him in regards to their father Ward (Charles Esten). This causes Rafe to be the person he is, starting the spiral of events that turned into murder. Rafe should be in jail, yet he is constantly getting his way out of the crimes he commits. Though I hate Starkey’s character in the series, he plays Rafe so well that when watching him, he makes you think that he is an actual psychopath. He is my least favorite character but the best actor in the show. 

If you are one that likes action and adventure, this show is for you. You will never get bored watching this show. Every minute is filled with excitement and craze, and there is always something new happening. Already ranked one of the top 10 shows in the U.S. on Netflix and trending on social media platforms, season two is hitting it out of the park already.

Taking everything into evaluation, I enjoyed season two very much. I am not much of a TV series watcher, but with confidence I can say that “Outer Banks” is one of the few shows I have watched so quickly from start to finish. The only thing is, I wish that I didn’t finish it as quickly as I did because now I have to wait another year for season three!

5/5