Fan favorite Outer Banks has commenced 2023 with a new season, and I couldn’t be more excited about the latest release. Yes, I’m one of the hundreds of people who fell in love with the Netflix show when its first showing premiered in April 2020 and found myself in my bed watching the whole first season in one sitting (Not a joke). Why am I so obsessed? The show has everything. Action? Check. Thrill? Of course. Boring? Not at all.

  But, in case you haven’t watched the show yet, here’s a quick recap: Outer Banks accompanies a teenage boy named John B (played by Chase Stokes) who recruits the help of his three best friends, also known as “Pogues”,to attempt to locate his long lost father, who strangely vanished while searching for legendary treasure.

*warning! spoilers ahead*

Now that you’re all caught up, fast forward to season three and the Pogues find themselves all alone on an island. Completely abandoned, John B and his crew have decided to declare the island as their own, calling it “Poguelandia.” The first episode of the new season begins with a one-month time jump, where we see our favorite group of friends—John B (Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Cleo (Carlacia Grant)—trying to “make do” on Pougelandia. And in many scenes, we have a chance to see the special, true bond amongst the Pogue members that we have come to know in previous seasons. We see the crew sit down and play an oh-so-scandalous game of truth or dare.

   While the island may appear like a standard tropical paradise, the uncertainty of their future falls over the Pogues, and it leaves the viewer with an uncomfortable feeling. But, it appears that lady luck is on their side when a plane flies over Pougelandia and spots the strayaways, landing to save them. However, the teenagers begin to put the pieces all together and quickly find out that their “saviors” have been hired to find them. Could it be Ward (Charles Esten) coming back to finalize what he left unfinished? Or Carla Limbrey (Elizabeth Mitchell), who is trying to take back what’s rightfully hers? To avoid major spoilers, the only thing I’ll say is the group of teens soon come across a threatening enemy that’s even more terrifying than Ward and Carla combined, and I’ll say nothing more.

  “I absolutely love outer banks. I never gave it a shot because I thought it would be some dumb surfer show but it’s like an extended version of Goonies or National Treasure. I absolutely love it.” said Lauren Supan, fellow OBX superfan.

Going into episode two, I didn’t know what to believe. At first, I thought nothing could top that eventful first episode I just watched, but I was proven wrong once again. The stakes have by no means been higher for the Pogues, and it seems like the crew is about to prove themselves as they set out on an expedition to find the biggest treasure of all: the city of gold, known as El Dorado.

So, will the crew finally beat the odds and take home the gold? Or will there be more obstacles the group of friends can handle? It’s hard to know but one thing is certain: Outer Banks is without a doubt worth the watch.