Culture Story
The beloved Pouges of the Outer Banks (Netflix)
Is school in session? Outer Banks season two belongs in a textbook on creating successful sequels
Outer Banks? Please and thanks! The wildly popular Netflix Original Series Outer Banks, directed by Jonas Pate, swept many fans away into a world that was probably much different than their own. Coming out in April of 2020, most of the world was in lock down at home due to the coronavirus and found escape in every aspect of the show. Season two was released at the tail end of July 2021 and was also very popular as the summer came to a close and the pandemic seemed to be ramping up yet again.
In season one, John B. (Chase Stokes) opens by saying “The Outer Banks, paradise on earth. It’s the sort of place where you either have two jobs, or two houses. Two tribes, one island.” If you can find a better bare bones summary for the show, let me know. In all honesty, season one and season two are united by this idea. “Pouges” (the people on the poor side of the island) are always feuding with the “kooks” (or the rich people on the island). It goes past the ordinary turf wars from 1980’s teen dramas though, in this case there is so much more at stake. Like, so much more. First, there’s gold and then there’s people willing to kill for that gold. John B. and his friends (the Pouges) Pope (Jonathan Daviss), Kiara (Madison Bailey) and JJ (Rudy Pankow) are one group looking for the treasure. With a little help from John B.’s love interest, Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline).
Season two then starts off where the first season ended. John B. and Sarah are on their way to the Bahamas to track down the gold that Sarah’s father (played by Charles Esten) has stolen and shipped there. Getting and staying there is rocky to say the least, but with the help of cautious new friendships they are able to escape and make it back to the Outer Banks. Does the craziness end there? Of course not, because while they were gone their friends were doing some digging and uncovered some of Pope’s family secrets and more gold! This time, it’s in the shape of a solid gold cross. The race to get it before other people begins again and the dangers of getting killed and arrested loom over their heads. After a crazy fight on a cargo ship, they escape without the cross and end up stranded on an island, a peep into season three.
What’s that? They’re up to more shenanigans in season two? (Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix)
As far as second seasons go, the results from fans can be iffy. Outer Banks is not only a popular show but also an example of a series that made a successful sequel. One of the most obvious reasons to this is because it came out a good amount of time after the first season. Roughly one year after its initial release, the second season came out with the same quality and quantity of episodes.
Nobody likes to sit around for years waiting for another ten episodes of a show that, let’s face it, will be binge-watched within a couple days. Another contemporary Netflix Original Series, the critically acclaimed Stranger Things, has a large and sturdy fanbase. However, season three was released in 2019, and we’re all still waiting for season four in 2021, and probably will be into 2022. No matter the effects, amazing camerawork, or complex storyline, at some point audiences get tired of waiting. When it comes to Outer Banks, this problem never occurred.
Another issue that many TV series run into is that as the seasons go on, the story line gets too confusing or too unbelievable. Teen drama Riverdale has released a new season each year since 2017, but the issue that many have found is that the story line gets increasing ‘out there’ as the seasons progress. How many murderers, crazy rituals, and darkness can one small town really have before the audience starts getting bored?
Outer Banks, however, seemed to take an even bigger and more crazy adventure in season two and make it just as realistic as season one. One of the most important components to this is the consistency found in both the characters and the plot lines. Leaping right off from where the first season ended, season two continues the narrative in a seamless way that made the viewer, and me personally, feel as though they’d picked up right where they left off a year ago.
Instead of new plotlines being created out of thin air, the existing story simply developed further. Take the opening scene of the first episode for example. We hear the indie strumming of a guitar in the background and the sounds of seagulls along the water as we witness three of the (now) five main Pouges mourning the loss of John B. and Sarah. Pope, Kiara and JJ think they’re friends are dead, an accurate assumption since season one left off with them being stranded in the middle of the sea, never found by the Outer Banks police.
(In order from left to right) JJ, Kiara, and Pope mourn the ‘loss’ of their friends, wink wink (Netflix)
This opening scene does many things to start the season off well. First, it makes the audience feel secure in the world that has been created yet again. The soft lighting, indie music, and familiar characters pulled me right back to season one and I almost mourned with them. Almost, since the next scenes are of John B. and Sarah, safe and sound on a cargo ship. Immediately, the plot picks up where it left off, and believe me I had so many questions about what is going to happen next, but I never felt lost or confused about where something in the plot came from. This held true even as the Pouges discovered yet another treasure hidden on the island or when Sarah gets shot in the Bahamas. It all flows and makes sense from every angle.
Another consistency that I thoroughly enjoyed was the fact that there really weren’t that many new characters. We get introduced to Cleo (Carlacia Grant) and Captain Terrance (Terrance Rosemore) as the cautious and sly friends that help John B. and Sarah escape capture and get home from the Bahamas. We also meet new antagonists that are trying to get the gold cross first, but instead of standing out these new characters seem to fit right in, and they never overshadow the beloved main stars.
It’s still the same plot and the new characters simply add to it in a natural way. Something the creators of the show brilliantly do is tie in Cleo from the beginning of the season back into the end. As the Pouges are stowed away on a cargo ship to steal back the gold cross, they stumble upon Cleo who tries to help and eventually escapes with them to the deserted island. Everything seems to be full circle and all the characters have their perfectly molded spots in the show that add to the realism. Friends come and go, just like hidden enemies slowly uncover themselves.
Adding even more to this is that for most of the actors, and even the director, this is their breakout show. So, for die hard fans and many other viewers, the beloved actors will forever be known as these characters. How wonderful is that?
Outer Banks not only creates a successful sequel using consistency, but it also plays off the nostalgia that we got from season one. I mean, these are kids that live completely different lives than a lot of the teens I know. They can do basically whatever they want. They party, surf, and occasionally go on a treasure hunt and escape bad guys. But who wouldn’t want to live a life like that, especially now when the COVID-19 pandemic is all we’ve known for the past year and a half? The craving for simpler times where school, work, and getting a possibly deadly virus could be the last thing on our minds.
Shot consistently in a warm, tropical light every scene rustles up the want to get on a plane and fly to the beach somewhere. The music tracks are the kind of music surfers would listen to: “Left Hand Free” by alt-J, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephants, and other instrumental songs have become permanently cemented as being part of this show. The marrying of cinematography to sound creates stronger feelings in the audience that makes each episode stand out among other contemporary teen series.
Not only do the technical aspects of the show make us crave to be living in that world, but the close-knit group that is created makes the nostalgia even worse. Who doesn’t want to be somewhere warm, listening to great music, and going on adventures with friends that would do anything for you?
Take for example when John B. and Sarah are reunited with Kiara, Pope, and JJ. In the midst of being chased down, the three Pouges stumble upon their friends, that are supposed to be dead! There’s no time for mushy reunions though, and they all get away on a bike with a basket on the back. Racing through the streets as a team, the sound of tire spokes whisking through the air as they all make their escape. What an exciting life they all live.
The happiness of the reunion is definitely contagious (Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix)
Outer Banks season two was as successful a sequel as they come. Not only is there consistency and realism to the bigger and better adventures, but it makes you feel as though you want to be there too. The nostalgia it kicks up and the longing to escape into that world makes this a perfect show to binge at any time, and many times after that.