This article contains spoilers for “Outer Banks”

Quarantine was a hard time for many, made slightly easier by the release of new and addicting shows. One unique series that became an instant hit was “Outer Banks,” which follows a group of teenagers in Outer Banks, North Carolina. Social life in the Outer Banks is complicated, as there is a split amongst the population. The Pogues are a group of people living in “The Cut,” or the south side of the island, whereas the Kooks are the elites of the Outer Banks, whose parents have an excessive amount of money. 

The Cut is home to the island’s working class, citizens who make their living bussing tables, washing yachts and running charters versus the Kooks who live on country club land and take advantage of the lower class residents. 

The first two seasons feature a group of friends made up of John B. (Chase Stokes), Kiara (Madison Bailey), J.J. (Rudy Pankow) and Pope (Jonathan Daviss). John B.’s dad was a treasurer hunter who is presumed dead after never returning from a trip, leaving 16-year-old John B. to fend for himself. J.J. also has a troubled past and was forced to grow up quickly, as his dad used to abuse him before he ran away. Pope’s father runs a restaurant and his cooking is known all across the island. Kiara has an interesting background because she is half Pogue and half Kook. She lives a good life in a fancy house, but her parents don’t want her to keep hanging around the Pogues. 

Since John B.’s dad was a treasure hunter, he grew up knowing about the treasure of the Royal Merchant, a Spanish ship that crashed near Outer Banks and with it, sank its treasures. The group comes together to uncover the secret of the Royal Merchant and claim its rewards. 

Each member of the group finds their own clues and then works together in order to solve the mystery. John B. starts the group off with the pieces that his dad left for him, and Pope joins in with the ones that he found. But they aren’t the only ones hunting for this treasure, and things take a turn when they start getting close to the truth. People begin to come after the teens—people who are looking for John B.’s dad—and they start to shake things up for the town. Throughout seasons one and two, the teens need to stay together in order to fight against those chasing them. The Kingfish—their main attacker—and others are not afraid to use any tactics they can to get that treasure, including murder. The group travels across South Carolina trying to find as many clues as they possibly can while also avoiding the dangerous groups attempting to do the same. 

As season two closes, the group ends up on Ward Cameron’s (Charles Esten) freight boat crossing the Caribbean. The group knows Sarah (Madelyn Cline) was taken against her will and is being held hostage by her brother Rafe (Drew Starkey) and stepmother Rose (Caroline Arapoglou). John B. and Ward end up in a fight over saving Sarah and John B. knocks out Ward the same way Ward “killed” John B.’s father. Rafe and Ward eventually get away with some treasure that was on the boat, while the rest of the gang escapes. They steal a small boat from the side of the freight ship and take off to an island they proclaim as “Poguelandia.” 

Season three picks up right where season two ends, opening with some new players in the game and revealing that maybe some people are not dead … yet. The season certainly doesn’t start slowly. The gang is on a stranded island all by themselves with no way off. A plane flies above them and they spark a fire to get its attention. The plane sees them and lands, offering to get them to another island. J.J. is the first of the group to sense something off about the pilot, causing tensions in the plane to grow. The pilot is actually being paid for their capture and the plane then crashes into the ocean. Kiara is captured before the group can make it to the island. The group must then fight to discover the secrets of their new island and find a way to recover Kiara. 

The third season also reveals many new secrets and tension amongst the characters. The suspense of the show grows between episodes and it is hard to stop after just one, especially this new season. The audience is captivated by the show and even after the ending, more questions rise up.

Some of the cast of Outer Banks is notable: Charles Esten played the dad on the show “Jessie,” and Sarah Cameron had a role in “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.” Besides those two, “Outer Banks” was the first big role for most of the main cast.  Although this is their first big role, these actors have a great chemistry together that is tangible whenever they’re on screen.

Season three adds even more binge-worthy drama and suspense to the show. If you’re looking for a new hit to watch, that will get your heart rate up and has all of the quintessential elements of a teen drama, “Outer Banks” is definitely the show for you. All three seasons are now available on Netflix.