Outer Banks is a teen drama that shows two different groups in the Outer Banks of North Carolina: the Pogues and the Kooks. The Pogues are the working-class people living on the island. They include John B Routledge (played by Chase Stokes), Pope (played by Jonathan Daviss), JJ (played by Rudy Pankow), and Kiara (played by Madison Bailey).
The Kooks are the wealthy people on the island. They include Sarah Cameron (played by Madelyn Cline), her older brother Rafe (played by Drew Starkey), their father Ward (played by Charles Esten), and Sarah’s boyfriend Topper (played by Austin North).
The two groups do not usually get along, but everything changes when John B starts to like Sarah, the Kook princess. This leads to many clashes between the two worlds.
In Season 1, John B’s father goes missing. John B and his friends begin to search for the treasure that his father was obsessed with. However, the Pogues are not the only ones looking for the treasure.
They soon realize they are up against powerful enemies, and the odds are often not in their favor. With high stakes involved, every episode is filled with drama about the treasure hunt and typical teenage problems, leaving viewers guessing what will happen next.
Top 10 Moments from Outer Banks
10. The Pogues Don’t Get the Cross from the Train (Season 3, Episode 5)
In this episode, Sarah, JJ, Pope, Cleo (played by Carlacia Grant), and Kiara convince Topper to help them steal back the Cross of Santo Domingo from the Camerons.
They drive to Wilmington with Topper’s truck to stop the train carrying the Cross, find it, and bring it back to the Outer Banks. Luckily, JJ stops the train using jumper cables. Pope and Cleo manage to find the Cross after talking to a railway worker.
They load the Cross into the truck, and Sarah, Topper, Pope, and Cleo drive away while Kiara and JJ follow on JJ’s bike. However, things go wrong when the police arrive after the railway worker sees Cleo and Pope breaking into the train. A police chase begins.
They discover that the crate they took is full of trash, and they never had the Cross at all. Rafe and Barry (played by Nicholas Cirillo) end up with the Cross and are melting it down. Fans found this twist tough to handle, realizing that the Pogues want the treasures for a better life while the Camerons only care about having them.
9. Barry Turns Rafe in to the Police (Season 2, Episode 6)
After a wild night where John B and Sarah nearly die, John B gets out of prison. Rafe Cameron is charged with murdering Sheriff Peterkin (played by Adina Porter). Meanwhile, Sarah is with her ex-boyfriend Topper, who saved her from drowning.
Ward and Rose (played by Caroline Arapoglou) are debating what to do while the police search their house. Rafe wants to escape the Outer Banks before the police find him.
Rafe learns from a text that the police are looking for him while he is at Barry’s house. Barry has often helped Rafe with the Pogues because he has his own reasons to seek revenge on them.
But Rafe starts to act strangely, and Barry decides to turn him in to the police instead of helping him escape. This surprise twist shocked fans, as Barry has usually done whatever Rafe wanted.
8. Carla Limbrey Shoots Her Own Brother (Season 2, Episode 9)
The Pogues think they have found some luck by discovering the Cross of Santo Domingo in a small church. However, before they can figure out how to move it, Pope gets stung by wasps and has an allergic reaction.
The Pogues leave to help Pope, leaving the Cross behind. Rafe and Carla Limbrey’s (played by Elizabeth Mitchell) half-brother, Renfield (played by Jesse C. Boyd), find the Cross.
Rafe takes the Cross to Carla to find the Garment of the Savior, which she desperately wants. When they don’t find the Garment in the Cross, Renfield mocks her. He no longer needs to obey Carla since he has the Cross.
In anger, Carla shoots him. Although Carla is the villain, she usually has others do her dirty work. Fans were shocked when she finally took matters into her own hands.
7. Ward Sacrifices Himself to Save Sarah (Season 3, Episode 10)
When the Pogues reach South America to continue their search for El Dorado, the city of gold, Ward shows up and says he wants to help. The Pogues, including Sarah, are unsure if they can trust him, but they keep going on their quest with Big John (played by Charles Halford).
They soon encounter Ward again, along with Carlos Singh (played by Andy McQueen), who has been causing trouble for the Pogues.
While John B and Sarah find El Dorado, Singh dies in a dynamite explosion. Later, when the Pogues celebrate their treasure hunt, they get cornered by Ward, who wants the gold. Sarah talks him down, but Singh’s men show up and threaten them.
To protect his daughter one last time, Ward throws one of the men off a cliff, sacrificing himself. This moment surprised viewers because Ward, who often put himself first, finally puts his daughter before him and shows her that he loves her.
6. Pope is Related to Denmark Tanny (Season 2, Episode 6)
When Carla Limbrey has her brother attack Heyward (played by E. Roger Mitchell) to get information about the key to the Cross of Santo Domingo, he does not give away any secrets. However, he tells Pope that his great-grandmother might have something to do with the situation.
Pope talks to his great-grandmother, who reveals that Denmark and Cecilia Tanny are his great-grandparents. Denmark Tanny was an enslaved man and the only survivor of the Royal Merchant shipwreck, which is the focus of the treasure hunt in Season 1. This means that the gold the Pogues have been searching for actually belongs to Pope’s family.
This shocking news makes the gold hunt very personal for Pope and his friends. They are no longer searching for treasure to become rich. Now they are trying to find what belongs to Pope’s family. When the Camerons take it or the Limbreys claim it, they are stealing from his family.
Denmark Tanny used the gold to buy freedom for himself and others and also to purchase Tannyhill plantation. He hid the rest of the gold and left clues for his son to find it. It is now Pope’s destiny to follow the clues and find the treasure that belongs to him.
5. Ward Killed Big John (Season 1, Episode 8)
After John B narrowly escapes from Ward’s boat, he quickly goes to Lana Grubbs (played by CC Castillo) to learn the truth about his father’s disappearance. Lana’s husband, Scooter (played by David Ury), told Lana that Big John found the treasure.
He had a fight with Ward over how to split the fortune. Big John believed he did most of the work, while Ward thought Big John needed his resources. Their fight turned physical when Ward pushed Big John, causing him to hit his head. Instead of calling for help, Ward pushed him overboard and left him to die.
When fans first meet John B, he is waiting for his father to come home. He knows his father has been searching for treasure but has not heard from him in a long time.
He decides to search for the Royal Merchant with his friends to find what his father devoted his life to discovering. The shocking revelation that Ward killed Big John raises the stakes for John B, the Pogues, and the fans.
4. Ward Steals the Gold (Season 1, Episode 8)
The Pogues find the gold hidden in a well tunnel under a house on the Outer Banks. They plan how to get it out, thinking they are the only ones who know about it. However, Ward overhears John B and Sarah talking about the gold and decides to get involved.
When Ward confronts John B, John B pretends he does not know what Ward is talking about. When John B returns to the tunnel to get the gold, he finds it empty.
Ward cannot convince John B to let him help extract the gold, so he finds another way to win. Rose, a real estate agent, tells him that the Crain Estate is for sale after some kids broke in. Ward realizes that the house was broken into because it holds the gold.
He moves quickly, takes the gold, and arranges for it to be sent to the Bahamas for safekeeping. This moment is heartbreaking for fans as John B realizes that his chance to find the treasure has been ruined by someone with more resources.
3. Ward Fakes His Own Death (Season 2, Episode 6)
The Camerons face the consequences of their crimes when the police arrive with a search warrant and second-degree murder charges for Rafe. John B, who was charged with Sheriff Peterkin’s murder, is now free because the police have evidence against Rafe.
Sarah is with Topper, who saved her from Rafe’s attempt to drown her the night before. Although Sarah knows her father is a criminal, he is still her dad.
When Rafe is turned in to the police by Barry, Ward decides he must protect his family. He lets the police surround him on his boat. He confesses to his crimes in front of them. But when Sarah arrives, he looks regretful and tells her she should not be there.
Just then, the boat explodes, and everyone thinks Ward is dead. Fans are shocked by the twist, especially because Ward usually puts himself before his family. This scene keeps viewers guessing about Ward’s real motives.
2. John B and Sarah Almost Drown (Season 2, Episode 4)
When John B and Sarah finally decide to be together, they also realize that they need to focus on their goals and search for the treasure.
The two face danger when they try to escape from a boat with the gold, which is in a trunk. They jump into the water to swim to safety. As they swim, they are caught in a storm. They fight the waves, but they almost drown.
Fans hold their breath as they watch the couple fight for their lives and their love. In the end, they reach the shore, and it looks like they might be safe. The intense moment leaves viewers wondering if John B and Sarah will make it out alive.
1. John B and Sarah’s First Kiss (Season 1, Episode 7)
The first kiss between John B and Sarah happens while they are hiding from Topper. They are in the car together, and the romantic tension builds as they get closer. Fans are on the edge of their seats. Just when they think nothing will happen, John B kisses Sarah.
This moment is crucial because it marks the start of their relationship, which becomes a major focus in the show. Fans love their chemistry and cannot help but root for their love. This kiss is the beginning of a wild adventure filled with drama and obstacles for the couple.
