‘Outer Banks’ Season Three: A Summer Show In February?

A camera pans the shoreline and the screen fades from black to a vibrant sunset. I become excited as the show kicks into full gear.

“Rivers of Babylon” by The Melodians begins to play. It’s a swingy reggae beat that fully encapsulates the tropical mood of our favorite Pogues. This scene in “Outer Banks” third season is a reward after a tense recap, but gives us just enough nostalgia to remind us of the iconic chase scene at the opening of season 1.

Familiar feelings rush back in and one of my friends says, “Oh, this is about to be good.”

I agree, but something is off.

“Can you pass me a blanket?”

That’s what’s off. As the blanket is tossed my way, I’m no longer cold. However, my spirits are not as warm. On the screen, JJ is diving into the sparkling summer water, while I’m here in my dorm with the light from overcast skies streaming weakly in through my window. It’s because of this that I watch the rest of the episode with a dash of cynicism and a longing to be anywhere without essays to write, rain to avoid and forty-degree weather to dress accordingly for. 

In that very sentiment, I find my dilemma. I am not able to relate to these characters anymore.

To be fair, I wasn’t able to truly relate with them in the first place. “Outer Banks” is a show about teenagers finding treasure and getting in trouble with corrupt small town authorities. I am a college student who frets over late assignments and remembering the confusing open-dorm hours. We are not the same. 

That said, in the past I have been able to feel a kinship with these twenty-five year olds playing high school students. As the show continues on my screen, I realize it was because these characters are free of their responsibilities and quite literally have nothing to do.

It’s the classic summer concept, which is why I believe the show became so influential in the first place. The first season dropped on April 15, 2020. Students stuck in quarantine found things in common with John B. and his crew because the country was collectively bored to tears. Just like the Pogues doing things for the heck of it, young people got to live vicariously through their escapades. “Outer Banks” could not have had better timing. 

Season two was released on July 30, 2021 — the dog days of summer. There had been anticipation throughout the months of June and July, which built excitement. When the season dropped, the target audience was once again bored students looking for adventure without having to leave their living rooms. Now, however, the show seems to have lost that momentum. 

“Did you watch the new season?” someone would ask.

“No, I’ve just been so busy,” another would reply.

This is a common problem amongst college students and high school students alike. Weather aside, students are tackling pre-spring break workloads at this point in the semester. There’s not much time to watch Netflix, especially with each episode an hour long. 

It appears the decision-makers have lost sight of their show’s best selling points. Although I have only watched the first episode of season 3, the plot seems to resemble the same treasure hunting theme of both seasons prior. This is acceptable, given that “Outer Banks” doesn’t rely on plot to primarily propel the show. Instead, it relies on characters and the audience’s ties to them. So, what happens when the audience no longer feels the way the characters do? 

For many, “Outer Banks” shaped their view of the summer. Its general aesthetics inspired them to take trips with friends and go exploring. “Outer Banks” is notoriously a summer show in the way that “Gilmore Girls” and “When Harry Met Sally” represent the fall. 

As a society, we put such pressure on shows and movies to tell us how to feel about the season at hand. This can have good repercussions in how it allows us to appreciate another point of view, even if our version of that season isn’t as picture-worthy. In a negative sense, this idea can create a stencil of how that time of year should feel to the point where it becomes rigid and unyielding. Unfortunately, “Outer Banks” has stepped out of its summer parameters and created conflicting views on how well the show can truly be appreciated at this time of year.

By releasing season three in February, it throws off a feeling of freedom that audiences identified with in the previous seasons. While the Pogues run along the beach smiling in the sunshine, it’s difficult to muster a similar sentiment with a paper due at 8 a.m. the next day.

Will I finish season three? Absolutely. I might be critical of the timing and find it hard to relate to the carefree nature of the show, but Netflix did a fine job creating characters that are easy to invest interest in. Will John B. continue to make it out of situations with his life intact? Only time will tell. 

I have decided I will wait for spring break to finish the season. That isn’t to say my friends will want to do the same. In my pure personal preference, I don’t want to stressfully watch the show as I study for an exam. It wouldn’t be fun. Avoiding spoilers will be a killer, but sometimes having patience means the reward is sweeter. If I can truly enjoy the show to the fullest, I have no problem waiting until spring break to find out what happens next.

In the words of John B., “Pogue life is all fun and nothing not.”

With that motto in mind, I intend to go full Pogue.