Summary
“Secret of the Gnomon” is more silly fun from Outer Banks, with a cringe conveyor belt of bad guys fighting our poor teen heroes for the treasure. The finale is needlessly long and drawn out, while the writers revert to easy answers once again, and a cliched final scene hints at more adventures.
Season 3 of Outer Banks ends with a feature-length finale titled “Secret of the Gnomon.” In Episode 10, the teens journey to the Venezuelan rainforest to finish their hunt for El Dorado, the city of gold which leads to a ambiguous ending.
John B (Chase Stokes) leads one expedition as they search for his missing father, while JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Kie (Madison Bailey) aren’t far behind on their mini adventure with Barracuda Mike. The series ends with plenty of drama and action, concluding the show’s overarching storyline.
John B and the gang fly into the Orinoco Basin on Ward’s private jet at the start of Outer Banks Season 3 Episode 10. Before they land near Tres Rocas, John B wants to lay out their plan. However, he doesn’t want Ward to listen in. He still doesn’t trust Sarah’s father after everything they’ve been through.
Ward appears to be out cold, giving John a chance to plan. John B talks of finding a man called Jose in Tres Rocas, then heading to Solana, an archaeological site, using Neville’s rudimentary map. Then he hopes to find his dad and El Dorado. Ward is listening in, and it looks like he’s up to no good again.
JJ and Kie land in South America at a similar time, thanks to drug smuggler Barracuda Mike. He reminds them that they owe him. He directs them to a bus, and they head into Tres Rocas. It’s not long before they are reunited with their old gang.
John B and Sarah free Big John from captivity with a fireworks distraction, and Carlos Singh’s men recklessly search the village. Pope and Cleo run away from these henchmen and hide behind the bus with JJ and Kie.
How will Big John translate the Gnomon?
Escaping Singh and his men, Big John tells his son and daughter-in-law Sarah that he cannot translate the Gnomon. Singh had pressured him with the translation, and he seemed to be stalling, but he was genuinely lost. John B shows him the Denmark Tanny letter with a bonus translation key.
Big John cannot believe his luck. They head down to the river, looking for tour guide Jose, but Ward has beaten them. There’s no time for an argument; Singh’s men are in hot pursuit. The gang is forced into allowing Ward on their boat.
They head upstream and dock in El Tesoro. Big John wants to ditch Ward, and his wish becomes a reality. Ward states he is too weak to participate in the hike and will stay behind to warn them of Singh’s arrival.
Big John doesn’t need telling twice; he rushes ahead, into the jungle, with his son and Sarah struggling to keep up. They need the moon’s light to read the clues, and time is against them. The Gnomon idol clicks into place at the site, and the moon’s light reveals these rare clues.
How does Singh track them down?
Big John, John B, and Sarah read the clues and are given riddles to solve. Big John still doesn’t trust Sarah and won’t tell them the answers, although he admits they direct them to El Dorado. Singh appears just in time to receive the next clue, but Big John won’t supply the goods.
It is revealed that Ward was working with Singh and gave away their location. Even when John’s life is in danger, his father won’t reveal the secrets of the Gnomon. A shootout follows, and they escape. Ward orders Sarah to come with him, but she refuses, firing her gun in his direction to emphasize her choice.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Pogues (JJ, Kie, Pope, and Cleo) approach the archaeological site. Mike has provided them with machetes, knives, and a boat to help them in their adventure. They arrive at El Tesoro and scare off Singh’s goons with more fireworks. As they delve deeper into the jungle, sensing danger, Cleo declares her love to Pope, and the couple kiss.
Where do the riddles lead them?
Back with John B’s team, his father is bleeding out, having been hit during the shootout. Singh follows Big John’s trail of blood. Big John reveals the answers to the Gnomon clues, and they arrive at a cave. Inside they find a handprint engraved on the cave’s wall. John B and Sarah dive into an opening and continue the quest without Big John’s assistance.
Using flares, they search the cave, finally coming to a dead end. Sarah remembers the second part of the riddle and extinguishes the blaze. In the dark, they spot a glowing on the cave wall. Pushing this light opens a hidden doorway. Next, they must jump across a great abyss and be rewarded with untold riches.
Do the Pogues find El Dorado?
It’s not quite a city of gold, but there are structures of gold and chunks of the stuff scattered about. John B and Sarah have found El Dorado. They collect these rocks of gold and head back.
But Singh is waiting for them on the other side. He takes the gold at gunpoint and orders Big John to show himself. The father comes out of hiding, wielding a lit stick of dynamite. Again, Singh threatens John B, yet Big John doesn’t take the bait. Instead, he makes his own threat: let him go, or he will set off the dynamite. Singh doesn’t buy it, but Big John hurls the dynamite anyway.
Outer Banks Season 3 Ending Explained
The gang escapes the cave with their gold. Singh tries to extinguish the dynamite but manages to set it off instead. The explosion is heard throughout the jungle. The team exits the cave and gawp at the shiny gold they’ve swiped.
Though their celebrations are short-lived, Ward appears with a gun, taking the gold for himself. He considers killing Big John and is about to pull the trigger when JJ and the other teens attack with machetes. Ward is outnumbered and practically cannot shoot them all, even if he wants to. Sarah takes her father’s gun and saves them all from death.
They aren’t safe just yet, though. Singh’s second-in-command Ryan then pops up to take the gold. John B hands over his gun and is probably about to pass the gold over too, but Ryan wants revenge for his fallen comrades first. He aims the gun at Sarah and is about to shoot.
Ward jumps in front of Sarah and sacrifices himself, taking multiple bullets before he pushes Ryan off a cliff. Big John bleeds out and is buried alongside Ward in the rainforest.
What is the next adventure for Outer Banks?
Eighteen months later, the teens are the talk of the town, with a large celebration underway in their honor. John B speaks with Sarah about how normal everything seems, while everyone appears to be moving on with their lives. Kie is saving turtles, Pope is going away to school, and JJ bought the charter boat. Even Sarah and John B have their surf shop.
An old man interrupts, ready to upturn their worlds once again. He has a new quest for them. The older man shows them a manuscript, the captain’s log of Blackbeard, the pirate, no less. John B smirks, a new adventure is on the horizon.
What did you think of Outer Banks Season 3 Episode 10 and the ending? Comment below.
More Articles on Outer Banks
