The teen treasure-hunting drama series Outer Banks returns for Season 3, following the exploits of a gang of teens as they continue their hunt for untold riches and their ticket to paradise. Here’s a recap and breakdown of everything that happened in each episode of Outer Banks Season 3.
This time around, they are after the location of El Dorado, but they’re up against the tough competition. During their epic quest to South America, the gang must battle bad relationships and dangerous criminals, with plenty of twists to come.
Outer Banks Season 3 Recap (Episodes 1-10)
Episode 1 – “Poguelandia”
The Pogues (John B, Sarah, JJ, Kie, Cleo, and Pope) are stranded on a desert island, which they have named Poguelandia. A helicopter spots them and lands, taking them to the nearby island of Barbados. This is no coincidence, though; the pilot has been tracking them down for quite some time. A misunderstanding with the pilot causes them to crash land into the bay. Kie is then taken prisoner by crime boss Carlos Singh while the others plan her escape. Singh takes Kie and Rafe hostage, hoping they can supply him with Denmark’s diary, leading him straight to El Dorado. Singh kills the pilot to show Kie he means business. The teens try to infiltrate Singh’s base to rescue Kie, but they are out of their depths and must regroup first.
Episode 2 – “The Bells”
JJ uses the pilot’s phone to contact Singh, but this backfires, and the crime boss tracks them down. The teens run away from Singh and his goons. While Singh’s men are distracted, Kie and Rafe escape as well. Rafe guides Kie to his boat. He promises to save her but won’t go back for the others. Kie tricks Rafe and steals his boat. The gang is all reunited and ready to set sail, but John B hears the sounds of church bells ringing in the distance. John B’s father used to call him home with the same melody. John B thinks his father is still alive and runs towards the church. Singh’s men shoot at the boat, and they are forced to flee without John B.
Episode 3 – “Fathers and Sons”
John B enters the church and is reunited with his father, Big John, who he thought was dead. Before escaping the island, Big John has an errand to run. He collects an artifact from an antique shop that could give them clues to the location of El Dorado. Singh is after this artifact, too, and raids the antique shop, but he is too late; the father and son have escaped. The other Pogues head home using Rafe’s boat. Rafe returns to Guadeloupe, where his father, Ward, wakes from his coma. Ward asks Rafe to return to Kildare Island and sell off the businesses. Big John and John B return to the Outer Banks and their home. Sarah greets him the next day, but Big John has vanished.
Episode 4 – “The Diary”
Big John finds John B’s copy of Denmark’s diary in his old van, but the rain has ruined it. They head to Mr. Sunn’s to get the original document. Two smugglers attack them and take the diary, though. They chase after the smugglers, and Big John kills them both to protect his son, throwing the bodies into the sea. Clues in the diary hint at the location of the missing half of the idol. The other teens are reunited with their families on Kildare Island. Pope introduces Cleo to his parents. Sarah returns home and overhears Rafe talking on the phone. He plans to collect the cross and sell it behind Ward’s back.
Episode 5 – “Heists”
Big John and John B head to Charleston to find the idol. They break into a museum’s storage facility and nab the missing piece of the artifact. On leaving the building, they find that their van has been stolen. Carla Limbrey has taken it. They head to her home, where Big John hands her a rag, pretending it’s a magical, healing shroud. Limbrey rubs the shroud on her cheeks and discovers she can walk again. The others plan to steal the cross, but they have no transportation. Sarah asks her ex-boyfriend Topper to help. They take the box containing the cross from a train carriage and escape from the police. The package includes a fake, though. Rafe and Barry have the actual cross, which they melt down for its gold.
Episode 6 – “The Dark Forest”
Big John has Denmark’s diary, and the artifact called the Gnomon of Solana, but they asked John B to keep it a secret from the others, especially Sarah. This secret causes a rift between John B and Sarah. Big John seeks out Kelly Kepler to translate the glyphs, but she is dead. Next, they go to Professor Sowell’s. He is paranoid about being killed, as three of the five people on his last expedition have died in suspicious circumstances. As Sowell translates the glyphs, he is also killed. Singh takes Big John hostage while John B escapes.
Meanwhile, Sarah hooks up with Topper. John B confesses to JJ, telling him everything. Ward returns to Outer Banks to put Rafe in his place.
Episode 7 – “Happy Anniversary”
JJ and John B head to Sowell’s house to look for clues. A newspaper cutting shows a photograph of the cursed expedition, which includes Neville Persaud. They track down Neville, who is living on a houseboat. Singh’s men attack him, but John B and JJ help him escape. Neville gives them the plan to find Big John but refuses to get involved himself. Rafe sells the gold against Ward’s wishes. JJ and John B head home to gather the gang for their next mission. At a party, John B sees Sarah with Topper. John B punches Topper, knocking him unconscious. Kie refuses to help JJ, angry that he stole from her parents. Cleo and Pope find a mysterious letter from Denmark Tanny that includes a translation key.
Episode 8 – “Tapping the Rudder”
John B and JJ have no money or passports but are desperate to travel to South America to save Big John. JJ suggests hitching a lift with drugs smuggler Barracuda Mike. The smuggler agrees but wants them to move the drugs first as a trust exercise. They are caught by the police and run. John B is then arrested for beating Topper, who is pressing charges. Sarah asks Topper to hold off for one day while John B attempts to track down his dad. Topper agrees. Rafe threatens his father, telling him to leave. Sarah asks Ward if they can use his jet to travel to South America. Ward agrees; they can go in the morning. Topper burns John B’s house to the ground that night in retaliation.
Episode 9 – “Welcome to Kitty Hawk”
Before boarding the plane to South America, the teens tell their parents their plans. Pope’s parents take some convincing, while Kie’s have her shipped off to a wilderness camp called Kitty Hawk. JJ is chased by Mike, who wants to pay after confiscating the drugs. JJ pleads with Mike, promising to give him the El Dorado gold cut. JJ drives to Kitty Hawk and rescues Kie from her prison camp. They board Mike’s plane instead. Rafe saves his dad from an assassin and takes him to the jet. Topper tells the police about John B’s location. The police arrive at the airstrip just as the plane leaves. Rafe is the only one left behind.
Episode 10 – “Secret of the Gnomon”
The gang arrives in Venezuela, searching for a tour guide called Jose. John B and Sarah find and free Big John while on their travels. Singh’s men follow Pope and ClSingh’s;y hide out with Kie and JJ, who has just landed in town. Using Denmark’sDenmark’sBig John translates the Gnomon. Singh demands the clues, but Big John refuses. A shootout follows, and Big John is shot. The clues lead to a cave. Singh follows them there. John B and Sarah use the second clue to find El Dorado via a hidden doorway. They collect big chunks of gold, but Singh intervenes. Big John throws dynamite to distract Singh.
The cave blows up, killing Singh. Ward tries to steal the gold, but Sarah won’t let won’t them take the gold. Ward sacrifices himself and kills Ryan to protect his daughter. Big John bleeds out and dies. Ward and Big John are buried in the jungle. Eighteen months later, the teens are applauded for their epic quest. An older man asks them to help him with another adventure involving Blackbeard, the pirate.
That’s our recap of what happened in Outer Banks Season 3. What are your thoughts on the story? Please comment below.
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