Do you find yourself day-dreaming about summer vacation?
Do you enjoy watching people that are definitely too old to be teenagers play teenagers in overproduced TV shows?
Do you want to be sucked into an enthralling rabbit hole of adventure, treasure-hunting, and lots of sunblock?
Well look no further. If you’re tired of rewatching The Office or Gossip Girl for the seventh time, the recently-released Netflix series Outer Banks should most definitely be on your watch list. I have to admit — when I first heard of this series, I was doubtful that I would enjoy it, but it is positively ADDICTING. So many questions whizzed through my head whilst I embarked on this Southern adventure. Why does everyone attach a ‘B’ to the end of John’s name? Why did some of the characters go by their full names? How old are these people supposed to be?
I can’t pretend that I have the answers to these questions, but I can give you some other information. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months and know nothing about this show, here’s a rundown of everything you need to know! Just a notice — if you like going into shows knowing absolutely nothing, then this article may not be for you.
The series takes place in—who would’ve thought—the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a long stretch of land just east of the Mainland. It’s an incredibly popular tourist destination for Northerners and Southerners alike; odds are some of your friends or people you know vacation in the OBX (I think I’m using that correctly) every year. The show itself centers on the lives of four (or five, depending upon the episode you’re watching) teenagers—John B., our lion-maned protagonist, Pope (the Ravenclaw of the group), Kiara, an ex-Kook (more on that later), and JJ (who is 100% Slytherin, don’t question me). Added to the crew a bit later on in the series is Sarah Cameron, the daughter of a successful businessman who vacations on the island.
Outer Banks is essentially The Goonies meets The O.C. meets The Outsiders (with a bit of Gossip Girl). It centers on class conflict between resident-islanders, the “Pogues”, and wealthy vacationing teens, dubbed the “Kooks”. The main four — John B., Pope, Kiara, and JJ are not from affluent families, while Sarah is. This class struggle is a main point of contention throughout the show.
What’s the plot, you may ask? It’s a treasure hunt. When John B. learns of a mysterious event that occurred over 200 years ago in the Outer Banks, he begins to suspect that there may be more to the story. As the characters rush to uncover this secret, they discover that they aren’t the only ones who are suspicious—and it’s that suspicion that may cost them their lives.
So, yeah. It is completely binge-worthy! In the past few months, the show’s popularity has skyrocketed, indeed reaching all demographics. If you do decide to watch Outer Banks, be prepared for lots of boat/fishing lingo—I had to do more than one google search!