Outer Banks is fun again

There is a moment in the first part of Outer Banks season four that is among the Netflix drama’s most unabashedly absurd—and for a series in which a pack of shaggy-haired, slightly moronic teenagers have managed to locate the gold-filled mythical city of El Dorado, that’s saying something. The bewildering moment features a heated turf war taking place over—checks notes—a fresh hatch of baby turtles, and it’s a level of preposterousness that feels in the same tradition as iconically insane teen soaps like The OC and One Tree Hill. (Okay, no, it’s not nearly as batshit as Marissa Cooper shooting a gun in slow-mo to Imogen Heap or a golden retriever eating Dan Scott’s heart transplant but, really, what is?) 

And we very much mean that as a compliment—after a meandering third season that made the mistake of taking its muddled mythologies far too seriously, it seems like co-creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke have course-corrected for the YA drama’s fourth season, serving up the show’s usual high-octane antics with cheeky self-awareness and a balls-to-the-wall disregard for sense. Don’t confuse that with Outer Banks being a great TV show—from the sallow-tinged cinematography to the less-than-robust writing, especially for its young female characters, it’s still very much a mess. But at least it’s back to being a good time.

The first five episodes of the season—yes, like Emily In Paris, Bridgerton, and Stranger Things, OBX season four will be arriving in two batches, the first on Thursday, October 10, and the second half following about a month later, on Thursday, November 7—also mend a major mistake from the third season by largely keeping John B (Chase Stokes), Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline) and the rest of their Pogue pals in one location: the show’s titular setting, the barrier islands that hug the North Carolina coast. (Though previews for the back half of season four show the treasure-hunting teens in more exotic locales.) 

Keeping the kiddos in their hometown means more time spent stoking local tensions—with motorbike races, rezoning plans, and, yes, infant turtles—and letting the Pogues be, well, Pogues. While they eventually are tasked with tracking down the long-lost treasures of the notorious English pirate Blackbeard, much of the season’s first part has JJ (Rudy Pankow), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and the crew dealing with far more relatable matters, like neighborhood bullies, fledgling businesses, and familial grief. That balance between approachability and adventure feels far more in tune with Outer Banks’ first season than the guns-blazing, jungle-trekking chaos of the series’ third batch.

Not that the new eps are entirely devoid of firearm fun—the Pogues continue to attract the attention of both local law enforcement as well as a fresh gang of baddies this season, the latter of whom is also hunting down the priceless amulets and blue crowns of Blackbeard’s bounty. And close encounters with both groups certainly give the show its heart-pumping pulp, but there’s also engaging stuff to be found in the everyday conflicts, like the class-clashing romance between the Pogue-raised Sofia (Fiona Paloma, upped to series regular this season) and Kook-born Rafe (Drew Starkey, who has overshadowed his young OBX peers for seasons now, making his move into acclaimed arthouse fare like Luca Guadagnino’s Queer feel as expected as it is earned). 

And while the split-season model has frustrated fans who’ve become accustomed to the fell-swoop binge of an entire season’s episodes, the delayed release schedule allows much-welcome breathing room for all of the Pogues’ endless shenanigans. There’s a reason those melodramatic moments from the teen soaps of yore are still so vivid—we were allowed to linger with those character reveals and shocking deaths without the nuisance of an immediate “Next episode starting in…” banner disrupting and devaluing a cliffhanger. Given that it’s a product of the streaming age, Outer Banks will never fully replicate the weekly commotion of its soapy predecessors, but the two-part release is the closest it’s gotten to stirring up that sensation.

Given how much gets crammed into every edition of the show, it’s hard to fully judge just how things will ultimately shake out for Outer Banks’ fourth season overall. Though part one is notably less busy than previous installments of the show, there are still abductions, proposals, knife fights, and a corpse being wheeled around on a skateboard. (“Come on, how long were we really gonna stay out of trouble?” John B winkingly narrates an early episode.) However, if it stays on its current course, Outer Banks might just have found its way again.

Outer Banks season four, part one premieres October 10 on Netflix