Platform: Netflix
Release Date: Part 1- Oct. 10 / Part 2- Nov. 7
Director: Jonas Pate
Cast: Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Rudy Pankow, Madison Bailey, Jonathan Daviss, Carlacia Grant, Drew Starkey, Alistair Petrie
Genres: Action, Teen drama, Mystery, Adventure
Rating: TV-MA (language, violence)
Our rating: B+
The second half of the “Outer Banks” season 4 released this past week on Netflix and has taken the world by storm. This anticipated chapter of the show has left viewers on the edge of their seat counting down the days of its release. The performance the cast of the show have delivered this season is nothing less than spectacular, specifically Rudy Pankow who plays the center-focus of this season, JJ Maybank.
“I’m really surprised with [Pankow’s] acting this season, he’s improved a lot from the previous seasons… I hope to see him in other future films and television series,” sophomore Ronaldo Valdes said.
The season kicks off with the Pogues building “Poguelandia“, their dream house, from the money they earned selling the gold they recovered in the previous season. For a brief moment, they savor their newfound freedom, running their bait shop business and thinking they have finally found stability. However, this newfound hope does not last long as a rezoning notice proves to be enough to make the home sale invalid and evict the Pogues from their home, leaving them in deep debt.
Homeless and running out of the money, the future looked bleak for the Pogues. With nothing else to lose these treasure hunters could not stay out of trouble and went on another quest to find the ancient blue crown — worth millions of dollars to get their money back.
Season 4 of Outer banks moves to have a more consistent tone and plot-line compared to previous seasons. With a more coherent structure and the introduction to new and interesting characters, it seems as though the producers of the show made an emphasis on making the show expand and introduce new story lines, as they did with JJ Maybank and his origin.
“[Maybank’s] origin story was my favorite part from season 4, I can’t believe that [Luke Maybank] wasn’t his real dad,” sophomore Mia Parker said.
The antagonists of Season 4 are clear to be Chandler Groff, the heir of Goat Island, and the Lupine Corsairs, Groff’s mercenary group who share a mutual interest with the Pogues, the hunt of Blackbeard’s treasure, the Blue Crown. The mercenary group serves as a constant threat to the Pogues, due to their ruthless tactics and use of violence to gain the upper hand on the quest for the Blue Crown, not to mention that they are far more experienced and well-equipped. This dynamic seems to be what has catapulted this show from a simple story of teen friends finding treasure, to an intricate journey that we as viewers can be a part of, ultimately leading this new season to success.
“It’s amazing how each season of Outer banks manages to outdo the last. This season had me glued to the screen — I could not look away for a second, fearing I would miss out on an important detail,” sophomore Brandon Willoughby said.
However, all series have their flaws and they are very present specifically in this newly released chapter of the show. Many people critique the melodramatic acting portrayed in the season, along with the unrealistic turn of events and the obvious plot-holes. For instance, the fact that these “teenagers” do not go to school and more specifically are fugitives.
“I’ve seen so many clips on social media making jokes on [the show’s] acting. For example, [Daviss] saying he was going to ‘crashout’, and it makes me take the series less seriously” said sophomore Yuval Levin.
Nevertheless, the performance these actors gave at critical points in the show cannot be overlooked. Pankow’s acting this season delivers a jaw-dropping display of raw emotions when learning that the abusive father that raised him since he was young in the cut is not his blood progenitor, and that his real father is an even worse human being. His acting this season is what is ultimately going to separate Pankow from the stereotypical cheesy “Disney acting” critique the whole cast has been receiving the past few years and will surely help him land larger roles in the future.
This season ranks near the top, in terms of shows, and did not fall short of any expectations. The plot line along with the introduction of new characters are what makes it rank higher than previous seasons where it felt as if Netflix was trying to drag the series on to capitalize on it.
