'Outer Banks' Review: A worthy distraction with all the trappings of an exciting treasure hunt
Spoilers for 'Outer Banks' Season 1
The synopsis for Netflix's 'Outer Banks' does not reveal much and may not even capture your attention, however, the freshman adventure drama is definitely worth your time and may even be your next binge-watch.
'Outer Banks' is "a coming-of-age story that follows a tight-knit group of local teens called the 'Pogues' in the beach vacation destination of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. When a hurricane kills the power for the summer season, it sets off a chain of illicit events that force the friends to make life-altering decisions."
In 'Outer Banks', the four lead characters are collectively called the Pogues -- three of them are from the working class, while the fourth member, Kiara, is rich and a socialist. The de facto leader of the Pogues, John B, lost his father a year ago when the latter went missing at sea. Then there is Pope, the smartest of the Pogues, and has a scholarship on the line — his ticket to a life outside of the Outer Banks, and JJ, John B’s oldest friend, who is troubled and has had a rough home life.
However, events soon unfurl that suggest that there's more to his disappearance. For instance, John B's father was searching for the shipwreck of the Royal Merchant, which is said to hold treasure worth $400 million.
When John B is threatened to be put in foster care, a hurricane hits the island right on time, leading up to a strange sequence of events that will play out with much bigger consequences throughout the show.
The Pogues come across a shipwrecked boat where they find a motel key. When they explore the motel room the key opens, they discover a stack of cash and weapons. They also come across other clues that lead them to go on a hunt for the Royal Merchant's wreck and find the $400 million worth treasure.
We are also introduced to the Kooks, basically the rich kids of the island, and short of a class war, Kooks and the Pogues do not get along at all. Of course, this gets interesting when Sarah, one of the Kooks, and John B start a "forbidden romance."
Usually, Netflix is great at marketing its shows, but for 'Outer Banks', the lackluster synopsis might steer viewers away from the show. The first episode does a good job of introducing the setting and all the characters, however, for a few episodes after that, the story progresses slowly.
Nevertheless, 'Outer Banks' offers a worthwhile watch. It is perfect for fans of adventure films and has everything you might be looking for while you are stuck at home -- it's got tension, bad guys with guns, the aforementioned forbidden romance, some intense historical theories, and of course, a treasure hunt. Viewers would also be relieved to know that 'Outer Banks' is quite different from other shows that Netflix has put out targeting young adults.
All episodes of Season 1 of 'Outer Banks' will be released on Netflix on April 15 at 12 am PST.
