REVIEW: Netflix’s Outer Banks May Be Your Next Obsession
In these trying times, many are searching for the next guilty pleasure. From reality TV to campy love stories, everyone is looking for their next obsession. Netflix’s Outer Banks will be that next obsession for many. The series focuses on four friends, John B (Chase Stokes), Kiara (Madison Bailey), Pope (Jonathan Daviss) and JJ (Rudy Pankow), also known as the Pogues (the kids who come from working-class families) who call Outer Banks, North Carolina home. John B is the leader of our group and currently living on his own. His father went missing at sea 9 months prior and his pseudo-guardian, an uncle, left weeks earlier.
John B spends his days dodging child protective services and riding around OBX with his friends. When a hurricane hits, the kids’ lives are about to change forever. The foursome head out on their boat to see what the storm has churned up when they come across a boat wreck which leads to treasure hunting, a thrilling mystery, and a lot of drama.
While this mystery is unfolding, we are also introduced to the Kooks, or the wealthy kids of the Outer Banks. Their story isn’t anywhere near as compelling or intriguing as the main storyline. These scenes feel as if they are part of another series and these characters aren’t nearly as compelling as the main four. The shipwreck storyline is actually engaging and will likely be what will keep audience goers glued to the screen. That mystery combined with the relationship between the core four has the most potential for fun.
Stokes, Bailey, Daviss, and Pankow’s characters are the most interesting and have the most potential to flesh out. At times, Kiara, Pope, and JJ do feel like pieces to propel John B’s story and at other times they feel like equal leads. It is when they are all treated as equal leads that you will find the most development among the group. The four play off each other extremely well and you can tell they had a lot of fun making the series. The show was shot in Charleston, South Carolina, so it’s hard to not have an excellent time while there.
The rich kids lack any development, except for possibly Sarah (Madelyn Cline), and really were not needed. I understand they wanted to highlight the class warfare that affects OBX in the series, but unfortunately its addition is a waste.
Outer Banks is a good teen show to help prepare you for summer, or at least help you through having to be at home right now. The show touches on the many things people love about teen drama, a good-looking cast, over the top stories, a little bit of romance, and mystery around every corner. It also can become a guilty pleasure to many; check i out and seeing for yourself.
Grade: B-