Outer Banks S3 Review: A Lost Opportunity!

Outer Banks Season 3 sees the Pogues stranded on a deserted island (a beach in Barbados) and thrusts them directly into a new adventure. The search for the fabled city of gold, El Dorado. I‘m not gonna lie, this season did not impress me much. It was kind of haphazard and seemed to be a bit confused on its direction. While I’m always happy to see the depiction of my country in the media, I was not at all happy with its cultural portrayal.

While the idea of a bunch of castaways (tourists) running around getting into scrapes with shady business men is hilarious, it was largely unrealistic. I’m not gonna knock that too much though. However the accents, I cannot excuse. From the many different accents used, it’s clear the producers don’t actually know what we really sound like or even that there’s a difference in accents from island to island.

It annoys me because it was such a missed opportunity to cast West Indian actors to play West Indian roles but they took the easy inauthentic route. Do better Netflix. Cleo’s accent sounded Barbadian at times and then others times I couldn’t figure out what exactly she was going for and Singh… I couldn’t figure out if he was meant to be Trinidadian, Guyanese or Barbadian.

casually watching #OBX3 to cure monday blues > pic.twitter.com/QSmvpsZhdV

— Outer Banks (@obxonnetflix) March 27, 2023

The relationship amongst the Pogues has always been the best part about Outer Banks for me. That and their endless thirst for adventure. There’s still alot of this there but I’m wondering if they’ve focused a bit too much on interpersonal relationships using them to drive the plot rather than the adventure itself.

Speaking of, Outer Banks Season 3 really showed the development of Sarah Cameron’ character. What she’s done to Hopper is actually quite terrible and she’ll be paying for that one for some time I expect. Her character has really blossomed this season into more than just John B’s love interest and perpetual Princess Peach. Plus, you can say what you want about her brother Rafe, but he makes a great villain. I especially enjoy his scenes with the drug dealing Barry.

Singh on the other hand, is terrible. From his half-Guyanese / half-Trinidadian accent to his cartoonish level portrayal. It feels borderline racist actually. Another notable development this season is the appearance of John B’s father, Big John. His appearance may not be as joyous as we were expecting, as his motives for returning went largely unknown all season. Later episodes show a very different dynamic in the relationship that John B had painted for him.

kook parties or pogue parties? ⬇️ #OBX3 pic.twitter.com/7QUDNCFjZn

— Outer Banks (@obxonnetflix) March 23, 2023

On another technical note, the stunts are honestly terrible. Like it was just a joke at some points. It would’ve been nice to have more of an island soundtrack as well. While I do like the fact that they at least have an idea of where they’re going next season, I’m on the fence about whether or not they’ll even get one. On one hand, Outer Banks has become really popular. Certainly more than I ever expected. On the other hand, this season gives very little reason for me to want to watch a fourth.

‘Outer Banks S3’ Rating – 2/5

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