By: Michaela Thimot

People Editor

At midnight Pacific Standard Time on Friday, Feb. 23, hundreds of thousands of eager fans rejoiced as Netflix released the third season of its hit drama Outer Banks. In typical Netflix fashion, all ten episodes of the new season came out at once, allowing enthusiastic viewers to binge the entire season in just one night. 

Season three builds upon the storyline that began back in season one in which the Pogues began to search for the lost treasure of the Royal Merchant shipwreck. Season three commenced with the Pogues stranded on a deserted island, enjoying every aspect of their newfound freedom. They soon discover that the Royal Merchant gold is part of a far larger gold stash known as El Dorado, which has spent centuries undiscovered. After a pilot rescues them from the island, the Pogues attempt to dodge treasure hunter Carlos Singh, who spends the majority of the season trying to kill the Pogues to keep them from reaching the treasure.

Many fans of the show expressed their distaste for how the show has begun to stray from its original fun and beachy feel and head towards more of a treasure hunting thriller. Others were confused by the 18-month time jump that the season concluded with, which left many holes in the story for the viewers to try and fill in on their own. Overall, the new season has received many mixed reviews, but a great deal of fans were simply happy with the new romances and opportunity to see the characters face bigger endeavors.

On Saturday, Feb. 18, prior to the release of the third season, the cast of Outer Banks hosted a live music event known as Poguelandia, a name that comes from the title of season three’s first episode. Thousands of fans gathered in Huntington Beach with all of the show’s main recurring actors to celebrate the upcoming release of season three. Netflix decorated the event to mirror different locations in the show, including spots from Kildare Island and Kook Cove. The members of the cast sent fans into hysterics by screaming “Welcome to Poguelandia!” as they placed an enormous Poguelandia flag down in front of the eager crowd. The musical lineup consisted of The Nude Party, Surf Mesa, Elly Duhé, alt-J, Lil Baby, and Khalid. 

The Pogues concluded the event by making a special announcement that Netflix has already renewed Outer Banks for a fourth season. Based on the timing of release of previous seasons, Netflix will likely release season four sometime around the early summer of 2024. The entirety of the current main cast is set to reappear in the coming season, and fans are already anxious to find answers to the lingering questions season three left them with.

(Sources: Forbes, Rolling Stone, LA Times)