‘Outer Banks’ Season 3 Predictions and Theories

The cast of Outer Banks
Elaine Siemek/Netflix

Spoiler Warning: If you haven’t finished season 2 of Outer Banks yet, look away!

The second season of Netflix’s teen drama series Outer Banks landed on the streaming service recently, bringing forth another 10 episodes full of high-stakes action, thrilling adventures, laughter throughout, and a whole lot of treasure hunting.

The first season of Outer Banks introduced us to the Pogues, the Kooks, and a treasure hunt for the famed gold from a ship called the Royal Merchant. By the time the finale rolled around, the gold was taken by Ward and on its way to the Bahamas, John B was framed for murder, and he and Sarah found themselves in dire straits as their boat capsized in a storm. Although they managed to hitch a ride on a ship (conveniently) headed for the Bahamas, everyone back in Outer Banks assumed they were dead, including JJ, Pope, and Kiara.

Season 2 opened up with John B and Sarah’s failed attempt to recoup the gold from the Cameron’s vacation house in the Bahamas, and once the crew was finally reunited, the scope of the hunt expanded tenfold with the added mystery of a giant gold cross that was also on the Royal Merchant. The end of the season found John B, Sarah, JJ, Pope, Kiara, and Cleo stranded on an island, the gold having once again slipped from their grasp. There are plenty of large and small threads to be further explored in the yet-to-be-confirmed third season — most importantly, that absolutely wild cliffhanger before the credits rolled.

While we eagerly await news of Outer Banks‘ renewal, we’ve put together a list of potential things we may see in season 3.

Rafe will come back to Outer Banks looking for Sarah

Drew Starkey in Outer Banks
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

The finale found Ward heavily incapacitated after his fight with John B, in which the Pogue spared his life but didn’t let him get off easy by a longshot. Rafe joined Ward by his bedside and promised not only to step up, but to bring Sarah back to their family. Despite the fact that both Ward and Rafe tried to kill her on different occasions, the Camerons retain a sense of ownership and pride over their family, so it’s unlikely that they’ll just let her go off and live the Pogue life with John B.

Sarah will seek out her family to rescue Wheezie

Madelyn Cline and Julia Antonelli in Outer Banks
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

Despite Sarah’s tenuous, damaged relationship with her father, her brother, and Rose, she very much loves and cares for her little sister Wheezie. This is exceedingly apparent in season 2. It felt surprising that she made no attempt to bring Wheezie with her when they escaped from the ship (which would have been unrealistic but in-character for her to do), so there’s a chance that she may express regret over that later when she sits down to think about the danger of leaving her in the sick and twisted hands of her family.

Rafe will seek revenge on Barry

Drew Starkey in Outer Banks
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

If Rafe returns to Outer Banks looking for Sarah, it’s highly likely that he’ll pay his old friend Barry a visit. In season 2, Rafe drugs an unenthusiastic Barry along for his great escape, but the latter tricked him and sold him out to the police. Given Rafe’s mental state, it’s doubtful that he’d let him get away with what he did once he’s back in town.

Kiara will temporarily get sent away

Madison Bailey in Outer Banks
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

Kiara’s friction with her parents came to a head this season as she spiraled further and further out of control, doing things like disappearing for days at a time and stealing her father’s truck and totaling it. The last time she spoke with them, there was no longer any room for her to try and argue or make excuses against their threats to send her away from Outer Banks to straighten out her behavior. When the crew finally makes their way back from the island that they found themselves stranded on in the finale, Kiara’s days in Outer Banks will most definitely be limited. But because she’s one of the main characters, she’ll certainly be back before long. Perhaps the Pogues will go on a rescue mission to get her back?

Romance for JJ?

Rudy Pankow in Outer Banks
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

Although Outer Banks is first and foremost a show about friendship and treasure hunting, the Pogues are no strangers to romance. While John B and Sarah remain the central relationship of the series, season 2 tiptoed into the idea of Kiara and Pope, although that ultimately didn’t work out. Seeing as JJ’s major family drama was “resolved” this season when his incarcerated father fled from Outer Banks on a boat, that potentially opens up his personal plotline for next season to involve some romance down the line.

Are John B and Sarah’s relationship woes finished?

Outer Banks Still Frame from Season 2
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

While season 1 depicted a delightfully tropey enemies-to-friends-to-lovers tale between John B and Sarah, season 2 really put the couple through the ringer between their “marriage,” the Bahamas disaster, the (fake) death of Ward, the return of Topper, and every other wild event that took place. By the finale, John B’s steadfast dedication to rescuing Sarah finally brought them back together. Considering their relationship troubles were so front-and-center this season, our best guess is that the show may go a bit easier on them in season 3. But then again … will Topper really let Sarah leave him in the dust for a Pogue again without putting up a fight?

Cleo will hang with the Pogues for a bit

Outer Banks Still Frame from Season 2
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

Throughout the course of the season, Cleo found herself tangled up quite a few messes thanks to her newly forged connection with the Pogues. And though she could have ultimately brushed them off on the ship and carried on with her new job, she instead chose to help them in their attempt to rescue both Sarah and the cross. While Cleo may not be looking to settle down in Outer Banks, we can assume that she’ll at least be around for some of season 3’s adventures.

Big John and Carla Limbrey

Still of Charles Halford in outer Banks
Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix

Holy s#!t, Big John is alive! So, how about that finale? It’s safe to say that when the mysterious person Carla Limbrey was seeking out in Barbados turned out to be none other than John B’s supposedly dead father, viewers were beside themselves. We learn that Big John reached out to Carla via letter, and the envelope just so happened to have the mysterious wheat stamp on the back of it. Which leads to a million other questions, of course.

As for Carla Limbrey, her days are numbered due to her terminal illness. She spent the season chasing down the Cross of Santo Domingo in search of a relic that would supposedly cure her — the shroud. Once she got her hands on the cross, she was devastated that the item she was looking for was nowhere to be found. Which led her to Big John, who wrote to her about the shroud. He knows where it is. But if she wants to get her hands on it, she needs to help John B.

It remains to be seen what exactly Big John knows about his son’s exploits and how he wants Carla to help him. This would likely be a large, ongoing plot in season 3 that could end in John B finding out his dad is alive sometime near the finale. Could this lead to a team up against Ward (with Carla’s financial backing for resources) to finally get the gold and the cross back?

Let us know your own predictions for season 3 in the comments below!

Outer Banks season 2 is now streaming exclusively on Netflix. Check out our review here.

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