The third season of the hit series “Outer Banks” was released on Netflix on Thursday, Feb. 23, raising mixed reviews amongst fans. The trailer for the new season, which was posted to Youtube, has amassed over six million views since it was posted on Feb. 2.

The first season of “Outer Banks,” which is often simplified to “OBX,” was released in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The show soon gained attention due to new actors and an adventure filled plot that was both fun and easy to watch.

The series follows the lives of a group of friends who live in the Outer Banks, a rural area by the water in North Carolina. The group consists of John B. Rutledge, played by Chase Stokes, Kiara, played by Madison Bailey, Pope, played by Jonathan Daviss, JJ, played by Rudy Pankow and Sarah Cameron, played by Madelyn Cline.

Some members of the group, such as Sarah, live on the wealthier side of town and are called kooks while others such as John B live on the poor side of town and are called pogues.

The first season of the show followed the teens on their journey to search for a gold treasure that the characters could use to escape their underprivileged lives or the others just trying to help their friends. John B’s dad spent his entire life trying to track down the treasure and left clues in his office that motivated John to find the gold.

All the following seasons continue to show the group on their adventures in order to track down the gold treasure.

The second season picks up right where the first season left off, with the friend group jumping off the boat and following the pogues as they run away from Ward Cameron, Sarah’s dad, played by Charles Esten. The second season ends with the friends stranded on a desert island nicknamed “Poguelandia.”

After trying to secure the Santo Domingo Cross, which is an ancient treasure that belonged to Pope’s family, the cross gets stolen by Rafe Cameron, played by Drew Starkey. The third season is set up for them to attempt to get the initial gold from the first season.

“I started watching Outer Banks during [the covid-19 pandemic] because it gave me something to do,” senior Anabelle Niddam said. “I kept watching the new seasons but this one has got to be the worst.”

The series has a total of ten episodes, each around 45 minutes in length, making it the perfect series to binge. However, the new season is not going to grab new viewers’ attention. Instead, it will please the viewers who have been watching since the first season.

The first and second season encapsulates the goal of getting the treasure that John B’s dad had found before he supposedly died after going missing a decade prior. The group including Sarah, JJ, John B, Pope and Kiara try to find the gold before other characters, including Ward, try to get in the way.

“I feel like the show is just adding drama and unnecessary plots to make it more interesting. The show should have ended after season two now they are just dragging it on,” sophomore Kayla Walker said.

Season three begins only three weeks after where it left off in season two but adds a new character to the crew, Cleo, played by Carlacia Grant. The crew seems to be at peace living on the island until they are swept up into another hunt for the city of El Dorado, a city of gold.

The new season follows the same structure as the past two, starts off strong, remains neutral in the middle and a cliffhanger ending. The chemistry between the characters this season is more heightened and so are the stakes. For example, Kiara and JJ have a complicated relationship that remains present throughout the whole season.

“I definitely enjoyed how they added new villain figures to the season. It adds something new,” senior Lindsay Nattis said.

Carlos Singh, played by Andy McQueen, is introduced this season as a new villain in the hunt for El Dorado which may even be a bigger twist than John B’s dad returning at the end of season two because it is less predictable. This season continues the adventure of the Pogues through the introduction of new characters.

However, the season almost relies on flashbacks, such as John B as a little boy, to lead John B to his father and bring some emotion to the series. The constant street fights and violence do not help much to make the hour long episodes go faster. Season three seems as if it should be the final season because it basically repeats the same plot each season just in a different location, making it overdone and repetitive.

“I feel like people are watching for the cast who has become popular ever since season one. The writing of the show isn’t great but the cast makes it well worth it,” senior Josh Gordon said.

The show is nonetheless entertaining, but the plot points are superficial and the series has no real underlying theme. It is a jumble of goose chases and love triangles all to find the treasure. Each season consists of the group trying to get the treasure and getting into trouble.

While season four has been approved, the release date has not yet been announced. Although season three is a must watch for diehard viewers but not for the average teenager since it basically just prolongs one plot point. I would recommend season three to the fans who have been watching since the start. Overall, the season is definitely repetitive and goes over the same plots as the last two seasons.