Did Season 2 of Outer Banks Live Up to Expectations?

Outer Banks Season 2 made its debut on July 30th, and every OBX fan could barely hold back their excitement—me included! Season 1 surpassed all expectations, and truly made its way up the ranks as a favorite TV show for many binge-watchers. But did Season 2 of Outer Banks live up to the hype?

Before I get into ALL the wonderful things we know and love about OBX, be warned that this post MAY contain spoilers for Season 2, so read at your own risk. I will try to keep spoilers minimal, in case someone hasn’t yet watched and still wants a few things as surprises (but seriously, how have you not binged it already?).

Season 2 started out exactly where we all thought it would—THANK GOODNESS! When shows make huge time jumps at the start of a new season, it’s simply not okay! John B and Sarah Cameron make their way to Nassau (with bumps on the journey, to say the least), and the quest for the gold continues! Back at home, the Pogues continue to struggle with the supposed “loss” of their friend John B. While Season Two realistically had to start by showing us exactly where we were in time and how each character was doing, the show also didn’t hesitate to throw us back into the action—and my oh my, there was a ton of it! 

Season 1 focused on character development, as any good first season will—but with Season 2, since the writers had already established solid characters, they really pulled out the stops to keep the action flowing. I am all for an interesting, “never-get-bored” watching experience, but Season 2 had me on the edge of my seat way more times than it needed to. I’m definitely not okay with all of the “cheap shots” that the writers pulled out to keep things challenging for the characters. For instance, when a video was taken (for spoiler purposes, only people who have watched will know the video I am discussing) that had the potential to assist in the exoneration of John B, Kiara foolishly had to make a stand against Ward, calling him out, and ruining their chance at freedom. Every problem would have been solved if she had continued to “lay low” and protect the video, but the writers couldn’t let that happen. That success might have brought the season to an end with resolution too quickly, so instead, all progress was lost—and this, in my opinion, would NEVER have happened in real life! That wasn’t the only instance of a potential resolution being “too easy,” and therefore requiring an event to put a damper on their success. It’s a problem that is fully understandable for writers, but can get annoying for viewers when it happens every single episode. I’ll be honest, it is hard to find anything to complain about with this show—it rocks! But if I had to choose one thing, it’s that.

On a different note, I was pretty pleased with the relationships (my favorite topic!) this season. John B and Sarah hit a brief rough patch, and their reconciliation could have been just a tad more riveting, but it was nice nonetheless. Pope and Kiara, as I explained in a previous post, clearly do not have chemistry, and I am glad the writers decided to snuff that relationship as quickly as they lit it up initially (although, I’m sure some fans are still pulling for them). Now as for my thoughts, I caught some subtle hints from the writers for multiple new relationships…is anyone else TOTALLY feeling Pope and Cleo? Cleo was a wonderful addition to the cast, and I look forward to seeing her join the Pogues. And of course, we got a few steps closer to the “Jiara” (JJ & Kiara) ‘ship that I’ve been waiting for since I published a post on their future relationship a while back. The writers sure do want to give that relationship its fair share of buildup, but that’s okay—I’ll wait! As for Topper, everyone seems to have different thoughts about him, but I just feel bad for the guy! Sure, he made some mistakes, and continues to make more in Season 2, but compared to Rafe, and the other “bad guys,” he’s just a confused, heartbroken guy who, in my opinion, deserves better—and maybe a love interest of his own!

This season was filled with excitement, and at every corner there was a new problem for the Pogues to overcome. A fair example of this would be the addition of Carla Limbrey, who was totally the creepy, mysterious, villainous character the season needed! I would have liked to see even more of her, and possibly even a softer side or a team-up, which might be hinted at for future seasons. Of course, the psychopathic father-figure Ward Cameron did not disappoint this season, but even more interesting is the development of his son and now protégée, Rafe. It was made clear this season that not only was Ward gold-crazed and Rafe a pompous, violent, rude teen…they were truly mentally ill. I have no hope of redemption for Ward—the making of him into a villain was fantastic, and added a ton of intrigue to the show—but I am very curious to see where Rafe’s character goes. His lack of remorse, temper, and overall insane behavior isn’t necessarily “his fault,” as he was never given the help he needed—mentally and psychologically, as the sociopath that he is. So while viewers may see him as a lost cause, we were given a small snippet of possible redemption for him in the final episode, in his hesitation to harm Sarah and ultimate choice to let Sarah go (for now). So presuming he gets the help that he needs—which is a choice I am really unsure if the show wants to take—I’d be open to seeing his character go on a different path. Nonetheless, the weight of the situation with those two characters is something that isn’t fully discussed by the show, but it is fascinating to me as a viewer.

If you read the whole blog post, good for you—I know, I had a lot to say! But if you just want a quick, yes-or-no answer to the question, “Did OBX 2 live up to the expectations,” well…I actually can’t give you a straight answer, so I thought I’d do something fun instead. 

If I had to sum up my thoughts on this season into just a few, spur-of-the-moment sentences, here they are:

1. The action was unparalleled.
2. I feel terrible for poor Sarah Cameron and her lost cause of a family.
3. The ‘ship game is heating up and I am so here for it.
4. What’s up with Rose, and why is she kind of growing on me?!
5. I can’t wait for Season 3.
6. Oh and…WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT END SCENE? (Spoiler alert, I’m not gonna talk about that one, but if you watched it, you know!)

I’m going to need a whole new blog post to discuss that last one! Until then, happy binging!

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