(SPOILERS) After what felt like an eternity, Outer Banks (OBX) season two has been released on Netflix. Only 16 months separated the first episode’s of the series and the season two release, and this was for a reason. Netflix saw the immediate success of the first season, and began filming only three months after season one’s release. One may see this as “rushed”, and think that the plot and writing suffered from the short time between writing and filming, but this is not the case.

Season two was an eye-grabbing, thrill seeking adventure that kept me interested the entire way through. Looking at the show overall, one may think that it is a typical “girls’ show”. I disagree. Now, I’m not one to like these kinds of shows. In fact, I was extremely hesitant to start watching. All of my female friends were going crazy over this show since it released in quarantine last year, which may have been the reason that I didn’t watch until recently. After season two dropped, I finally caved. At no point in the first or second season did I want to skip an episode, let alone even a minute. I watched both seasons in under three days, leading me to write this review.

Season two begins right where season one left off, with falsely-accused-fugitive John B and his rich girlfriend Sarah on her father’s boat in the midst of a dangerous storm. This leads to one of the major plot points for the first episode, that being that John B and Sarah are believed to be dead. The three other members of their friend group (Kie, JJ, Pope) mourn their losses and seem to take it exceptionally well. I believe this to be a great character development point, as it reveals how strong these protagonists really are, even when they lose some of their closest friends. This character development stretches over the course of the season, and each character has their own point of emphasis and internal growth.

John B’s point of development after he learns that Ward killed his father, leading John B to go after Ward for reasons other than stealing the gold.

Sarah’s point of development is after the explosion and “death” of her father. John B feels no remorse for Ward’s death and Sarah sees this. She’s horrified that he isn’t phased at all and goes to her ex, Topper, who is attempting to “get some” by exploiting Sarah in her saddest times.

JJ’s point of development is after his father begins to act more abusive and controlling. It gets to a point where JJ’s father leaves town for good and says only a simple “see-ya” to his son.

Kie’s point of development is after her parents stress over her constant disappearances and they put a foot down. Kie’s mother is concerned that she will make the same mistake that she did and “sleep with a Pogue”, but it’s too late.

Pope’s point of development occurs when he realizes that his family has the access to the Cross of Santo Domingo, a centuries-old golden cross that is implanted with all sorts of jewelry and a bandana that is said to cu re all wounds and diseases.

All of the character’s development points are spread across the season, and it makes for an excellent storyline that stays true and coherent throughout the season.

With the gold plot seemingly ending with the failure to capture the gold, the plot quickly switches over to a new treasure: the Cross of Santo Domingo. Every character has had their own moments to shine so far, except for Pope. The writers make up for this by giving Pope his own storyline and family backstory that makes him one of the main characters of season two. Personally, I think this plot would have been more entertaining for season 1, as it would have quickly and easily established Pope as the character we know him as already, but quicker than the middle of season two. Also, the cross plot lets in even more conspiracies and backstory such as explanations for why the “healing bandana” is missing from the cross and how Denmark Tanny’s history and the history of the island can come back and be discovered by the characters.

All in all, I quite thoroughly enjoyed season 2 of OBX, and I cannot wait for the reveals that season 3 will bring when they inevitably renew the show and begin working on it. It may be a “girl’s show”, but there is no doubt that it is yet another great Netflix original show that will be watched over and over for years to come.