Season 4 of OBX leaves fans disappointed
After months of anticipation, the complete fourth season of Outer Banks [OBX] is finally out on Netflix, so here is my honest review. OBX is a popular Netflix Original series following the story of four teens living their crazy lives in a small coastal city called Kildare. The population is split into two major factions: the Pogues, the poor, average working class, and the Kooks, the wealthy upper class. The main characters John B. Routledge, JJ Maybank, Pope Heyward, Kiara Carrera, Sarah Cameron and the newest addition Cleo vary from the two groups, which adds a layer of tension to their friendship. It is also important to note that the show is typically marketed as a summer, adventure series with hints of romance and drama.
While the acting this season was commendable, the script is what truly ruined the show. Since the storyline is based around a friend group, many assumed that the characters would stick together, however they are separated more than ever, despite previous seasons having storylines where they conclude they are better off working together. The show also features some twists of fate and rocky turns, which quite frankly could make or break the show. While I think some developments were necessary for the plot, some of the more extreme twists felt sloppily delivered, rushed, and too cliché. Many viewers felt similarly and took to social media platforms, such as TikTok, to express their frustration over some of the plot points and disappointment in the ending of the season.
Fans also noticed that this season was filmed differently than prior seasons. It looked like they had put a filter, giving a blue tint to a lot of the actors’ faces. This is due to the Hollywood strike in 2023, which caused some scenes that were supposed to be shot in the summer to be extended into the fall and winter. The actors and actresses were most likely cold since their characters were dressed for a warm summer day, not a freezing Carolina winter which created poor working conditions and potentially made focusing on filming difficult.
If you follow any of OBX’s actors in real life then you are likely aware that lead actors Chase Stokes, who plays John B. Routledge, and Madelyn Cline, who plays Sarah Cameron, dated around the premiere of the show and then broke up sometime in 2021. As their characters are love interests, many speculated this would cause tension in their on-screen relationship, however after watching the most recent season, it is clear their characters’ chemistry suffered no harm. Unfortunately this is not the case for all OBX couples, as Rudy Panko, who plays JJ Maybank, and Madison Bailey, who plays Kiara Carrera seemed to have difficulty portraying their characters’ relationship. Compared to previous seasons their chemistry neared an all time low and it is speculated that they even had to use stunt doubles for the more intimate scenes. It was also announced that this season will be Panko’s final time on OBX, which I found disappointing after seasons of build up to Kiara and JJ’s relationship.
After being an avid watcher of OBX for years, this season feels like a recycled script with the same plot as the first three seasons. It seems that the writers of the show are creating yet another “Riverdale” situation, where they can not come to an agreement on an ending and therefore must extend the show using filler material as long as possible. I believe this to be a large part of the reason OBX is losing its nostalgic feel and becoming yet another failing teen drama. Another possible reason could be the fact the show is largely based around being set in the beachy-summer time, yet was released mid-fall. This, in my opinion, was poor planning in their marketing strategy.
Overall, if you have watched season three, maybe stick it out for this next season, but if you are just beginning your OBX journey, it is not worth the hours of dedication. With the fifth season having recently been announced, season four does prepare nicely, with many mysteries to be answered, however, as Netflix claims that this will be the final season, hopefully the writers and directors are able to bring back the original feel of the show and pull it together for a good ending.
