Episode Recap
Outer Banks Season 3 Episode 9 opens with the entire group alive but in the burning ruins of their home. They have nowhere to go and it’s an absolute miracle that they haven’t spread elsewhere. Not only that, but the fire extinguisher is nowhere to be seen.
When you reunite with the whole group, you feel like it’s the calm before the storm. They are ready to fly to South America, but before they leave, each of our characters tries to say goodbye and prepare for the journey ahead.
Remember the buried U-Haul drug truck in the last episode? Well, Mike comes to see JJ, upset that he messed up his plans and desperate for revenge. JJ runs off on foot, taking one last look at the house before heading off into the woods.
Kie gives a speech to her parents, but unfortunately she is taken away by representatives of the desert camp, Kitty Hawk. Kie is not happy, but she is desperate. JJ realizes something is up and asks John B to hold on for an extra hour until he rescues her.
When JJ finds out where she is, he goes camping to rescue his girlfriend. Unfortunately, he had a flat tire on the way and ended up on the side of the road. It’s actually Mike who drops the tire and holds it at gunpoint.
JJ tries to get out of this dire situation, showing him the gold that might be waiting for him in South America if he lets him go. This also seems to work and JJ gets in front of Kitty Hawk. H makes up a story that Kie’s cat Marley has died and the teenager receives the message. So does JJ, who follows the counselor and realizes where Kie is being held.
Rafe returns to see Barry and decides to stop the attack on Ward. The thing is, she already has a guy in the business, and it’s in her hands. Rafe realizes that his father may have met a gruesome death and runs off to find him. At the same time, Topper reveals where he found Sara at the airport. He confronts her and asks what a compulsive liar she is. After leaving, she calls the district attorney and decides to pursue formal charges against John B.
The assassin captures Ward with fish guts and prepares to do the same to Sarah’s father. However, Rafe shows up and saves Rusty. When he does, a kayaker looks over and sees that Ward is alive. Realizing they have to go, Rafe puts his father on the back of his bike and heads for the runway. News travels fast and it’s big news that Ward Cameron is still alive. I mean, how he managed to avoid detection all over town for the last 4 episodes, including the runway and all the areas in between, is anyone’s guess! Unfortunately, I’m running.
Rafe goes to the airport where he asks Sara and the others for help with Ward. John B, Papa, and Cleo aren’t exactly in the act of helping, but considering the boy was brought on the plane with them, it completely derails their plans for South America. There is time for JJ and Kie though, and John B texts them to let them know they’re breaking up. Ward tells his son that he proved himself before finally parting ways and getting the plane airborne.
In the dead of night, as the plane takes off, JJ finds Kie and finally confesses his true feelings for her, including how he loves her, to the delight of all the other girls in the cabin cheering and cheering them on. The duo exit the cabin and find Mike waiting for them in his plane, thinking they will land in South America.
Down in Venezuela, along the Tres Rocas, Singh talks about his travels to Big John and what it would be like to find him. Big John has two days to the full moon to prove himself, and time is running out.
Episode Review
Finally, it looks like we’ll be back on the treasure hunt, in what’s otherwise been a half-season distracted by character drama. The fact that the police are almost non-existent in this world sometimes makes it sink, unless the plot calls for it. And that would surely require air traffic for a green-light landing, right?
With the cross melting away and the focus turning to a bigger treasure, big question marks remain as to who will come out on top at the end of this season. What’s frustrating here is that if we were only focused on the treasure of El Dorado, the cat and mouse chase with the puzzles could have made this season amazing.
All the drama in Barbados was pretty good, but since then we’ve had a lackluster love triangle with Topper and this Rafe subplot that goes absolutely nowhere. With the next feature length finale, hopefully this will be a way to wrap things up on a high note.