Warning: This review contains spoilers for seasons 1 & 2 of “Outer Banks”

Season two of “Outer Banks” shows the Pogues continuing to chase after the gold from the Royal Merchant, as well as trying to find a gold cross that belonged to Pope’s relatives. The Pogues also deal with trying to get Sarah and John B home safely from the Bahamas and trying to clear John B’s name after the murder of Sheriff Peterkin. 

Although many “Outer Banks” fans really enjoyed this season, I personally liked season one better. I thought that this season had way too many storylines going on, and the overall plot and conflicts felt unrealistic. However, I still did enjoy this season even though I prefer the first. Throughout season two each character has a lot of growth, and even though the character development could feel rushed at times (such as with Rafe’s sudden decision not to kill the others at the end of the last episode), it was still enjoyable to see them change and mature. 

I liked how viewers got to see each character grow closer with each other this season, and how there were a lot of scenes with the Pogues bonding despite everything going on in their lives. I also really liked the cinematography of this season. The emotions in each scene were very well conveyed through lighting and camera angles, and I enjoyed the many overhead shots of landscapes throughout the episodes. I also liked how the dialogue felt realistic for the most part, which is possibly due to the many scenes that were partially improvised. I like how each character has their own distinct vocabulary that fits their personalities, and how each character also had their own storylines going on this season, even though it could feel a little messy at times.

There was a lot of character development this season, and I think it was all handled well and felt realistic. John B and Sarah grew a lot closer to each other and became a lot more serious about their relationship, and it was enjoyable to see them bond even more than they did in the first season. That being said, the brief period of time where they were broken up and got back together felt a little rushed to me. I liked how Topper had a little bit of a redemption arc, and I also really liked the new character Cleo. I thought Cleo was very likeable and fits well in the group, and I wish she had gotten more screen time.

One thing I didn’t like about this season was how many storylines were going on at once. Although I typically enjoy it when shows have more than one major storyline, each character seemed to have several different things going on at all times, and it made the season a little hard to follow at times. I also didn’t enjoy how practically none of the major character deaths in this season really mattered. After finding out that both John B’s dad and Ward are still alive, the series started to feel a little less realistic (although I understand that it was never an incredibly realistic show in the first place). The main characters were also put into serious danger so many times, especially Sarah, that the fact that they all survived just felt unrealistic as well.

 I also wish that viewers got to see a little more of the teens’ daily lives such as with the first season, rather than focusing so much on the treasure hunt. I also didn’t like the fact that many emotional scenes this season were often undercut with a joke. Although this could sometimes ease the tension, it often just made me not take certain scenes seriously.

Overall, I think that season two of “Outer Banks” is enjoyable, if a little convoluted. There was a lot of character development, as well as a lot more focus on the treasure hunt than the first season had. I think people who enjoy mysteries or treasure hunts would especially enjoy this season, as well as people who like shows such as “On My Block”. You can watch the second season of “Outer Banks” now on Netflix.