To Binge or Not to Binge Episode 78: ‘Outer Banks’

(Graphic by Hannah Allred | The Daily Utah Chronicle)

July 4, 2020

This article contains mild spoilers for the show “Outer Banks.”

“Outer Banks” is a teen action series that was released on Netflix, April 15, 2020. “Outer Banks” focuses on four teenagers and their lives on the outer banks of North Carolina. When the four kids begin searching into the disappearance of the main character’s father, things start to spin out of control.

When this show first came out, I wasn’t even aware of it. The show only slipped into my radar after two friends recommended it to me. I knew that I would enjoy the show because these two friends have almost complete opposite preferences in shows. If both of them loved it, I probably would too.

To Binge or Not To Binge

“Outer Banks” did not appeal to me at first glance. The beginning of the first episode made me think that this show wouldn’t be my style. I thought that it would just be a show about teens having pointless misadventures and short little romances. But “Outer Banks” turned out to be so much more — I couldn’t help but get sucked in as the plot progressed.

“Outer Banks” is a puzzle. The show delivers tons of seemingly unimportant scenes and characters that end up being huge points of foreshadowing. All of the little questions that the show sparks are seemingly answered in the end, wrapped up in a bow. Only to turn around and leave you with more questions — and an eagerness to see what comes next.

Despite its somewhat slow start, “Outer Banks” is a wildly fast-paced show. “Outer Banks” has higher stakes as the plot progresses — the more episodes you watch, the harder it is to step away before knowing the ending. The show follows a treasure hunt, a murder mystery and an island-wide manhunt in such a short period of time that it’s a wonder how “Outer Banks” manages to stay cohesive. But not only does the show stay consistent, but it does so flawlessly.

“Outer Banks” also has some amazingly fleshed out characters. It was easy for me to get emotionally invested in the show once character development began to appear.

If you are wanting to watch “Outer Banks,” I would highly recommend binging it. Binge watching “Outer Banks” will make it more enjoyable because you will have a better chance of remembering all of the clues and foreshadowing leading up to the season finale. Additionally, “Outer Banks” is easy to binge watch — the show’s first and only season is relatively short.

Favorite Episode

My favorite episode of “Outer Banks” is Episode 4, “Spy Games.”

In this episode, some of the seemingly extraneous characters in the series start to play a more prominent role. This episode sparked my curiosity because it did well at continuing plot and character development like every other episode. Even more importantly, it allowed me to see that “Outer Banks” is a well thought-out show — it deserves more credit, rather than being written off as just a teen drama.