Outer Banks Season 3 Cast Breaks Down Major Deaths in Finale and Potential Next Treasure Hunt

[Warning: The following contains spoilers for the finale of Outer Banks Season 3. Read at your own risk!]

It took us a while to get here, but at long last, the Pogues got their hands on the treasure — and did not lose it. In Outer Banks Season 3's finale, John B. (Chase Stokes) and Sarah (Madelyn Cline) found the fabled city of gold: El Dorado. After John B. and his father Big John (Charles Halford) followed a series of deadly clues, the location of El Dorado was finally uncovered. The feat did not come without major losses, though. Big John, who only just reunited with his son this season, suffered a fatal injury that kept him from seeing the city of gold with his own eyes — and ultimately led to his death. There's also Ward (Charles Esten) who, despite remaining as untrustworthy as ever in the final days of his life, spent his very last moments sacrificing himself to save his daughter. 

Outer Banks Season 3 ended on a celebratory note. 18 months after discovering El Dorado, the Pogues are recognized in a special ceremony held in Kildare. It's here that they're approached by a man who is looking for partners to investigate a special item. The item is none other than the diary of Blackbeard — or Edward Teach, and the finale ends with the Pogues realizing they could be holding the clue to their next treasure hunt.

As tempting as this offer is, the Pogues must face the reality of the costs to their treasure hunts so far. "I would like to think that there's going to be quite a bit of hesitation of jumping back into a world where they've lost a lot collectively," Stokes told TV Guide. As much as John B. may want to chase the same dreams that Big John had, the tragic loss he's experienced — including his dad's death — will affect his decisions. "It's not just him anymore, it's Sarah and Sarah has lost her father — Ward has gone from being a villain to a hero and he dies a hero's death," Stokes added. "Going through that, I think there's now this newfound trust in one another to make the decision collectively and not just as a singular individual, and that goes for the entirety of the Pogues."

Madelyn Cline also discussed Sarah's complicated feelings toward Ward — and his death. "After a while, being hurt so many times — you kind of start to expect it," Cline said. "And the one time that she really, really needed him to show up for her without any sort of conditions ended up being the finale, ended up being the end of his life." The actor described the moment as a full circle. "He did love her even though he was flawed," she explained. "I think the reaction we got from Sarah, for me it was this devastation — but also this release of all the pent-up emotions and betrayal that she felt from him." Cline said that while Ward has done so much bad, in the end he finally showed up for Sarah.

Outer Banks Season 3 also featured some major developments in Ward and Rafe's (Drew Starkey) relationship. Rafe wanted to start a new life in Kildare, but his father's threat of exposing Rafe's murder of Sheriff Peterkin (Adina Porter) loomed over him. He made the drastic decision to kill Ward, but in the end decided that he did not want his father dead. "It ultimately means that Rafe pushes himself to a breaking point as far as he can, and then he realizes that he's gone too far," Starkey said of his character changing his mind. "There's some bit of self-consciousness in him left." 

And how will Rafe respond once he learns that Ward died after joining the Pogues on their expedition? "When things in Rafe's world are taken away from him very abruptly, he in the past has not reacted in the best of ways," Starkey said. "How much more gasoline can you pour on the fire?"

Another highlight of the finale was Cleo's (Carlacia Grant) confession to Pope (Jonathan Daviss). As they approached El Dorado, Cleo told Pope she is leaving the "No Love Club" and the two share a kiss. "Me and JD [Jonathan Daviss], we feel like our characters have reached the point where they trust each other," Grant said. "Cleo hasn't really experienced love in that way, in which she doesn't have to give back." The actor described Cleo's previous relationships — such as with Terrance (Terence Rosemore) and Stubbs (Jontavious Johnson) — as more transactional. "But with Pope it's literally nothing but love, and home, and finding comfort in someone who really cares about you beyond the surface, and sees through your tough facade — loves you and your tough facade," Grant explained. "It just organically came where she felt like you know what, whatever happens I can go to bed at night knowing I tried. And for Cleo, going after things she wants, even when it scares her, is one of her things."

Daviss also talked about Pope opening up his heart again, after the disappointment he experienced with Kiara (Madison Bailey) in Season 2. "When it comes to love, obviously it did not work out the last time he did it," Daviss said. "And it's another person who's in his friend group, so he probably doesn't really want to tap into that anymore. It's why he joins the No Love Club." The actor said instead of romance, Pope wanted to focus on school and the Cross of Santo Domingo. But that changed throughout the course of Season 3. "When he loses as much as he does, who can you lean on?" Daviss said. "All his friends are doing other things, and she is there for him to support him emotionally." When Cleo confessed to him, he realized the potential of their relationship. 

"It's a really mature moment for Pope to move on from that hurt, and move on from a childhood crush and actually be in a genuinely mutual relationship with somebody," Daviss said. "And I think that's a big moment for [Cleo] too, to confess the way she feels about him. She was wronged in the same way that he was wronged, [so] they kind of find solace in each other."

The development of this relationship is just one of the many things we're hoping to see in Outer Banks Season 4. That, along with Jiara — the ship name for Kiara and JJ (Rudy Pankow) — and this potential new Blackbeard quest has us eagerly awaiting the show's next chapter already. 

Outer Banks Season 3 is available to stream.