Outer Banks Season 2 Ending Explained

Netflix’s Outer Banks season 2 involved a whirlwind of plot twists and revelations, with several new developments at the ending that set up season 3. Outer Banks features a group of teens known as Pogues on the North Carolina coastal island known as the Outer Banks, facing class tensions from the rich Kooks and personal setbacks as they search for a sunken treasure. The series’ Pogues stars Chase Stokes as John B, Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron, Madison Bailey as Kiara, Rudy Pankow as JJ, and Jonathan Daviss as Pope.

Outer Banks’ first season saw John B and the Pogues searching for the Royal Merchant, a sunken ship off the coast of the Outer Banks with a lost treasure featuring millions of dollars worth of gold. John B and Sarah are presumed dead at the beginning of the second season, arriving in the Bahamas before fleeing back to the Outer Banks to clear John B’s name, retrieve the gold, and help Pope find the Cross of the Santo Domingo before the Limbreys can.

The second season brings the Pogues into new adventures and battles with the authorities, ending with several cliffhangers that further their predicaments into the third season. As John B and the gang prepare for another quest, here’s a breakdown of the major events of Outer Banks season 2 and what the ending really means.

Why Did Ward Fake His Death?

In episode 6 of Outer Banks’ second season, Ward is being hunted down by the police after they received damning evidence of his involvement in killing Sheriff Peterkin and Gavin. Ward then creates a suicide video that doubles as a will, stating that he was the one who killed Sheriff Peterkin, Gavin, and Big John. As the police arrive at Tanneyhill to arrest Ward, he is found on his boat “My Druthers.” As he is surrounded each way, Ward blows up the boat with himself on board, seemingly perishing.

Earlier in the Outer Banks episode, Rafe had been apprehended by the police and arrested after Barry turned on him. The evidence against Rafe was clear, meaning he would have faced a jail sentence. Ward saw that if Rafe was arrested, his own apprehension wouldn’t be too far behind, deciding instead to confess to both his and Rafe’s crimes, freeing Rafe of guilt under the law and having him released. In Outer Banks season 2’s 9th episode, Ward is revealed to be alive and well, having masterminded a way to escape the explosion by using the SCUBA gear onboard. By taking the blame for Rafe and faking his death, his family wouldn’t be hunted anymore for his and Rafe’s crimes, and Ward himself wouldn’t have to be imprisoned.

Big John Has Been Alive The Entire Time

The most surprising cliffhanger of Outer Banks’ second season is that John B’s father, Big John, has been alive the whole time. At the beginning of season 1, Big John had been missing under unknown circumstances for 9 months. On a search for the Royal Merchant out at sea, Ward and Big John got into a fight, leading to Big John hitting his head on the boat, whereafter Ward dumps him off the boat believing him to be dead. It’s then discovered that Big John survived and landed on a beach, living under a makeshift shelter before seemingly starving to death, with bones and his compass found on the beach.

In the final moments of season 2, Carla Limbrey, who had been hunting down the Cross of the Santo Domingo after being betrayed in a partnership with Ward, arrives in Barbados at a house where Big John is sitting. The man who has been taking care of Big John says he’s “half alive,” as he has been for a long time, which suggests Big John had been holed up there since he was marooned on a beach. Limbrey knew where he was because he wrote to her, meaning he could have written to John B the entire time, but was likely hiding out to avoid Ward and the others fighting to find the Royal Merchant’s gold in season 1.

Pope Is A Descendant Of Denmark Tanny

The history of Denmark Tanny is pretty well-known to the inhabitants of the Outer Banks and those who are intrigued by the Royal Merchant, but Outer Banks’ second season reveals an incredible secret that directly impacts the Pogues. When Limbrey is searching for the key that goes to the Cross of the Santo Domingo, she specifically questions a confused Pope, as she believes the Heywards have the key that belonged to OBX’s Denmark Tanny himself. Pope then discovers the key belongs to his great-grandmother, who reluctantly informs him that Denmark and Cecilia Tanny are his direct ancestors. The revelation means that the Cross of the Santo Domingo, the Royal Merchant’s gold, and Tanneyhill itself rightfully belong to Pope and the Heywards. Pope’s great-grandmother cites her worries about the men in their family being executed the same way Denmark had if everyone knew, but now that the secret is out, Pope’s family will hold much more power in the Outer Banks.

Why Was Limbrey Hunting The Cross Of Santo Domingo?

While the Pogues, Big John, Ward, and a few outsiders were the major hunters for the Royal Merchant in season 1, Outer Banks’ second season introduces a brother-sister duo who had been hunting the treasure all along, only for a different reason. People searching for the Royal Merchant typically wanted it for its $400 million worth of lost gold, which the Pogues ended up finding and having stolen at the end of season 1. Season 2 introduces the Cross of the Santo Domingo, a 7 ft cross plated in gold and encrusted with jewels, with a slot for a supernatural cloth that requires a specific key to open.

Outer Banks’ first season never mentioned the key or the Cross of the Santo Domingo, which is why the Pogues are surprised when wealthy Charleston, South Carolina resident Carla Limbrey and her half-brother Renfield stalk Pope to get the key from him. The Cross of the Santo Domingo was aboard the Royal Merchant and hidden by Denmark Tanny in the Outer Banks, which is worth nearly $1 billion, but Limbrey really wants it because the locked hatch in the Cross holds the Raiders of the Lost Ark-like holy garment, rumored to have healing powers beyond the abilities of modern medicine. Limbrey is frail and ill, requiring the garment to heal her sickness and keep her from dying. The Cross itself is arbitrary to Limbrey as she already holds vast wealth and power in Charleston, she just needs the garment to save her own life.

What Season 2’s Ending Means For Season 3

With Ward being alive and Rafe being cleared of charges, the Camerons are on the ship that will take them to Guadeloupe, a French island in the Caribbean Sea. Since the Camerons will be on a foreign island with no prior homes like that in the Bahamas, they will be able to avoid imprisonment while enjoying the riches of the Royal Merchant’s $400 million in gold and all that comes from the Cross of the Santo Domingo. The Netflix series’ third season will likely see the Camerons arrive at their new destination figuring out how to cash in their stolen treasures, still trying to hide that Ward is alive. At the same time, the Camerons could face trouble with the ship’s crew similar to how John B and Sarah did in the Bahamas if they try to take away the gold and Cross. It’s possible the Camerons don’t remain in Guadeloupe for very long considering Rafe has now made it his mission to bring back Sarah, meaning he will be searching for her along the Caribbean at the mysterious island the Pogues landed on.

After escaping the ship and harm from the Camerons, the Pogues and Cleo landed on a deserted beach on an unknown island in the Caribbean. John B declared their situation was exactly what the Pogue life was, meaning they can surf all day, smoke weed, and drink while living on their own terms without adults. Sarah and John B are now unofficially married again while Kie and JJ seem to be forming a budding romance, leaving Pope and Cleo’s statuses unknown romantically. For season 3, the Pogues will likely be on the island for a short time before being found by Limbrey or the Camerons, or finding their own way back to the Outer Banks.

The final episode of Outer Banks’ second season saw Big John alive in Barbados, sending Limbrey on a mission to help John B while informing her he knows where the garment is. Limbrey will likely search the Caribbean islands and find John B and the Pogues, bringing them back to safety before recruiting them to assist in finding the garment, likely becoming Outer Banks season 3’s big treasure hunt. Season 3 will also see a reunion between Big John and John B, where John B will likely be upset that his dad has been alive the entire time and never contacted him. Since Outer Banks season 2 came out only a little over a year after season 1, the hope is that the Pogues will return for season 3 by summer 2022.

About The Author

Jordan Williams
(809 Articles Published)

Jordan Williams is a Movie/TV Feature Senior Staff Writer for Screen Rant. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Media Studies.

Jordan is based in Seattle, Washington and enjoys exploring the natural beauty the PNW has to offer. She runs on coffee and classic movies, taking pride in having watched every film on AFI’s 100 Greatest Films list and every Best Picture Oscar winner.

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