‘Outer Banks’ Season 3 Ending Explained: 7 Questions We Have

If you binge-watched Outer Banks Season 3 this weekend, you probably have a lot of questions about the finale. After another whirlwind adventure, the Pogues are presented with a new treasure hunt. Here’s an explanation of what happened in the finale of Outer Banks Season 3. Plus, seven questions we have after watching season 3 of the Netflix series, like who is the mysterious man who mentions Edward Teach and Blackbeard’s treasure?

[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead regarding Outer Banks Season 3.] 

‘Outer Banks’ Season 3 finale explained: the 18 month time jump

The season 3 finale finds the Pogues in South America, the location of El Dorado. Once John B. (Chase Stokes) and Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline) obtain a small portion of the gold, a wounded Big John (Charles Halford) buries Carlos Singh (Andy McQueen) in cave rubble. While heading back to the mainland, Big John succumbs to his own bullet wounds and dies in John B.’s arms. 

Back in the Outer Banks, the Pogues are honored for their pursuits and discoveries in treasure hunting 18 months later. The time jump shows the Pogues at the opening of an exhibit featuring the Gnomon of Solana and other findings from the Royal Merchant and El Dorado. During the event, a mysterious man approaches the Pogues with an interesting offer, leading us to the first of many questions about Outer Banks Season 3… 

Who hires the Pogues to find Blackbeard’s treasure in the ‘Outer Banks’ Season 3 finale?

The biggest question of Outer Banks Season 3 revolves around the man the Pogues meet in the finale. After the ceremony celebrating their historical findings, the man approaches them with a manuscript containing the captain’s log of Edward Teach — the legendary pirate Blackbeard. He wants them to find Blackbeard’s treasure, presumably the plot for season 4. But are the Pogues this man’s only option? What’s in it for them?

Does Denmark Tanney have anything to do with Edward Teach or Blackbeard’s treasure? 

Pope Heyward’s (Jonathan Daviss) ancestor Denmark Tanney is the common denominator between Outer Banks Season 1 and 2. As the captain of the Royal Merchant ship and rightful owner of the Cross of Santo Domingo, Denmark has played a huge role in the show’s narrative. Is Denmark Tanney somehow connected to Blackbeard’s treasure?

Where is the real Shroud of Turin? 

Since season 2 of the Netflix series, Carla Limbrey (Elizabeth Mitchell) has been hunting for the Shroud of Turin, a religious garment rumored to have healing powers. She thinks obtaining this shroud will cure her of a mysterious disease.

In season 3 episode 5, “Heists,” Big John tells John B. the shroud is “a known hoax.” So, they lie to Limbrey using a random piece of fabric. When they give it to Limbrey, she seems to believe the cloth is the shroud and says: “I’m healed.” But was this just an act? What’s more, where is the real shroud Limbrey seeks? 

What happened to Rafe after he saw Ward, Sarah, and the Pogues off to Venezuela? 

Rafe (Drew Starkey) doesn’t appear in the finale episode of Outer Banks Season 3. But in the episode prior, he watches a plane bound for South America take off as Deputy Shoup (Cullen Moss) arrives on the tarmac. Will Rafe face consequences for harboring his fugitive father, his attempted murder, or any of the other terrible things he has done in Outer Banks? 

Where is Wheezie? 

Wheezie’s (Julia Antonelli) voice is used to bait Sarah into a meeting with Ward, but her sister doesn’t appear anywhere in season 3. Why wasn’t Wheezie with Rose (Caroline Arapoglou), Ward, and Rafe in Guadalupe? Is she OK? Was she sent to stay with other family members? Will Wheezie appear in season 4 of Outer Banks? 

Is everyone who died in season 3 of ‘Outer Banks’ really dead? 

Three major characters die in the Outer Banks Season 3 finale: Ward, Big John, and Carlos Singh. But are these characters really dead?

Ward’s death seemed the most believable, as he suffered multiple bullet wounds to the chest before diving over a cliff in Venezuela. Big John also suffered bullet wounds.

But if there’s one thing Outer Banks does, it brings father figures back from the dead. Naturally, this leaves us wondering if we’ll see some of these characters again in future episodes of Outer Banks. 

What happened to the rest of the gold in El Dorado? 

Sarah and John B. find the El Dorado gold in the season 3 finale and manage to carry some of it out of the cave to present to Big John, who is trying to evade Singh. When Singh sees the Pogues have found the gold, he demands to know how to get there. In their defense, Big John tosses an explosive toward the cave entrance, taking Singh down. 

But what about the rest of the gold? Did anyone go back and acquire it, or is it trapped beneath the rubble forever?

Watch Outer Banks Season 3 on Netflix.