‘Outer Banks’: Why They Didn’t Show That Intimate Scene Between Sarah Cameron and John B
Outer Banks is everyone’s latest Netflix obsession during their stay-at-home orders. Fans are reeling over the relationship between heartthrob John B (Chase Stokes), a Pogue from “The Cut” and Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline), a Kook straight out of “Figure Eight.”
When the two finally decide to be intimate with each other in the bell tower, everything fades to black. Here’s why Outer Banks didn’t show the sex scene between John B and Sarah Cameron.
Sarah Cameron almost shared an intimate moment with Topper
In early episodes of Outer Banks, Sarah Cameron and Topper Thornton (Austin North) are in a relationship. As a friend to Sarah’s older brother, Rafe (Drew Starkey), Topper consistently has a pulse on Sarah’s whereabouts. This is both a blessing and a curse, as it inevitably leads to Topper’s downfall.
Throughout their relationship, it becomes clear that Topper is very possessive of Sarah. He treats her more like an object of affection rather than a person — which ultimately drives Sarah into John B’s arms.
Sarah and John B hit it off
As a member of an affluent Outer Banks family, Sarah’s life is mainstream and fairly dull. Meeting John B opened her eyes to how exciting and adventurous life could be. After a trip to Chapel Hill, it became clear the two had a spark between them. Though Sarah was dating Topper at the time, she chose to break it off with him to pursue a relationship with John B.
John B and Sarah Cameron’s intimate scene was left out on purpose
In Season 1 of Outer Banks, there is a moment in the bell tower where Sarah decides that she’s ready to give herself to John B. As the two begin to kiss, the camera fades to black. “That was a choice that Valerie Weiss — our director for 7 and 8 — Chase, and myself made,” Cline told Cosmopolitan. “We wanted there to be a differentiation between the scene with Topper and the scene with John B.”
Earlier in the series, Topper and Sarah break away to a bedroom to presumably sleep with each other. “In episode 3, I believe, you see Topper really, really driving that whole interaction with [Sarah],” Cline explained. “You see him really pushing for this. It’s obvious that he’s asked if she wants to go to third base, and it’s obvious that she’s said no in the past, and he’s pushing the pen a bit. She says yes, and then all of a sudden, you see her have this moment panicking, and she’s like, ‘No, no, no, this is too much.'”
To separate Sarah’s relationship with John B from her previous relationship with Topper, Cline, Stokes, and Weiss made the conscious choice for Sarah to drive the scene in the belltower. Fading to black was another way of keeping the moment private between John B and Sarah, who probably wouldn’t openly brag about sleeping with John B.
Small choices, like the choice not to show every moment of John B and Sarah’s intimacy, have such a momentous storytelling ability. After rapidly consuming Season 1, fans are hopeful for a second season of Outer Banks so that they can see where Sarah and John B’s relationship ends up.
Related: Are ‘Outer Banks’ Stars Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline Dating?
