Outer Banks; The Price, Power, and Poignancy of Teenage Friendship
*MILD SPOILERS AHEAD*
Like many of us, I’ve spent my quarantine holed up in my room binging whatever new drama Netflix chooses to promote. I’ve worked my way through Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood, Mindy Kaling’s Never Have I Ever, only to end up streaming the plot driven, hot-guy heavy, teen show of the year, Netflix’s own Outer Banks.
Outer Banks opens on a group of teens living in North Carolina. The population of their island is divided strictly into three categories: the rich, the poor, and the tourists. The show enforces these divides with it’s costume design, sets, and dialogue, including it’s own (delightfully campy) terms for each group. The actual plot of Outer Banks occasionally takes a backseat to the characters and general aesthetic of the series, but unlike other popular teen TV, it retains it’s shape fairly well. And though Rudy Pankow’s abs are featured heavily, the rampant thirst traps are to be expected and even relished in a show of this nature.
However, Outer Banks differentiates itself from series such as Riverdale by portraying teens and teenage relationships, with a surprising degree of accuracy and care. Like many other teen dramas, the problems characters face stray greatly from the average teenage experience and the actors chosen to portray sixteen year olds age well into their twenties, but despite these setbacks, the characters in Outer Banks are vivid and relatable to the teenage viewer.
Among a talented young cast and stunning visuals, the shows real triumph is the urgency and poignancy of the relationships. Though it’s certainly cliche to say that teenagers are dramatic, there is a sense of immediacy and acuity unique to young adults. Surprisingly, Outer Banks does an incredible job of showcasing this throughout the series.
The most obvious example of this is with the Kiara’s character and her relationship with the ‘Pogues’, the working class kids on the island. Kiara is principled and stubborn to begin with and she often takes small actions to mean a lot more than anticipated. For example, when Pope, one of her fellow Pogues decides to skip out on a search party for their mutual friend for an important college interview, she becomes angry and lectures him on the value of friendship.
To the viewer, it’s easy to write off Kiara’s behaviour as irrational and overly dramatic, but personally I find this reaction understandable, considering her age and personality. It’s easy for adults to believe that teen tantrums and outbursts are a product of hormones, when in reality they have more to do with the pressure teenagers have to deal with on a daily basis. For Kiara, her friends are closely tied with her identity and sense of self and she has endured many difficult situations solely for their benefit. So, for Pope to leave them in their moment of need would feel like a personal affront, even if his reasoning is valid.
However, the characters’ deep reliance on their relationships does not only create problems. If I’m honest, it was the Pogues fierce loyalty and love for each other that kept me interested throughout the show. This is not a series that depicts its teens as catty or uncaring. The characters love and protect one another, no matter the cost, and are willing to stand by their friends even through difficult times and disagreements.
Personally, I find this handling of teenage relationships to be the real saving grace of this show. Sure, the abs and boats and sunsets make for a series that is fluffy and easy-on-the-eyes, but I was pleasantly surprised by Outer Banks’ beautiful characters and relationships. I implore you not to discount this series for it’s vapid appearance and give it the chance it deserves.