Outer Banks season 4 premiere recap: ‘The Enduro’

Bring it on home, Pogues! Outer Banks season 4 is finally here with the release of the first five episodes on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. 

“The Enduro,” the Outer Banks season 4 premiere, picks up in between the events of the season 3 finale. Remember, there was a time jump at the end of season 3. Well, the beginning of Outer Banks season 4 fills in the gaps.  

The Pogues catch a ride back from South America and make peace with family after finding the gold at El Dorado and losing Big John (Charles Halford) and Ward Cameron (Charles Esten). Things aren’t totally smooth sailing with everyone, but the gold that Sarah (Madelyn Cline) and John B (Chase Stokes) were able to take from the lost city in their backpack was worth $1.1 million. 

The Pogues build Poguelandia 2.0 

Instead of splitting the money individually and starting their own lives, Pope (Jonathan Daviss) comes up with the idea of starting a business on the water where they also live. So, they decide to start a surf shop with bait and tackle and deep water fishing charters run by JJ (Rudy Pankow). They’ll live at JJ’s house, but first, they must buy it back from the bank. To do that, they have to win an auction against the highest rollers in the Outer Banks. It does not go well. 

Pope goes in with a plan, but JJ takes over. They need to save money for construction, but Dale, a fancy realtor from town, drives the price of the property up to nearly $800K, which is almost all of the money they have from the gold. They wildly overpaid for Pogulandia 2.0, according to Pope. 

In a montage Zack Snyder would love, we see the Pogues build a dock for the bait and tackle, build the surf shop, remodel the Maybank house, plant a garden, and much more. Finally, they’re open for business.

JJ might be the happiest we’ve seen him in Outer Banks so far. It’s great to see him have a home for the first time, as Kiara (Madison Bailey) says. 

Shortly after, the Pogues get their first customers. A few fishermen stop at the bait and tackle shop. Things are going great for the Pogues, even after JJ’s disastrous decision, but we know that’s not going to last. 

“We had everything that we needed,” John B narrates. “But what we didn’t know at the time was that nothing ever stands still. And there were some dark secrets hidden in the marsh.” 

Boom. Here comes the mystery! 

Lightner threatens the Pogues 

A mysterious man, known as Lightner (Rigo Sanchez) comes to the bait and tackle shop asking questions. He asks if they’re the treasure-hunting kids, and Kiara says, “Not anymore.” Then, he steals a pocket knife and leaves in his boat. 

That night, a storm knocks out power at the dock. It’s an ominous warning! 

Rafe spreads Ward’s ashes in the ocean 

In our first glimpse of Rafe (Drew Starkey) in Outer Banks season 4, he’s spreading Ward’s ashes and paying tribute to his father on a boat off the coast with his girlfriend, Sofia (Fiona Palomo). 

You’ll remember her from season 3! She’s good for Rafe, I think. The jury is out, but she’s a Pogue and we love the Pogues. 

JJ gambles away the last of the gold 

Pope, who is crunching the numbers, realizes that their business isn’t doing so hot. They’re officially out of money, but they are saving the last of the gold to pay the property taxes for the year. 

I’m not a businessman, but there’s no way they blew this much money this quickly, right? But, of course, it is. These are the Pogues! 

JJ, trying to save the day, steals the rest of the gold. He bets the money on himself at The Kildare Enduro, which are the motorcycle races on the beach. He tells John B right before the race. Now, John B has to race to protect JJ from Rafe and Topper (Austin North).  

“Nothing to lose?” JJ asks John B.

“No, we’ve got everything to lose this time,” John B replies. 

In the race, Rafe leads basically the whole way while JJ is in last. He makes a huge jump and cuts off the rest of the field, which is somehow legal, I don’t know. It’s JJ and Rafe neck-and-neck at the finish until Rafe crashes into JJ, who falls down and blocks John B. Topper, then, passes them and finishes first. 

After losing, JJ even blames John B for losing. It’s very not good. 

Then, John B has to tell Pope that JJ gambled away the last of the money for property taxes. There’s a huge argument back at Poguelandia. Cleo (Carlacia Grant) makes Pope tell them how bad it is, and it's bad, y'all.

Then, their luck changes. 

The Pogues become local heroes 

Scientists find El Dorado and corroborate the Pogues’ story, and they’re honored in town. We skip over the part when Wes Genrette (David Jensen) speaks to the Pogues and invites them to his home on Goat Island.

The Pogues pay a visit to Wes on the island, where they meet the caretaker, Demp (Nate Bynum), and Chandler Groff (J. Anthony Crane), Wes’s son-in-law. That’s when the episode ends! 

The season premiere covers a lot of ground, but it basically just lets everyone know what the Pogues have been up to leading to their conversation with Wes at the end of Outer Banks season 3 when he offers them the opportunity to find Blackbeard’s treasure. 

Now, we’re going to find out just what Wes needs them to do, how close he is to finding the treasure, and what it means for the Pogues in Outer Banks season 4 episode 2.