Outer Banks – Season 3 Episode 3 “Fathers and Sons” Recap & Review

Fathers and Sons

Episode 3 of Outer Banks season 3 starts with us learning about the bond between Big John and John B. More of a friend than a father, the pair had an unbreakable friendship together but unfortunately the last time they spoke, they had a big fight, leaving plenty unresolved.

Now though, with the bells chiming, John B shows up at the church. Father and son have a touching reunion, with Big John apologizing for the Houdini act for all these years. With Singh’s goons showing up outside, the pair are forced to flee. Unfortunately, when they make it to the dock they find the boat gone and Carlos himself devising a plan to capture them. John B phones through to Sarah and the others, telling them to wait at OBX for him. Sarah decides to take his advice and does just that.

John B and his dad make it to the latter’s house, where he grabs his gear, including a gun and a book on El Dorado. When John B finds out his dad is working with Limbrey, he’s not exactly pleased, but the pair do manage to get out and into downtown.

There, John shows up to see a guy called RJ, pulling a gun on him and getting his hands on the Signpost of Orinoco. Essentially, this statue – once they find the other half and put it together at least – will show the location to the lost treasure of El Dorado. However, Singh arrives and wants to take a look around. As he does, questioning RJ the whole time, Big John and John B sneak out the window and make it into the alleyway. Unfortunately, they make too much noise and are heard, prompting a big chase to ensue, at least until they make it onto the open water.

Singh calls off his guards, confident he can get the jump on them given he has men everywhere. Besides, chasing the pair over open water late at night is a recipe for disaster.

Out at sea, Big John points out how he ended up becoming Singh’s prisoner. He didn’t leave emptyhanded though, given the statue was actually Singh’s and while pretending to work with the guy, he took his chances and snuck off with the statue. Now it becomes clear that Singh is also after El Dorado’s treasure, which is directly linked to the gold cross the kids uncovered last season. This was on the San Jose, which was rumoured to have found the treasure and this statue is what guided them there. “This is the big one kid,” Big John exclaims.

In Guadeloupe, Ward wakes up and learns that Rafe isn’t there. However, he does manage to get on a cruise ship after stealing an ID and a hat heading back home. When he gets there, Rafe speaks to Ward about what happened in Barbados, including the deal with Singh that’s gone south. Ward is just glad he’s okay but he has other plans right now. He wants Rafe to head back home and sell everything. In doing so, Rafe will then be stepping up and taking a bigger role in the family business going forward.

After an awful nightmare, John B wakes up and finds Sarah there. However, his dad is missing.

The Episode Review

Has Big John bailed again? We know that this fight is now going to be over the El Dorado treasure, and the story is woven neatly into the previous seasons too, with this treasure hunt managing to work in themes and ideas we’ve seen before, while also adding a slightly fresh slant to proceedings.

Whether John B’s dad has bailed for good or this is just a temporary blip remains to be seen but the pieces are certainly in place now for the pace to pick up and the story to become a little more tense.

Carlos Singh is certainly intimidating though and Andy McQueen’s performance is a good one, easing into this role nicely. With Rafe’s situation in Barbados likely to spill over into this as well, not to mention wildcard Ward and the rest of the family too, the rest of season 3 is set up on a precarious knife edge.