Outer Banks – Season 3 Episode 7 “Happy Anniversary” Recap & Review

Happy Anniversary

Episode 7 of Outer Banks Season 3 starts with Sarah reflecting on her time with Topper and how conflicted she is between choosing between the pair. With John B off on his own adventure, she and Topper go for breakfast, but Kie is there and spots them eating. She turns her nose up in disgust, and acts frosty to both Sarah and Topper.

Kie sits with Sarah afterward, with the latter admitting everything that’s happened and how conflicted she is. Kie doesn’t hate her and covers for Sarah, shrugging and claiming that everyone is messed up right now. Wheezie suddenly leaves a message for Sarah though, claiming that she’s in the OBX and has run away. She wants to meet.

Meanwhile, John B and JJ head back to the professor’s house, intent on figuring out exactly where Singh and the others are going and hoping for some sort of clue. The dead professor is gone, having seemingly been cleaned up by Singh’s men, while John B leaves his fingerprints all over the place, checking everywhere.

Thankfully, he finds the sketch on the floor that the professor left behind. Not only that, but he also finds a newspaper clipping for an expedition in South America. Tommy mentioned a “Neville Persaud” before he died, who just so happens to be one of the men on this newspaper clipping. More crucially though, he was also part of the expedition in South America. He’s still alive and could be their ticket to finding the treasure site.

Ward returns home without arousing suspicions from anyone in town (somehow) and confronts Rafe about the cross. He’s already melted it down though and has a deal in place to grow the empire. Rafe admits he doesn’t need him anymore and tells his dad to go home.

Instead, his earlier message from Wheezie happens to be Rafe who’s down by the docks and meets Sarah alone. He admits everything is his fault and he’s trying to live his life a different way. Ward drops off a key for the condo along with some money, admitting he knows she won’t forgive him but he’s sorry and leaves.

JJ and John B show up to see Neville, who’s up in Doe Creek staying on a houseboat. He learns about Tommy and realizes he’s the only one left. John B counteracts that and shows off the map of Solana and how he’s got the Gnomon. John B pleads with him for help but Neville refuses. Unfortunately, the kids lead Singh’s goons right to their location, who show up desperate to make him pay. The manage to stop Singh’s goons but it’s surely only a matter of time before more show up.

Mr Sunn gives Pope some solid advice at school about his family history and Denmark Tanny when he takes up Saturday classes, encouraging him to go and search through the archives. While he’s off doing what he probably should have done last season, Neville buckles and agrees to help John B and JJ. He draws up a map, including a location called Tres Rocas. With the Orinoco River just next to it, Neville instructs them to find a guide called Jose. He’ll take them up to El Tesoro where they’ll find the site in question.

John B shows up to see Sarah before he goes, apologizing for everything about El Dorado and how much he messed up. As the pair hug, Sarah opens up and admits she made a mistake and kissed Topper. It’s a tough pill for him to swallow, especially as they happen to be at a big party together in the process. “We’re done,” John B says and walks off. JJ also fails to entice Kie to join him too, given she’s still sour over him stealing from her folks.

Before John B leaves, he notices Sarah and Toper together and marches across the dock to get involved. Sarah manages to calm him down, until Topper makes a snide remark. John B clocks him with a stiff right hand to the face as a result. John B then proceeds to beat him senseless before Mike arrives and stops them.

John B and JJ leave, while we cut across to Pope who looks through his family’s gear. There, he finds details relating to Denmark Tanny and, in particular, a letter to his daughter Clarice Tanny.

Pope and Cleo work together and open the letter. Within this happens to be a handwritten letter about the Royal Merchant, a city of gold and the treasure. However, there’s also a whole bunch of symbols and seemingly the key they need to track down the exact location.

The Episode Review

The group are all split up now with various degrees of drama and issues between them. Sarah breaking the vows she had with John B because of one argument says more about her character than it does John B, although the latter is very clearly going down a dark path following what he’s seen with his dad.

The situation involving Pope is probably the weakest part of the whole show and I’m struggling to see how Pope didn’t thoroughly go through the archives like he did last season when looking for the cross. It just feels like a convenient plot point to move us along to where the story will likely end up in South America. And again, we get absolutely nothing in regards to the teens involved in that train robbery.

Given police officers were hurt and a train robbery is big news, it just seems completely contrived that there’s been no mention of that now since it occurred. It’s likely it won’t get mentioned again either, to be honest.

This season has still been enjoyable despite those gripes though and the ending hints that we’ve got a very dramatic finish in store for us here. This is definitely a season you need to switch off your brain to and not think about but if you can do that, season 3 does deliver some bombastic action.