The Darkest Hour
Episode 5 of Outer Banks Season 2 begins with John B in prison. As he faces trial, the judge confirms that if he’s convicted for Peterkin’s murder then he’s going to get the death penalty. As everyone leaves, the reaction is mixed. Kie immediately hits out at Ward and his associates, who claim that justice has been served. As things get heated, it takes the sheriff and the other officers to pry them apart. However, Plumb scores a deal with one of the inmates in the midst of this chaos, offering to hide evidence in exchange for doing her a favour. As rain pounds outside, emotions are high. JJ and Pope come to blows while Sarah decides to ring Wheezie and try to corroborate and testify against Rafe and Ward. That leaves Pope needing to retrieve Tanny’s key as a literal matter of life and death. Pope heads back home and learns from his Father where the key may be located. Heading back to his grandmother’s place, he checks the ceiling and notices a hidden compartment under the panels. There, he finds a black pouch with the key hidden inside. He’s got it! Meanwhile, Kiara is kicked out of her house after refusing to live their way. Finally, JJ heads into prison and comes up with a plan to pretend John B has appendicitis. It sounds absolutely ridiculous but at the same time it could well work a treat. With Rafe determined to come out on top during this sibling rivalry, he takes Wheezie’s phone and scans through all the messages from Sarah. Posing as his sister, he messages her back and the two meet. Rafe is paranoid and convinced that Sarah is against the family. Elsewhere, Pope meets back up with Kie and together they check out the key. They uncover a cryptic clue: “The path to the tomb begins in the island room.” This seems to be linked to the earlier clue about the angel but for now it’s just another puzzle piece and not the whole picture. Back in prison, John B is late for his appendicitis appointment. That means JJ – who rocks up posing as an ambulance worker outside – is forced to pick up an alternate patient. However, John B is in trouble. It turns out the paid inmate has been tasked with killing John B, and he’s choked out in his cell. Our protagonist does manage to survive, thanks in part to the other inmates calling out for help. Sarah also survives her ordeal with Rafe too, as her brother grabs her and tries to drown the girl. Thankfully it takes Topper showing up to stop this from happening. Finally, Pope and Kie come to JJ’s aid and help him escape his ordeal with the ambulance. As our main characters breathe a sigh of relief, Shoupe learns that Rafe’s fingerprints are all over the weapon and shells from the airstrip. With this in hand, he heads over to Ward’s place and prepares to arrest him.
The Episode Review
Outer Banks marks its halfway point with a shift in tone as the noose starts to tighten around Ward’s neck. It seems obvious that he’s the one responsible for ordering John B’s death and I’d imagine it’ll be the one point of this that sees him go down alongside Rafe. The show has done a pretty good job with its characters so far, although this second season isn’t quite as tightly constructed as the first. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still bits to like but the show also feels like it’s lost that fun treasure hunt element that made the first season so endearing. Either way, Outer Banks continues to deliver decent teen drama though, and the ending leaves things wide open for where this may go next.
