Madison Bailey & Madelyn Cline Break Down The Outer Banks Season 3 Finale

Warning: SPOILERS for Outer Banks Season 3.The wait is finally over. On Thursday, February 23rd, Outer Banks returned to Netflix with ten new installments for its third season. The latest batch of episodes brought several stories full circle, as the search for El Dorado came to an official close. Fan-favorite pairing, JJ and Kiara, finally said those three words, eight letters. Ward sacrificed his life to save Sarah, and John B reunited with his dad, only to end up losing him once and for all.

Renewed for season 4 ahead of its season 3 release, “Secret of the Gnomon” sets up multiple plotlines to explore going forwards. The Pogues are officially recognized for their historical achievement after an eighteen-month time jump, leaving a year and a half of their lives unaccounted for. Season 4 could easily incorporate flashbacks to fill in these gaps, while the present-day story shifts its focus to the Blackbeard-related adventure teased in the finale’s final seconds.

Stars Madison Bailey and Madelyn Cline chat exclusively with Screen Rant about the Outer Banks finale and discuss the different avenues the show could take when it returns.

Madison Bailey & Madelyn Cline Break Down Outer Banks Season 3

Screen Rant: Was this season still filmed in Charleston? Even the finale?

Madison Bailey: That was filmed mostly in Barbados. We shot in Barbados and split our time between the two.

Did you have to go back and forth?

Madelyn Cline: We kind of went back and forth.

Madison Bailey: Back and forth, then back and forth, then done.

We have to talk about Kiara and JJ. They’re finally a couple. They’ve been best friends for a long time, so do you think that they’ve always had these feelings for each other to an extent?

Madison Bailey: To an extent, for sure. I don’t think it necessarily came out of the blue. Being on the island made them realize that life is short. Act now or never, you know?

We didn’t get to see much of them after the time jump. Can you confirm that they’re still together? Do you know?

Madison Bailey: I think it’s a little ambiguous. I’m not sure. We’ll see. I think there’s a lot to unpack over that 18-month time jump and I can’t wait to get into it. Hopefully, we get into that next season.

Sarah finds herself drawn back to Topper while she’s with John B. It parallels season 2 a little bit—when she and John B have that fight, and she gravitates towards Topper again. Do you think that she has real feelings for him?

Madelyn Cline: For me, what it ultimately boiled down to was that Sarah’s whole arc follows her finding a new family with the Pogues and her relationship with John B. She’s sacrificed everything, and she’s lost so much in the process and in this new life that she’s chosen. And so when she feels like she’s been kicked out of it, like a lot of people do, they go back to what feels familiar; what feels comfortable. And she does that. There’s probably still a part of her that is maybe mourning the loss of her old friends, her old life, when things were comfortable. So, for me, that’s what it was.

How do you think Sarah felt about her father in those final moments? At the end of the day, he did sacrifice himself for her.

Madelyn Cline: He did. That was actually a character choice that Chip made. I thought it was really, really poetic and really tragic. The one time that he showed up for Sarah was the one time it was his last. It was the one time he did anything, honestly. He always had an ulterior motive, and this time, it was just purely because he wanted to save her life, and he ended up dying because of it. I think it was the right way to wrap it up.

What about Kiara’s relationship with her parents? They sent her away to wilderness camp, but they believed they were doing the right thing. Do you think that they’ll eventually become more accepting of her lifestyle?

Madison Bailey: Maybe. I think that’s almost an impossible thing to forgive, but if you can forgive it from anybody, it’s your parents. So maybe there is something to be worked out through there. I think this season is them kind of building trust and what happens in [Episode] 9 is just an ultimate betrayal and distrust for Kiara. I would hope that they build that back because cutting off your parents in any capacity is not easy.

I’d love to know where you thought the story was going before you read the finale script. Did you think the Pogues would ever actually find the gold?

Madelyn Cline: I have no idea. I didn’t think anything. I thought nothing. I just waited for the script to come out. I had no idea. I had no guesses.

Madison Bailey: It’s a very hard show to predict the next episode even for us. It’s hard to see where we’re going.

Is there a moment that sticks out to each of you when you look back on this season? Either when you were filming or when you actually got to see it onscreen?

Madelyn Cline: Peo. Pope and Cleo kiss.

Madison Bailey: Oh, Peo! I’m the biggest Pope and Cleo fan throughout this whole season. I’m rooting for them.

Madelyn Cline: I know. I love it.

About Outer Banks Season 3

After losing the gold and fleeing the Outer Banks, Season 3 finds the Pogues washed ashore on a desert island that, for a brief moment, seems like an idyllic home. Officially deemed “Poguelandia,” the island’s newest residents spend their days fishing, swimming, and reveling in the carefree lifestyle of their temporary dwelling.

But things quickly go south for John B, Sarah, Kiara, Pope, JJ, and Cleo when they find themselves once again caught up in a race for the treasure, quite literally running for their lives. They’re broke and far from home, they can’t trust anyone, Ward and Rafe are hungry for revenge, and there’s a ruthless Caribbean Don who will stop at nothing to find the bounty. Was the treasure ever within their reach? Or was it all a trap to stop them once and for all? Either way, it’s the Pogues against the world – and the only way out is together.

Check out our other Outer Banks interview with Madison Bailey and Madelyn Cline, as well.

Outer Banks Season 3 is currently available to stream on Netflix.