Outer Banks season 3 ending explained: Who is Blackbeard? (Was Edward Teach a real pirate?)

The premiere of Outer Banks season 3 is finally here, and if you’re a superfan of the Netflix Original, chances are you’ve already started binging through the 10 new episodes. The Pogues are back and better than ever after living out on Poguelandia all on their own, but once they get back to reality they realize things aren’t as nice in the OBX. Tensions arise between the characters back home, leaving the group split up and certainly not always on the same page.

But fortunately, the Pogues come together once more by the end in order to save John B’s dad, Big John.

Spoilers ahead for Outer Banks season 3.

The group goes through a lot of ups and downs in Outer Banks season 3, unsurprisingly, with two major deaths at the end really making an impact on John B and Sarah, specifically. They both lose their fathers, with Big John and Ward dying out in South America while they’re all trying to secure the treasure and fight off Carlos Singh and his men. But the season doesn’t end on a sad note actually, and instead on a hopeful and exciting one.

There’s an 18-month time-jump before the final scenes of the third season, seeing the Pogues being celebrated for finding the gold. In the final moments, the group is hanging out when an older gentleman approaches them for a job. He seems suspicious at first but then explains he has a manuscript from the year 1718 and he’s looking for partners to help him investigate. The papers include boat information from a captain named Edward Teach, a.k.a. “Blackbeard,” and he has the exact location where his boat sailed.

The Pogues look excited to hear this proposal, and just like that, the ending scene sets up the plot for Outer Banks season 4. Netflix has confirmed another season of the teen drama is in the works, and now we know what might be the main plot point next time around! But if you’re confused about that ending and why someone named Edward Teach is important, we’ve got you!

Who is Edward Teach? Was he a real pirate?

Edward Teach was, in fact, a real English pirate in history. His nickname was Blackbeard, and it’s been reported that he died in battle in November 1718 in the Outer Banks on Ocracoke Island! He was somewhere between 35 and 40 at the time of his death. According to Britannica, Blackbeard seized a French ship and turned it into what would become known as the Queen Anne’s Revenge, also maintaining a base in North Carolina.

It’s believed by many that the infamous pirate had his own buried treasure that’s never been found, with Britannica noting that it “probably never existed.” But in the show Outer Banks, we’re sure that treasure’s out there just waiting to be found.

Stay tuned for more updates on Outer Banks season 4! In the meantime, you can watch (and rewatch) season 3 right now on Netflix.