Outer Banks season 3 recap guide: All 10 episodes explained

Outer Banks season 3 episode 10 recap: Secret of the Gnomon

As the Pogues make their way to Venezuela, they begin to go over the plan while on the plane which gives Ward the chance to listen in and eventually crash the party (more on this to come).

John B and Sarah eventually are able to track down Big John at Singh’s safehouse and rescue him after creating a diversion with some fireworks. Once reunited, John B shows his dad the note Pope and Cleo discover, which he confirms to likely be a translator for the gnomon.

At the same time the Pogues land, JJ and Kiara arrive via Barracuda Mike’s plane and begin venturing into town. When Pope and Cleo spot Singh’s men driving out, they race away which is when JJ and Kiara spot them running through the town and are reunited as a group.

Back with the Johns and Sarah, the group makes their way to the fish market where they’re to meet a tour guide who will help provide them passage. Upon arriving, Ward crashes the party having already paid for their transportation, and tells the group he wants to accompany them on their journey to protect Sarah. The plan is to wait for the rest of the Pogues to arrive, but when Singh’s men arrive, they have to leave without them.

Upon making it to their destination, Ward suddenly begins singing a different tune and tells the group he’ll stay behind because he can’t make it up the mountain with his injured leg and that he’ll send up a flare if Singh arrives. The only problem is, before he tells this to the group, we see him drop his location to a mystery individual hinting he has something else planned.

After a long journey, Big John, John B, and Sarah make it to the dig site where they discover four columns that mark the cardinal directions as well as a temalacatl. The gnomon fits into the center of the temalacatl and when the moon hits its zenith, the action starts. As the moon hits the gnomon, symbols start lighting up revealing a message that is translated to “Brave traveler, if you have wisdom, I’ll reveal the wealth of the earth.”

The next pattern hints that the gnomon will guide them in the direction of El Dorado and then they’re given a new riddle to its location: “I am nothing but hold everything. No tongue but always speaking.”

Before the dust has settled, Singh and his men show up as it’s revealed that Ward had made a deal with Singh trading their location for Sarah’s safety. Singh demands Big John tell him the translation but he refuses.

Singh turns his guns on John B and his dad doesn’t say anything, father of the year that Big John. Ward ends up shooting one of the men when it looks like Sarah is in danger, giving them the chance to run. He then reveals he wants Sarah to come with him, but she takes refuses to go with him, and they go their separate ways. Oh, and we later find out that Big John has been shot during the exchange.

While searching for the answer to the riddle, Sarah hears a noise that leads them to a cave.
When they go into the cave, they discover an opening too narrow for Big John to fit through. It’s at this moment he sends the two off with some waterproof flares and the final piece of the puzzle: “The true and patient seeker needs not light to see.”

John B and Sarah make their way through the cave and after a long journey eventually discover the lost city of El Dorado, this after Sarah did the thing and cracked the final riddle leading them to the treasure. They scoop as much gold into the bag as they can carry and head back to share the good news with Big John. Only when they return, Singh has arrived and is holding Big John a gunpoint.

Big John whips out a stick of dynamite — because who travels anywhere without at least one stick of dynamite?! — and threatens to set it off if Singh shoots John B. To create a distraction, Big John tosses the dynamite into the cave allowing Sarah, John B, and Big John to escape. As for Singh? He races for the dynamite but it goes off before he can get to it causing the cave to collapse.

After taking down Singh, Ward shows up with a gun and says he isn’t letting them walk away happy. It’s at this point the other Pogues finally arrive and begin to witness the scene unfolding in which Ward says Big John is supposed to be dead and he liked him that way. This is when the Pogues run up and surround Ward armed with machetes, because hey why not?!

John B steps in front of the path of the gun pointing at Big John, and Sarah then steps in front of the path of the gun now aimed at John B before she grabs the gun from Ward. This is when one of Singh’s goons arrives and is looking to avenge his boss. He goes to shoot Sarah, but Ward jumps in front, takes several shots to the chest, and somehow manages to still tackle Singh’s goon off a cliff with the pair both falling to their deaths.

After the chaos, the Pogues make their way back to the boat and begin heading back up the river. Sadly, Big John dies before they get back to the dock, succumbing from the gunshot wound he sustained during the shoutout with Singh.

As the episode comes to a close, 18 months have passed and the Pogues are being celebrated for finding El Dorado. We don’t get major updates on what has happened in these 18 months other than that Kiara is saving turtles, Pope is about to go away to school, JJ has bought a charter boat, and John B and Sarah now own a surf shop.

Just when it begins to look like the season 3 finale was going to turn into a series finale, a mysterious old man approaches the Pogues. After complimenting them on their remarkable feat of finding El Dorado, he asks the group if they’d be so kind as to look at a manuscript and become his partners. It seems he’s for Blackbeard’s treasure and wants their help.

The ending seems to suggest the key storylines from the first three seasons have been tied up and the show’s fourth season will begin a new journey as the Pogues attempt to find Blackbeard’s treasure!

Outer Banks season 3 is streaming now on Netflix.

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