Outer Banks stars break down the season 3 finale ending, time jump twist and more

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Outer Banks season 3, episode 10.

It took three seasons, but the Pogues finally won on Outer Banks.

By the end of the season 3 finale, John B (Chase Stokes), Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey), JJ (Rudy Pankow), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and Cleo's (Carlacia Grant) hard work paid off as the Pogues got their happily ever afters in a massive time jump twist ... as well as a potential new treasure hunt brought directly to them. So where does this leave them for season 4?

Concluding EW's On Set video series (watch the videos for episodes 1-5 here, and episodes 6-9 here), the cast joined creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke to break down all the major moments in the season 3 finale. Once you watch the episode, check back here to watch the spoiler-filled video above to get behind-the-scenes intel on what it was like filming the finale and where all the characters go from here.

Episode 10: "Secret of the Gnomon"

The super-sized finale begins with John B, Sarah, Pope, and Cleo — and their stowaway Ward (Charles Esten) — arriving at the Orinoco Basin. The Pogues go over their plan to save Big John (Charles Halford) and get to El Dorado since they think Ward is unconscious, but of course that sneaky villain was listening to the whole thing. Meanwhile Kiara and JJ go over their plan to try and meet back up with the rest of the Pogues. All these plans are real shaky, but somehow John B and Sarah hear Big John on the noisy street and manage to save him from Singh's men with some fireworks, and Kiara and JJ miraculously run into Pope and Cleo as soon as they arrive in Tres Rocas. Gotta love how the Pogues' luck is finally turning around! Except for one small issue: Ward never actually left on his plane, and forces John B, Sarah, and Big John to bring him along.

The two groups — John B, Sarah, Big John, and Ward; JJ, Kiara, Pope, and Cleo — separately make their way up the river. That night, Ward secretly sends his location to someone, and the next morning, he says he can't make the hike on his injured leg so he stays behind. Big John, John B, and Sarah decode an important message about El Dorado using the Gnomon, but Singh arrives to try and steal it. Turns out, he was the person Ward contacted, because Ward just can't stop betraying the Pogues at every step of the way. But then Singh holds Sarah at gunpoint, so Ward turns his gun on Singh's men, and a chaotic shootout ensues. Sarah ends up holding Ward at gunpoint which is what finally gets Big John to trust her, but Big John also got hit by a stray bullet. He tells John B and Sarah to go on ahead, and they make it through a cave system to find El Dorado, a massive underground deposit of gold.

Hot on their trail, Pope and Cleo take a second to finally kiss, officially making the Pogues a group of three couples.

In the cave, John B and Sarah grab a bunch of gold pieces and make it back to Big John, only to find Singh holding them at gunpoint again. Big John risks burying El Dorado with dynamite to save John B and Sarah, and ultimately kills Singh in the blast. But their celebration is short lived, since Ward shows up next and holds them at gunpoint ... again. Thankfully the Pogues caught up to them and surround Ward with machetes, and Sarah gets him to lower to his gun. But then another one of Singh's men arrives and holds them at gunpoint again (seriously), and Ward sacrifices his life to kill him and save them all.

On the way back to Tres Rocas, Big John dies from blood loss, so the Pogues memorialize both Ward and Big John before making their way back home. Then the finale jumps forward 18 months to reveal the Pogues not only got home safely, but they also got the public recognition for finding El Dorado (and the Royal Merchant gold and Cross of Santo Domingo) as the entire town celebrates them at a ceremony and party in their honor. Their parents and even Topper (Austin North) are all in the audience applauding the six Pogues (although ... where's Rafe [Drew Starkey]?). John B reveals they're all living "normal" lives ... but that's about to change, as a mysterious benefactor approaches the group of six with a brand new treasure hunt for Blackbeard's ship. Hot damn!

Check out what the cast and creators had to say about everything that went down in the season 3 finale in the video above.

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