Outer Banks season 3 recap guide: All 10 episodes explained

Outer Banks. (L to R) Carlacia Grant as Cleo, Chase Stokes as John B, Madison Bailey as Kiara, Jonathan Daviss as Pope in episode 302 of Outer Banks. Cr. Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix © 2023

Outer Banks season 3 recap guide: All 10 episodes explained

Outer Banks. Rudy Pankow as JJ in episode 308 of Outer Banks. Cr. Jackson Lee Davis/Netflix © 2023

Outer Banks season 3 episode 8 recap: Tapping the Rudder

After John B attacked Topper, Sarah goes into damage control mode and quickly heads to Topper’s house in hopes of convincing him not to press charges against John B — knowing that him ending up behind bars would prevent him from being able to rescue his father. Surprisingly, Topper isn’t as bad off as we were led to believe and is actually up and working out.

He tells her that if she is truly sorry for the role she played, she’ll testify against John B and makes it clear his plan is to press charges. She agrees to meet him at the police station later that day, which she does follow through with.

Elsewhere, John B and JJ are desperately attempting to figure out a game plan for how to secure travel to South America knowing they’re broke and don’t even have passports. JJ gets the idea to meet with a drug smuggler named Barracuda Mike, who agrees to give them a ride in exchange for them dropping a van off at a location. Unfortunately, the pair get caught by the cops and have to ditch the van… and the drugs inside.

Before they can figure out their next steps, John B is arrested by Deputy Shoupe, who had put a tracker on the Twinkie earlier in the episode.

Back to Sarah, she shows up at the police station as promised to meet up with Topper. Pulling him away from his mother, Sarah tells him about what’s happened to John B’s dad and asks him to wait to press charges as he’ll be off the island by the end of the day. She tells him she’ll stay behind which is when Topper tells her he still loves her which is super awkward but hey, anything to keep John B out of jail.

After convincing Topper not to press charges, Sarah meets John B outside the police station and tells him she has a way to get him to South America and everyone is waiting back at The Chaetue. Basically, she’s arranged for her dad’s plane to take them to South America.

At the gathering, John B and Sarah end up patching things up which Topper ends up seeing after he’s stood up. It’s at this point that Topper has a major heel turn and literally sets The Chaetue on fire… with the Pogues trapped inside!

Elsewhere in the episode, Rafe and Ward once again have a tense standoff as Ward informs Rafe that he’s had his lawyers create new papers which leave the name in Rose’s name, not Rafe’s. He’s also decided to cut Rafe off and is selling Tanneyhill. Rafe says he’ll tell the police Ward is alive to which Ward says he’d have to tell them Rafe killed Peterson. Rafe draws a gun on Ward but ultimately can’t shoot him. However, he doesn’t have any qualms with someone else taking Ward out, with Rafe meeting with Barry about following through with the plan to kill Ward.