Warning: The following contains spoilers for Outer Banks Season 4, Part 1.
External Banks season 4 introduces a character who could unlock the worst the series has seen from Topper. The new season follows John B, Sarah, Pope, JJ, Kiara and Cleo after they find El Dorado at the end of External Banks season 3. Now the team is back on another hunt, looking for Blackbeard’s treasure. As with previous seasons, the search for treasure is front and center, giving the External Banks characters many dangers to overcome. However, adding an extra layer of difficulty is the relentless battle between Kooks and Pogues, posing a greater threat than ever before.
External Banks Season 4, Part 1 takes the series back to previous seasons, where violence against the Pogues was often taken to the extreme. Season three saw Topper (Austin North) become a near-murderer after Sarah (Madelyn Cline) tricked him into getting him to drop the charges against John B. His actions then and now show that while he may have given up on chasing Sarah, that doesn’t mean he’s done with the Pogues. Season 4 paired Topper with a new character who is much more brutaland that he will stop at nothing to hurt the Pogues.
Ruthie is even crueler to the Pogues than she was to Topper in Outer Banks Season 4
Ruthie’s classist hatred brings out the worst in Topper in Outer Banks season 4
After the 3rd season of External Banks pushed the fight between Kooks and Pogues to the side, season 4 brings it back with double the force. Not much is known about her character, but Ruthie (Mia Challis) has already become the cruelest Kook External Banks it saw. Topper has always represented the worst in Kook, but he often needs someone to push him over the edge. Rafe used to be that character, but now Ruthie is taking over. In Season 4, she takes Topper’s resentment further than ever.
Unlike Topper, Ruthie seems to have no qualms about hurting the Pogues. While he may have personal motives against them, Ruthie is driven by class hatred. She encourages Topper because she believes the Pogues do not belong on the Outer Banks and is uncomfortable with their presence, which she considers inferior. Not only that, but she also has a dangerous entitlement and is cunningly intelligent.
After JJ thwarts Topper’s surfing, Ruthie tries to run over the Pogues with her truck – an over-the-top response to a little provocation. Her motivation is, as she expresses it, “show them whose beach this is.” So when Kie confronts them about the death of a baby turtle, Ruthie turns the situation against the Pogues, causing them to become violent and then taking it to the police. Topper and Ruthie together are a recipe for disaster , like she threatens to bring back Topper from season 1which was all impulse and entitlement.
Ruthie makes Topper’s redemption harder to achieve in Outer Banks
Topper will have to choose between being an enemy or an ally in Outer Banks
The first season saw the worst of Topper. Not only did he beat and try to drown John B on the beach, but he also came very close to suffocating Pope. Topper’s worst acts of violence happened before he even had any idea about Sarah and John B, and illustrated how dangerous the character’s class superiority was. To win Sarah back, Topper had been decreasing his violence against the Pogueseven coming very close to redemption when, in season 3, he helped the group steal a box they thought contained the Santo Domingo intersection.
At one point, Topper appeared to regret his past behavior. THE External Banks The Season 4 Part 1 finale, however, finds Topper back on his feet, perhaps with a stronger determination than ever to thwart the Pogues’ peace. Whether he will give in to his and Ruthie’s worst impulses, or stop them as long as possible, remains to be seen. He clearly didn’t want to run over Kie on the beach, but agreed due to social pressure.
If Topper follows in Rafe’s footsteps and not Ruthie’s, he could potentially enter a redemption arc.
The character is at a crossroads and Ruthie is the one who encourages him to follow a path of no return. Perhaps setting fire to John B’s castle was just the beginning of Topper’s fall from grace in External Banksor maybe the character can finally let go of his anger now that John B and Sarah are officially endgame. One thing is certain: if Topper follows in Rafe’s footsteps and not Ruthie’s, he could enter a redemption arc.