Episode Recap
Outer Banks Season 2 Episode 5 begins with John B in prison. At his trial, the judge confirms that if he is convicted of Peterkin’s murder, he will receive the death penalty. When everyone leaves, the reaction is mixed.
Kie immediately strikes back at Ward and his associates, who claim justice has been served. As things heat up, it takes the sheriff and other officers to separate them. However, in the midst of this chaos, Plumb strikes a deal with one of the inmates, offering to hide the evidence in exchange for a favor.
As it rains outside, emotions run high. JJ and Papa fight as Sara tries to call Wheezie and testify and corroborate against Rafe and Ward. This makes the Pope take Tanni’s key as a literal matter of life and death.
Papa returns home and finds out from his Father where the key might be. Returning to his grandmother, he examines the ceiling and sees a hidden compartment under the panels. There he finds a black bag with the key hidden in it. He understood!
Meanwhile, Kiara is kicked out of her house because she doesn’t want to live their life. Finally, JJ goes to jail and hatches a plan to pretend John B has appendicitis. It sounds completely ridiculous, but at the same time, it can work well.
Determined to get the upper hand during this sibling rivalry, Rafe takes Wheezie’s phone and scans all the messages from Sarah. She sends him a message posing as her sister and the two meet. Rafe is paranoid and convinced Sarah is against the family.
Elsewhere, Papa reunites with Kie and together they examine the key. They uncover a mysterious clue: “The path to the tomb begins in the island room.” This seems related to the previous clue about the angel, but now it’s just another piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture.
Back at the prison, John B is late for his appendicitis appointment. This means that JJ, who is outside posing as an ambulance worker, is forced to pick up an alternate patient. However, John B is having trouble. It turns out that the paid prisoner was commissioned to kill John B, and he drowned in his cell.
Our hero manages to survive in part thanks to other inmates calling for help. Sara also survives her ordeal with Rafe as her brother tries to hold her and strangle her. Thankfully, Topper has to come to prevent this.
Finally, Papa and Kie come to JJ’s rescue and help him out of the ordeal with an ambulance. As our protagonists breathe a sigh of relief, Shoupe learns that Rafe’s fingerprints are all over the weapons and shells from the runway. With this in hand, he goes to Ward and prepares to arrest him.
Episode Review
As the belt begins to tighten around Ward’s neck, Outer Banks marks its halfway point with a change in tone. It seems clear that he is responsible for ordering John B’s death, and I think there will be a moment where we see him go down with Rafe.