The Secrets of Pogue Life is the main highlight of Outer Banks Season 3

If Pogues vs Kooks was the primary conflict in the first season of Outer Banks, the first teaser for the third season demonstrates exactly how far our central group of sandy, sun-kissed kids might go in a novel Sarah Dessen could pen after a particularly upsetting viewing of National Treasure.

High school is a distant memory for our heroes, who were last seen stranded on a barren island; they have more pressing matters to attend to.

With season 3 of the Netflix series arriving in less than a month, the new teaser depicts John B. (Chase Stokes) and company building a new life on the island they’ve dubbed “Poguelandia,” until an even larger treasure hunt pulls them back home.

This season sees the return of Sarah (Madelyn Cline), JJ (Rudy Pankow), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and Kiara (Madison Bailey) in starring roles, along with Topher (Austin North) and Rafe (Drew Starkey).

Set to a dramatic rendition of The Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B,” this first look at OBX3 establishes a multitude of narrative points: the reappearance of John B’s previously-presumed-deceased father, a fresh quest for (naturally) El Dorado, and the introduction of Carlos Singh, a mystery new antagonist (Andy McQueen).

Notably, there are indications of heightened romantic tension between Kiara (Madison Bailey) and JJ (Rudy Pankow), which might mark the end of Kiara’s relationship with Pope (Jonathan Daviss).

But Outer Banks is not The White Lotus; we come here not for realism or thought-provoking stuff, but for plainly evident magic that nonetheless makes you scream.

The finest portions of the trailer are the best elements of the show: vehicle chases and foot races, speedboat escapes and hand-to-hand fights, beach keggers and Wayfarer sunglasses, among others. John B. manages to locate a windsurfing board despite being adrift in the middle of the ocean on an uninhabited, undiscovered island. If this is pandering, may it last forever.

The Netflix series Outer Banks returns on February 23.