Warning: Contains spoilers for Outer Banks season 3.The finale of season 3 means that Outer Banks season 4 cannot continue its current fake death trend. Outer Banks season 3 contained plot twists and revelations galore, many of which paid off set ups that dated as far back as the show's first ever episode. However, in doing so, the series cut itself off from a repeating storyline - though this was potentially for the best.
Indeed, this part of the show closed off many ongoing arcs of the series, and in ways seemingly made to shock audiences. This was most notably the case with two character deaths in the Outer Banks season 3 finale episode - namely that of John B's father, and Sarah's father and long-time series villain Ward Cameron. Though the death of Big John Routledge had more focus in the show, it's the death of Ward Cameron that forces Outer Banks season 4 to break a series trend.
Ward Cameron's Death Trend Can't Continue In Outer Banks Season 4
Outer Banks season 3 marks the third time Ward Cameron has appeared to die in the show, with him having two previous death scenes in season 2. Early on in the season, Ward faked his death via exploding his own ship - and then in the second season's finale episode, it appeared he would die in the way that it was initially suggested Big John died, after Cameron hit his head and then was revealed to have fallen into a potentially fatal coma. Both of these were revealed to be fake deaths, and Outer Banks' Ward Cameron also continued evading sure deaths by escaping an assassination attempt to boot.
However, Outer Banks season 4 can't continue this trend, as Ward's death at the end of season 3 looks to have broken his habit of having fake out deaths by killing him off for real. Not only is his sacrifice significant in his storyline with Sarah - and thus hard to take back - but audiences also see him dead in the finale. While this could somehow also turn out to be another almost certain looking demise the character has escaped, the franchise is also better off making this a real death, as it prevents the issues that would occur if this continued the cycle of revealing Ward to be alive.
Why Bringing Ward Back Would Ruin The Outer Banks Season 3 Ending
Not only would Ward Cameron being alive sabotage his storyline with Sarah and the entire arc of him attempting to repair his relationship with her, it would also downplay one of the biggest deaths in the Outer Banks season 3 ending and the entire series: John Routledge. Ward and John die in the same episode, via the same incident, so canceling Cameron's death would make the finale's impact less potent. With John B's quest to find out what happened to his father being a core aspect of the entire series, this moment needs to stay significant, meaning Outer Banks season 4 is better keeping the season 3 ending deaths final.