The wait is officially over! After a breakout debut season, Outer Banks has finally returned for its second season and we’re happy to report Outer Banks season 2 more than exceeded all expectations — and as our readers know, the bar was quite high!

Picking up right where the first season left off, season 2 is yet another action-packed adventure with each episode leaving us wanting more thanks to the many twists and turns that come about across the season’s 10 episodes.

** Warning Outer Banks season 2 spoilers ahead **

When we last left John B, he was on the run for a murder he didn’t commit leaving fans to wonder how the show would address the storyline in season 2 and whether John B and the Pogues would be able to clear his name.

Towards the middle of the season, John B finally stops running and is arrested for the murder of Sheriff Peterkin; however, his fellow Pogues aren’t going to let him go down for the crime he didn’t commit and kick things into overdrive to find evidence to clear John B’s name.

In a rare win for the Pogues, the ballistics for the gun they turned over to the police comes back and proves John B’s innocence while also implicating Rafe in the process. John B is set free and Rafe arrested, which leads Ward to make a drastic decision in order to protect his son.

Knowing his role in the coverup is likely to come to light soon as the police follow the breadcrumbs, Ward records a confessional in which he implicates himself for the murder and coverup of Peterkin’s murder. Before he can be taken for his crimes, though, Ward rigs his boat to explode and goes down with the ship… or so we’re made to believe!

Although we were made to believe that Ward blew himself up on his boat, we later discover it was all part of an elaborate ruse to fake his death and evade arrest. Simply put, Ward did not die on the boat explosion and was very much alive when Outer Banks season 2 came to an end.

As we discover after Ward’s “death,” with his back against the wall Ward knew the only way he could escape with the gold was if the authorities thought he was dead. In order to pull this off, Ward staged the explosion and snuck off the boat using his scuba gear before the ship went up in flames.

This allowed him to flee the scene and make his way to a cargo ship which was to transport him, the treasure, and his family out of the states. Given the Pogues now know the truth about Ward and managed to escape to safety after fighting off Ward, Rafe and Ward’s hired muscle, it’s going to be interesting to see what’s next for the villainous character.

One thing that’s certain, Ward is alive and is sure to cause plenty of more trouble in season 3.

Outer Banks season 2 is available to stream now on Netflix.