“Definitely the biggest surprises we’ve ever done are this season,” showrunner Jonas Pate tells Entertainment Weekly.

We’ve got good news and bad news for the Pogues when Outer Banks returns for season 4.

The good news? Despite the 18-month time jump, all three teen couples — John B (Chase Stokes) and Sarah (Madelyn Cline), Kiara (Madison Bailey) and JJ (Rudy Pankow), and Pope (Jonathan Daviss) and Cleo (Carlacia Grant) — are still happily together when the Netflix treasure-hunting drama premieres the first five episodes on Oct. 10. (The second five episodes debut Nov. 7.)

The bad news? That won’t last for long for one pair, because creator Jonas Pate warns “there’s a bomb coming” for JJ and Kiara.

After finding the legendary El Dorado gold last season, the Pogues finally got their happily ever after. JJ and Kiara traded “I love you’s” and kissed. The six teens were even publicly celebrated for their treasure hunting skills! So the showrunner trio of Jonas, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke wanted to let them enjoy the moment. “At least for a little while,” Burke tells Entertainment Weekly. “They’re getting older and the dramatic stakes for the relationships are deepening. It’s going to be a winding and rocky road, and there’s going to be a lot of emotional and enigmatic turns for JJ and Kiara.”

Jonas adds that “it’s really hard to talk about their storyline without spoilers” because of that aforementioned “bomb” coming down the road for them. “Definitely the biggest surprises we’ve ever done are this season,” he says. “We’re putting pressure on all those relationships and in new ways … that’s not so much about love triangles.”

That’s a relief, especially for John B and Sarah who haven’t been able to escape love triangle issues since the series first began in 2020. Josh teases that the central couple is “going to move into a series of new challenges, but in a lot of ways they’re closer than they’ve ever been. The challenges are more external.”

Stokes couldn’t be more thrilled about his onscreen alter ego finally getting to a good place in his relationship with Sarah this season. “They have taken all of what’s happened and allowed it to strengthen their relationship,” the actor tells EW. “We’re seeing the ending of the bickering as they really commit to one another. That’s what the fans want to see. That’s the core of the show. It was really fun to commit to that and then not have to worry about Topper [Austin North] looming over our shoulder anymore.”

John B and Sarah’s “consistency” this season was something that was really important to Stokes, his onscreen girlfriend (and real-life ex) Cline, and the showrunners. “This is the couple that started this show and we have worked really hard together as artists to bring this to life, and we’re very proud of it too,” Stokes adds. “We wanted to make sure that we honored the show and did it right.”

And since Pope and Cleo are now officially a couple too after their season 3 finale kiss, that means the Pogues are always on a triple date — so much for that “no Pogue-on-Pogue macking” rule. “Who doesn’t love a triple date? Who doesn’t love couple friends?” Stokes says. “It’s the dream. All of your best friends living under the same roof and running a business together and doing it successfully in that space. How cool is that?”

Yeah, you heard him right — when season 4 begins, the Pogues are leaving the treasure-hunting business behind to go legit and start a real business together, a bait/tackle shop and charter tour company. “They come back home to the Outer Banks and they actually build what they had on the island, but even a better version of it: Poguelandia 2.0,” Jonas says. “They really create their own paradise.”

Stokes says it’s “a deep sigh of relief” for the teens as they experience a normal life together without fearing for their lives on a treasure hunt. “Nobody’s on their back or running from the law,” he says. “It’s the most beautiful thing. It was important to get back to what the genesis of the show was, which was these kids being teenagers. It really feels nostalgic for season 1.”

And it felt that way for the actors too. “We’ve all really reconnected as a cast in a way that we hadn’t last season because the storylines had been really scattered,” Stokes says. “So it was really, really fun.”

But of course, it only lasts “for a second,” he clarifies with a laugh. To no one’s surprise, the Pogues find themselves back in the “G game” soon enough thanks to a mysterious benefactor bringing them a new treasure hunt, this time for the infamous pirate Blackbeard’s trove. “As we see through some very unfortunate and very Outer Banks-esque moments, it’s now out of sheer necessity,” Stokes says of the new adventure. “So it’s a different version of how they’re going after it.”

“The season’s really about them trying to protect what they’ve built back in the Outer Banks,” Jonas explains.

As for which Pogue is going to be the most invested in the hunt to find Blackbeard’s treasure? “There’s a personal connection, and this is JJ’s year,” Josh teases. “It’s our most powerful season yet. The stakes are getting higher.”

But not everyone is going to be as passionate about going on yet another dangerous trek to exotic locations, and that will cause tension amongst the close friends.

“John B has a lot of trauma connected with treasure hunting,” Stokes says. “He knows that anytime that he has gone on these journeys, people have been hurt, he’s lost loved ones, he’s put people in harm’s way. He’s experienced losing at the highest level — all of the Pogues have, so their commitment to doing this is deeper than just the financial compensation. This comes with a price. But some things that seem shiny are really just fool’s gold.”

Outer Banks returns Thursday, Oct. 10, on Netflix.