Topper Outer Banks: Why Did They Reverse The Season 1 Ending?

Divesh Solanki
August 14, 2022

Following the events of season 1, Topper was supposed to have a redemption storyline in Outer Banks season 2, but instead he slowly reverted to more villainous conduct. Topper Thornton, as portrayed by Austin North, represented a member of North Carolina’s affluent elite. As a result, he played a key role in the Outer Banks battle between Kooks and Pogues. However, he frequently appeared more conflicted in that endeavour than the outright crazy Rafe (Drew Starkey). He even appeared to completely change his attitude by the end of Outer Banks season 1, readily assisting ex-girlfriend Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline) and John B (Chase Stokes) escape the law when the latter was falsely accused of murder.

Because Topper received comparable treatment in Outer Banks season 2 to Steve Harrington in Stranger Things, viewers quickly identified with this (Joe Keery). In fact, for a while it appeared as though that would happen. He actively attempted to maintain harmony between fellow Kooks and JJ in Outer Banks season 2, episode 1, “The Gold” (Rudy Pankow). Later, he intervened to protect Sarah from the homicidal Rafe. In addition, Topper went above and beyond to take care of her and guarantee her safety. But from there, the underlying motivations in Outer Banks season 2 were gently shown as being far from genuinely noble.

It was evident that Topper’s actions were motivated by resentment and a desire to outdo others from the moment he rejoined Sarah with John B. Even as he tried to cloak it in good-natured modesty, Topper used every opportunity to suggest that he was better than John B. He persisted in pressuring John B and escalating his fears with phrases like “well, somebody had to protect your woman.” That was due to the fact that Topper’s acts were ultimately motivated more by defeating John B than by becoming a really better person or even by getting Sarah back. The episode titled “The Bonfire” from Season 2 of Outer Banks best illustrates this. All thoughts of Sarah and her safety vanished when he got into a fight with John B. John B called out to check on her as she appeared to be hurt after being knocked to the ground. Topper, on the other hand, persisted in concentrating only on defeating John B.

Topper gave Sarah absolutely no thought, not even after they had left the bonfire. Instead, he complained about the Pogues, further relapsing to his former ways. It stressed that Topper still clung to some sort of bond with Sarah and had a long way to go, in contrast to Steve Harrington, who had let Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) go and developed personally. In spite of the fact that he seemed to have improved in the second season of Outer Banks, Topper had actually developed into a “good person” whose behaviours belied underlying problems. He had never been able to fully comprehend why he had lost Sarah to a Pogue. Topper continued to feel that he owned Sarah, as evidenced by the fact that he gave her a phone so he could track her whereabouts. As a result, rather than emerging from genuine, organic growth, each of his noble actions appeared to have been (at the very least) subconsciously planned towards particular goals.

It made natural that Topper didn’t entirely transform into a member of the good guys or an outright Pogue. After all, there had not been much time between the first time Sarah had been lost to John B and the second season of Outer Banks. Season 1 of Outer Banks left a lot of people hurt, and those wounds were still raw. Topper also had to sort through nearly two decades of enormous privilege and engrained views. Topper hadn’t had nearly enough time to comprehend the complexities of his mentality, much less transform himself completely. It is still conceivable for the character to change (should he actually choose to pursue it). But it’s frequently a difficult journey that calls for persistent effort and a sincere examination of one’s actions. As a result, the authors’ decision to hold off until Outer Banks season 3 or later was a good one. Additionally, the character’s future path was shrouded in mystery.