Outer Banks season 4 introduces a character that can unlock the worst the show has seen of Topper yet. The new season follows up on John B, Sarah, Pope, JJ, Kiara, and Cleo after they found El Dorado at the end of Outer Banks season 3. Now the team is back on another hunt, searching for Blackbeard’s treasure. Like in past seasons, the quest for the treasure is front and center, giving the Outer Banks characters plenty of dangers to overcome. However, adding an extra layer of difficulty is the unrelenting battle between Kooks and Pogues, representing a bigger threat than ever.

Outer Banks season 4 part 1 takes the show back to its earlier seasons, where violence against the Pogues was often taken to the extreme. Season 3 saw Topper (Austin North) become borderline murderous after Sarah (Madelyn Cline) led him on to get him to drop the charges on John B. His actions then and now show that, while he may have given up his pursuit of Sarah, it doesn’t mean he is done with the Pogues. Season 4 just paired Topper with a new character who is way more brutal, and who will stop at nothing to hurt the Pogues.

Ruthie Is Even Crueler To The Pogues Than Topper In Outer Banks Season 4

Ruthie’s Classist Hatred Brings Out The Worst In Topper In Outer Banks Season 4

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After season 3 of Outer Banks pushed the Kooks vs Pogues fight to the side, season 4 brings it back with double the force. Not much is known about her character, but Ruthie (Mia Challis) has already become the cruelest Kook Outer Banks has seen. Topper has always represented the Kook’s worst, but he often needs someone to push him over the edge. Rafe used to be that character, but now Ruthie is taking over. In season 4, she takes Topper’s resentment further than ever.

Unlike Topper, Ruthie seems to have no qualms about hurting the Pogues. While he may have personal reasons against them, Ruthie is driven by classist hatred. She urges Topper on because she believes the Pogues do not belong in the Outer Banks and is bothered by their presence, which she considers inferior. Not only that, but she is also dangerously entitled and cunningly smart.
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After JJ frustrates Topper’s surfing, Ruthie tries to run the Pogues over with her truck — an exaggerated response to a minor tease. Her motivation is, as she expresses it, to “show them whose beach this is.” Then, when Kie confronts them about killing a baby turtle, Ruthie turns the situation against the Pogues by getting them to become violent and then taking that to the police. Topper and Ruthie together is a recipe for disaster, as she threatens to bring back season 1 Topper, who was all impulse and entitlement.

Ruthie Makes Topper’s Redemption More Difficult To Achieve In Outer Banks

Topper Will Have To Choose Between Being An Enemy Or An Ally In Outer Banks

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Season 1 saw the worst of Topper. He not only beat up and tried to drown John B at the beach but came very close to suffocating Pope as well. Topper’s worst acts of violence happened even before he had any idea about Sarah and John B, and illustrated how dangerous the character’s classist superiority was. To win Sarah back, Topper had been lessening his violence against the Pogues, even coming very close to redemption when, in season 3, he helped the group steal a box they thought contained the cross of Santo Domingo.

At one point, Topper seemed regretful about his past behavior. The Outer Banks season 4 part 1 ending, however, sees Topper back in his early ways, perhaps with a stronger determination than ever to frustrate the Pogues’ peace. Whether he will give in to his and Ruthie’s worst impulses, or stop them while it’s possible, remains to be seen. He clearly didn’t want to run over Kie at the beach but went along with it out of social pressure.

If Topper follows in Rafe’s footsteps and not Ruthie’s, he could potentially be set on a redemption arc.

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The character is at a crossroads, and Ruthie is the one egging him on toward a path of no return. Perhaps setting fire to John B’s château was only the beginning of Topper’s fall from grace in Outer Banks, or maybe the character will finally be able to let go of his anger now that John B and Sarah are officially endgame. One thing is certain, if Topper follows in Rafe’s footsteps and not Ruthie’s, he could potentially be set on a redemption arc.