Outer Banks is a show largely about class, zeroing in on the turbulent relationship between two rival groups of blue-collar and upper class North Carolina teens. After the show’s bombshell, social-scene-shifting season 3 finale, fans are eagerly awaiting the return of the Pogues. The fourth season of the show has already been confirmed, and series star Madison Bailey says the writers could afford to take on another major topic beyond class: race.

Madison Bailey as Kiara in Outer Banks season 3

 JACKSON LEE DAVIS/NETFLIX
Since its 2020 debut, fans have criticized the show’s many missed opportunities to comment on race and racism, especially given the unquestionable intersection of race and class and the subtle, coded ways the series’ Black characters are treated by others in comparison to their white counterparts. “I feel like Outer Banks would be more realistic if they acknowledged racism more,” wrote one fan on Twitter back in 2020, a month after the series premiered.

As Cosmopolitan‘s most recent cover star, Bailey opened up in her cover story interview about all things OBX — including how the show still hasn’t really tackled race. “I think it would be good on the writers’ part to start considering that critique—slightly late but better late than never,” Bailey told Cosmo in late April. “In season 2, we added Carlacia [Grant] to our main cast. She brings a vibe to set that we very much needed. I think it’d be in the writers’ best interests to start emphasizing it more.”

Jonathan Daviss as Pope, Carlacia Grant as Cleo in Outer Banks season 3

 JACKSON LEE DAVIS/NETFLIX
Bailey shared some insight into how the season 3 finale’s 18-month time jump will potentially affect the main characters, saying: “Seasons 1 and 2, there was a childlike excitement for treasure. Even in season 3, we’re young and it’s all cool and exciting. I believe this will give us a chance to think about things in a more mature way.”

More room to explore the lives of the Pogues — the main cast, which includes Bailey, Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Jonathan Daviss, Rudy Pankow, and Carlacia Grant — beyond a nonstop treasure hunt means more opportunities to examine what affects them throughout their everyday lives on Kildare Island… like race.

Carlacia Grant as Cleo, Madison Bailey as Kiara, Madelyn Cline as Sarah Cameron, Chase Stokes as John B, Jonathan Daviss as Pope, Rudy Pankow as JJ in Outer Banks season 3

 JACKSON LEE DAVIS/NETFLIX

“The writers of Outer Banks dead wrong for not even MENTIONING racism in the show like…. u cannot have this conversation abt [sic] classism & elitism w/out racism ESPECIALLY REGARDING POPE,” one fan tweeted in 2020. In a follow-up tweet, they referenced the hyper-aggressive season 1 dynamics between white, wealthy character Rafe (played by Drew Starkey) and two Black characters, Pope (Daviss) and Sheriff Peterkin (Adina Porter). By season 3, half of the main Pogues are Black, a detail that Bailey says shouldn’t be ignored.

“You have three characters who are Black, and I’ll speak on my character specifically,” continued Bailey, who plays Kiara Carrera, a biracial teen who comes from the upper-class side of the island. “Her whole theme is a foot in both worlds, and we’re lacking a huge part of that, which is her race. That said, there are moments. They’re too brief, but there are moments.”

Madison Bailey as Kiara, Samantha Soule as Kiara’s mom Anna in Outer Banks season 3

 JACKSON LEE DAVIS/NETFLIX
Cosmo noted one example provided by Bailey, a scene in which Pope’s dad “has a version of ‘the talk’ with him.” Bailey, who herself is a mixed-race woman, is right: the moments in which Outer Banks addresses race are sometimes too brief to even catch on the first watch. Only time will tell if the OBX writers take Bailey’s advice and address these long-running critiques by fans in season 4 — in the words of Bailey, better late than never, right?