Outer Banks Newcomer Carlacia Grant Shares Her Season 3 Theories About Cleo
The newest Pogue has a lot going on.
The Pogues on Netflix’s Outer Banks are as tight-knit a group as can be, but that doesn’t mean they’re of the “no new friends” mentality. In Season 1, John B. (Chase Stokes) brought in his former Kook nemesis, Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline), into the fold. In Season 2, released on July 30, the group added in another member: Cleo (Carlacia Grant). The newest member is rough around the edges, but also courageous and loyal to her friends — pretty much the perfect addition to the show’s core crew. But now that she’s a Pogue, what’s next? Nothing’s set in stone yet, but Carlacia Grant has theories about Cleo’s Outer Banks future.
Spoiler alert: This post includes details from Season 2 of Outer Banks. John B. and Sarah first stumble upon Cleo at the beginning of Season 2 in the Bahamas, where she eventually helped them escape from the police and attempted to help them retrieve the stolen Royal Merchant gold. And just when they needed her the most, Cleo returned in Episode 10, when she not only saved John B. and Sarah again but also helped the rest of the Pogues — Pope (Jonathan Daviss), JJ (Rudy Pankow), and Kiara (Madison Bailey) — escape from Ward (Charles Esten) and his ship’s crew. By the end of the season, the teens ended up stranded on a remote island, and while it’s clear this was a dire situation, there was comfort in the fact that the Pogues immediately embraced Cleo into their friend group.
Not unlike her character, Grant says she felt at home immediately with her Outer Banks co-stars, despite joining the show in its second season after the cast had already formed tight bonds with one another. While filming in Barbados, Grant says she and her co-stars bonded over typical Pogue activities, like jet-skiing, paddle boarding, surfing, and scuba diving.
“I never felt like I'm an outsider or like I'm new here,” Grant tells Elite Daily. “We’re just very similar, kindred spirits, so we liked each other immediately ... We were all just like best friends. Even now, we talk all the time. It’s like when you find your missing family. That's how easy it was for all of us to get together.”
Still, if the show goes ahead with a third season (and judging by that Season 2 cliffhanger ending, it probably will) Grant knows Cleo’s transition to the Pogue life won’t be as easy as hers. Although she’s hesitant to share too many of her theories for Season 3 and beyond (“If I say something now, [the writers are] probably not gonna use it,” she admits), Grant definitely has some thoughts about what may come next for Cleo.
For example, what might happen if the Pogues get off that beach and end up back in the Outer Banks? “I think it’s going to be very hard for her in the beginning,” Grant says. “She's not going to be able to walk around with a knife in her hand, which will make her uncomfortable. Will she go to school? ... And the accent. Is that gonna cause issues for her? There are so many ways this can go.”
And while Cleo may not have any of her own issues with the Kooks (yet), Grant predicts she will inevitably be involved in her friends’ drama and defend the Pogues if a confrontation arises. “I think [Cleo] and the Kooks are gonna go at it,” Grant says. “I really do, because she's very protective of her people.”
Not only does Cleo have to worry about the residents of the Outer Banks, but there’s also the chance a potential Season 3 will involve people from her past as well — specifically, the group she used to work with back in the Bahamas. When Cleo’s old boss, Captain T (Terence Rosemore), wanted to ditch John B. and Sarah and keep the gold for himself and his crew, Cleo chose to help the Pogues instead, fracturing her relationship with Captain T. But now that he knows the gold is still out there, there’s a chance he’ll come after Cleo and the rest of the Pogues.
“It’s every man for themselves. But Cleo had to do what she had to do, so I anticipate maybe they would want to come after her,” Grant says.
Then there’s the whole Pope thing. Although it may be too early to tell what Cleo’s dynamic will be with each member of the group, judging by the season finale, it seems like Pope and Cleo could possibly become more than just friends. Not only was Pope the first Pogue Cleo ran into during Episode 10, but they immediately hit it off with witty banter, even as they assumed the other was an adversary. In the season’s final moments, when Pope officially welcomed her to the group, the two were certainly in close proximity.
A romance with Cleo could help Pope move on from his and Kiara’s short-lived romance during Season 2. And judging by fans’ instant love for Grant’s character, it would likely be a welcome new storyline in future episodes. However, this is one aspect of Cleo’s future Grant is staying silent about. “I can't confirm or deny,” she says when asked about a potential for Cleo to get with Pope.
With no announcement of Outer Banks Season 3 (yet), viewers will have to wait a while to find out what’s next for Cleo and the rest of the Pogues. For now, let’s just hope at least some of Grants’ theories come true.
Outer Banks Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
