In The Curse Of Oak Island Season 1, One Episode Stands Above The Rest
Fans watching History's "Curse of Oak Island" can expect at least two things from their erstwhile hosts. One, there's the continued hope that brothers Rick and Marty Lagina will somehow, in some way, manage to pan up some new clue to keep them on the hunt for the long-lost treasure of Oak Island. Two, it's highly likely their dream will remain tantalizingly deferred, with a new lead showing a glimmer of hope but ultimately proving that the brothers' instincts are close to being correct but not fully on the money.
In Season 1 of the show, fans are introduced to the brothers, Oak Island itself, the centuries-long curse allegedly bestowed on the place, and the treasure itself, which has beguiled hundreds of people over time. This is the year the Laginas put their money where their mouths are and buy the majority of Oak Island to dig up the treasure. In the meantime, they familiarize themselves with Smith's Cove, share their theories about where Blackbeard's gold might be hidden, and try to figure out how best to go about their operation. They end up drying out a swamp, and they pull out some intriguing evidence that gives them the encouragement they need to keep the treasure hunt going. But with all those things going on, what is the best and most vital episode of the show's premiere season?
The Find ends on a breathless cliffhanger
"The Find" ends with the first "Curse of Oak Island" cliffhanger, becoming the show's standard-bearer in the process. Sitting at an 8.1 rating on IMDb, it's also the most popular episode of the 1st season. If you don't watch it, you won't be able to find out what happened to the abandoned 10-X mineshaft which has obsessed the brothers since the start of the season.
"The Find" provides the brothers with one of their biggest treasure-related victories; they dredge a swamp to find a number of copper Spanish coins roughly dated from the 1600s. This discovery predates the existence of the money pit. Even more importantly, it's the most valuable object that's ever been discovered on Oak Island in recorded history. Understandably, Marty and Rick celebrate their triumph, the sort of victory that often eludes them during the program's ensuing years.
It's enough to encourage them to keep digging for more buried treasure. if the first episode of the series teaches us about what makes both brothers tick, the season finale lets us know why they'd want to spend so much time on the time-consuming and often fruitless process of the dig. That alone makes "The Find" one of the most important episodes in "Curse of Oak Island" history.