Outer Banks: 5 Best Things JJ Does (& 5 Worst) In Season 1
JJ is one of the main characters in Netflix’s Outer Banks, living quite a complicated life.
The first season of Outer Banks was released in 2020 to generally favorable reviews from critics and an overwhelming response from fans. The series quickly climbed the streaming platform’s rankings to become the number one streamed program on Netflix. Season 2 followed in a similar fashion and even outperformed the first season, which was something of a sleeper hit.
The first season follows John B and his friends, the Pogues, who are working-class kids except for Kiara, whose parents are wealthy — she chooses to be a Pogue with John B, Pope, and JJ. JJ lives with an abusive, neglectful father and works a part-time job when he’s not hanging out with his friends. Let’s find out the best and worst things he’s done so far.
10. BEST: Saves John B From DCS
JJ and John B have been best friends since childhood. Though all of the Pogues have a special bond, this pairing is unique. They’re known to disagree and get into physical fights, but they always support each other at heart.
The show’s first season centers around the disappearance and presumed death of John B’s father, and without any other carers present, Child Services are on his case. But John B is happy with his life as it is, and only the Sheriff is on his side. On one of the multiple occasions when DCS sneaks into his house to take him away, JJ happens to be outside, waiting for John B to arrive. He saves his friend from being taken to the mainland to a foster home.
9. WORST: Points A Gun At Topper
This is another moment when JJ saves John B, though his methods are a little extreme here. When the Pogues throw a party on the beach, John B and Topper end up in a fight with Topper, a Kook dating the Kook princess Sarah Cameron.
Topper threatens to drown John B in the waves, so JJ points a gun at him. It should be noted that he stole this gun from a dead man’s hotel room (aka a crime scene), along with a wad of cash.
8. BEST: Tells His Friends About His Struggles
JJ takes the brunt of his father’s pent-up anger, frustration, and violence. Most of their scenes together end with JJ bloody and bruised. When he splurges $25,000 he stole from a drug dealer’s home (to pay out restitution for the damage Pope does to Topper’s boat) on a hot tub, JJ says he wanted to get something nice for his “family” (the Pogues) then breaks down into tears and reveals the bruises his father gave him earlier.
He weeps into Kiara’s shoulder, saying he can’t take his dad anymore. For the rest of the season, his friends help JJ face his dad as much as they can.
7. WORST: Steals From A Crime Scene
In the series introduction, John B’s narration describes JJ as a “mild kleptomaniac”. He steals a lot of inconsequential items here and there, but more seriously, he steals from crime scenes — more than once.
The Pogues go fishing after the hurricane sweeps through the Outer Banks, only to find a sunken boat. John B gleans a set of keys from the wreck, which leads the crew to a motel room where John B and JJ find a safe containing stacks of cash and a gun — JJ takes some cash, the gun, and one of the patron’s personal items just before the cops show up to investigate. Later in the season, JJ steals $25,000 from a drug dealer. Both of these incidents result in long-term repercussions for JJ — both from his friends and legally.
6. BEST: Saves His Friends From Security
The Pogues need an underwater camera to explore the Royal Merchant wreck, so they go to the salvage yard to borrow (steal) one. Kiara distracts the security guard while the boys go in. Unfortunately, a dog also guards the premises, quickly catching the security guard’s attention.
The boys have split up after being chased by the dog, which JJ lures away from John B as he finds the equipment they need. JJ hides among the junk where he can’t be seen, but the security guard has his gun ready to shoot. Out of options, JJ raises his hands and tells a compellingly convincing lie that his father made him come. The guard lets him go and JJ walks away, smiling with tears in his eyes.
5. WORST: Wastes $25,000 On A Hot Tub
This scene is an emotional roller coaster for JJ, Kiara, and Pope. First, JJ seems content in his hot tub, while Kiara and Pope are angry and frustrated. But when he tells them why he bought it, he breaks, and his friends are sympathetic.
Still, no matter what his reasoning is, wasting $25,000 on this unnecessary luxury is not a smart move. First of all, he steals this money from a drug dealer — which could raise legal trouble for him and the dealer, as well as provoke the dealer to hurt him and his friends, who were accomplices. The whole incident causes a rift between JJ and the Pogues. Even worse, though, is that he still owes money for the restitution of Topper’s boat — which JJ encouraged Pope to damage.
4. BEST: Stands By Pope After Ruining Topper’s Boat
After Pope is beaten up by Topper and Rafe for no reason, JJ encourages him to get his revenge and helps him damage Topper’s expensive boat. Pope is paranoid afterward, but JJ sticks by his side almost around the clock.
When the Pogues (minus John B, who’s with Sarah on an undercover mission out of town) go to a movie, Rafe passes on a threat to the boys via Kiara, who has no idea what happened. Topper, Rafe, and Kelce watch them the whole night, so Pope and JJ aren’t focused on the movie. When Pope needs to go to the bathroom, he’s too scared to leave his seat alone, so JJ goes with him — only to be ambushed by the Kooks, but at least they face it together.
3. WORST: Ignores His Friends’ Advice
JJ is the only one of his friends who ever really goes rogue. He’s also the least reliant on his friends and other people in general, which proves to be one of his greatest flaws.
The worst example of this is when his friends warn him not to steal money from a drug dealer, he doesn’t listen, and it comes back to bite him. The money is wasted, meaning he still owes the cops, and that his dad will probably be violent towards him again.
2. BEST: Saves Pope From A Criminal Record
This is JJ’s shining moment of the series when he proves his loyalty and goodness after displaying some questionable and criminal behavior. After the boat-sinking incident, Topper’s mom decides to press charges. Pope is about to get arrested by police when JJ takes his place. He doesn’t even think too hard about it.
Where Pope has a chance to get into a good college on a scholarship, JJ doesn’t have any prospects. He doesn’t regret his decision once and is very nonchalant about it afterward. Pope, on the other hand, is so grateful that he cries. After this whole debacle, the two are more like brothers than friends.
1. WORST: Encourages Pope To Pick Up Bad Habits
Pope trusts JJ so much that he allows himself to be led to troublesome behavior. The first incident is of course causing damage to Topper’s boat. After this, Pope picks up a lot of JJ’s bad habits and minor offenses like smoking, running away from cops, stealing, breaking and entering, and getting into fights.
John B and Kiara are partly to blame, but many of these occasions occur between JJ and Pope alone. Pope’s behavior worries his parents, especially when he doesn’t come home for days at a time. Ultimately, he flunks his scholarship interview, which might make him a good friend, but he’s not doing himself any favors.
[Originally shared with ScreenRant.]
