Tamal Kundu
Netflix’s ‘Outer Banks’ is a show about treasure hunting, teen romance, and wealth disparity. The plot is set on the eponymous barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, USA, where the class conflict between the wealthy summer vacationers of Figure Eight, known as the Kooks, and the working-class locals of the Cut, known as the Pogues, plays an undeniable role in every aspect of life, including love and friendship. Of all the show’s protagonists, JJ Maybank (Rudy Pankow) grew up in the most harrowing of conditions. His father, Luke, is an alcoholic and drug addict and has abused JJ throughout his life. He also blames JJ for his wife and JJ’s mother walking out on them.
JJ grew up troubled, garnering poor grades at school and being unable to hold on to any jobs. In contrast, Kiara Carrera or Kie (Madison Bailey) was brought up in a loving and affluent home, though that didn’t stop her from becoming friends with JJ, Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and John B (Chase Stokes). After hinting at it in the season 2 finale, the series writers develop a romance between JJ and Kie in season 3. If you are wondering whether they end up together in season 3, we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
JJ and Kie’s Future
Yes, JJ and Kie end up together in ‘Outer Banks’ season 3. At the start of the series, John B reveals in his internal monologue that all three of them have a thing for Kie, and it initially seems that the writers have plans for a relationship between John B and Kie, but he ends up falling head over heels for Sarah (Madelyn Cline), and Kie grows close to Pope. However, she eventually ends the relationship. When season 3 begins, it’s quite clear that there is something powerful between Kie and JJ, and they are reluctant to leave the Caribbean island they are stranded on, which they name “Poguelandia.”
After they are seemingly rescued and brought to Barbados, Kie is abducted by men working for Carlos Singh, a wealthy and powerful man searching for El Dorado. JJ becomes distraught and hatches a plan to rescue her. Although the said plan turns out to be a disaster, it allows Kie to escape and get most of her friends off Barbados.
Once they return to OBX, Kie and JJ’s fledgling relationship encounters multiple problems. Kie’s parents are vehemently against her maintaining contact with her friends, and her father, who has a Pogue background, makes it clear to JJ that he does not want him near his daughter. As he mentions JJ’s tendency to commit petty thefts, JJ comes to the conclusion that he should do just that, as he is already being called a thief. When Kie inevitably learns about this, she starts to think that her father might have been right about JJ.
After JJ returned home from Barbados, he couldn’t find his father. He struggles to secure a job because of his unpleasant past interactions with Rafe. But as always, he is fiercely loyal and will do anything for his friends. He puts himself in danger to ensure Kie and the others will get away safely when their plans to take back the Cross of Saint Domingo go awry. After John B reveals that Singh and his men have kidnaped his father, JJ once more steps up.
However, he doesn’t go to Venezuela with his friends in search of Big John and El Dorado. Instead, he gets Kie out of the boarding school her parents sent her to and have an emotional reunion with her. JJ then convinces a smuggler his father used to work with to let him and Kie fly to the South American country, where they play a crucial role in securing the safety of their friends.
Eighteen months later, as the OBX celebrates the achievements of the teenagers from both sides of the class divide, we learn that Kie has resumed her conservation work, and JJ has purchased a charter boat with his share of the gold. It is implied that they are in a relationship. As the season ends, a mysterious man approaches them with the captain’s log of Blackbeard.
Read More: Is Outer Banks’ Treasure of El Dorado Real? Did Kalinago People Really Exist?
