All the characters in Netflix Outer Banks are fun to watch, but the JJ Maybank quotes provide some of the best dialogue in the series. The series follows a group of teenagers as they bond and go on a treasure hunt that puts them in danger in the Outer Banks of the Carolinas. With each season, the stakes are raised, the treasure gets bigger, and the friends only get closer. The main characters get into some of the most unbelievable situations – and find even more unbelievable ways out of them. With all the treasure hunting and running for their lives, however, come some great lines.
JJ Maybank’s quotes are a great way to trace his character arc and mental state. The more sarcastic he is, the more stressed he is likely to be. The smaller his lines become, the more he is stuck in survival mode. He is seen as a fun-loving trooper, but JJ has a hard life inside Outer Banks. He is an incredibly loyal friend who gets into trouble because he is willing to do anything for people he cares about. JJ’s quotes are often full of sarcasm and lies, but that’s because he says exactly what he needs to get out of any situation he and his friends find themselves in.
Season 1, Episode 8 “The Runway”
JJ can make some incredibly reckless decisions, but he knows that about himself. No one can deny that JJ doesn’t understand exactly who he is. He knows that he is argumentative and that he often cannot stop once he starts on this particular path. JJ is also aware that he is responsible for a lot of bad decisions for the Pogues in Outer Banks.
So, when Kiara and Pope argue about John B’s safety in the first season of the series, JJ acting as a mediator between them is a little surprising, even for him. He always takes a side among his friends. JJ, however, also understands that both of his friends are not really angry with each other, but the situation they find themselves in, and his crack about mediating is enough to diffuse the situation.
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“No working on swell day. That’s rule number one.”
Season 4, Episode 4 “The Threshold”
most of Outer Banks is spent with the teenagers in mortal danger while they search for a very historically significant treasure. The artifact may change each season, as well as the location, but it’s the crux of the adventure in the show. It’s rare for the Pogues to have a chance to just have fun with one another. Swell Day is a rare thing in the show, even if some of the audience may not have thought it was necessary. It gives a nice break to see the friends having a good time.
When JJ and John B can tell that the conditions are perfect for surfing, they round up everyone to have a beach day. While Pope and Cleo don’t end up on the beach with the rest of the group, JJ makes a valiant effort to get Pope to come along. He makes the point that no one works on Swell Day, and he’s not wrong because various shots show other characters closing up shop and heading out to surf.
While the line itself is perfectly in character for JJ, what makes this funnier is that at the end of the episode, JJ has a completely different rule number one.
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“Blaming each other is a look-a-bulls***h, okay? We don’t do that. Okay? We’re Pogues.”
Season 2, Episode 8 “The Cross”
The Pogues are the definition of the found family trope in young adult media. The teenagers are people who have learned to trust adults, it doesn’t always work out for them, the world is a hard place, and the only people who have their backs are the friends with whom they were looking for treasure. When the pressure starts to build in season 2 and Kiara, Sarah, John B and Pope start to argue more than they support each other, JJ reminds them of this.
He reminds them that they are friends, that they have been through some of the worst times, and that they are still finding their way out of it. That’s why he reminds them all that they are not kooks, but pogues. The kooks can afford to turn their backs on one another and betray one another and use their money to buy false loyalty. The Pogues have real loyalty. JJ never let his friends forget that he would do anything for them.
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“You know what the key is here? You just have to make it a little junky and he does it for you.
Season 4, Episode 1 “The Endurance”
It’s a system that probably worked for him for most of his teenage years…
When the fourth season of Outer Banks From the beginning, the Pogues develop a plan as the show catches the audience on what happens in the 18 months between finding El Dorado and taking on the hunt for Blackboard’s necklace. Their plan is to build their own business and living space. Because of how much money they spend on their property (thanks to JJ going rogue at auction), they quite literally have to scavenge materials and build everything themselves.
When Pope admonishes JJ for not being accurate with his measurements, JJ claims that his work is good enough, but Pope is more concerned about the dock they are building being unsafe, thanks to JJ not caring about making everything perfect. While Sarah, Cleo and Ky are amused at the back and forth between the two of them, JJ reveals that his pretending not to care about the measurements at the dock is more thoughtful than Pope might think.
JJ prefers to be the fun one of the group, so if he pretends to bounce just enough, Pope will have his work cut out for him. It’s a system that probably worked for him for most of his teenage years and speaks to the contentious dynamic Pope and JJ have had since the show’s inception.
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“I’m not afraid of you anymore.”
Season 1, Episode 7 “Dead Calm”
Outer Banks Establishes very quickly in its first few episodes that the Pogues don’t all have the best home lives. While Pope has parents who care about him and want him to have a bright future, Kiara’s parents so badly want her away from the pogue life that they smoke her, John B’s father leaves his son to hunt treasure and is presumed dead, And JJ’s father is physically abusive. JJ spends a lot of time in fear of his father until he comes to the realization that he no longer has to rely on his father:
“You gave me nothing, you gave me nothing but life, all you did was try to scare me. Well, what do you think, father? I’m not afraid of you anymore.”
After JJ steals from someone who first steals from the pagodas, his father ends up taking a lot of the money from him, and the tension between him and JJ comes to a head. JJ has suffered many beatings in his young life as a result of his father’s temper and substance use, and while giving this speech, he finally fights back. It’s violent and heartbreaking, but also a bit of vindication for JJ.
For it to happen so early in the show – right near the end of the first season – is a welcome change compared to most other young adult shows, which would have saved it for a series-ender.
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“Do we really want to worry about the details right now?”
Season 4, Episode 2 “Black Bird”
JJ is known for wanting to jump right into action and not having to worry about what comes next. He has always been the most impulsive of the Pogues, although Kay can challenge him for the title. JJ is not a planner or a big-picture guy. Pope is the planner of the group and John B is the one who often sees the bigger picture.
When JJ and his friends are offered a large amount of money to find a necklace that belonged to the wife of the infamous pirate Blackbeard, JJ is willing to say yes just to make the money they need to save their house. His friends, however, want to figure out the details of a plan and only work through some of the details before agreeing to a dangerous job. JJ has this line in response to his friends who have some concerns. Of course, everyone tells him, “Yes,” they really need to worry about the details, to be excused.
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“You know who you’re going to have to trust right now? Papa J.”
Season 3, Episode 8 “Tapping the Wheel”
JJ is a charismatic character with a good heart, but he’s not exactly trustworthy. He is more than a classic rogue. He is the kind of guy who tells his friends that he didn’t bring a weapon but had a gun hidden in his back to protect them. He is also the type of guy who will repeatedly harass a friend just to get their attention but then he will turn around and lie to the police that he is being arrested instead of someone he is. JJ is a young man of contradictions.
That’s why the line, said with Rudy Pankow’s signature charm, works so well. Characters don’t want to trust JJ. They know his plans go wrong and that his impulses get him into trouble. Despite this, they can’t help but trust him because they know his heart is in the right place.
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“It’s up to us.”
Season 4, Episode 1 “The Endurance”
Although his friends are angry that he made them pay so much more than they wanted to, he is right.
Before the Pogues can set out on their next treasure hunting adventure in season 4 of Outer BanksThey try to get their lives on track. They want to live and work together and build a life they can be proud of without others interfering. to do this, They decide to use some of the money they got from the gold found in season 3 to buy the Maybank property that is up for auction.
JJ may never have thought that his home was with Luke, but the property itself has a lot of advantages that Pope points out to the group. This is the perfect place for them to live and work once they build their own dock, bait shop and repair the house. Pope has a plan for the auction, however JJ’s impatience and anger at someone else bidding on the property gets the better of him, and he drives the price higher than what the property is even worth.
When the person who wanted the property tells him that the property is nowhere near worth what he paid for it, JJ says, “It is up to us.” Although his friends are angry that he made them pay so much more than they wanted to, he is right. All the group wants is something to call their own where they can lean on each other for support and live a normal life. Maybank property is what they expect to provide that for them.
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“He’s straight up like the Spanish. Only, bon voyage.”
Season 2, Episode 8 “The Cross”
JJ doesn’t always make the most sense when trying to make a point to his friends, as is evident in this quote from him. It is said while he is trying to explain to Kiara, John B, Pope, and Sarah that the Pogues are his family, now, more than ever since his father left him. Although it’s clear they all appreciate what he’s saying, none of them can resist teasing him about not knowing the difference between Spanish and French.
The entire exchange of Outer Banks Season 2 is a great snapshot of the group in the show. They can tease each other for their mistakes, even be genuinely angry with each other, but they would do anything for each other. It’s also a great demonstration of how JJ brings levity to even the most dramatic moments in the show as his line confuses his friends in the middle of a dramatic speech.
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“The Pentagon… We have security clearance. I have a card.”
Season 1, Episode 1 “Pilot”
After Hurricane Agatha lands in the early episodes of the first season of Outer BanksJJ and John B stop by Pope’s family business to take him out on the water. Unlike the other two boys, Pope’s parents are actively engaged with him and are trying to get him to help with the damage to the property. Pope’s parents are, from the first moment of their introduction, worried about their son and see JJ as a potentially bad influence.
JJ tries to tell Papa’s father that the day after a hurricane is a day off… according to the government, meaning the Pentagon. Pope’s father, of course, is not amused by JJ’s antics, although JJ still fully commits to this bit. It’s the first of many times that it’s clear that the Pogues aren’t really great with one another’s parents, or their own parents, or really, adults in general.
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“I love third-wheeling. It’s my favorite thing.”
Season 2, Episode 1 “The Gold”
While some argue Outer Banks‘ Kiara makes no sense in a relationship with Pope, JJ is the one with a front-row seat to most of their struggles during the second season. JJ is supportive of Pope and Kiara, much like he was supportive of the potential of Kiara and John B ending up together in the first season. It is clear, however, that always being the third wheel to his friends is a little to him.
John B and Sarah fall for each other very quickly. Pope is pretty well gone on Kiara for most of the episodes. JJ is left to watch the surrounding couples – for better or worse. He often finds himself on the outside of their discussions looking in, as is the case with this quote when Kiara, Pope and JJ are trying to get evidence against Ward Cameron.
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“I can’t let you take the blame for something I did. You have too much to lose.”
Season 1, Episode 4 “Spy Games”
One of the best things about JJ Outer BanksAnd one of the most obvious, is to take the case for Pope after Pope sinks Tapper’s boat. JJ has no illusions about his place at OBX, but he is well aware that Pope is on track for a prestigious scholarship – and getting out. When Pope is about to be arrested for doing something that JJ encouraged him to do to get back at Tapper and Rafe, JJ doesn’t let that happen, giving this line to Pope to encourage Pope to say that JJ committed the crime instead.
It’s a huge thing for a friend to do, though JJ is one of the most loyal friends there is. If there is one thing that is reiterated in the first season of foreign banks, It’s that JJ is the best liar. He knows exactly how to get himself out of trouble – or in the case of this particular line, into it. He’s more than willing to get into trouble for his friends because everyone thinks that’s his future anyway.
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“Us against the Universe, more like. And we win…we are.”
Season 4, Episode 2 “Black Bird”
The Pogues were always in a fight for their lives against the Cooks, but as the show continued, it wasn’t just the rich in the Outer Banks that they had to go up against. When Ki tells JJ that it really is “us against the world” while they’re recovering from the bend in a hyperbaric chamber, JJ thinks it’s even bigger than that.
Outside of his friends, JJ has never felt like anyone is on his side. The person who raised him would beat him, often end up in prison, and lie to him his whole life. His teachers and other authority members always treated him like an unstoppable criminal. So do the parents of his friends. Even Ki’s parents believe JJ is the reason their daughter is seemingly off the rails.
JJ and Kie save each other’s lives while diving for Blackboard’s necklace, which is how they end up with the Bends. Despite the possibility of death, JJ feels like they are united, they have an advantage against the rest of the world.
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“Oh, now she wants the gun.”
Season 2, Episode 10 “The Coastal Venture”
In the second season, JJ and Kiara end up paired up for a lot of the adrenaline-fueled sequences. Part of this is a result of John B and Sarah being separated from the rest of the Pogues quite a bit. Part of this is also the result of Kiara’s strained relationship with Pope. As much as JJ and Kiara are on the same side, however, they also bicker quite a bit.
One of the main arguments they have is over JJ’s possession of a stolen gun. Although JJ isn’t as quick to jump to violence as Rafe Cameron, that doesn’t mean he won’t use the gun, something Kiara doesn’t approve of until the second season when the group is targeted after. As Kiara asks JJ where the gun is, he is both annoyed and surprised that she is willing to use it as soon as he has to hide it to protect the group.
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“I know for a fact that all I got was you guys, okay? You’re there.”
Season 2, Episode 8 “The Cross”
The family a character is born into compared to the family they made in The Pogues is a running theme in each season. In the second season, JJ is finally able to cut ties with his abusive father as he helps his father run from the police on a boat, unlike what he did for John B in the first season.
As JJ watches his friends bicker in the swamp right after Kiara helps him see his dad for good, JJ makes it clear that this group of people is the only family he really has. The relations between the Pogues are Outer Banks‘ Best. sure, JJ has cousins ​​he can ask for a hand once in a while, but the people he loves and trusts are the Pogues. This is true for all five of the characters as they make their way through Outer Banks.
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“Isn’t all that bad…that’s just one person’s opinion though.”
Season 2, Episode 3 “Prayers”
Out of context, that particular line doesn’t quite pack the punch of some of JJ Maybank’s other quotes. Although this is part of a larger speech to KiaraWhen Kiara is pulled in two different directions by her parents and her friends, something that comes to a head in season 3, but begins to build here in season 2. This line comments on the central conflict of the Pogues against the Cooks as well as his Never-ending support from the people he cares about.
Kiara is, technically, a look. She has adopted the Pogue lifestyle, and in the second season, it starts to catch up with her as she is constantly at odds with her parents. Her mother threatens to send her to boarding school because of who she is. JJ comforts Kiara with the line that Kiara being a pogue isn’t the worst thing in the world, and while he says it as if he’s speaking for Pope, he’s clearly expressing his own opinion about her.
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“So, I busted the wrong guy out of jail, sue me.”
Season 2, Episode 5 “The Darkest Hour”
When it comes to making plans, JJ isn’t exactly the smartest of the Pogues. His plans aren’t always the most thought out, and they often go sideways somewhere in the middle because he missed a vital piece of information. That’s never more clear than his convoluted idea that involves using an ambulance to break John B out of prison in Season 2. JJ is extremely confident and cocky about his ability to get John B, not even realizing that he’s missed a step.
When it doesn’t work, and another inmate is released into the care of the paramedic JJ is pretending to be, he has to text Kiara for help. She and Pope save him just in time. Despite the desperate nature of the situation, he still has time for the tag, helping to ease the tension for the audience.
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“Stupid things have good results all the time.”
Repeated by JJ in seasons 1 and 2
This is one of the only lines from JJ that makes an appearance in the first two seasons of the show multiple times. It also happens to be a JJ Maybank quote that becomes part of the larger Pogue lexicon as others use it as well. It’s an acknowledgment that he and his friends make, in their own words, incredibly stupid decisions most of the time. It is also an acknowledgment that the choice to do so is not always a bad one.
After all, their bad decisions lead them on multiple treasure hunts, allowing Sarah and Kiara to become friends again, bring Cleo into the Pogues, and build new relationships with those they think they’ve lost. They also save each other’s lives multiple times. Their bad decisions only strengthen their bond and reinforce that the teens are truly a found family.
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“Thinking never helps when you already have the idea.”
Season 3, Episode 2 “The Bells”
When someone he cares about is in trouble, that’s JJ’s entire focus…
JJ Maybank has always been the most impulsive Pogue, and many of his best lines in the series reflect that. He likes acting on instinct, like the line early in Season 3 after Kiara is taken by Singh Proves. JJ believes the group should just run in, grab Kiara and get out, but that’s not a feasible option. The truth is that JJ is more worried about what might happen to Kiara than he is about his own safety or even making it out of Barbados. JJ would do anything for Kiara.
When someone he cares about is in trouble, that’s JJ’s entire focus, and it’s something that remains true throughout the show. Although how he handles his feelings may change over the course of the show, that single-minded focus does not. Later in the season, he even risks owing millions and his own life to Baracuda Mike to break Kiara out of a desert camp for troubled kids. JJ is nothing if not someone who comes through for his friends in danger, and he works best when acting on instinct instead of planning.
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“I steal s***. That’s my job.”
Season 3, Episode 2 “The Bells”
There is a lot of talk by the adults in JJ’s life about him not being trustworthy because he steals things. The truth, however, is that JJ often steals things as a coping mechanism for the stress in his life. JJ lives like he’s trying to survive Ann Outer Banks Horror movie. In the early days of the show, he may have stolen things while investigating crime scenes with John B because he believed those things (money, a weapon, etc.) could help him and his friends in the long run.
This mentality is also why he steals Portis’ phone early in season 3, which is where the line comes from when Cleo is surprised that he has a phone. Later in the season, however, JJ steals money from Kiara’s father, and it wasn’t born out of necessity. It is instead a reaction to what her family thinks of him. JJ steals in a “fight or flight” response, only in this instance, it’s fight. He needs a reason for Kiara’s dad to be mad at him beyond him being a pogo, and that fuels JJ’s complicated relationship with Kiara.
JJ’s “work” in the group becomes an emotional response to his situation instead. That’s par for the course with his other actions and the best JJ Maybank quotes on the show. His “job” is to do the things his friends can’t, and sometimes that involves stealing, but other times, it involves talking about the most dangerous situations in Outer Banks.