Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Outer Banks, season 4, part 1
Outer Banks season 4, part one left viewers on a wild cliffhanger – that one of the beloved Pogues, JJ Maybank (Rudy Pankow) is not who he thought he was. JJ is revealed to be the son of a wealthy Kook couple, Chandler Groff and Larissa Genrette. In Netflix’s new preview of the upcoming part two of the current Outer Banks season, further insight into JJ’s upbringing is revealed, including an explanation as to why he was adopted by Luke Maybank (Gary Weeks).
JJ’s first and middle names were yet to be revealed throughout the show, but a newspaper clipping this season has finally revealed the truth. JJ stands for John Jackson, and Luke Maybank opted to nickname him to conceal his identity. When Larissa drowns in a boating accident and her son is believed to have died with her, Chandler asks Luke, a maintenance worker on their property and a friend of Larissa’s, to adopt JJ and raise him as his own, hoping to evade the family curse. This lore is only to be expanded in Outer Banks season 4 part two.
Outer Banks Season 4 Confirms JJ’s Real Name Is John Jackson
His Nickname Was Natural Given John B Is His Best Friend
When the gang is approached by the wealthy Wes Genrette (David Jensen), they find themselves mixed up in the race to find Blackbeard’s treasure. Wes offers the Pogues $50,000 to find Blackbeard’s treasure, which includes an amulet that he believes will break a family curse after his ancestor killed the late pirate and his wife Elizabeth Teach. Elizabeth was never buried with her precious amulet, and Wes believes that this is the root of a curse. Family members report being haunted by Elizabeth’s ghost prior to their untimely deaths, Larissa included.
In a brief shot, Chandler shows the group a newspaper clipping reporting his wife’s passing years earlier. In the paper, her son is listed as John Jackson Groff. Luke Maybank adopted JJ after Larissa’s death, as Chandler worried that people would suspect foul play if it was discovered that he was not on the boat. Luke nicknamed him JJ to protect his real identity, and the nickname came naturally as his best friend, John Booker Routledge (Chase Stokes), is also named John. Hence, both have nicknames to differentiate each other, but also in order to protect JJ’s real backstory.
Outer Banks’ Creators Agreed That One Of The ‘J’s Stands For Jackson
The Show’s Creators Knew His Name From The Start
The creators of Outer Banks continue to base much of the show’s details on real historical figures and the local lore of the Carolinas. Many of the show’s main characters have last names that have appeared in the North and South Carolina census for centuries (via NCPedia). When developing JJ’s character, the creators wanted one of the J’s to stand for John, as a red herring that would explain his nickname but not initially explain why his real name was hidden for so long. Rudy Pankow once predicted, “That’s why it’s John B and JJ. For John Jackson.“
Series creators Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, and Shannon Burke had previously agreed upon the characters’ middle name. Burke recounted, “We had a conversation about this, and I actually can’t remember what we said. Jackson was one of the Js (via Netflix).” While his first name is John, the first eight-minute preview of Outer Banks season 4 part two reveals that his parents intended to call him Jackson throughout his life. This makes the nickname Luke gave him even more relevant to concealing his identity.
Luke Calling Him JJ Instead Of Jackson Helped Hide His Identity Throughout His Childhood
While Luke Had His Own Issues, He Successfully Protected JJ From Family Melodrama
In the flashback, it is confirmed that Luke Maybank has always been a working-class resident of the Outer Banks, making him decidedly Pogue. He is initially a humble but successful mechanic and maintenance worker on the Genrette property, and a friend to a lonely Larissa, who had difficulty adjusting to marriage and motherhood. As viewers know, Luke later struggles with alcoholism, and becomes physically and verbally abusive to JJ.
Learning the backstory of Luke’s character, it is clear that Luke nicknamed JJ and kept him interested in the working-class Pogue trades, in part to protect him from the Genrette family curse, and potentially a dark secret with his birth father, Chandler. While viewers will have to tune in to Outer Banks season 4 part two for more answers, it is likely that the Genrette family drama had a profoundly negative effect on Luke’s life, and could have resulted in his previous abuse of JJ.
