In Outer Banks the main players are split into two groups: the Pogues and the Kooks. They’re kinda like Sharks and Jets, without the dance-fighting. (Though who knows what Season 3 might bring!)
Down in Outer Banks, North Carolina, the Pogues seriously hate the Kooks and the Kooks seriously hate the Pogues. And it’s not a big town so all that tension is pretty much constantly simmering over. Though the bad feeling isn’t limited to the younger members of the community, the rivalry is at its strongest with the teen set — classic high school energy. Were you even in Outer Banks if a beach bonfire didn’t turn into a brawl?
OK, that all sounds intense, but what exactly is a Pogue? And what’s a Kook? And why do they despise each other enough to ruin a perfectly enjoyable evening at the beach? Let’s get into it.
The Pogues on one of many treasure hunts.
The geographic location of Outer Banks, often written as OBX, is a string of islands along the coast of North Carolina. The show Outer Banks is mainly set on Kildare Island. (While Outer Banks is a real location, Kildare Island is a fictional town.) Kildare is split into the south side and the north side.
The south side, also called the Cut, is where lower income people live; it’s where John B (Chase Stokes), JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Pope (Jonathan Daviss) live. This is where you’ll find people called Pogues.
Simply put, a Pogue is someone who lives in the Cut. It’s a title that John B and his friends have adopted for their group. According to John B in the series pilot, its origin is from a type of fish: pogies, a throwaway fish, the lowest member of the food chain. They take their Pogue status very seriously — P4L or “Pogue for life” is a common refrain you hear from this group. They even go so far as to carve “P4L” into a tree when they think a fellow Pogue has died — indicating once a Pogue, always a Pogue, even in death.
However, you don’t have to necessarily live in the Cut to be a Pogue. John B calls that area the “home of the working class who make a living busing tables, washing yachts, running charters.” But, to become an honorary Pogue, you have to just embody that “ignored and neglected… do whatever we want, whenever we want” lifestyle. That’s how people like Kiara (Madison Bailey), who actually lives in Figure 8 (the wealthier part of town), become a Pogue.
JJ (Rudy Pankow) and Pope (Jonathan Davvis) are Pogues for life.
Our protagonist John B pretty much came up with the concept of being a Pogue. He’s the leader of the group and knows all about surviving without anything fancy since his father went MIA for nearly a year.
The Pogue-iest of all Pogues, JJ grew up neglected by his abusive father. His rough home life is why he clings to his friendships with fellow Pogues John B and Pope.
The brains of the operation, Pope falls into the Pogue category because he lives in the Cut and his family are working class — but they want more for him. Pope’s mom and dad push for him to get a scholarship and get out of town, but he keeps coming back to his friends.
Although she doesn’t actually live in the Cut, Kiara is an honorary Pogue and one of the OGs due to her close friendships with John B, JJ and Pope. She lives in Figure 8, but she hates everything that the wealthy stand for. Much to the dismay of her parents, she prefers the reckless lifestyle of the Pogues.
Another way you can become a Pogue is by marrying into it. Sarah was once a Kook, an enemy of the Pogues, but she fell in love with John B and realized her family’s status was obtained through nefarious ways. Now a Pogue, Sarah is down for all the adventures, even setting sail for foreign islands — twice.
Born in the Bahamas, Cleo has no history with Kildare Island at all. But when she finds herself thrust into the drama of this group of Pogues, she identifies with their bottom-of-the-totem-pole, survivor mentality and becomes one of them.
Rafe Cameron (Drew Starkey) is King of the Kooks.
On the opposite end of Kildare Island is the north side, also called Figure 8. This is where the upper class, wealthy folks live. With mansions with private docks and fancy boats aplenty, this affluent part of town is where the Kooks reside in comfort.
Although it’s not explicitly stated in the show, the word kook is sometimes used to describe people who don’t know how to surf. It doesn’t seem like being a jerk is a requirement for being a Kook, but in this series, it sure seems like many of them are. Looking at you, Rafe Cameron (Drew Starkey).
Ward Cameron (Charles Esten) and his son Rafe in less than perfect Kook conditions.
Sarah’s father, Ward, wasn’t always a Kook. He was actually born and raised in the Cut, but he fought his way to the top as a real estate developer — sometimes crawling over others to get there. Now as a Kook, Ward has no problem using his money to get what he wants at any cost.
Married to Ward, Rose is the stepmother to his children, Sarah, Rafe and Wheezie. At first she appears to be unaware of her husband’s villainous ways, but we soon learn she actually enjoys it — and is willing to help him do anything to keep their wealth.
You know what they say: Money can’t buy you class. And that’s certainly true of Sarah’s brother, Rafe. When we first meet him, he’s addicted to drugs and disappointing his father so much that he gets kicked out of the family estate. But as a Kook, Rafe is willing to do anything to get back in his father’s good graces — even if it means taking down every Pogue, his sister included.
The Kookiest of Kooks, Topper just screams family money. He can be found at country club parties, catching some waves or hating on Pogues. The only thing he hates more than the idea of Pogues is John B himself.
Sarah Cameron (Madelyn Cline), John B (Chase Stokes) and JJ (Rudy Pankow) are never far from trouble.
Although the Pogues hate Kooks (and vice versa), that doesn’t mean they don’t see the value of their enemies’ status. “I’m gonna get a big-ass house on Figure 8 and go full Kook,” JJ says once while dreaming of his future.
But even if he did finally find a treasure and move into a mansion, we know he’d still be a Pogue. Because, after all, their motto is “Once a pogue, always a pogue” — or more simply put, “P4L.”
Outer Banks returns for new adventures Feb. 23.
