Kiara Carrera (Madison Bailey) and JJ Maybank (Rudy Pankow) are the definition of a slow-burn friends-to-lovers trope in Outer Banks. After subtle hints of feelings for each other in seasons 1 and 2, the teens finally have a romantic spark in season 3. But still, viewers don’t get to see as much Jiara as they would like in the new episodes.
Thankfully, Netflix has already ordered Outer Banks Season 4, so there’s a still a chance for more Jiara screentime. But what will their relationship status be in the new season? Here’s what we predict will happen.
[Spoiler alert: The following story contains spoilers for Outer Banks Season 3.]
‘Outer Banks’ Season 3 finally ignites a romance between JJ and Kiara, but there are obstacles
JJ and Kiara have several “almost” moments in Outer Banks Season 3 before they finally get together. They share some sweet moments at Poguelandia, hinting that they grew even closer on the island. Then, when Kiara is kidnapped by Carlos Singh (Andy McQueen), JJ will stop at nothing to get her back.
After she escapes and meets her friends on a dock, JJ and Kiara embrace in a loving hug. They almost kiss on the boat ride home, but Pope (Jonathan Daviss) interrupts them. When the Pogues get home, Kiara tries to address the almost-kiss. However, JJ, frustrated by finding his home boarded up with an eviction notice, pushes her away.
Throughout the season, JJ insists that he and Kiara wouldn’t work out. He even steals her father’s wallet, pushing Kiara even further away. He struggles to open his heart to her because of his trauma, and likely out of concern for Pope’s feelings for Kiara.
Finally, in season 3 episode 9, “Welcome to Kitty Hawk,” JJ rescues Kiara when her parents send her away. He apologizes for everything. The two exchange “I love you” s and a kiss before heading off to South America to meet their friends.
We predict that JJ and Kiara won’t be together in ‘Outer Banks’ Season 4, at least not at first
Kiara and JJ’s romantic relationship isn’t explored beyond the kiss. By the end of the season, 18 months have passed. John B. (Chase Stokes) says that JJ bought a charter boat, while Kiara has been busy saving turtles. But there’s no indication of whether or not Kiara and JJ are a couple, leaving fans to speculate about what happened in the last year and a half.
There’s a definite possibility that JJ and Kiara started a relationship but broke up sometime within those 18 months. For one thing, their lives likely changed drastically after the Pogues came home with the El Dorado gold. That could have impacted their friendships and relationships.
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On top of that, Kiara and JJ probably came home to a mess with her parents. Her father already didn’t approve of JJ, so we can’t imagine he was happy about JJ breaking her out of Kitty Hawk and taking her to South America.
Many fans discussed the future of JJ and Kiara’s relationship on Reddit. As one fan pointed out, JJ and Kiara might have decided to say friends and support each other in their big dreams. JJ also has plenty of personal work to do, and it might be easier to do that without a romantic relationship.
“Kie knows how important it is for JJ to make something of himself after his upbringing and all the uncertainty and he knows how important it is for her to work on saving the environment,” one fan wrote. “So neither of them would hold each other back from doing those things even if it means they’d have to take a break.”
JJ and Kiara seem to be an endgame couple
Now, this potential break-up doesn’t mean Kiara and JJ won’t be together at all in Outer Banks Season 4. Many fans, including us, believe the two will rekindle their romance during the new season’s inevitable hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure. JJ and Kiara come from very different backgrounds, but they work well together. Kiara understands JJ and empathizes with him in a way that his other friends haven’t.
As another fan wrote, “JJ having a stable relationship, with someone he can absolutely trust, could be good for him. It could be a point of growing up or development.”
For what it’s worth, Madison Bailey believes that JJ and Kiara could have a “separate but together” relationship in the future. She told Yahoo Canada:
“I think it helps with both of these characters being super independent in and of themselves. If their relationship progresses for further seasons, I think you’ll really see them get separate but together, and in that way, I think the appeal is that he doesn’t ask of much from her, and vice versa.”
Either way, Jiara shippers don’t need to worry. These two treasure hunters are endgame.
Outer Banks Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix, along with seasons 1 and 2. Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for updates on Outer Banks Season 4.
