John B. Routledge

## John Booker Routledge

* Season 3
* Season 2
* Season 1

**John Booker Routledge**, otherwise known as "**John B**", is the main protagonist in Outer Banks. He is portrayed by Chase Stokes.

He is the charismatic leader of the Pogues crew. His father went missing while trying to salvage a sunken ship, and he will stop at nothing to uncover the secrets behind his disappearance. John B convinces his friends to join him on the epic search for his father, and what his father was looking for, leading them on a life-changing summer adventure with good and bad obstacles along the way. He is actually called little John John a few times by Ward and Sarah.

## History

### Biography

John B is seventeen years old and grew up as a Pogue on the poor side of Outer Banks, also known as The Cut. In the intro, John Booker Routledge explains that he grew up as an only child and was raised by his father. His mother bailed to Colorado when he was three years old. Nine months prior to the Pilot, John B's father went missing at sea and was presumed dead, but his body was never found. John B remains convinced however that his father is still alive. He had been living with his uncle following his father's disappearance, but his uncle, known as uncle T left 3 months prior to the pilot to build houses in Mississippi.

John B is the leader of his friend group, The Pogues. This group consists of JJ, who has been John B's best friend since the 3rd grade, Pope, and Kiara.

## Throughout the Series

### Season 1

Throughout Season 1, John B goes on an adventure with his best friends to continue what his father started and to find the gold from the famous Royal Merchant wreck. John B also hopes to solve the mystery of his father after he disappeared 9 months earlier.

John B follows a series of clues throughout the season that eventually lead him to the gold - but he encounters several obstacles along the way. First, is DCS, who are trying to put him into foster care. Eventually, he gets adopted by Ward Cameron, although under false pretenses because Ward just wants to get more information about the gold.

John B goes on an adventure with Sarah Cameron and they end up falling in love with each other, despite being from different worlds. They start to date, at first to the shock and horror of his friends, but eventually they get on board.

At the end of the season, John B witnesses Rafe Cameron shoot Sheriff Peterkin to defend his father after the Sheriff tried to arrest him. John B runs and Ward ends up blaming the murder on John B instead of his son, which turns the whole city and police force against him.

There is a giant manhunt for John B at the end of the first season, but he manages to get away with the help of Sarah. They get on a boat and start to ride away but are forced into the storm when the police chase them which results in their boat capsizing and they almost die. A passing ship ends up saving them and they ask to be dropped off at the nearest dock so they can continue their escape from the police.

### Pilot

In the pilot, John B is living unaccompanied having to fed for himself and is facing going into foster care in the mainland. Luckily for John B the hurricane delays the DCS form coming, as there is no power and wreckage around the island. During the aftermath of the hurricane, the Pogues use the day to go drinking on the HMS POGUE in the marsh. Whilst sailing Pope steer into something that has been washed up by the hurricane. The group decide to investigate, and find that its a boat that belongs to Scooter with a motel key. JJ and John B to go to motel room with Kiara and Pope on the look out. The pair break into a safe with money and a gun. This search is interrupted by Shoupe arriving for investigation into Scooters disappearance, the pair quickly hide outside the room on the window ledge, whilst watching Shoupe, its revealed that he takes evidence (money) for himself and that Scooter had something to do with finding The Royal Merchant . After Shoupe leaves its revealed that JJ also took evidence Scooters gun. The group later find out that it was Scooters boat and that he is found dead, they debate on whether taking the evidence back to the motel, they decide against this.

Later on The Pogues have a party on the beach with The Kooks present. A fight breaks out between Topper and John B, when things get too heated JJ intervenes by putting the gun they found to Toppers head, which stops Topper. JJ fires the gun in the air which causes the party to end abruptly.

The next day Peterkin comes to The Chateau knowing that they found a boat, and telling John B that she will help him with the DCS in exchange for him to forget about the wreckage they found. This makes him realise that the police are hiding something. John B being curious breaks into My Druthers to borrow Ward Camerons diving equipment, but its quickly stopped by Sarah Cameron, the pair discuss the fight and he lies and tells her that the scuba equipment need refilling with air. When he returns to The Pogues its decided the he will dive down. Before he does Kiara gives him a peck on the cheek, as its risky because there is little air left. While John B is down there Shoupe approaches The Pogues and tells them to leave the marsh. After Shoupe leaves John B comes back up with a black duffle bag. Soon after this The Pogues are faced with a group of hitmen that sail after them in the marsh, however Kiara saves them by chucking fishing nets at their boat. The Pogues open the duffle bag and its revealed to have John B's fathers compass inside it.

### Season 2

John B is still running away, and wanted to turn himself in so he could show that he is innocent and Ward is not. While at, Nassau he met a lady called Cleo, he helped him have a home and save his life, they then escaped everything there with Sarah almost dying, on the Camerons' Nassau boat to Charleston, South Carolina. There, Sarah Cameron and him reunited with Kiara, JJ, and Pope, and escaped back to the OBX, to party at John B's house.

He went to jail after he was sentenced to death for the murder of Susan Peterkin. While there, he was attacked in his jail cell by a man assigned to attack him by Deputy Plumb. He almost died but the man escaped.

His charges were dropped after the gun used by Rafe to kill Peterkin was found to have his fingerprints.

After an escape from the Coastal Venture on a rescue boat, John B, along with the other Pogues and Cleo, arrived on a deserted island where they talked about what just happened and then came to the compromise that they should find surfboards and surf the waves. They then made a campfire and chilled out together.

### Season 3

John B and the Pogues are getting by on the deserted island. They see a plane and flag down the pilot- thinking they are going to be rescued.

John B and the group think that he is their only chance of getting off the island so they just go along with what he says. They get on the plane. JJ asks Jimmy why he was flying in this area and he tells them it’s to fish for Wahoo. The group realize Wahoo aren’t in season and so he must be lying. They see a photo of the boat they used before in Jimmy’s bag and this confirms their fears. They fight with Jimmy and the plane crashes in the water. John B, Sarah, JJ, Pope, and Cleo swim away. Kiara gets kidnapped.

John B and The Pogues are desperate to find Kiara, who was separated from them. They try to find her but Carlos and his men find them first -determined to kidnap them still. The Pogues run away.

John B has an emotional reunion with his father after tracking him down with the bells. He goes back to the Outer Banks with him.

John B and his dad are on the hunt for a special artifact called a gnomon.

The Pogues try to steal the cross from Ward but Rafe gets it first and melts it.

John B distances himself from Sarah. She tells him she hooked up with Topper and John B punches Topper. Sarah has to beg Topper not to press charges against John B. Eventually, they make up.

The Pogues try to find their way to South America to rescue Big John. They get on Ward’s plane to fly down to Venezuela. They find Big John. John B, Big John, and Sarah go to a dig site and have a showdown with Carlos and his men but they get away. Big John gets shot. They find the treasure of El Dorado.

In a flash forward, John B owns a surf shop with Sarah. An old man approaches the group complimenting their discovery of El Dorado. He has a proposition for them- help him find Blackbeard’s treasure.

## Personality

John B is a loyal and caring friend, he is protective and out-going. He is kind and friendly to most people, although he can be quite rude to the people he despises. He is emotional and gets angry fast, especially when people he cares about are involved. Just like JJ, he normally doesn't have the safest plan as the first option but goes for the more dangerous plan. His main goal is to find his father, which gets him into a lot of trouble. John B is smart, but sometimes he has stupid or weird ideas that don't seem to make sense at all, like when he had the idea to throw a rock at the motion censor lights which obviously was not helpful at all.

## Relationships

### Sarah Cameron

*Main article: John B and Sarah*

John B and Sarah are married. They first met while he was stealing scuba gear off the Druthers to explore the sunken Grady White. Then in Spy Games, they grow closer as she helps him get into Chapel Hill. When John B is wanted for the murder of Sheriff Peterkin, she goes on the run with him. Later on, they get married on their way back to the Outer Banks.  After Ward Cameron's supposed suicide, they break up.  They later go to find the cross together, as friends, with the rest of the Pogues. They then get back together when John B apologized and told her that he wanted her back.

### JJ

*Main article: John B and JJ*

JJ and John B have been friends the longest out of the Pogues, since the third grade. They sometimes fight, but they're always there for each other and they can relate to each other the most out of the Pogues, JJ stated in the the Pilot that "he and John B have nothing to lose". They would do anything for each other and it has been proven many times that they are both ready to go to jail, or even die the for the other. Most often, John B is the one who JJ does stupid and reckless things with. At the end of season 1, JJ, Pope and Kiara helped John B and Sarah escape on *The Phantom* after John B was wanted for the murder of Sheriff Peterkin.

When John B was presumed dead at sea, JJ grieved him and even got a tattoo on his ankle in honor of John B and the other Pogues. Before the Pogues found out that John B and Sarah were both still alive, JJ was shown drinking out of a flask, he was also seen holding his chest on numerous occasions throughout Season 2, presumably to cope with loosing John B.

### Kiara

At the beginning of the series, John B admits that all of The Pogues had a bit of a thing for Kiara. However, Pogue rules dictate that a Pogue can never have romantic relations with another Pogue, thus none of them ever made outright moves on her (no Pogue-on-Pogue-macking). Nonetheless, JJ convinces John B that Kiara is interested in him because she was particularly caring towards him and kissed him (on the cheek) when he was scuba diving. John B is not fully convinced but is swayed, and impulsively kisses Kiara on the beach at night. However, Kiara reacts awkwardly, and rejects him, using the excuse that Pogues cannot kiss each other. It is unclear throughout Season 1 whether Kiara views John B as a really good friend or as more than that. She brings up the kiss on one occasion and suggests that she only rejected him because the timing was bad.

However, soon after this, John B and Sarah together. Kiara who already dislikes Sarah reacts badly to their relationship and she comes across as jealous, trying to force John B to choose either her or Sarah and gets upset when he says "both". She gradually begins to accept their relationship, realizing that the two of them really love each other.

### Pope

Pope and John B are best friends. They remain close throughout the first season, except when Kiara and John B get closer. Pope has a crush on Kiara so he lashes out in one episode saying "Why is it always about John B?". In the end, he cares about him and grieves him when he thinks he is dead. In the beginning of Season 2, Pope and the other pogues do everything they can to try and clear John B's name.

### Cleo

*Main article:* Cleo, Sarah and John B

Cleo, Sarah and John B started out as enemies, with Cleo trying to turn them in to the Nassau Police, but they later became allies when they, along with Terrance and Stubby, attempted to steal the gold from Sarah's family, twice. They then became friends and Cleo helped the two of them escape Nassau.

The Pogues later ran into Cleo on the coastal venture ship in the season 2 finale, and she helped the group save Sarah, and she attempted to help them steal the cross of santo domingo back, but they failed. She is now stranded on an island with the pogues, and she is an official pogue.

Sarah, John B and Cleo haven't known each other for very long, but they trust each other and worry about each other when one of them is in peril. When Sarah was shot, Cleo was scared for Sarah's life, and when she found out that Sarah survived, she was very happy.

## Physical Appearance

John B is a tall, tan, freckled teen with brown hair and eyes. He's usually seen wearing board shorts and a patterned button-down short sleeve shirt with a faded light blue bandana tied around his neck.

## Appearances

* *The Lucky Compass*
* *The Forbidden Zone*
* *Spy Games*
* *Midsummers*
* *Parcel 9*
* *Dead Calm*
* *The Runway*
* *The Bell Tower*
* *The Phantom*
* *The Heist*
* *Prayers*
* *Homecoming*
* *The Darkest Hour*
* *My Druthers*
* *The Bonfire*
* *The Cross*
* *Trapped*
* *The Coastal Venture*
* *The Bells*
* *Fathers and Sons*
* *The Diary*
* *Heists*
* *The Dark Forest*
* *Happy Anniversary*
* *Tapping the Rudder*
* *Welcome to Kitty Hawk*
* *Secret of the Gnomon*

## Quotes

> **John B:** *The Outer Banks: Paradise on earth. It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island.*
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> **John B:** *Pogues, Pogies, the throwaway fish, the lowest member of the food chain. Okay. So, the downside of Pogue life is that we're ignored and neglected. The upside of Pogue life? We're ignored and neglected, which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want.*
>
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> **John B:** *And that’s where the story starts. My dad missing, my uncle MIA, and the bride of Frankenstein threatening foster care.*
>
>

> **John B (to Sarah):** *It might be stormy now, but it can’t rain forever.*
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> **John B:** *Denials underrated, you should try sometime. It's always effective and it's only denial if you're wrong.*
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>

## Trivia

* His father's nickname for him is "Bird".
* His boat's name is the HMS Pogue, presumably in honor of The Pogues.
* John B. was a good student until his father's sudden disappearance.
* He took Sarah's virginity.
* He took his driver's license in North Carolina.
* He's left handed.
* His mother left when he was 4
* He has punched Kelce and Topper, who are kooks.
	+ These occurrences both happened in the seventh episode of the second and third season.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Prayers, 2x03
2. ↑ The Bonfire, 2x07
3. ↑ Trapped, 2x09
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pilot, 1x01
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Gold, 2x01
6. ↑ The Heist, 2x02
7. ↑ Prayers, 2x03
8. ↑ The Forbidden Zone, 1x03
9. ↑ Dead Calm, 1x07
10. ↑ The Darkest Hour, 2x05