‘Outer Banks’ Star Madison Bailey Breaks Down JJ And Kie’s “Seamless Transition” From Best Friends To Lovers

JJ Maybank ( Rudy Pankow ) and Kiara “Kie” Carrera’s ( Madison Bailey ) romantic relationship has been a long time in the making. In the penultimate episode of Outer Banks Season 3, they finally share a kiss and exchange I love yous before JJ successfully breaks Kie out of a camp for troubled teens her parents shipped her off to. This season, we get to see the new couple actually date — at least, for a little while before their hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure becomes everyone’s main priority.

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The couple, otherwise known as “Jiara” to fans of the show, began as best friends who seemed to understand each other in a way that no one else did. While it took until the very end of Season 3 for them to finally get together, Season 4 offers the Jiara content we’ve so patiently been waiting for.

Bailey, who plays Kie, recently spoke to DECIDER via Zoom, where she dished on JJ and Kie’s “seamless transition” from best friends to lovers — and how their relationship is much “different” than that of longtime couple John B ( Chase Stokes ) and Sarah Cameron ( Madelyn Cline ).

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“I think having these two characters that are best friends makes the relationship flow,” the actress said. “And I think we had an understanding of, like, we aren’t John B and Sarah. They have a different dynamic.”

Bailey added, “I think we had a lot of fun and just being like, ‘This is still very much a friendship.’ And so I think it came pretty naturally.”

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There are plenty of adorable moments between the duo in the first part of Season 4, from their boardwalk “date” that ends with them narrowly escaping a bad guy by jumping off a pier and into the ocean, to their makeout session in a hyperbolic chamber, which comes after a dangerous diving incident nearly kills them.

Whether it be in normal teenage situations or times of trouble — and, boy, there are many of those — JJ and Kie are quickly becoming Outer Banks’ best couple.

Outer Banks Season 4, Part 1 is currently streaming on Netflix. Part 2 will hit the streamer on Nov. 7.

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