What is a Pogue in Outer Banks? Details from the Netflix teen drama, explored

In Outer Banks, the word Pogue transforms a label that signifies much more than where someone lives. The show takes place in one of the string of islands along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The series The Kildare Island is a fictional island with two clear social areas, i.e., the Cut in the south and Figure Eight in the north.

The teens who come from the Cut refer to themselves as Pogues. The name traces back to a small bait fish called the pogie, which people usually view as low value. Using that name, the characters accept how others view them and turn it into a shared identity.

That identity is built on friendship, loyalty, and a shared way of living. Pogues have local jobs, spend time in the water, and often face hardships that the wealthier kids do not. The series uses Pogue as a label to illustrate how these teens support one another and how their choices set them apart from the island’s richer residents.

Pogues are from the Cut and own their identity

The Cut is where many working-class families live. Parents and teens have jobs like running boats, waiting tables, and helping tourists. The main group, John B., JJ, and Pope, grew up in the Cut and accepted their identity as Pogue.

In the first episode of Outer Banks, John B. compares pogies (the fish) to people at the bottom of the island’s social order. That comparison explains why the group uses the word for themselves; it is a reflection of how they are treated as well as how they choose to respond.

Calling themselves Pogues also functions as a bond. The label reminds them that they come from the same place and face the same struggles. It becomes a part of how they behave and whom they trust.

Being a Pogue is about belonging and choices

Living in the Cut does not always decide who is a Pogue. Some characters from Outer Banks who are not from the Cut join the group because they share the same values.

For example, Kiara grows up on Figure Eight but becomes an honorary Pogue after she sides with John B. and the others. Sarah, who starts on the wealthy side, also shifts toward the Pogue circle through her actions and relationships. This shows that being a Pogue is about more than an address.

It is about who you choose to stand with, how you act in danger, and how you treat your friends. The phrase the group uses the phrase, “Pogue for life,” stands for that choice and the loyalty it represents.

The Kooks contrast shows the island’s class split in Outer Banks

On the other side of the island live the Kooks, teens from wealthier families who live on Figure Eight. The show puts Pogues and Kooks in conflict on many occasions. Those clashes can be small, like fights on the beach, or more serious, linked to money and power.

The Pogues often have to work harder for what they want, while the Kooks may get advantages because of family wealth. That contrast is a core part of the drama in Outer Banks.

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In Outer Banks, a Pogue is someone tied to the Cut either by birth or by choice. Although the name originates from a lowly bait fish, it grows into a sign of loyalty, friendship, and a shared way of life.

The bond between the Pogues has more weight than their place of origin and often defines how they face danger and make decisions.

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