Netflix’s latest original series was released on April 15 and quickly became the number 1 streamed series in the U.S. and top 10 in many other countries. The ten episodes follow John B and his friends, the Pogues, as they get into trouble with the Kooks who run the island and usually own two houses.
JJ has been John B’s best friend since they were kids, but he gets into a lot more trouble than the rest of the Pogues because he’s always stealing things and generally being irresponsible. He also lives with an abusive father. Rafe is the son of Ward Cameron, the Kook King John B works for. His father doesn’t value him, so he turns to drugs and money. Fans have been quick to compare JJ and Rafe and describe them as two sides of the same coin.
SIMILAR: Relationship With Their Fathers
JJ’s father Luke abuses him physically and verbally. Luke’s unstable mood is transferred to JJ, so much so that Pope calls him an “independent” variable. JJ is also so used to repressing his emotions that they occasionally burst out of him in the form of violence or other reckless behavior. But when the opportunity arises to take this violence out on Luke, JJ can’t go through with it.
Rafe also feels neglected and unwanted by his father, but in a different way. Ward’s money provides for the family, but he still expects more from Rafe. Rafe craves Ward’s approval, pride, and maybe even love, which is why he kills the Sherrif. Both he and JJ are disappointments in their fathers’ eyes.
NOTHING ALIKE: Group Of Friends
JJ’s friends are the Pogues – John B, who he’s known since childhood; Pope, the brains, who is like JJ’s brother, whose place JJ is willing to take in prison; Kiara, otherwise known as Kie, who’s an environmentalist and the group’s (especially JJ’s) moral compass. The Pogues would do anything for one another and they never leave each other’s sides.
Rafe doesn’t really have friends. He spends a lot of time with Topper, who’s Sarah’s boyfriend, and Kelce, another Kook with wealthy parents. Rafe mostly uses them as a backup for when he wants to assert his superiority over the Pogues, though it mostly comes across as a weakness. Topper and Kelce don’t really care about Rafe, and he spends a lot of time alone with his anger.
SIMILAR: Reckless
Both of these characters wield guns by the end of the season, and both are driven by emotion rather than rational thought. The only difference is that JJ’s instincts are spur-of-the-moment, while Rafe’s anger and frustration have been simmering under the surface for some time.
JJ’s recklessness is evident when he suddenly becomes violent without thought of the consequences, or when he runs away from the Pogues, steals from crime scenes and drug dealers, or buys a hot tub. Rafe’s recklessness usually takes the form of saying bad things about his family, substance abuse and indulging in useless purchases (he buys a motorbike he doesn’t need where JJ buys a hot tub for his “family”, the Pogues).
NOTHING ALIKE: Pogue Vs. Kook
No matter how unfair Rafe thinks his situation is, he’s a lot more privileged than JJ. He has a constant roof over his head – except when he’s kicked out by Ward – water, food, and luxuries that Pogues wouldn’t even dream of. Meanwhile, JJ, three years younger than Rafe, works a part-time job to put food on the table.
JJ’s father isn’t as supportive as Rafe’s – Luke drinks heavily and abuses substances, where Ward is willing to give his son a chance to work for his successful business. Besides the class differences, JJ is at the receiving end of a lot of Kook arrogance and disparagement. Rafe knows he can get anything he wants (except his father’s approval), but JJ must work and sacrifice for the bare minimum.
SIMILAR: Can Be Selfish
JJ needs something to comfort him every now and then, and some semblance of stability. That’s why he steals – money, random objects, boats, and equipment – and sometimes acts tough or gets violent. Rafe’s prime example of selfishness is buying a motorbike instead of paying for illegal drugs – not that he should have done either.
NOTHING ALIKE: Motivations
Though he can be selfish at times, JJ is usually motivated by the desire to protect, help, or please his friends. JJ first pretends that he wants some luxury in his life, but then breaks down in tears and says he wanted to get something for the Pogues – his family.
The reason JJ holds onto his gun is mostly for protection – his and his friends’ – while Rafe uses the gun to kill someone. Most of the irresponsible actions Rafe takes are driven by his desire to impress his father or seem more formidable to his friends and the Pogues. Everything he does is for his own personal gains or his vendetta against Sarah and John B.
SIMILAR: Appearance
Whether or not this likeness is intentional remains unclear for now, but both characters are white, have blond hair, and blue eyes. Their facial structures are comparable, too.
Only their clothes and accessories are different, given their contrasting financial backgrounds. The actors have a similar build, though Rudy Pankow who plays JJ is wider than Rafe’s Drew Starkey. They carry themselves very differently because of their characters’ personalities, but on the surface, they look quite similar.
NOTHING ALIKE: Sense Of Self-Importance
JJ thinks he’s worthless, which is evident in his decision to take Pope’s place and get arrested for his crime. He knows that Pope has a chance to make something of himself with his scholarship opportunity, but JJ thinks that he’ll never be anything.
Rafe, on the other hand, plaintively complains that his father likes his sister more than him. This dynamic may be challenging for Rafe because he craves paternal affection, but Ward seems to view Rafe as a disposable employee. Still, Rafe makes himself out to be more than he is to Topper and Kelce, and even to Barry, his drug dealer.
SIMILAR: Low Self-Worth
Though Rafe is very self-absorbed, he still degrades himself to what others think of him – specifically Ward. He also wants to appear superior in Topper and Kelce’s eyes, because he’s afraid they won’t listen to him otherwise. When Ward kicks him out of the Cameron household, Rafe realizes he has nothing. He desperately pleads for Ward not to leave him, but he can’t offer a decent reason as to why he should let him stay. He’s so desperate, in fact, that he’s willing to murder the Sheriff just to earn his father’s trust.
As mentioned above, JJ’s self-worth is so low that he’s willing to sacrifice his entire future and take his friend’s place in prison. He also struggles to stand up to his father, even though Luke’s actions are unjust, unlike Ward’s attitude to Rafe.
NOTHING ALIKE: JJ Doesn’t Go Through With The Ultimate Crime
By the end of the first season, both JJ and Rafe wield a gun. JJ is driven by his emotions – and possibly the alcohol he’s consumed – at a beach party early in the season. He offers Sarah a drink, but she politely refuses. Topper says he’ll have it, but JJ is adamant that he didn’t ask him. They fight, and Topper ends up holding John B under the waves. JJ points a gun at Topper, but he doesn’t shoot. He carries the gun around for much of the season and has plenty of chances to use it, including on his sleeping dad, but he never does.
Rafe is also driven by emotion rather than rational thought, and maybe the substances he consumes throughout the season could’ve disturbed his thought process, but he kills someone the first chance he gets. When his father is about to be arrested for crimes he committed and has lied about, Rafe shows up and kills Sheriff Peterkin in front of three witnesses. He gets away with it, while JJ paid for earlier, less serious offenses – including Pope’s destruction of Topper’s boat.
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