JJ Jones

Jonah Jeremiah "JJ" Jones are one of the main characters from generations 2 of television series Skins.

He is portrayed by Ollie Barbieri. He's the only main character in the second generation to appear in every episode of series 3 and 4.

Characterization
JJ has a huge imagination, shown by his enthusiasm for magic. However, he has the same basic plans and desires as the average teenager- he simply sees them as beyond his reach, and thus develops elaborate schemes to get them. He is best friends with Freddie and Cook and they're known as the 'Three Musketeers', although JJ acknowledges that he is the one with the least to contribute (being easily the least worldly, which is why he often allows himself- against his and Freddie's judgement- to be lead by Cook). While less experienced than Freddie, he is more willing to try new things, at least during Season 3. JJ is well spoken and extremely good at maths, science and many other academic subjects, but he lacks basic social skills, and compensates for this by performing an impressive array of magic tricks. He has autism, for which his psychiatrist is no help, instead prescribing him dozens of prescription drugs. Thus, few people take him seriously in spite of his intelligence, and this often leads him to fits of rage or getting 'locked on'; this is especially true if the people are Freddie or Cook, as he says "they're pretty much the only friends that I've got." Indeed, it is always they (though primarily Freddie) who rescues him if he gets into trouble.

Despite this, in Series 3 he soon forms a close friendship with Emily Fitch, considering her to be his closest female friend. While he is never quite successful in fixing the split between Cook and Freddie (concerning Effy Stonem, to whom JJ is initially also attracted) both his best friends demonstrate that they still value his friendship deeply- particularly Cook, who becomes more and more isolated as the season progresses.

During Series 4, JJ is much more confident with himself, although he still has difficulties with asking out Lara Lloyd, his co-worker and crush. As he gradually drifts away from both Freddie and Cook (Freddie having embarked on his relationship with Effy, and Cook spending time in and out of prison) he also forms a strong friendship with Thomas Tomone. Emily remains a strong friend of his, although he is unafraid to criticize her for punishing Naomi.

Series 3
In "Everyone", Freddie, Cook and JJ meet up before college begins. Their world collides with Effy’s, and Cook is intrigued, however, both Freddie and JJ are equally smitten. Later, Effy issues smitten Freddie, JJ and Cook with a challenge to be completed by the end of the day. The winner will get to ‘know her’ better. JJ does not win the challenge, nor does he expect to- despite being considered less 'normal' than Freddie (whom Cook once referred to as a 'fun-sponge'), he is the least willing of the three to delve into his dark side. As it is, his initial feeble attempts to impress other girls with his magic tricks- initially supported by Cook- fail miserably.

In "Cook", JJ goes to Cook's birthday party, and when Cook gets into a fight with Johnny White, he almost hits JJ. JJ later follows him into the brothel where Cook finds and taunts White (who is restrained in an embarrasing position) but JJ does not lose his virginity as planned, due to Cook's temper and White's subsequent death- threats.

In "Thomas" JJ is once again threatened by White as the gangster catches them selling dope at one of his underground clubs; however, he is saved when Thomas defeats White in a chili-eating contest, forcing him to leave them alone.

In "Pandora",Cook and JJ (the latter very reluctantly) try to sneak into Pandora' pajama party. Cook enters the house through a window, but accidentally locks himself inside a wardrobe. After calling Freddie for help, JJ goes into the house by himself and sees Emily and Naomi kissing. When the party is crashed by Katie's boyfriend and a huge group of his unruly friends, JJ gets panicked and spends much of the evening 'locked on' against a wall. Later, Freddie comes to take JJ home and rebukes Effy for leaving him unattended with the assumption that Cook would look after him. As they leave, so does Effy.

In "Freddie" JJ shows off a new fire- breathing trick in front of his best friends and Effy in the shed; however, things become tense after Effy and Cook argue and Effy leaves. During the episode, JJ questions why Freddie will no longer be friends with them. Freddie answers that Cook no longer has friends. JJ tries to deny it, but cannot make an adequate argument- even he is only spending time with Cook because it gives him the opportunity to become more worldly.

Later, they meet at Keith's bar to discuss their revenge plans for Karen (Freddie's sister) who has gotten Mr. McClair to turn their shed into a practice room for her. JJ accidentally lets slip that Cook once had sex with her, angering Freddie and damaging their triad friendship still further. Later, he ashamedly admits that he was one of fifteen people Cook got to vote against Karen and thus lose the show. Freddie's friendship with Cook seems permanently and finally shattered by this; while JJ pleads for them not to fight, Freddie lashes out and headbutts Cook. From now on, JJ will have to act as a mediator between Cook and Freddie.

In "Naomi", Naomi, who is running for student president, sees the massive presidential campaign staged by Cook and JJ. She launches her own campaign to rival Cook, but finds that most of her classmates' support is for Cook's anarchist ideas- although JJ likely would have supported her had he not wanted to keep his friendship with Cook intact.

In "JJ", JJ visits his psychiatrist, Dr Felly, seeking help for his recent bouts of rage and his confusion about his life and friends. Dr Felly has poor advice for JJ and prescribes him more drugs to calm him down. As he is leaving, he meets Emily, who came to the clinic to receive counseling in being more honest, but was simply prescribed the same drugs as JJ. She comes out to him (which, despite his fainting initially, he does not seem to mind) and he shares with her his longing to be "normal" for a day so that he could lose his virginity and reunite Freddie and Cook. She advises him to just ask for the things he wants, so they visit Freddie to tell him to make up with Cook. At Freddie's house, though, they walk in on Freddie having sex with Katie, and JJ accidentally reveals that Emily is a lesbian. Later at Freddie's shed, JJ asks Freddie to make up with Cook, but Freddie refuses and tells JJ to choose between him and Cook. JJ angrily points out that Freddie does not count him as the third member of their group, and that he is simply suppressing his feelings for Effy rather than letting them go; Freddie, furious at JJ's interferance, kicks him out.

Returning home, JJ sees his mother, Cecilia, overwhelmed by all of his issues and blames himself. He calls Cook to tell him how he feels, but Cook is preoccupied with having sex with a girl who JJ assumes is Effy. When he visits Effy, however, she reveals that she has not seen Cook in days. He asks her to leave Freddie and Cook alone, as they are all he has; she refuses but offers to be his friend after he tells her he loves her, to which he also refuses. JJ then visits Cook and discovers that he is having sex with Pandora. Pretending not to have seen this, he then confronts Cook about ruining their friendship with Freddie, telling him he needs to care. Unlike Freddie, Cook affirms to JJ that he loves him and brings JJ with him to buy narcotics. They are almost arrested and, after running from the police, JJ pressures Cook into taking his prescription drugs instead before they meet their friends at a club. JJ and Cook arrive and Thomas lets them into the club, announcing that Emily is already inside. Cook quickly gets into a fight on the dance floor and Freddie moves in to help when he discovers that JJ gave Cook his prescription drugs.

Cook, under the influence of JJ's drugs, is compelled to tell the truth and confesses that Effy loves Freddie. Cook says that he loves Effy, but knows his feelings are not reciprocated and that is why he is having an affair with Pandora. Thomas, Pandora's boyfriend, overhears this and is furious, but Freddie stops him when he moves to attack the helpless Cook. Before Freddie leaves, he and JJ forgive one another. JJ leaves the club and finds a tearful Emily, who does not want to go home to face Katie. JJ invites her to spend the night at his house and, after they agree to be friends, she offers to have sex with him as a "once-only charity event". JJ's mother meets Emily the next morning and watches them discuss the night before. She is overjoyed that he has made a real friend and believes that JJ will be alright after all.

JJ does not play a significant role in "Effy" although he does come along on the camping trip and berates Cook when he shows up uninvited; since Cook has repeatedly lead him into danger, he has reluctantly sided with Freddie..

In "Katie and Emily", the twins run into Freddie and JJ while trying on dresses for the school dance. JJ reveals to Emily that he told Freddie that he had sex with her, and Freddie inadvertently tells Katie, who was unaware of this. She guilts Freddie into accompanying her to the ball and volunteers Emily to go with JJ (JJ is terrified by this, as he fears Mr. Fitch will realize that Freddie and JJ slept with his daughters). Later, she is furious with Emily for having sex with JJ without her permission, still insisting that Emily is "not gay, [just] stupid". Katie intercepts one of Naomi's phone calls to Emily and tricks Naomi into meeting with her, where she reveals Emily's affair with JJ and warns Naomi not to come to the ball.

As Katie, Emily, Freddie and JJ prepare to enter the ball, Naomi arrives, announcing that she knows about Emily and JJ's fling before she walks in. As Freddie and JJ are left alone, JJ remarks that he won't be getting lucky tonight.

In "Finale", Freddie and JJ are working at an impromptu pawn shop. However, JJ eventually becomes frusturated with Freddie's listlesness and quits. Effy's mother, Anthea bumps into JJ and they talk about Effy. Effy calls Freddie and tells them her location (as she and Cook have run off after the events of "Effy"). Freddie, who has become increasingly depressed over her dissapearance and his ruined relationship with Katie, is initially unwilling to go after them, but JJ eventually goads him into action, berating him for being a quitter. Freddie and JJ turn up and Cook challenges them in a race. Whoever wins get’s to keep Effy. JJ ends up unexpectedly winning the race, so he gets them all in a room to sort out who Effy actually loves, showing surprising strength of character. Her eyes linger towards Freddie so Cook storms out. JJ trails him for a while, trying to convince him to come back, but finally goes to the train station alone. He changes his mind and heads back to the boat; on the way he meets up with Effy, and they head back to find Cook and Freddie already there. Effy, Cook, Freddie and JJ decide to drive the boat back to Bristol.

Series 4
He is seen dancing with Pandora at the club where Thomas works and is present when the girl Sophia kills herself.

In "Emily", he is at a party with Thomas and when Cook gets into a fight after seeing Freddie and Effy kissing, JJ gets hurt by Cook when trying to pull him off a kid he began punching. In "Cook", his friendship with Cook is now very strained, and has a very large bruise on the side of his face. When Cook comes back to school and asks JJ how he got his bruise, JJ doesn't answer and walks away. When Cook finds out from Freddie that he did that to JJ, he feels remorse and when he gets taken to jail, he tells Effy to tell JJ that he is sorry. JJ shows his continued loyalty by attending Cook's trial with Effy and Fredd seen with Pandora and several others at Emily's BBQ party, although he leaves after Emily and Naomi's issues are revealed.

In "Freddie" he is seen spending more time with Thomas, although his friendship with Freddie is still strong.

In "JJ", JJ is in love with Lara Lloyd, a fellow employee at a confectionary shop where he and Thomas are now working, but lacks the courage to ask her out. As if this were not enough, Cook is now hiding at JJ's house- Freddie, who had hidden him originally, was forced to smuggle him over after his father got suspicious. Thomas gets JJ to ask Lara out and she accepts. He visits Lara’s flat and discovers that she is a single mother with a young child. Lara’s ex-boyfriend, Liam, walks in and threatens JJ, telling him to leave Lara and his child alone. The date goes disastrously as a result (although this was partly due to JJ taking Cook's advice), and Lara leaves. JJ finds her and after he apologizes profusely (ridiculing himself in the process), Lara admits she finds him 'nice' in a way others are not. Later, they have sex at Lara’s. JJ returns home but his mother takes him to the clinic for more medication. Liam catches him emerging and threatens to tell Lara he is a nutjob; however, he never manages to, as Lara refuses to speak to him. JJ lets Lara meet Naomi and Emily. Upstairs, Emily tells JJ that Lara is using him to get back at her ex. Despite Emily being one of his best friends, JJ comments sarcastically on her relationship, in that she is in no position to criticize him as she is lying to Naomi about her potentially damaging friendship with Mandy, reducing her to tears. JJ’s family also think Lara is a slut and she leaves, offended. Cook is discovered and decides to flee to Naomi's house; he wishes JJ luck and tells him not to take shit from Liam. JJ becomes angry and beats up Liam when he sees him talking to Lara, who then calls off their relationship. JJ apologizes to Liam who tells JJ he loves his child. After JJ tells him that he does not ant to replace him as the father of the child, Liam warms up to JJ slightly, and asks for JJ to look after Lara. JJ serenades Lara with a group of people playing the ukulele and she takes him back.

In "Effy", JJ gets his A-levels scores like everyone else, and did very well. He is present at the party the gang threw to celebrate, and there when Effy (who has been acting more and more peculiar since her therapy sessions) decides to leave the gang.

In "Everyone", JJ (along with the rest of the gang), thinks Freddie ran away after not being able to deal with Effy's problems - not knowing that Effy's counsellor J. T. Foster killed him. Later, they decide to celebrate Freddie's birthday and throw a party in his shed, believing it is what he would have wanted.

His friendship with Cook is now fully restored. He is also seen taking care of Lara's son Albert, indicating that he is functioning as almost a stepfather role. It is not revealed if (or where) he will go to university the following autumn.

Relationships

 * Friendships
 * Freddie Mclair and Cook - refers to the friendship between Freddie Mclair, James Cook, and JJ Jones (aka the "Three Musketeers"), which spanned throughout Series 3 and Series 4.