Juliette Barnes: That Girl Worth Choosing

[Cranberry]

Best character on the show, am I right?

(That was a rhetorical question. There's really no debate.)

[prican58]

Pretty much. I'm a Country fan anyway so I would watch this show regardless. But my main reason for watching is Hayden P. I always knew she could be a force and this role gives her that. She makes you see all the good and not so good of Juliette and make you love her anyway. Juliette is a very well written and multifaceted chatacter.  

[aradia22]

No doubt. Even though the writers put Juliette through the ringer, she is still one of the more compelling characters and a lot of that is down to Hayden. She is doing a fantastic job. She had me crying so much in the first season finale.

I don't want to call myself a country fan because I feel like "real" country fans wouldn't consider me a country fan. I'm a city girl and I don't mind a bit of folk, pop, or rock getting into my country... though I hate all that beer, Nascar, and traditional gender roles stuff in a certain segment of country music. For me, country music is all about the divas... Loretta, Reba, Trisha, Dolly, etc. though I do like some of the newer groups like Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry, and Eden's Edge. I'm not saying that I would watch every show that featured singing but I did watch Glee and Smash so... it's definitely a factor in my decision making process. 

Regardless of why I started watching, I kept watching because of Hayden. When every other storyline is going off the rails, she somehow keeps things together. Even when Juliette's world is falling apart, Hayden is still right there, fully committed to her part. I never watched Friday Night Lights so I don't really get the adoration of Connie Britton (who seems rather flat in Nashville) but thankfully Hayden is there to carry the show. 

[spottedreptile]

I love Juliette because even though she's a train wreck, she has convictions, and some flashes of self-awareness that lend depth to her character. And Hayden just pulls it off week after week despite being held hostage to soap writing.

Scarlett on the other hand, is a damp napkin with nothing really interesting to reveal as far as I can see. 

[Joystickenvy]

Hayden P was one of the main reasons I started watching. She has done a great job and is a surprisingly good singer. Probably too good, because she makes Rayna less believable as the Queen of country by comparison.

[Lillybee]

I just read that Hayden is pregnant.

[ReadingZombie]

I just read that Hayden is pregnant.

 

I just read that, too. I really, really hope they don't have Juliette pregnant with that slime-ball Jeff's kid. Because, just ugh. I don't want to see a paternity mystery, either. If she's going to be pregnant I want it to be Avery's and I want them to have to deal with each other like adults. I know, I know, all the who's the baby daddy drama will be too much for the writers to pass up. I can wish, though, can't I?

 

Who knows, maybe they'll go the Olivia Pope route and shoot her at odd angles, have her in big coats, with random objects placed at tummy level and ignore the pregnancy altogether. 

Edited May 28, 2014 by ReadingZombie

[purplemonkey]

Oh, I'm not ready for this baby. Juliette has fucked more guys on the show than any other character. I really do hope they don't write this into the show. There's already too much drama! She'll have to start playing guitar to have something to hide behind.

[Cranberry]

Ugh, I do not want a Juliette baby, but I'm not sure the writers can resist doing an "is it Avery's or Jeff's?" story line, not to mention all of the "now I'll be able to raise someone who will really love me" and "I won't make the same mistakes my mama did" drama. 

[aradia22]

 

Ugh, I do not want a Juliette baby, but I'm not sure the writers can resist doing an "is it Avery's or Jeff's?" story line, not to mention all of the "now I'll be able to raise someone who will really love me" and "I won't make the same mistakes my mama did" drama.

Honestly, for creatives who say they want to write good female characters, they're kind of awful at it sometimes.

[CofCinci]

The show can't let Juliette have a full episode of happiness, so I'm sure the baby will die.

[FortKnox]

Yeah when I read Hayden was pregnant my first thought was please don't be Jeff's kid and I found it funny that I wasn't the only one. Which tells you about the writing.

[vera charles]

I have a feeling it will either be Jeff's (yuck) or she will think it is and confess to Avery and have it turn out to be Avery's after all, but only after her relationship with Avery has been destroyed.

[GaT]

 

I have a feeling it will either be Jeff's (yuck) or she will think it is and confess to Avery and have it turn out to be Avery's after all, but only after her relationship with Avery has been destroyed.

Or she'll have a miscarriage & everyone will find out & then we'll be in for another round of "bad things must always happen to Juliette". I am so tired of all the crap happening to her & of her making every bad decision possible. It's just gotten ridiculous.  

[RedheadZombie]

Juliette has been my favorite character since the beginning, but the writers are really pushing it.  Juliette is a selfish, damaged person, but HP has always given the character a vulnerability that makes the character work.  At this point, I'm praying they're working on a PPD story line.  If the baby (as implied by next week's preview), is found not having been fed or changed for hours - while in Juliette's care - I may be through with the show.  That is neglect, plain and simple, and is a case for having the child removed from the home.  That's not entertaining.  That's not a damaged, yet rootable character, IMO. 

 

This is a night time soap opera, and I don't think the writers are capable of the gravitas it would take, to write a story in which - no matter how much you have, or how wonderful your husband and beautiful your baby - happiness is impossible.  I haven't stayed with this show to watch Juliette give her crying baby murderous glares, and fail to even feed and change her.  And if this is indeed what happens next week, Avery needs to stop being the passive enabler.  Juliette is not simply an ambitious woman who needs to work and create to feel whole.  She's bordering on a woman who regrets not going through with an abortion, and resenting her newborn's presence in her home.

[MusicCityFan]

So agree. Hate watching what they are doing with Juliette though HP kills it. Started watching this show because of the initial rave reviews, Callie Khouri, T Bone Burnett music, and Connie Britton. I've kept watching for Juliette, Avery, and Deacon (the flawed ones). I was hoping they weren't gonna go there when she first had the baby. In that episode- when  Avery, Glen, and Emily were there-  and when Glen said "welcome to the family", and she cried a little as Avery looked at her-- was hoping as a viewer/fan that this would be when she realized that she was loved- that she was the girl worth choosing- and that she did have family who loved her unconditionally. But now seems they're going full out crazy/PPD. Looks like in next episode Avery and her team start to see the difference between Juliette being ambitious/bitchy (which is common with her) and that she actually may have a deeper problem with her child/PPD.  In the season 2 finale, Juliette herself acknowledged she was damaged and needed help. Maybe with this storyline, assuming there's a season 4, they'll actually delve into this, and by next season's end (which I think will be the last season of this show) she'll be a person at peace with herself and happy with the love/family she has, whoever that winds up being (hoping Avery).