#1012-1013: Crossing the Line, Parts 1-2

[Polehaus53]

I honestly have never been a huge fan of Jules. She crossed all my lines a long time ago. As early back as her return to Odyssey in Album 62 and her behavior in Album 63. Looks like in these episodes she is once again wrecking vehicles. CRIMINAL!! I would like to see if anyone still likes Jules after this latest two-part episode.

Needless to say, these episodes drove (no pun intended ) me crazy. I thought Jules had learned her lesson from "Friend Or Foe". That episode is the whole reason why the two of them (Jules and Valerie) are sworn enemies. Why in the world would Jules team up with her? Is she really in such a poor state of mind from being hurt by Bridget and Buck that she has resorted to hanging out (and now LIVING?!) with the one person she learned was trouble albums ago? Hmm, actually, now that I say it, I suppose that could be an explanation. With everything that happened with the band and then Buck breaking up with her, it could be that Jules is not thinking straight. But in my opinion she generally never thought straight so this time she is really off the rails.

Not to say I disliked everything. There were some parts I liked. I did like that we had Jillian using her investigation skills in this episode. The part where she was told by Connie to get rid of the snack that Buck liked was funny: I think she just started eating them. And of course, I am never opposed to having Detective Polehaus appearing in episodes.

Overall, my annoyance with Jules aside, I am quite intrigued with how this will go! The album cover art has Jules being injured in the wilderness, and that has not happened in these episodes. I guess in another episode in this album we will see this, and I am curious how it will go down!

Anyone else have any thoughts? Anyone out there who would like to defend Jules? Let's discuss!

[Bob]

Here's a few disorganized thoughts on this and on Jules, split into several sections.

* * *

What's curious about the assessment of Jules is that she is being judged by a different standard than at least one other character. You say that you dislike her because of her poor choices and criminal activity, but other characters have also made poor choices and committed crimes, or highly dubious acts.

Some of Jules Kendall's lowlights include:
* Stole a piece of jewelry from a store in California a few years ago
* Set off fireworks illegally in city limits
* Attempted to help spy on and steal things from Wooton Bassett
* Lied repeatedly over a variety of things whenever she got in trouble
* Encouraged Buck to commit minor crimes whenever it was convenient for her personally
* Covered up others' underage drinking, though she didn't drink herself
* Set off smoke bombs in the school
* 'Borrowed' (stole) Connie's car several times without permission
* Committed a hit-and-run
* Was willing to let Connie take the blame for it
* Broke one of Connie's wall hangings

Compare this to the record of a known villain, Rodney Rathbone, who, among other things:
* Beat up various kids over a long period of time
* Endangered children by having them run out over ice
* Committed various acts of vandalism and criminal mischief, including setting off the sprinklers in a school, and vandalizing Whit's End, the church, and the Harlequin Theatre, among others
* Plotted other acts of vandalism, and may have eventually committed some of them, including setting school property on fire, and egging a nursing home
* Forcibly painted a child's hair blue
* Stole school tests on various occasions
* Framed Mandy for one of those times
* Stole other items, like Tom Riley's apples, a security tape at Whit's End, and a statue he believed was valuable
* Lured a minor (Lucy Schultz) into a situation comparable to kidnapping
* Witnessed an attempted murder and did nothing to help
* Forged a historical signature and attempted to sell it as memorabilia

In the categories where Jules has done similar wrong things as Rodney, Rodney's actions are worse (even to the point of being cartoonishly despicable), and as far as I recall Jules has never beaten anyone up, or even threatened to. Why then do we find Rodney acceptable (in that we still enjoy listening to his character), but Jules has gone too far?

The first difference to come to mind is expectations. Rodney is 'supposed' to be a bad guy, so bad behaviour is the norm, while we have cast Jules as a protagonist. Decent people don't do what she's done, so she is 'failing to play her role', while we don't expect any better from Rodney. This typecasting is strong enough that even the comparison (Jules Kendall to Rodney Rathbone) seems absurd.

Another difference, highlighted in the most recent episode, is that Rodney does have one line he won't cross: he is loyal to and respects his parents, and isn't willing to openly defy them. Jules, on the other hand, has repeatedly undermined Connie or gone behind her back, and her recent tantrum may exceed any level of disrespect we've seen from a major character in the history of the show (although a few characters, like Monty in "Member of the Family", or Alex in "No Boundaries", have come close). (The fact that you can point out some area where Jules is worse than Rodney is incredibly unflattering, pointing back to the previous difference.)

There's also a difference in perceived maturity. We have always known that Rodney is immature, to the point of being 'developmentally disabled', as far back as his earliest appearances. But Jules is apparently, other than her troubled background, a normal teenage girl, who has normal accomplishments and capabilities, and can be expected to hold up normal responsibilities. Rodney gets a pass because he isn't expected (there's that expectation again) to learn or to know any better, but we think Jules ought to. "To whom much is given, much is required," I suppose.

* * *

The most comparable arc I can think of is Aubrey's, but there are a few important differences in their characters that contribute to the results we're seeing.
* Aubrey came from a stable and loving family background, and she felt the same way about them, even if she wouldn't always admit it. Jules didn't have this until relatively recently.
* Aubrey was a bit younger during her 'dark period' than Jules is now.
* Aubrey is a deeper thinker than Jules.

* * *

What this episode reinforces, the same as in her trip to California, is that Jules, for all of her talk about being 'stifled' or 'controlled', is not an independent person. If someone else proposes something, she goes along with it. Even when her conscience is triggered, it only takes a little bit of pressure before she eventually agrees with everything they tell her to do. Given that tendency of caving, I was surprised that she openly rebelled against Connie at the end of the episode, but she was probably 'fortified' by a conversation with Valerie in advance. The fact that the choice seems to be 'having fun' vs. 'being responsible' might have helped push her over too.

As far as the dubious quality of her decisions, I think that speaks for itself. I'm not yet acquainted with whatever Bridget supposedly did to Jules, but I don't see that it could possibly be worse than what Valerie did before this episode on multiple occasions, ranging from blackmail to setting Jules up with a massive bill that she couldn't pay off. I wouldn't even be surprised if Valerie rigged the smoke bomb to malfunction so that Jules would get in trouble (although given that she has little love for Bridget, she probably hoped that it would work out so that she could 'take out' both of them at once).

In any case, the folly of Jules putting herself in a situation where she is totally dependent on Valerie's goodwill is clear. The album cover implies that she will soon be injured and probably abandoned in the woods somewhere.

But even if she is less likable now than she has ever been, I project that by the end of this album, she will come to herself, and we will see things begin to turn around.

[Polehaus53]

Thanks for the response, Bob!

Very well-done comparison of Rodney and Jules! I don't have the time to respond in detail to all the points, but I have read through it a bunch of times. Very greatly thought out! As you said, the way that the characters are portrayed in terms of one being a comedic antagonist and the other a serious protagonist, will impact how one looks at them and the standards for each one will vary. I also realized that there have been episodes where Jules was actually the good person in the story. "Judge Me Tender" is one that comes to mind. Very good point about Aubrey as well. I unfortunately have not re-listened to the Novacom Saga as much as I have other sagas, so I often forget about the darker period of life that Aubrey went through before she came to Christ.

What this episode reinforces, the same as in her trip to California, is that Jules, for all of her talk about being 'stifled' or 'controlled', is not an independent person. If someone else proposes something, she goes along with it. Even when her conscience is triggered, it only takes a little bit of pressure before she eventually agrees with everything they tell her to do. Given that tendency of caving, I was surprised that she openly rebelled against Connie at the end of the episode, but she was probably 'fortified' by a conversation with Valerie in advance. The fact that the choice seems to be 'having fun' vs. 'being responsible' might have helped push her over too.

This is a valid point, I did not think about that. You are entirely right; it is quite ironic how Jules is easily influenced by others despite her repeatedly saying that she is independent and doesn't need others. Valerie's influence definitely played a role in driving her to act the way she did in these episodes. I need to re-listen to these episodes again but I still cannot seem to grasp how willingly she worked with Valerie and let herself be swayed by her when Jules literally had an entire episode where she learned that Valerie was trouble.

But even if she is less likable now than she has ever been, I project that by the end of this album, she will come to herself, and we will see things begin to turn around.

I don't doubt that this will be the case. But I am hoping that we see Jules actually changing for the best, unlike Valerie. We had "Take Every Thought Captive" with Valerie where it seemed as though there was hope for her to change. However, it does not look like she took anything away from her experience there. I am hoping that Jules proves better and her experience will result in her actually changing to be a better person.

Overall, good defense for Jules! I appreciate you calling out my points and I give you my appreciation for it!