Julia AND Dave Woodard: Two Victims?

[Countess]

Reading some older posts, I came across a few references to Julia's murder of beloved Dr. Woodard.  It's been awhile since I've seen those eps, but I DO remember how I felt about her involvement.  Barnabas gave her no choice in the matter.  If she didn't help him, he swore to make Dave a vampire too.  Realistically, Barnabas didn't need her "help" in carrying out his plot to do away with the doctor.  However, I always believed that Barnabas's plan was to blackmail Julia into keeping her silence and continuing her treatments.  I still believe that it was Barnabas's sick way of controlling a woman whom, until that point,  he could not control.  After that, she was forever tied to him by this horrible deed.  My memory is a bit faulty here, but I seem to recall that Julia threatened to go to the police and tell all about Barnabas and the vampire attacks, but Barnabas made it clear that before the police ever got to him, HE would get HER.  Does that sound like Julia was a willing accomplice in this?  I know I'll take some heat for this, but I always thought Julia was almost as much a victim as Dave Woodard was.  Cousins?

Countess

[PennyDreadful]

  You pretty much hit the nail on the head in your description of the scenario.  Barnabas didn't leave Dr. Hoffman much of a choice.  However, any way you cut it, she was still in accomplice in Woodard's murder - albeit an unwilling one.

 ~Penny Dreadful~

[Countess]

Agreed.  What could she have done to prevent this tragedy?  What would have been the ramifications of her actions?  Do you think Barnabas would have let Dave Woodard live - or even Julia for that matter?  Something interesting to ponder and the reason for my posting the topic.  I know this will generate lots of lively debate.

Countess

[Julia99]

Wellll I do think Julia us culpable in the murder and her action for the Collins family later is her attempt at contrition. . . well i don't think the writers actually set that up but it works okay for me. . i do think however. .julia could've destroyed Barnabas. . he was vulnerable during the day ..Julia could've come over. . slipped Willie something say at 9:00 a.m. and then had hours to hammer something into Barnabas' chest cavity--

[stefan]

I didn't know any of this. I knew Dr. Woodard was killed by Barnabas but never saw the scenes. Well, I think this all makes Julia Hofman's subsequent involvement and feelings for Barnabas even more icky. I wish they had gone another direction with Julia Hoffman.

[michael c]

I didn't know any of this. I knew Dr. Woodard was killed by Barnabas but never saw the scenes. Well, I think this all makes Julia Hofman's subsequent involvement and feelings for Barnabas even more icky. I wish they had gone another direction with Julia Hoffman.

if you get a chance stafan you should go back and watch this part of the story.there are some great moments of julia being haunted by dr. woodard's ghost that may or may not have involved barnabas.it's julia at her most hysterical.

the scene being described above wasn't as impactful as it could have been because the part of dr.woodard was re-cast just before it.

[Luciaphile]

It's not the most popular opinion, but I think Julia is just as guilty in Dave's death as Barnabas. Yes, she was being bullied and I think you're right in that Barnabas saw it as a way of keeping her tied to him, but she had choices all along. She kept consistently making the wrong ones, but she always had a choice.

I don't have a lot of respect for Julia here. She's not a good doctor in that she's thrown over the needs of her patient for hope of personal aggrandizement. That she falls in love or obsession explains (not excuses) a lot that happens later on down the line, but when she first shows up? Not that it was well set up. Now that I've seen what gets published in the medical literature, I'm even more unclear as to what exactly she expected to publish or gain out of treating Barnabas. I'm also imagining the reactions of the peer-reviewers 

Anyhow, she chooses herself over Dave. That's a choice. It's not a great choice, but she had one. So yeah, I think she was guilty.

[Joeytrom]

Now that I've seen what gets published in the medical literature, I'm even more unclear as to what exactly she expected to publish or gain out of treating Barnabas. I'm also imagining the reactions of the peer-reviewers

Perhaps she wanted to be recognized as one bringing the dead back to life, though I could image that her peers would probably be horrified/outraged/stunned at what she did with such a being as a vampire.
Though, with Maggie being kidnapped and the attacks on the other girls in town, I would think the authorities would have had to put Julia in jail for being intangled with the perpetrator and knowing all that he did without trying to bring attention to the police.  I would think her medical career would have been over.

As for what would have become of Barnabas, he couldn't have possibly had any peace one her experiment was made public and would either have been put in prison or forced into going into seclusion somewhere.

[Luciaphile]

Well, there is that. I was thinking that it would have to be published as a case report, which typically isn't all that high up on the scale. It's not like she would have a double-blinded randomized controlled trial or anything. And then there's her literature review 

[Raineypark]

Personally I've always thought of both of them as morally bankrupt.  But since he was "compelled" to behave like a monster, I blame her even more than him.  She could have put an end to his  murders at the first light of day after she discovered what he was.

But then there'd have been no show. 

[Julia99]

Well as in the case of many a soap opera character...Barnabas and Julia started out as two morally reprehensible, selfish people. . who evolved and became the heroes of the show.  ..

[Sandor]

Well said, Julia99-
and also with selfish soap characters who commit heinous crimes but become viewer favorites, such as Julia and Barnabas, while neither was ever tried, convicted and punished for the actual death of Dr. Woodard, they both got their lumps in other ways.  Throughout the series, they endured more horrific comeuppances than had they been thrown behind bars. Did the state of Maine have the death penalty in 1967? Would have been an interesting plot twist had the two gone on trial for murder and beat the rap, after some wrenching courtroom histrionics from Frid & Grayson.

[PennyDreadful]

Personally I've always thought of both of them as morally bankrupt.

  I agree with you, although I still think Barnabas pressured her into doing it - i.e. she wasn't exactly doing jumping jacks over the fact that she was going to help a vampire kill her friend.  However, she could have chosen to stake Barnabas instead of course.

  Heck, now that I think about it, most of the DS characters ranged from somewhat morally ambiguous to flat out morally bankrupt.  The exceptions would probably be Vickie and Maggie.

 ~Penny Dreadful~

[TERRY308]

The way I see it, is Julia is just as guilty as Barnabas.  There she was, everyday making sure that he was "allright", when God knows, she could have went to Sheriff Paterson and spilled her guts.  

But she didn't.

You know, it's kinda funny what a woman will do for the man she loves.