While the major characters on Friday Night Lights either played football or coached it, Tami and Eric Taylor's teenage daughter Julie wasn't so keen on the sport, especially not compared to the other obsessed residents of Dillon, Texas. Fans enjoyed watching Julie as she offered up a contrast from the others, since she liked to make her own choices and go on her own path.
Julie is mostly known for her love story with Matt, and fans enjoyed watching her over five seasons of Friday Night Lights. But even though Julie was a well-written character in the first season, she worsened over time.
She Stopped Being Close With Her Family
Many scenes on Friday Night Lights made fans tear up and these often involved big football games or the tough lives of the players.
Fans also loved watching Julie hang out with her parents, and they seemed like such a tight-knit family. Julie was never super interested in football, which made her proud of her independence, and she was more loving toward her parents than most TV teens. But by the second season, Julie wasn't very nice to Tami and Eric, and it was tough and strange to watch.
She Was A Smart Teen Who Rebelled In A Predictable Way
There are many things that happen often on teen dramas and sometimes this includes a teenage girl deciding that she has to shake up her life. At the beginning of My So-Called Life, Angela dyed her hair and made new friends, and Jen was known for rebelling on Dawson's Creek.
In the second season of Friday Night Lights, Julie changed her personality and became a typical rebellious high schooler. She got a tattoo and she was really upset that her parents had her baby sister, Gracie. This didn't fit with what fans knew about her, as she seemed mature enough to handle having a baby in the house.
The Pacing Of Julie And Matt's Relationship Was Strange
Fans loved watching Julie and Matt's romance develop. But even though it's clear that these two were meant to be, and it's great that they did end up together, the pacing of their relationship was problematic.
The couple broke up twice during the first four seasons, the first time because Julie flirted with someone else and the second because Matt was going away to college. It seems like they could have stayed together and decided to pursue a long-distance relationship.
Also, while it was sweet and romantic when they got engaged on Christmas in season 5, it did feel very fast. Julie seemed to change her mind a lot, deciding one day that she was devoted to Matt and in the next moment she would say she had her own future to consider.
Her Romance With Her T.A. Doesn't Fit With Her Character
When Julie went off to college, she fell for her T.A., Derek Bishop. He was married but she went ahead and had an affair with him anyway.
Derek's wife Alison called Julie a slut, which was devastating for Julie, but also proof that she hadn't even thought about the consequences of her actions. This storyline doesn't seem like something that Julie would have done. While she was always stubborn and headstrong, she knew right from wrong and had definitely been raised to respect a long-term relationship or marriage.
She Didn't Have A Clear Interest
While the other characters on Friday Night Lights were all about football, and Tami Taylor cared about helping the teenagers in Dillon, Julie didn't have such an obvious hobby or interest.
Sure, she was vegetarian and sometimes got involved in social justice causes, but she didn't have one thing that defined her, which seems odd since her peers were so clear about their love for sports.
The Series Treated Julie Differently Than The Other Females
When Julie and Matt were ready to become intimate, Tami told Julie she was too young to have sex.
Tyra Collette and Lyla Garrity had physical relationships with their own love interests, and it seemed weird that the show would act like Julie couldn't as well. While Tyra was a vulnerable character who was in a loveless relationship with Tim Riggins, Julie knew that Matt truly cared about her and would treat her well. Wouldn't Tami be glad that her daughter had found a wonderful partner?
Her Storylines Revolved Around Cheating Or Football
Other than her relationship with Matt, Julie didn't often have much going on. She was either interested in someone else while dating Matt, or deciding to date her T.A. even though he had a wife.
Why didn't the show focus on Julie's inner life more, or give her more to work with? She grew up with the wise words of her mother and she came from a supportive and comfortable family. When Julie's storylines weren't about her messy love life, they were still about football, as she thought that it would be a good idea to go to East Dillon High School so she could set a positive example.
Her College Experience Was Lackluster
Fans of Friday Night Lights were interested in seeing Julie at college, as she was headstrong and smart, and it seemed like she would thrive in that environment.
Instead, Julie struggled socially and didn't have a good time. This was disappointing and not what people would have expected to see. It also wasn't a take on college life that was fresh or new, as many characters on TV shows believe that college isn't what they thought it would be.
Julie Became Angrier As The Seasons Progressed
Julie was always a tough and strong character, but she didn't seem quite so angry in the first season as she did later on.
Julie didn't really have a good reason to be so mad all the time. She had moved around because of her dad's job, but her parents were always respectful and wonderful to her, and they tried to treat her like an adult (except when she acted like a child, of course).
She Was Uncertain About Leaving Texas
Julie didn't seem like she knew whether she wanted to leave Dillon or not, and this was an odd character choice. If she was really so independent and determined to forge her own path, wouldn't she be more comfortable saying goodbye to this small town?
She ended up going to college in Texas, although she and Tami had gone to Boston to tour some colleges previously. Fans would have expected Julie to pick a Boston school so she could go off on her own.