Quiche

I agree with the part on Douglas. The lousy parts of the season were about him, and his scenes ate up endless time. Frankly, I wished he had died at the end of Season 2.

Claire came from a wealthy family. I remember her saying in an interview how her father funded Frank's campaign. So it was a poor Georgian country boy marrying a rich Texan girl. Claire was much more human in Season 3. Whatever she did in the first two seasons, at least she didn't kill anyone. But there was decided change and softening of her character in Season 3.

Actually, I'm on Claire's side and glad she left "Francis". He was the weak one, letting the Russian president walk all over him. That is where the crack appeared in the marriage. All Frank saw was his ambition, and he sold-out Claire for a quick win. He devalued Claire. Now let him keep the White House without her! Doug is a psycho. So is Frank. Let's not forget that we saw Frank kill with his own hands two people. These two belong in adjoining prison cells. This is now Claire's moment of truth. This season we saw a decent, human side of her. But is her leaving Frank just a ploy? Does she still lust for the power he can have? She sold-out half of her life for lust of power. Will she continue to sell herself for ambition, power and status?

Whatever Rayna does just leaves me cold. This is a poor lead of a primetime drama. That's why the ratings are not great! I think Deacon was better off with his girl-friend on the road, but they have seemed to have gotten rid of her entirely. Eric Close is wasted on this show. I love Jeff/Layla story. Scarlett is the best with the doctor. Gunnar needs another story - about his career. I'm tired of his poor, poor me, oh, woeful me type of stories. I miss Juliette.

Actually, I only found Jeff/Layla and Luke to be interesting. I don't like Luke - but I want to see what he does. Unlike most of the other characters - who only bore me. Rayna's love and longing for Deacon is so palpable, so incredible .... NOT! Now the question is who bores me the most? Gunnar wins that dishonor. Hoping this show picks up in speed.

It could be that the writers finally figured out that we like Jeff too much, and they were going to put an end to that. The writing is full of propping. The more they prop Rayna, the more I feel more for Teddy and even for Jeff. But the writers only want certain ones to be heroes. The quality of the writing declines and declines.

Rayna deals with life and people at a very shallow level. It's all about what she thinks, what she thinks is best, and what she "feels." After dumping Luke, she runs to Deacon. But she isn't ready to deal with him or his feelings or what he thinks. Rayna needs time. Because it is 1000% about her. That's a kind of abuse. I am willing to cut Teddy quite a few breaks - because he suffered from that abuse for years. Rayna is actually an inversion of the Jeff character. The main difference between the two is not their selfishness. The main difference is that Rayna is holier than thou, and Jeff is a self-knowing devil. They actually deserve each other. Compare - Rayna basically leaves Deacon hanging, while she takes care of her needs. And Jeff did the same to Layla.

I enjoyed the episode. I liked best the scenes with Jeff. I hope he stays on the show. I'm glad Luke is going to own a rival record company. Good for him. Rayna did him wrong. As for her -- eh? I will never warm up to her character. I felt sorry for Teddy. I liked Deacon's scenes, mostly because #1 no Rayna in them and #2 he wasn't mooning over Rayna. Deacon does so much better when he is away from Rayna. I bet it will be Teddy.

First thoughts - Rayna is a creep and Scarlett is looking more and more freakish. You bring a man to his wedding day, leading him on. Not only that, but in front of the whole world. Rayna is a creep and A #1 a-hole. She just destroys men. No wonder Deacon was drunk all the time. Look at what she did to Teddy. When they did the karoake on stage, Scarlett looked very weird. Her physical appearance is just awful. Juliette deserves happiness. She loves with her entire heart. She is not like Rayna, who at every turn is just plain calculating. Rayna really loves no one but herself.

All this talk about how Rayna greeted Deacon got me thinking. I didn't really pay attention to this. But I remember how last week that Maddie didn't get a chance to spend any time with Deacon during her visit with Rayna and Luke. And we know that Maddie is unhappy that Rayna is marrying Luke. It seems to me that this all could add to a custody suit. In fact, Maddie is probably old enough to choose who she lives with. That's why I think they didn't punish her. All three parents - Rayna, Teddy and Deacon - are competing with each other. It won't take much at this point for Maddie to start whining about how she wants to live with Deacon.

I think tonight we saw a side of Rayna which is more true. She would not have become the queen of country music without ambition and a healthy sense of competition. To be at the top, she had to put her career first. BUT, then don't pretend otherwise. I don't look down on Rayna for being ambitious or competitive. I look down on her for being a passive aggressive hypocrite. Don't pretend to be such a wonderful mother, when you always put your career first. I do think that Rayna and Luke belong with each other. I don't think she was or will ever be good for Deacon. Pam seems to be the right woman for him. As for Maddie, she is to blame for being irresponsible to her sister. They should have grounded her. I liked all of tonight, except for the Gunnar parts of the show. Luckily his screentime was limited. Avery is not good enough for Juliette.

The disturbing thing about David Clarke is that he has no personality. Totally lacking in charisma. The man is one big blah. He comes off like a burned out hippie lost off the commune.

I don't even mind that David doesn't know about Emily. But I sat there at the end with the scene on the porch, thinking or expecting them to reveal just a little more truth about this David Clarke. Lack of follow through is a real problem with these writers.

I suppose killing Conrad Grayson was not enough revenge for David. Maybe he has dementia. He acts like it. What about trying to find out who ran him down? That is actually suspicious. And just who does David think or wants to get revenge on now - for what? For the death of his daughter. Again, that was Conrad who killed "Amanda Clarke". I do like Charlotte. The problem is they are not showing her motivation. Not a single scene between her and her father.

Not as a good of an episode as I hoped it would be. The stories are dragging. I had hoped they would reveal more of the truth about David Clarke. This whole cop angle is boring and dumb. Too many side stories and side characters. So you get a little bit of story in the main stories you watch for, and it just isn't worth it.

Actually, this would be fun.

I think Rayna pretty much had things her own way with Deacon and Teddy, especially with Teddy. It was Teddy who could not take it any more and asked for the divorce. In contrast, I don't think Luke will kow-tow to what she decides is best. He's going to put his foot down. I'm sure he wants to wear the pants in the marriage.

Juliette said in the press conference for the Patsy Kline movie that "Juliette Barnes" is a character she created and thinks she plays rather well. It is so true about the low self-esteem. Unfortunately, that's why she thinks she needs Avery. But as we can see, he is not good at handling set-downs or disappointments.

I agree 1000%. I thought Zoey was great on stage. I especially agree over the part on Avery. His reaction and continued upset is a pathological. And I do think that it is somehow tied to the fact that Juliette is successful, while he is not. The greatest mistake she will make in her life could possibly be going back with him.

Why is Rayna on tour so much? She increased her concert dates and appearances. The reason why she did that is because after 1 week her new album was no longer #1. According to Rayna, all her albums go platinum. Now, I forget. Was this her last album that she owed Edgehill or her first album for her new record company? Either way, Rayna is on tour because she must be #1. But not all the country singers can be #1. They still make a living. Rayna's priority is her career, and not her daughters. Which is fine. But don't pretend otherwise and blame other people.

Some further thoughts, Rayna was remiss in not seeing if Maddie would like to spend time with Deacon. Bad mistake. Maddie would resent the situation less if she could do something with her father. Probably Rayna doesn't want to mess up the family time with Luke. But what that is actually doing is forcing Maddie. Will has been using lots of people. He doesn't have to be a Country Music Star if it means destroying and hurting other people. And yes, I do mean Layla. I like her. She has been used by both Will and Jeff, and I'm glad she's sticking it to them. Unpopular opinion: Deacon and Pam seemed tres sympatico - both companionable and compatible. He will never have that with Rayna.

WOW! Good episode. I like Derek better than Avery. He seems nice so far. Avery can go blow smoke out of his butt. What was Luke doing throwing a hizzy fit over Will's bruises. Aren't guys in cowboy hats suppose to lead rough and tough lives? Great ending scene with Zoe taking over for Juliette. Jeff is such a sleaze - but I am fascinated. Rayna is over the top. There is a price to be paid for fame. Suck it up and deal with it. Her call to Teddy was way out of line.

But let's think about this. Why would the hero and good guy David Clarke kill a young woman like Emily Thorne? Either he truly is a loon. Or David Clarke was and is a bad guy. Or it's stupid plot writing. My personal fav.

I agree. His whole story to the police about being held captive by Conrad Grayson was one huge fabrication. The lie is clear by the way he was acting as though he thought Conrad was still alive. David Clarke beat his back with a heavy chain to make it look like he had been tortured. Then he deliberately shop-lifted so the police would get him and he could tell his lies.

I think both Rayna and Deacon are losing propositions for any other people. Look what happened to Teddy. He basically played 2nd fiddle throughout his marriage to Rayna.