Midru

Back in season 1, Scarlett and Gunnar got a deal with a Nashville music publishing house. It looks like she has returned back there and wrote 10 songs in the last 3 weeks. So they are paving the way for some kind of comeback for her. Anyone want her to perform again? Not me.

Just as a viewer and not analyzing anything I loved this episode and enjoyed almost everything that happened. Yay, Daphne finally gets a few scenes! I loved when she said, "Actually, I prefer chocolate milk." The first words of a future diva? Loved Scarlett with the homeless guy. He sang the song better I thought. Was that really the only new song of the episode? What's happening to the music? Really, now Gunnar has a baby, too? Or 9 and a half year old? Whatever. That's one thing I didn't like. Uh, yeah, Rayna, when you plan to tour for an entire year ya just might miss a couple things that happen at home. Not that anyone could anticipate that...

My thought on Jeff is that the actor has zero acting ability. He seems like every expression and vocal line are robotic. I can't tell about the writing because I am stuck on the actor. Regarding Deacon and women, I hadn't remembered a lot of details people have brought up here. I definitely don't think he was abusive or predatory. Hoping they ramp up the music. It seems like we have had less new music this season.

I think it is a gray area, MM. But Deacon has been around the block. Women almost never want men just for sex, even if at first it seems that way. Young guys are often surprised that what they view as a casual thing is viewed more seriously, frequently a lot more seriously, than their partners. Whose fault that is can be debated, but as a guy you can only break so many hearts before you have to tell girls that you are only good for a casual fling. Failure to warn people, and pass on the fragile ones, makes you responsible for hurting them IMHO. Deacon did warn Pam, but I think the other women were unaware. The musician/groupie relationship, which most of his seem to be some form of, is extremely unequal, and you would think a grown man would tire of that eventually.

Pam as a pawn of Luke never occurred to me. She would obviously have some history with him. Maybe a spicy history? And a couple episodes back she was the only witness to an argument between Deacon and Luke, so I am hoping she adds to that story. I too doubt she will be around long enough for us to really get to know her. It would be nice if she were Avery's mom, but on this show that would mean bringing on more all-new characters, until they get the entire population of Nashville on Nashville. I don't think there is any way Luke becomes the stepdad of the girls, because his evil plot/evilness will be revealed sometime just before the wedding! Poor Juliette, the best character and we hardly ever talk about her! It looks like this season for her will be all about the baby. Sigh. I like her better as a musician and careerist!

And my thought is that Pam for the moment at least is good for Deacon. You got another glimpse last week of just what a miserable SOB Deacon seems to be. Just a gloomy, unhappy guy. And Pam is the only person on the show calling him on it. And I love Deacon, definitely my favorite character after Juliette, but IMO he is definitely a slut. He has not screened any woman who has shown interest in him. If you wanna bang he'll bang, literally with no questions asked. So I don't see how Deacon, as presented on the show, is too good for anybody. Yes, he's a good looking artist who can pout with the best of them, but his personal issues overwhelm all his relationships. I think people let all the romance around Deacon obscure the fact that he's a pretty horrible user of women. The show wants us to forget, but I never will, how easily he jumped into bed with Juliette, who was literally half his age AND the main rival of the woman he supposedly loves. Way sleazy! I'm wondering too how Pam will play out. I hope she bring Evil Luke Wheeler's true colors into the light.

Avery has obviously done no thinking at all during his long pity party. Like Deacon last season, when these guys hit the bottle they cannot put two thoughts together to save their lives. So of course Avery doesn't reflect AT ALL about the subtleties of his situation, the ways he might have contributed to it, what Juliette wants to say to him, etc. It reminds me of Deacon purposely sitting in jail for a crime he knew he didn't commit. And if the Jeff and Teddy really try to sign the girls I think I might lose it. It is so stupid it boggles the mind. Of course Teddy has not supported the girls' musical ambitions and Rayna has. Also as their inspiration you would think they would want direction and participation from their mom. And, uh, in case they seem to have forgot... Rayna has her own record label! If not for artistic reasons then for financial reasons it would make no sense for them to sign with anyone but Rayna. Are they really so short on ideas that THAT was the best they could come up with? They could read this board and literally get twenty better ideas from reader suggestions.

I was thinking about the character whiplash of Avery, tracing him through three seasons as others above me have done. And I have to admit that this is a poorly written show. I am hooked and not going anywhere, but these writers traffic in lazy plot lines and can't keep true to their characters to save their lives. So no Will, Layla, or Luke this week. But we are getting to know FOUR brand new people- Sadie, Pam, Gunnar's ex, and I forget one. Point being there just isn't enough room for all these people. There must be 15 or 20 by now. Speaking of new characters, there's still plenty of time for Sadie to sell that picture. And only two songs this week? I loved the Pam/Deacon song but hated the Sadie/Rayna song.

Honestly I hope she loses the baby, just because I would rather avoid the story lines that would follow. I'd rather see Juliette without those distractions personally. No way is Pam Deacon's equal. She approached him like a groupie and to date has given him all power in the relationship. Careerwise we don't know that much about her. In show's world Deacon is definitely not Rayna's equal as she is a star and he is one of her second fiddles. I don't mean real world I mean the show's world. Funny about the vet and the lawyer. Every woman just throws herself at Deacon, so in the show's world they are not his equal, just his arm candy or glorified groupies. But I think in the real world these women, who are beautiful with great jobs and great careers, women who have their acts together, I think taking on a guy in Deacon's situation would be either an equal move or a step down. Hoping Jeff continues his career trajectory and is soon outside the elementary school talent shows with a bag of candy and a windowless van.

BBDI- I think the audience for Nashville is compartmentalized. Unlike a lot of comedies, cop shows, and other popular types of TV, I don't think Nashville has casual fans. Very few of my friends watch it, even musicians. My feeling is most people think of it as a soap opera and never give it a chance. Honestly, if I hadn't heard about the quality of music and portrayal of musicians on Nashville, I probably never would have given it a chance, either! So glad that I did. But I think it is hard to get people past the idea of a country soap opera, and a lot of people will miss out because of it.

Speaking of tears, I think I counted three different times Juliette cried actual, visible tears during a scene. How incredible is Hayden Panetierre? The Emmy truck should drive straight to her house.

No Luke, Will, or Layla, and I didn't miss any of them! Nice to see Teddy have something to do, even if it looks evil. He and Jeff should recruit Luke!

That was kind of spooky

Isn't Bucky already bald? Pam York is my new favorite character. And didn't look beat up at all this week I didn't think. Deacon is just a miserable SOB, isn't he? Remember those six-week relationships when you were young that were all about sex? That's all Deacon is good for, and it looks like you wouldn't get more than one night out of him before he started his gloomy routine. Damn you, Rayna, for helping Juliette and then making that whole I'm a champion of women and artists thing. I don't trust you at all to be that person. And, what, now Teddy will sign the girls to a label and Rayna won't? What planet are the writers on? Teddy is the one against the girls playing music, remember?

Betcha anything she goes to tell him, he says that, and leaves so she doesn't tell him. In any normal world she would have told him in episode 1 this season, but looks like they are going to stretch it out. So Avery joins Deacon and Gunnar as jailbirds. Be fun to see Will go, maybe for public sex with him "trainer". And I bet when Luke finally goes he stays awhile!

Amazing how Rayna has been burning up the airwaves here while being, to me, one of my least favorite characters. But she's just so annoying! Juliette is almost the opposite, she really doesn't deserve better than she gets but you like her so much you want that for her. Pushing Glen and Emily away made me sad because they've already proven themselves. And I so hope Avery gets it together and/or Juliette tells him about their tiny baby soon. Hoping Scarlett and Gunnar reunite soon, at least musically. Though I would like them romantically back together soon as well. I can't believe it but Scarlett is definitely in the top half of characters for me now. Someone above was describing the right way to build a character and I feel that's what they've done with Scarlett. You know who she is. Other characters can count on her. And I hardly notice her clothes or hair anymore. Whereas with Rayna, Connie Britton's beauty, which I admit is inspirational, is all I like about Rayna anymore. I am with those who hope Layla and Jeff torture each other, and I don't want them too but they are both going to be torturing Will. Show really needs to write him a big hit called "American Man" or something stereotypically macho, so he can sing it while the scandal unfolds. Gunnar's girl problems- I don't care about anyone but Scarlett. Anyone notice how Pam York was about the only witness to one of Deacon's arguments with Luke? My guess is she is key here. Maybe she knows some secrets from Luke's past? His last three wives all died mysteriously, with large insurance payouts?

Rayna going to Deacon's house was the height of arrogance. Rayna ain't no saint. She's made countless parenting mistakes, several recently. She rarely if ever gets called on these mistakes or acknowledges she is ever wrong. So for her to go over there with the sole purpose of upbraiding him was terribly self-righteous and hypocritical. Deacon may or may not be right, but his revelation to Maddie was at least defensible. Over and over again Rayna judges people for mistakes she makes. She wants everything her way all the time. And the problem is the show acts like she is right. And let's remember the last time they had a parenting disagreement, around keeping secrets, about Maddie, Rayna had been hiding Maddie's paternity and denying him his paternal rights with no plans to ever tell him. So if I were Deacon I'd be like "to hell with you and all your secrets!" As has been mentioned before, she has no business telling anyone how to do anything. And Deacon's revelation was defensible, if not wise. I can totally buy the idea that his daughter, at this moment in her life, needed to know that her bio dad was fighting for her. Regardless, he was within his rights and within the boundaries of sound judgement and Rayna has become a self-righteous beyoch who I don't like anymore.

I think I read that the show was very eager to sign Connie Britton to the show, to where she didn't have to audition and they told her don't worry about your singing just join the show. So maybe the writers feel beholden to her and thus the constant pandering to her character. And based only on this show, I don't think Connie Britton is a very good actress. I know many are in love with her from other roles, but this is the only thing I've seen her in. And compared to the rest of the cast, especially Hayden, she is a piece of wood.

I really think the writers don't see it. From the pilot, people have complained about Rayna. She gets away with behaviors that are almost never called out by the other characters. It galls me sometimes how badly Juliette pays for every mistake while Rayna sails along being worshipped by everyone no matter what she does. Somehow the writers have a huge blind spot about this. Musically, I really want to hear the whole duet with Will and Layla. It sounded great! First Layla song I've liked. And the Avery song, I loved it in the band but hated it when he played it solo. When Avery sings all limp, high, and syrupy (almost every song), I can't stand it. Like everyone I want more Gunnar and Scarlett, but the show obviously knows we love them by the way they have teased us the last few episodes. Here's a different thought. Aside from Juliette, who always is charge of her own fate, I can't stand how often they make women look bad. In this episode, women throw themselves at Deacon and Avery, while Zooey and Layla want their men to help advance their careers. Scarlett, whose career only exists because men believe in her and encourage her, is sitting on the sidelines until she is convinced again (no doubt by a man) to resume her career. What's up, woman-centric show? (I'm not even mentioning how Rayna's storyline for three years is her being baffled about which man to choose in her constant parade of suitors.) Can women please be empowered for themselves and have their own agency?

Another one that I loved start to finish. I too enjoyed drunk Avery and Scarlett and Maddie. I only wish they had played Scarlett's song. Did they know Lennon (Maddie) was going to be such a good actress? Juliette continues to mesmerize no matter what happens to her character. Emmy, Oscar, whatever TV stars get, Hayden needs to get one. I had a revelation this week as I think I can accept that Juliette will ALWAYS be one scene away from total tortured misery. It's just who she is. Just a taste of the dark side from Luke. How long before, as said above, he's tying some damsel to the train tracks. And who should definitely come to her rescue no matter what the treachery? Let's hope it's Deacon. Layla at least is now interesting. And for some reason I also love Zooey, though she's just in the way. Of the show's three "endgame couples" Rayna/Deacon, Scarlett/Gunnar, (possibly) Juliette/Avery, it would be nice if the show had at least one of them together at any given moment. Just a suggestion. Agree with no love for either of the new characters. No interest in either Deacon or Juliette getting sidetracked by these obvious benchwarmers.

Luke being less psycho is part of the tease. The planted some seeds, now they back off. They have a whole season, hopefully, to develop this. So hopefully they will let it grow before he explodes and dangles Maddie over a cliff. I never suspected he might want Rayna's respectability or her old money. I still think he has been in love with her his whole life, and it is that twisted love that makes him snap. The Scarlett Vortex is back. She's not dating anyone yet is threatening two different relationships. I like Zooey but they need to put Gun/lett back together. I am ashamed to admit Scarlett bugged me so badly in S1 and now she is one of my favorites. Anyone else think about Rayna's scene with her first album? She got so huffy about her dad, and acted like her dad had no reason to treasure that record. But we know, and I think she knows, that Lamar actually financed her first album and thus bankrolled and enabled her success. So whatever his faults the man got that album made for his daughter, and she should have acknowledged that instead of continuing to spit on his grave. Typical self-righteous Rayna. I agree that her constant victim act rings hollower and hollower. Wish they spent more time making, playing, writing, rehearsing music! ETA Sad but I must note just being disappointed that there are so many times this show takes the cheap way out. As people have mentioned, they could easily have Will try to be an out country star, or even have him hide it for a while, but his blackmail thing is so tired. It ruins Layla, too, who could have been the female Jeff is looking for, and we could see her try and struggle to create and promote herself as someone at 14:58 of her 15 minutes. Instead, she goes from schemer to simpleton to crazy, desperate schemer. So Will, who last year at least tried to figure out who he was and wanted to be, is trapped in a much more boring storyline. And Rayna. As others have mentioned, they have made her do so many flip flops. I agree that some of the worst are recently, when the woman who has money to burn and formed her own label for artistic integrity is willing to do anything to get the #1 album and is going on tour for a year out of some sort of career desperation (pardon me, she's had so many career crises my eyes sometimes glaze over, so I don't remember exactly why). Nashville has the chance to be, and occasionally is, sublime, but it's too often lame and predictable. I think it really comes down to the writers not having faith that a show more about music and art would sell as much as soap opera cliches. But I think they would be more interesting if they dropped some of the lies and betrayals and scandals. I'm stuck on the characters now, so I guess I am in for the duration!

I really liked this episode. Of course Avery slept with some random woman, cos that's just how they roll in this universe. Loved how the label guy is now a total douche. He's starting to crack under the pressure. And really, with any luck Juliette will instantly forgive Avery so they can have a tiny baby in peace. Of course it's never that simple... I also loved the parallel to Season 1, when Rayna was forced to tour with Juliette. Now Deacon is forced to tour with Luke. How ugly will that get? Loved all the scenes with him and Maddie. The chemistry between Gunnar and Scarlett, I don't know if it was just musical or also romantic. But it was good! If I were Zooey I'd be jealous, because we know from the pilot that Scarlett and Gunnar are Meant To Be as much as Rayna and Deacon. Too bad cos I really like Zooey. I also really liked Will's wife. She got her sass back and has pointed it toward crazy! Tandy leaving feels right. Could she take Teddy with her? No progress on the Luke Is Evil front. In fact, they really walked back from that this week and made him pretty likable. Also I don't remember and Rayna/Deacon scenes. And "Ruke"? That was pathetic! They had "Luna" and "Layna" sitting right there.

With Tandy, in the last episode I was wondering why she has always been so against Deacon. I had a flash that maybe, back when they were all teenagers, Tandy had a crush on him and he rejected her, or maybe slept with her and dumped her. Reading all these posts it still amazes and bugs me. It's kind of a Rayna vs Juliette. Juliette can't do anything right. She's always bringing the house down upon herself. Avery is the only man she has had any kind of normal good times. Otherwise, it is an endless string of unhealthy, destructive couplings. (And I wouldn't call her a slut but I would say she definitely is promiscuous). While Rayna is like some goddess on a mountain, the Buddha, where tall, dark and handsome men are always lined up to do whatever Rayna wants them to do just so they can have the chance to possibly make her happy. And not just men but everyone in her life is like her grateful servant. The show also lets her get away with jaw-dropping hypocrisy, as she routinely gets outraged at other people's actions, actions that she herself has done without consequences. The difference in how the world of the show treats these women- Juliette can't have more than 5 minutes of happiness, Rayna's biggest problem is that too many people want to love her- drives me crazy sometimes!

The whole Luke thing bugs me so much, but I am thinking maybe all these shady feelings we have is because he is going to turn very nasty at some point. That could really work for me, especially if they go big: Luke really cracks and does something like kidnaps Rayna or ends up holding a knife to her throat as she dangles over a cliff. But he would have to become totally evil! Nice scene showing young Luke making puppy dog eyes at young Rayna who is attending young Drunk Deacon. So yes, his whole adult life he's been obsessed with her. But will they make him evil? I hope so! Re Maddie being uncontrollable, I apologize for being so unclear. What I meant to say was more like I liked her and her sister together, and as a father to a daughter I don't like the tension between Maddie and Teddy and I don't want Maddie going off dating and Maddie looks older than her age. I personally don't want them to turn her into an adult! I also liked the sisters as a unit and the little one (see, I can't even remember her name!) is kind of left behind. Probably just me...

Too much soap, not enough music! I am okay mixing them up, but the show just seems to be less and less about music. Does anybody ever practice, rehearse, or write songs anymore? It seems to me they could still have plenty of soap while focusing more on the fact that these people are artists trying to create music. Rayna I am sad to say seems stuck. Always between a rock and hard man! Can't ever make a decision, can't help but having every man in her orbit lining up to serve her. Since the premiere, it has always been Deacon and Some Other Guy. Whatever, I am over it. Let her and Deacon try to have a relationship or I don't care. Because we know Luke is just Some Other Guy who will be gone soon enough. Juliette. I kind of loved how she fell apart and then bawled at the audition. But you could see the pregnancy thing from a mile away. Whatever. Three younguns on a road trip I actually kind of liked. I knew Scarlett was coming back to Nashville, and glad they didn't milk the decision. Maddie is almost uncontrollable at this point. She went from being one of the cute sisters to this woman who glowers and freezes her dad out all the time. I want her to be a ninth grade doofus again.