S03.E02: How Far Down Can I Go

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Rayna pursues new publicity opportunities to promote her album and record label.

[smiley13]

That was it for the real Luke??  I thought that he would have had more to do on the show tonight.

 

At least they finally mentioned Lamar's estate and the fact that Rayna doesn't have money woes anymore.

[jschoolgirl]

Luke looks somewhat less skeevy this season. Perhaps more clean-shaven, or less product in his hair.

[Midru]

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. 

[Clemgo3165]

He make look less skeevy, but he's pretty seriously shallow, and it seems that Rayna's following him right down that rabbit hole. You turn your children's lives upside down and then add 40 more dates to your tour???? my heart was bleeding for Maddie at the end.

[dirtydi]

I watched the show in 15 minutes :Deacon/Maddie, and Avery/Juliette scenes.  I do admit to watching Will get skewered by his wife, she dialed in the crazy with that scene.  Everything else FF.  I tried to watch Rayna on GMA, but gosh she is so awkward with the dance moves.

[Clemgo3165]

So Tandy Hampton? Did she marry Bucky? Bucky can't leave...

[Nidratime]

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.

 

 

Luke seemed to be very interested in Rayna's estate and Lamar's standing and fortune, like Luke wants to use it all for something. Is he trying to hook himself up to older money to make him seem better than others socially? Is that what he sees in Rayna ... the rich establishment?

[CMH1981]

Well I definitely didn't see Avery being the father, i'm ashamed in myself as this show is so much soap that I totally figured they would just go w/Jeff being the father.

 

I'm enjoying Layla going down the crazy path b/c let's face it, she has earned this by being deceived and now she has decided to take the reins and control her future.  Why she just doesn't end the whole charade I don't don't get.  She has done nothing wrong here, she was deceived and it's not like it is obvious to everyone that she married a gay guy, hell both parties would come out looking good here if they just told the truth, screw the tv show.  I do have a sinking feeling she will go down the same path as the last crazy girl that was on this show and end up dead.  

Edited October 2, 2014 by CMH1981

[airwair]

I want Luke off my screen ASAP. He can take this Rayna with him.

Maddie and Deacon can hang out any time.

I seriously did not pay attention to anything else so I can't comment.

[Nidratime]

Well I definitely didn't see Avery being the father, i'm ashamed in myself as this show is so much soap that I totally figured they would just go w/Jeff being the father.

 

 

 

Let's hope that doctor wasn't mistaken ... because that would suck.

[CynicalGirl]

Good thing Juliette has basic math skills. "Stop! Turn off the vacuum cleaner!"

[Lila82]

Maddie is like Julie Taylor 2.0 only with the childhood trauma to justify excessive brattiness.  She is such a realistic teenager, but damn: I do not miss my teaching days of wrangling high schoolers.

 

When did Rayna become so fame obsessed?  She started Highway 65 to have artistic control and make records that were about the music; the money was only important so long as it kept her kids housed and fed, and she doesn't need the money anymore.  She doesn't need a number one album.  In the past she's cared less about where she charted and more about her album flat out tanking.  And selling at Starbucks!  I don't like this turn nor do I like how easily Rayna is letting Luke take her down this path.  I'd like to say "Will the real Rayna please stand up," except this has always been her tendency: drifting from man to man,  playing the victim, sitting back and letting things happen to her and then passively-aggressively reacting.  All of season two was Rayna taking control of her life, rediscovering her voice and relaunching her career on her own terms.  I so want to like Rayna, but her insistence on denying herself any agency keeps her firmly in the frustrating column.

 

Every family scene -- Rayna/Tandy, Deacon/Maddie, Rayna/Daphne/Maddie -- were perfectly executed.  I'm glad Rayna's made peace with Lamar's ghost, Tandy is moving on, and Deacon has a healthy relationship with his child.  He did overshare, but he's still learning.  His honesty and earnestness is what saves the relationship.

 

Scarlett is so much prettier with this hair color, although the extensions and hemp necklaces need to go.  I'd also like to say I feel bad for Zoey, but I'd have to care about her first. 

 

Since Juliette looks like someone injected her face with steroids, I didn't even mind Jeff commenting on her weight gain.  HP is so tiny that every ounce seems to show.  

 

ETA:

Props to Mario Van Peebles for calling out Jeff for his dismissive treatment of women.  And directing the episode.  He or Eric Stoltz should come back every week.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Lila82

[madam magpie]

Despite the rant that's coming, I really liked this episode.

Luke doesn't have to be full-on evil. How about he's just a shallow, condescending asshole and fame whore who is purposely cruel to Deacon? The father of one of the children of the woman he claims to adore. And he's supposed to be the better choice??

I just can't even with Rayna right now. Who is this woman?? Is this Connie Britton trying to prove she can play someone unlike Tami Taylor? She did that already on American Horror Story. I believe you, Connie! Please stop now because I love Rayna, and she's being ruined.

I've been waiting for Layla to turn psycho. Glad I wasn't disappointed. Juliette crabbing at Emily was great. And I may be the only one, but I like Scarlett.

Maddie/Deacon and Juliette/Avery owned the night. Glad it's Avery's baby, and I bet the pro-lifers are thrilled that their mandatory ultrasounds were shown as being justified. This is ABC and all, but still...kinda shame on you, Callie Khouri. Is that really what you want to say?

Edited October 2, 2014 by madam magpie

[TVFAN]

I thought this episode was much better than last week's.  We saw more characters, and the story lines moved along nicely.

 

Score one for Juliette!  Actually, score several for Juliette.  She nailed her audition, kept her dignity with slimy Jeff, and stopped apologizing to Avery.  

 

I love Avery and like him with Juliette, but the truth is Juliette was dead right about his role in all this.  He was supposed to be in a committed relationship with Juliette, but he spent the night with Scarlett in the hospital without even telling Juliette where he would be.  Avery wanted to run around playing white knight for Scarlett because it stoked his ego.  He could and should have supported Scarlett with Juliette by his side.  He may not have cheated on her physically, but he did cheat on her emotionally.  Granted, Juliette's drunken night with Jeff was wrong, but after tonight's episode, Avery will be throwing stones from inside his glass house if he brings it up again.

 

Luke is not my favorite character, but he too scored some points with me tonight.  If Rayna goes into her "I was rich but had such a tough life" lament one more time, I'm going to scream.  And after skewering Lamar for not giving his girls enough attention because of his business interests, she does exactly the same thing to her girls.  (And by the way, she didn't have a nanny because she had a Teddy!)  Luke tried to point out the advantages she had without being mean to her, and he was refreshingly honest about how his lack of money as a child prompted him to make all he could as an adult.  

 

Deacon and Maddy's scenes were realistic.  The poor soul simply had no idea what taking on a teenage girl would mean!  

 

I like Will, but his marriage to Layla has disconnected him from the main story lines.  I wish they would send her off somewhere and pull him closer to Rayna, Juliette, etc.

 

 

[TeeVee329]

I like Will, but his marriage to Layla has disconnected him from the main story lines.  I wish they would send her off somewhere and pull him closer to Rayna, Juliette, etc.

 

Agreed.  I hate that Will's storyline is All.  About.  Layla.  He hasn't even talked to Gunnar about what's happened, right?  And STILL no Brent name-check at the very least?

[thuganomics85]

Oh, yeah!  Unless that doctor is an incompetent moron, it's looks like the "Whose your daddy?!" drama has already been done with.  Avery's sperm is more powerful then Jeff's!  I hope this is the truth, and there is no more twists.  Of course, they're still a horrible wreck, Avery's already hooking up with a waitress, and judging from next week's previews, Juliette will be making eyes with that Dancing with the Stars guy, but there is hope!

 

At least there was some music drama finally.  Rayna is feeling insecure over her album already getting knocked off by Will's, so she's getting ready to put all her effort into promoting it, which will probably include her being away from the family even more.  I'm sure that will cause problems, but I"m glad we're at least getting a little bit about the music industry again.

 

Oh, Deacon.  Being reminded there are negatives to being a father to a teen.  All the attitude and drama!  I do get where Maddie is coming from, but at the end, I really wanted Deacon to be like "Do you want me to get sued?  Because that's going to happen, if I don't tour!"  Her anger really should be directed at Luke, but I guess this is realistic.

 

Speaking of Luke, despite him forcing to Deacon to keep touring, he was better behaved tonight.  I do think there was some sincerity with his interactions with Rayna.  I still think he'll be bad news at the end, but I do think he isn't an one-dimensional bad guy, at least.

 

So, the manipulating, vindictive Layla has finally returned!  Basically, making Will help restart her career, or she'll screw him over. Sorry, Will, but your actions do have consequences.  Don't chose the crazy person to be your beard.  That said, I loved the return of Jeff/Layla, because even though I hate Jeff, I love how much he can't stand her.  Really, if she did try something, he's evil enough that he'd probably drown her in the Tennessee River, before letting her expose Will, and cost him anymore money.

 

Zoe's back, and moving in with Gunnar, even though she clearly is upset over how close he and Scarlett still are.  Why don't people just talk to each other?

 

Bye, Tandy.  I know she had a reason why she was leaving, but I choose to to believe she's off to wherever Coleman went off too.  , apparently Brent as well.  What happened to Brent?

[airwair]

I would like to point out that Deacon is not dumping Maddie to further his career-- he was threatened with a lawsuit that he would probably lose.

Seriously?

[Racj82]

 

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...

So I guess you never heard of the phrase "Get over someone by getting under someone else". Has nothing to do with this universe. People do it all the time. And Avery has done nothing for Juilette to forgive. She cheated and he can sleep with whoever he wants. They aren't together anymore.

 

 

Wonder if Maddie realizes that Teddy is the only parent not dumping her to further their career.

Deacon doesn't actually have a choice. I do hope she appreciates Teddy now though.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Racj82

[rubyred]

This had some really good moments.

 

That first Maddie/Deacon scene was really really good. Lennon really sold it, and the dialogue seemed believable. And this time Deacon is dealing with disappointment without staking out the local liquor store, so yay.

 

Loved Mario van Peebles. That one line asking Jeff if he had a problem with women -- boom. And the subtle reactions of the women around him -- yeah, Jeff definitely does have a problem with women, and did from jump with Rayna and Juliette. Glad to see he's on the ropes, but I don't really see how he's going to get himself out of this. Could this be Oliver Hudson's last season in Nashville?

 

With Luke and Rayna I feel like the real story is in the subtext -- what they aren't saying, not what they do say. Whenever Luke references her Belle Meade upbringing and she shrugs it off, I wonder why she isn't more specific about why she doesn't/didn't feel connected to that world even though she was born in it. And then I think, well, duh, why would she tell Luke anything, it's not like she really wants him to know her. And Luke still has this way of saying borderline chauvinistic things with a hearty "JK!" but you're left wondering how much he really feels that way. They have this weird way of talking to each other that has the appearance of intimacy because they're quiet and they've got that neverending nimbus of golden light around them, but it's all surface.

 

In contrast, the subtext for Deacon and Rayna is ALL intimacy. There's an ease between them that's there even when they're talking about mundane things.

 

Scarlett/Gunnar/Zooey. Just ugh. Make it stop. Although I do believe Scarlett's wardrobe is getting a little more bohemian than twee, which I like, scraggly weave notwithstanding. But it's weird, in certain lighting and makeup and from some angles I don't recognize Claire Bowen from scene to scene. I almost need to see the hair to recognize who she is. And them I'm like, oh, Scarlett. Mute.

 

Even though they never did anything interesting with Tandy I'm a little sorry to see her go. The actress clearly had potential but there was nothing for her to work with, especially with Lamar gone.

 

Hey there were a couple new songs in this episode!

[GaT]

I know Layla got a raw deal, but please show, let her die soon & get her off my tv.

 

Nice to see Jeff get his ass handed to him, but he's a cartoon villain & I'm over him.

[Big Bad Wolf]

Man, there are a lot of whiny, pouty, self-pitying people on this show.

[Linderhill]

 

Loved Mario van Peebles. That one line asking Jeff if he had a problem with women -- boom. And the subtle reactions of the women around him -- yeah, Jeff definitely does have a problem with women, and did from jump with Rayna and Juliette. Glad to see he's on the ropes, but I don't really see how he's going to get himself out of this. Could this be Oliver Hudson's last season in Nashville?

I was so glad to see this scene.  I was wondering when Jeff would be called on his utter fail in running the record company by losing their two top female acts and pushing an unknown male singer.  

 

Finally Layla finds her scheming self again.  She was an entirely different character last season and I really couldn't figure out why we were supposed to feel sorry for her.  One thing I kept wanting to remind her of is that it was really her idea that they do the reality show, not Will's.  

 

Maddie, you reminded me of why I didn't have children or go into teaching.  brat. 

 

I did roll my eyes when I saw the Project Runway designer, Amanda, try to act in the one scene.

[Clemgo3165]

Aww, I don't generally like Amanda as a designer but I thought she acquitted herself quite nicely last night. She won't be nominated for an Emmy for the guest shot, but she held her own just fine.

[SonofaBiscuit]

Is it me, or does Clare Bowen look not so healthy this season?  Her face has gotten so thin.  I noticed last episode but didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to sound mean.  Maybe it's the new hair-do or something but I hope that she's OK.

 

I definitely noticed that Luke was far less psycho this episode.  He's still a jerk for making Deacon go on tour with him when the two clearly don't get along, but I'm sure that this is all going to blow up in his face.  I guess that it makes sense because the writers needed to create a scenario where Rayna and Deacon are still going to see each other fairly regularly, so maybe this was their way of doing it.  Rayna will see Luke while she's on tour, which means that she'll have to see Deacon too.

 

I think that this episode was the brattiest that Maddie has been so far.  I wish that Rayna would get a clue and see that her children need her right now.  She's so focused on her own career that she's missing out on watching her children grow up.

 

Jeff mentioning to Juliette that she's packed on a few pounds?  Not cool, Jeff.  Not cool.  You don't tell women that they are looking a little chunky.  Jeff is such a douche that I'm so glad that the baby is actually Avery's instead of his.  I hope that Derek Hough is not being brought on as a love interest for Juliette.  I would actually find it more believable and interesting if he was somehow a love interest for Will instead.  Don't think that will ever happen, but I would prefer it.

[jester]

I dug this episode even though it felt like it was treding water sometimes.

 

First off, the lighting on the scene with Scarlet coming back to apologize to Gunnar was fantastic. I thought..."Damn Gunnar looks amazing in that doorway". Then Claire Bowen, was perfect in the way she looked at him for a moment with that same thought. At least to me she did. Loved that scene.

 

Rayna and Luke bore me to tears. Agree with everyone that I don't like this new obsessed with her chart numbers Rayna that is the total oppostie of who she has been on the show or why she started her own label.

 

They better not throw in some twist in Avery being the father. My guess is they will have to do something to screw it all up, so one night stand waitress will wind up pregnant as well or some such crap.

 

I really wish they would wake up and see that Luke trying to navigate the country music landscape as a gay artist is infinetly more insteresting and has so much more potential than this scandal ridden mess of a (justifiably) angry/crazy wife and reality show shaming?

I have no doubt there are tons of areas in culture that still make homosexuals feel like they have to stay in the closet, so way to miss an opportunity to confront that head on show. Bleah. Waste of a potentially strong character show.

[Primetimer]

Half the people on this show are going on tour. Not a lot of people are happy about it.

Read the story

[Clemgo3165]

Was anybody else squicked by Luke's offer to Rayna for her to stay home and be "Mrs. Luke Wheeler?" Barf.

[madam magpie]

Was anybody else squicked by Luke's offer to Rayna for her to stay home and be "Mrs. Luke Wheeler?" Barf.

 

That alone was enough to make me hate him. The idea that because Rayna is rich she's also inherently vapid and unambitious is infuriating. But even more infuriating is that Rayna, who started her own label entirely so that she and others could make the music they want without interference and so that she could take control of her professional life, barely seemed to register that. If Rayna wanted this shallow life, she should have stuck with Edgehill. It would have saved her a lot of stress and money, and she could now rest on her laurels, make sell-out commercials, tour endlessly, and ignore her children without any pesky worries like business or integrity.

Edited October 2, 2014 by madam magpie

[Clemgo3165]

Amen to that, she seemed to barely even put up a fight to that notion. Sure, later on she acknowledges her ambition to Tandy, but not to Luke. And what does it say about how much he knows Rayna that he thinks that would EVER float her boat?

[JLG]

I actually find pretty much everything about Luke to be barfy.  Especially when he said, "Ruke."  Seriously?

My impression was that he's keeping Deacon on his tour so he can rub Rayna in Deacon's face at every possible opportunity.  And maybe, to a lesser degree, keep Deacon and Maddie apart?

 

I'm tired of Rayna's romantic conflicts. I don't care if she ends up with any of these people.  I'd rather see her focus on her daughters and her business.  Juliette has had tons of songs, Gunnar and Scarlett sing a new one every week, but it seems Rayna has about 1 or 2 she performs over and over each season.  But we're supposed to believe that she is the biggest star on the show?  Didn't we first hear "This Time" about 1/3 of the way into season 2?

 

I enjoy the evolution of the relationship between Maddie and Deacon.  I feel very sorry for poor Daphne, she seems to be lost in the middle of all these adults and their problems.  I'm glad they have Teddy, at least.

 

Shocked that the show didn't have slimy Jeff to be the father of Juliette's little foetus.  Now I have absolutely no idea where that story line is heading?  I love Avery, but I'm thrilled that she finally took up for herself.

 

I might be in the minority on Scarlett, as her appearance and behavior don't really bother me.  I think she is beautiful, albeit in an unconventional way, and she and Gunnar singing together has always been one of the best things about the show.

 

Don't care about Zoe, Will or Layla; but I'm guessing with Will and Layla  that Scorned + Desperate + Crazy = a really bad end for somebody.

[Artsda]

Surprised they revealed the baby paternity so quick.

 

Maddie calls Deacon pathetic and he spills everything to her, information that she now can use against Rayna to be a brat to her. Deacon is kissing Maddie's ass instead of knowing how to parent and co-parent. After calling him pathetic, Maddie should have been sent to her room. Not Deacon telling her everything she wanted to know that was not her business because it's complicated. If Deacon's going to tell her that part, he should also tell her the other side of it. The reasons why Rayna doesn't want him. The drunk/abusive part. 

 

I'm just disliking Rayna and her love triangle and Maddie period. This whole show should be revolving around Juliette. 

Edited October 2, 2014 by Artsda

[BBDi]

Overall I thought this was a good episode. I was happy to see a return to storylines involving industry pressures. I often think that there must be a million real-life stories out there about people who tried to make it in Nashville - what they had to do to succeed, or how they failed - that the show could explore. Wish they would go there more.

 

With regard to Luke, I thought his scenes with Rayna filled in some stuff and maybe explained a bit the weird vibe he gives off. As someone who grew up poor and on the outside looking in, he would view Rayna as the ultimate prize. Not just because she's beautiful and talented, but because she represents the wealth and status he was always striving for. To me it also explains the edge a lot of viewers seem to sense underneath his exterior - on the surface he looks confident and tries to seem chill and like he's not trying too hard, but underneath he is, in fact, trying very hard. If he was all that confident he wouldn't try to control Deacon. And I think Rayna got a glimpse into Luke's shallower side and how differently he looks at the world from her. I suspect that he is not the 'rock' she thinks he is.

 

I'm also glad the show addressed the fact that Lamar is dead and there's a big estate and plenty of money in Rayna's future. It did bother me that we've seen Rayna's artistic motivations all over the place--so suddenly she is desperately interested in being #1?  I thought she had realized awhile ago that she would not always be on top and started her own label so she could do more of what she wanted and also nuture other talent - maybe planning for a future that would be artistically satisfying and money-making even when she is no longer on the top of the charts or bringing in the huge tour audiences. Plus that thing with Liam (besides his hotness)? She was all about the music then. Just one of those inconsistencies that the show throws up from time to time.

 

Loved Maddie's scenes with Deacon. Those 2 actors mesh so well together. Also loved Juliette's and Avery's fight. Those 2 are always dynamite and I hope the show keeps throwing them together (well, I guess a baby will take care of that).

 

ETA: So true what was posted above - Deacon handled that situation exactly the wrong way. Will blow up in his face, no doubt.

Edited October 2, 2014 by BBDi

[Lila82]

Maddie calls Deacon pathetic and he spills everything to her, information that she now can use against Rayna to be a brat to her. Deacon is kissing Maddie's ass instead of knowing how to parent and co-parent. After calling him pathetic, Maddie should have been sent to her room.

 

 

Eh.  Deacon's only real mistake was not pointing out that Maddie really can't talk to people, especially adults, that way.  I give Deacon a free pass on that one because he's still new at the parenting thing.  I'm not a big fan of blanket punishments for misbehavior, so I appreciated his approach in the aftermath.  He laid out the facts but emphasized that Rayna made a choice and that he and Maddie need to move on together.  It's no longer Maddie's pain, but a problem they can share and work through together.  Deacon was respectful of Rayna's choice but also aware and sympathetic to his daughter hurting.  Teddy's also coming to the same realizations: the only way to make progress with Maddie is talking to her.   She wants to be heard, not sent to her room and dismissed.  Which doesn't mean a lack of consequences, but different approach now that she's a teenager.

 

...it seems Rayna has about 1 or 2 she performs over and over each season.

 

 

Which I consider a gift.  I like CB a lot, but she cannot sing and the fewer attempts she makes, the better.

Edited October 2, 2014 by Lila82

[Sutton]

Okay maybe I'm really off on this but I took this from this episode

 

Last nights episode the beginning of Rayna Jaymes going the way of LW commercial artist selling product she would not use or even try. Maybe LW can get her face on a jar of BBQ sauce. Isn't that what she hated so much letting her talent being used to sell a product. When she asked Deacon she needed to change lyrics on a song because she needed money for her family she was desperate that's when she was married to Teddy. LW taking her down a path of, hell with music, the money in

commercials is great. I wonder how long it's going to take before she realizes LW is a money hungry pimp. (Bad choce of words not really) I have to agree with a poster that said Rayna is a prize to LW. Someone like him marries High Society Socialite Rayna Jaymes. She hated every minute of that life, how long is going to take her to realize that's the life LW wants...

 

Loved the little spat between Deacon and Maddie, she was just so angry, upset that she lashed out at Deacon. He was so gentle and showed her just how much he loves her. Maddie needs to be told the truth not just say it's an adult problem. She's not a child anymore don't you think she's had enough of 13 yrs of lying. Great scene.

 

So happy they went with Avery being the father of Juliette's baby.

 

Jeff slime ball glad he's going to get his dues real soon. My prediction on Jeff is he will get LW to try and convince Rayna to go back to Edgehill. LW will try to convince her to let Edgehill do all the work and she will make lots of money like him. LW keeping Deacon on tour I'm not looking forward to some confrontation between Deacon and LW. He will try to discredit Deacon in some way as to show Rayna she made the right choice. Hate that guy can't wait for something bad to happen to him soon. Sorry, I know that's mean.

[madam magpie]

I'm baffled by the criticism of both Maddie and Deacon. Maddie is fifteen years old, and in the last year, her parents got divorced, her mother almost died, her stepmother was murdered, her grandfather died, she found out her father was someone she'd known and loved all her life but considered a family friend, her mother got engaged in a very public way and with no warning to a guy she's been dating all of about six months, and now she learns that her mother will be leaving home for a year and her father is being forced to go on the road, so she'll be left with one parent only and he's finally being nice, but what she needs is the two parents who are leaving to work together to sort out their crap and create some stability. If she took it all in stride, she'd be some kind of weird Stepford kid...like Daphne, honestly, who rarely gets to express an opinion and, were this real life, I'd worry would start doing drugs by the time she was 12.

 

All Deacon did was tell Maddie the truth when she asked. Yeah, they were yelling at each other...that's not ideal, but it is how families work a lot of the time. And they weren't even yelling that loudly. No one threw anything or slammed doors or called anyone names (well, except "pathetic," but Maddie didn't know what was going on until Deacon told her), nothing. They were both just frustrated and upset. He also prefaced his criticism of her behavior with "I love you," acted like the grown-up and sought her out to apologize for the fight (and was willing to allow her the space to sort it out, too), told her he understood how she felt but they needed to support Rayna's decision, and then that he wanted to give her his time and attention so they could work through it together. He said nothing negative about Rayna or Luke. And the only reason it turned out he couldn't stay home with Maddie even though she needs him was because Rayna's controlling asshole of a fiance forced him to uphold a contract that never should have been signed to begin with. I mean...dang. I would KILL for a parent like that. I'd also kill for a guy like that to help me raise my kid.

[FortKnox]

Like a lot of people I thought that it would be Jeff's but, once they showed Juliette at the clinic I know they would show it was Avery's and she wouldn't do it. Mainly because HP is pregnant in real life so an abortion is a no go.

[JLG]

Maddie calls Deacon pathetic and he spills everything to her, information that she now can use against Rayna to be a brat to her. Deacon is kissing Maddie's ass instead of knowing how to parent and co-parent. After calling him pathetic, Maddie should have been sent to her room. Not Deacon telling her everything she wanted to know that was not her business because it's complicated. If Deacon's going to tell her that part, he should also tell her the other side of it. The reasons why Rayna doesn't want him. The drunk/abusive part. 

 

 

Deacon blurted this out in the heat of the moment.  I'll give him a pass on it though, as he's new to the game.  Parenting teenagers can be a challenge, but at least most people have birth through 5th grade to get in some practice and work their way up to it!  Rayna is the one that needs to explain the situation to Maddie.

For me, the problem is that Rayna is never shown talking constructively or effectively about anything to her daughters. 

 

Now it seems she's just left Maddie, Daphne, Deacon and Teddy together to figure it out amongst themselves.

 

Which I consider a gift.  I like CB a lot, but she cannot sing and the fewer attempts she makes, the better.

Well, you have a point there.

[Artsda]

 

He said nothing negative about Rayna or Luke.

He also said nothing about himself, as to why Rayna would choose Luke. Deacon's now painted himself as the good guy who proposed and tried his best, while Rayna's the bad one who said no. 

 

He's thrown it in Rayna's court to have to say something negative about him.  What is Rayna going to say? She's not going to want to tell Maddie the history of the past, she'll try and skirt around it and say it's complicated/bad history etc... Deacon put Rayna in a bad spot as someone you're supposed to be co-parenting with.

 

He's playing him vs her. 

 

What Maddie probably needs is stability and the only one she gets that from is Teddy, who is the one she treats like crap. Luke was kidding around, but may be he was right and Rayna should just stay home for awhile and live off him and her father's estate. She doesn't need to go work for a year and be gone on the road. Luke's the biggest male in country music and she also just got half her father's billions. 

 

Just work behind the scenes for 65, building the roster and being a music label owner based in Nashville instead of on the road. 

Edited October 2, 2014 by Artsda

[madam magpie]

He also said nothing about himself, as to why Rayna would choose Luke. Deacon's now painted himself as the good guy who proposed and tried his best, while Rayna's the bad one who said no.

 

 

Maddie knows Deacon is an alcoholic. She knows he was wasted in a car crash that nearly killed her mother and that the reason Rayna and Deacon split up is because of his drinking. He told her last season not to blame Rayna for what happened to them, that Rayna deserved better, that he was a mess, etc. Maddie knows why they aren't together. What she didn't know was that Deacon gave it a real shot to try to restore their family, especially since she also knows that's what they both want. So that's what he told her. If she'd needed to know WHY Rayna did what she did, she'd have asked. But Maddie already knows that.

[Jessie2009]

 

Of course Avery slept with some random woman, cos that's just how they roll in this universe.

Yeah, I probably shouldn't have been all that surprised. During his scenes with the random girl though, she looked really familiar and I figured I'd seen her on some other tv show, so I looked it up. The reason she looked familiar is because I went to high school with her. LOL.

[BBDi]

I can see the Deacon thing both ways, kind of. To clarify what I said before, he was doing pretty good roling with the punches until Maddie blamed him for Rayna getting engaged to Luke. What he needed to do was calmly say something like, "Honey, your mom knows exactly how I feel about her. It's her choice to make and we both need to respect it. You don't have to like it, but you have to respect it and find a way to live with it." Or something.

 

But I do give him a partial pass, because yes, he's new to this parenting thing, and he and Maddy are both raw and hurting. Plus we all know he's a hothead. I thought all their scenes were realistic--he and Maddy are both passionate and temperamental by nature and that is gonna play out in their relationship.

[Abstract]

Layla or Will ends up dead by season's end. I'm calling it now. One of them is going to murder the other.

[SonofaBiscuit]

Layla or Will ends up dead by season's end. I'm calling it now. One of them is going to murder the other.

 

Or a possible murder-suicide with Layla killing Will and then killing herself.  That would be just soapy enough for this show, but I hope it doesn't happen because I like Will.  They need to get him away from Layla and back with Gunnar because the Will/Gunnar friendship was awesome.

[Xazeal]

Thank GOD Avery is the father. For once, I'm able to look at Juliette and think "well, it could be worse".

 

I've always liked Emily and the way she genuinely seems to care about Juliette as a friend, and I always enjoy when we get to see her in more than one scene. I did a double (or triple) take when Amanda from Project Runway popped up, but I kind of like her, so I enjoyed that too. 

 

I don't know what they've done to Scarlett, but I hope they keep it up. She looks really great, and I'm actually sort of liking her right now. 

[RachelKM]

Maddie knows Deacon is an alcoholic. She knows he was wasted in a car crash that nearly killed her mother and that the reason Rayna and Deacon split up is because of his drinking. He told her last season not to blame Rayna for what happened to them, that Rayna deserved better, that he was a mess, etc. Maddie knows why they aren't together. What she didn't know was that Deacon gave it a real shot to try to restore their family, especially since she also knows that's what they both want. So that's what he told her. If she'd needed to know WHY Rayna did what she did, she'd have asked. But Maddie already knows that.

Maddie knows those things intellectually, but she really doesn't have any understanding of what it actually means.  Yes, she's is aware of the accident.  But other than that, she has no concept of what Deacon was like as an alcoholic or what her mother or he went through.  And she shouldn't have to since that would be pretty traumatic for her.  She has been rightly shielded from the realities of Deacon's addiction.  But that same shielding skews her understanding her the dynamic between Deacon and Rayna.  

 

I don't think it was outrageous conduct for Deacon to get frustrated and blurt it out; as other have said he's  new to this and teenagers are infuriating and difficult for experienced parents to deal with.  But it was not right of him to tell Maddie that he proposed and that Rayna rejected him.  He inadvertently painted  himself the victim of Rayna's rejection instead of merely a party to a long, complicated, and emotional situation.  I don't think it was intentional, but I don't think it was entirely inadvertent either.  He is feeling the victim of rejection at the moment which bled into his phrasing.

 

In other news, I just cannot like Luke.  However, I don't seem to see any of his actions or motives with the dark cast so many others apparently do.  I think he is shallow and I don't think Rayna really loves him enough to marry him so I'm not a shipper on that front. But I don't feel his comments indicated he plans to use Rayna in anyway.  Nor do I think that he was being particularly vindictive to Deacon.  They have a deal and that deal makes good business sense. And Luke isn't feeling particularly charitable toward Deacon at the moment and, thus, is not overly concern with whether Deacon wants to be on the tour.

 

My take on Luke and Rayna, especially based on the flash backs we saw was that he was the guy who always sort of loved her, but she was totally wrapped up in Deacon and never even considered him that way. And he was a good guy and never overtly made it clear he wanted her and was a friend to them both. I think the point in the last episode of her thinking back to the scene where Deacon had apparently been skipping rehearsals and showing up late for shows and Luke being there are being a friend to them was Rayna realizing he was always there for her in the past and was wiling to be what she needed.  Unfortunately, her appreciating Luke is not the same thing as being in love with him. It's kinda too bad, because I like her stated reasons for wanting to be with him - i.e. she loves him and there's no baggage.  If she were really in love with him, it would be a totally healthy choice.  As it is, it's more of a selfish one.  But I feel like Luke is in it for real and is exactly what he presents.

 

Of course, I could totally be proven wrong any minute now.

 

In other new, I cannot quite shipping Avery and Juliette.  I'm please the baby is his.  I want those to kids to work their way back to each other.  No necessarily within the next episode, but definitely by the December break.

Edited October 4, 2014 by RachelKM

[Clemgo3165]

I volunteer to take out Layla - what a waste of airtime. Will's story would be much more interesting if it was really about a closeted country music singer with either a significant other (Brent) hanging in the wings or random hookups in various cities. There's so much there to make a great story, we don't need Layla to muddy the waters. 

[GaT]

Agreed.  I hate that Will's storyline is All.  About.  Layla.  He hasn't even talked to Gunnar about what's happened, right?  And STILL no Brent name-check at the very least?

"I hate Will's storyline" - there, I fixed it for you.

[madam magpie]

But I feel like Luke is in it for real and is exactly what he presents.

 

I actually agree with this. I don't think he's in cahoots with Jeff or anything like that. But I think that what he presents is condescension and control. Not an "I'm going to beat you in an elevator and not let you work" sort of controlling, but a much more subtle "you're mine, Rayna, and I will manipulate the environment to make that so." There's no doubt in my mind that Luke keeping Deacon on that tour is all about Rayna. He's not being a muture professional; last week he had a driver take him to the Bluebird solely so he could punch Deacon in the face! Luke doesn't care about Deacon's career and he could get another opener with no trouble at all. Luke wants Deacon there to rub it in that Rayna chose him and to pound his chest as the winner. I do think Rayna is a prize for him. He loves her in a way, or he believes he loves her, but really she raises his status and that's what he likes about her. That cabin in Montana line was BS. It sounded like sarcasm to me. I also think that Rayna better watch out because when she does split with him, and we all know it will come eventually, if she's wrapped her business up with him or her money or anything like that, I see him as the type of guy to be petty and litigious about it. There's going to be no "please let me use our song for a commercial without some kind of legal battle because I need to do it" and he changes his mind because he loves her. Luke is all about image and perception, and I think he cares about both of those things much more than he cares about Rayna.

 

Maddie knows those things intellectually, but she really doesn't have any understanding of what it actually means.

 

I think we'd all be surprised at the level of understanding teenagers have about what things mean. They don't have life experience to fall back on to give them coping tools, but they get the emotional weight of things. When Deacon told Maddie last season that he was to blame, not Rayna, for ruining their relationship, she internalized that and stopped blaming Rayna. Last night when he told her that Rayna had made her choice and they had to accept it, she went home and basically said as much to her mother, even though it was clear she didn't like it. When Teddy explained to her that he didn't hate Deacon and why, she got it and acted like a normal person again. If Rayna would pay attention and do that as well, I suspect Maddie would come around. She wouldn't ever like it, she'd always want her parents together because she loves them and wants them all in the same house, but she'd get why Rayna can't do it.

Edited October 2, 2014 by madam magpie

[TeeVee329]

"I hate Will's storyline" - there, I fixed it for you.

 

I guess, to be even more accurate, I should say I hate Layla's storyline because that's what this mess is, her storyline.