S03.E02: How Far Down Can I Go

[LadyHa]

As for the money, Rayna was looking at office space. She doesn't seem to be hurting for money at all. I see no reason that she has to go on a year-long tour to promote this album. She could play smaller venues; she could do a short club tour. She could use some creativity and put together a cool band and do some kind of throwback tour. There's more to life than arenas. Just last week, I went to see Martina McBride play at a small club in California. That was one of the best shows I've ever been to, and on the tour she's doing right now, she's playing everything from the Ryman to this tiny club. She's a pretty huge star who (with her husband) is real force on the music scene in Nashville, but whose career has ebbed and flowed. She once played arenas, but now she's got more of a niche audience and her music reflects that. It's much more "this is the kind of music I want to make and I'm not willing to sell out to do it." But I think Martina has much less ego that Rayna seems to at the moment. 

Great comment.  I watched some Martina McBride videos and it made me long to see a character like this on Nashville- a classy storyteller.  This combined with the On the Record video a few weeks back featuring Charles Esten and Deana Carter made me think that it's time Deacon gets together with someone more grown up than Rayna.

 

I was really disappointed way back in season 1 when Rayna ditched the idea of doing mid sized concert venues with Deacon.  I would think that moving beyond stadium shows with the compromised sound quality and on to smaller venues where you can present a really outstanding concert musically would be ideal.  Why does Rayna still want to only do these huge arena shows anyways?   Especially if she doesn't need the $$?

[madam magpie]

Why does Rayna still want to only do these huge arena shows anyways?   Especially if she doesn't need the $$?

 

I'd say ego and fear. Back in season one, I don't think Rayna was opposed to the small club tour out of ego, though. I think she was scared of doing it with Deacon and how such an intimate tour would blow up their relationship. She was disappointed in the changing landscape back then, but seemed to care a lot more about the art of music and was more open to creative solutions. Now, with Luke as her partner, she's fixated on arenas. Maybe it's her new role as label head that's affecting her outlook too, but even so, you have to be creative in business. That's how people are successful. So maybe the moral of the story is that Rayna's just a lousy businessperson, but what's the point of that? We've already got Jeff for that. I thought Rayna was purposely going to run her label differently. It makes sense that there would be ups and downs and crises of conscience as she did that, but so far, she's just towing the line, and it makes no sense that she'd do that, especially now that money isn't a problem...except that Luke fuels her ego. The only person on this show who ever gives Rayna good advice is Deacon, and she's not listening to him right now. Bleck.

 

 

This combined with the On the Record video a few weeks back featuring Charles Esten and Deana Carter made me think that it's time Deacon gets together with someone more grown up than Rayna.

 

Amen to that.

 

Martina McBride should have a reality show wherein we follow her and her husband around and watch them be awesome and run things. Her kids can make appearances being awesome and sassy as well, and we'd all get a much more interesting look at the music business in Nashville than we do on this show, I bet. It would even still be pretty and have good music.

Edited October 6, 2014 by madam magpie

[dcalley]

And maybe real life is dictating the story a bit? As in, if Connie were a stronger singer, Rayna would be more likely to do smaller, "unplugged" shows. Just a thought.

 

And nothing against Connie, really. I would rather see Rayna do more intimate numbers with Connie's voice as it is than watch her on the huge stage with flashing lights and lots of backup music, dancing, etc.

[airwair]

And maybe real life is dictating the story a bit? As in, if Connie were a stronger singer, Rayna would be more likely to do smaller, "unplugged" shows. Just a thought.

And nothing against Connie, really. I would rather see Rayna do more intimate numbers with Connie's voice as it is than watch her on the huge stage with flashing lights and lots of backup music, dancing, etc.

That's what autotune is for.

I hear what you're saying and agree, but they have fixed her in the past. It's not an excuse for their storyline and why they may be opposed to having her scale things back.

She sounded lovely during "No One Will Ever Love You" at the Bluebird.

Her life right now is run by Luke and that's the bottom line.

[Clemgo3165]

All those 1st season performances at the Bluebird sounded good. She even did pretty well live with Chip at the Ryman.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

My major issue with both Connie and Chip is that they slide too much when they're singing. A little bit of scooping is okay but it is constant and makes them sound very amateurish. I can buy it more from Deacon since his career has mostly been playing guitar, but Rayna has been singing professionally for years so someone should have told her to stop scooping ages ago.

[airwair]

I've seen Chip live twice at the Opry (and I will be seeing him a third time this Friday at his fundraiser) and I find nothing amateur about his voice. He's been wonderful.

[SandyToes]

I really enjoyed this episode. I liked that they didn't draw out the baby-daddy business. Thank you, show! Liked crazy Layla - what will she do next?! At least make the character interesting.  LOVED the lighting for Scarlett this episode- really beautiful. I like when she and Gunnar sing together - wish we had more of that.( And Avery and Juliette singing.)  As for Luke taking Deacon on tour - I think flat out it is keeping him away from Rayna. No point leaving those two together unsupervised, you know? Agree that Luke is giving the creepy vibe. And maybe Rayna is panicked about having to go out on tour because isn't she her label's only artist? You can't build a label without talent.

Jeff getting the smackdown needs to happen more often. From any side, any angle, from anybody.

Edited October 7, 2014 by SandyToes

[LadyHa]

And maybe real life is dictating the story a bit? As in, if Connie were a stronger singer, Rayna would be more likely to do smaller, "unplugged" shows. Just a thought.

 

And nothing against Connie, really. I would rather see Rayna do more intimate numbers with Connie's voice as it is than watch her on the huge stage with flashing lights and lots of backup music, dancing, etc.

 

You know, I thought the same thing.  But then again, "No one will ever love you" and "Stronger than me" are two of my favorite songs from this show.  It sounds like they do some kind of processing to her voice on these songs to make it sound stronger, but I still really enjoy listening to her voice on these numbers.  

[dcalley]

You know, I thought the same thing.  But then again, "No one will ever love you" and "Stronger than me" are two of my favorite songs from this show.  It sounds like they do some kind of processing to her voice on these songs to make it sound stronger, but I still really enjoy listening to her voice on these numbers.  

I have enjoyed those songs, too, though I'd forgotten all about "Stronger Than Me" somehow! I don't have a problem with Connie's voice so I feel guilty for bringing it up, but I was just spitballing ideas.

[DollEyes]

Delurking:

 

  ITA that Luke's a phony and that Rayna has no business trusting him, let alone marrying him. If Luke was half the man he thinks he is, he wouldn't have blindsided Rayna with a public marriage proposal without talking to the girls first, sucker-punched Deacon just before Deacon's performance, forced Deacon to stay on tour just to keep him and Rayna apart/ throw his engagement to her in Deacon's face every chance he gets nor encourage Rayna to go on a year-long tour away from her daughters. Rayna was burned by Deacon big-time and she sees Luke as her "clean slate," but my definition of a clean slate is a bunch of nothing and ultimately that's what she's got with Luke. To Luke, Rayna's just another product, like the barbecue sauce he doesn't use and the boots he probably doesn't wear. Rayna wants to get Highway 65 off the ground, but she shouldn't sacrifice herself or her girls in the process.

 

 

If being with Maddie was such a priority for Deacon, he would have never signed a contract with Luke that he knew full well would take him away from her for extended periods of time. I'm sure there were plenty of gigs in Nashville that he could have taken.

 

  I disagree. Luke is just using the tour as a way to punish Deacon for wanting Rayna back. It also exposes Luke's insecurities where Rayna is concerned. One of the most important parts of love is trust and Luke doesn't seem to trust Rayna much when it comes to Deacon.  If Luke really loved Rayna, then he would trust her alone with Deacon. Luke's just doing it to control Deacon and, to a lesser extent, Rayna. Luke's wanting Deacon on tour isn't about respecting Deacon as a musician; it's about, to paraphrase the old saying, "keeping his friends close and his enemy closer."

 

  Just like Rayna's marrying Luke is a big mistake, so it Will's marriage to Layla. I don't give a fuck about Layla; it's Will who matters to me, but not the way they're writing him lately. Will's current success is based on a huge lie but instead of basing a reality show on Will's actual reality, Will's stuck with Layla in more ways than one. I don't feel the least bit sorry for Layla. She married Will much more because she hates her parents than because she loves him. Layla got married for the wrong reasons just like Will, therefore she's as much to blame as Will, the way I see it. If Layla had a shred of dignity she would cut her losses and leave. Layla wouldn't be the first country singer to get divorced and she definitely wouldn't be the last. Hell, Layla could even make a reality show out of that if she played her cards right. Contrary to Layla's opinion, Will doesn't "owe [her] everything." The "reality" show may have gotten Will more attention and helped make his record Number #1, but Will didn't/doesn't need Layla to be a star.

 

  About Juliette, I agree that she made a huge mistake by sleeping with Jeff, but that wasn't Avery's fault. Instead of dealing with her insecurities about Avery's being there for Scarlett after her breakdown in a mature way, Juliette had a booty call with the wrong guy, not that I'm letting Jeff off the hook. ITA that that Jeff's a sexist asshole who got problems with women, whether they're as powerful as Rayna and Juliette or mere underlings, like that poor assistant whom he dissed for the shitty lunch he had, like she cooked it herself. Jeff's taunting Juliette about her weight gain was yet another example. Jeff's not a man; he's just a spoiled little boy with a black card and a bad attitude. I'm glad Juliette's pregnant by Avery, not Jeff.  I wouldn't trust Jeff to raise a plant, let alone a child.

 

 Zoe's still just as useless as ever. I never bought her and Gunnar together and her moving in with Gunnar because of her insecurity about his friendship with Scarlett proves that Zoe's no more right for Gunnar than Rayna is for Luke or Layla is for Will.

[madam magpie]

I have enjoyed those songs, too, though I'd forgotten all about "Stronger Than Me" somehow! I don't have a problem with Connie's voice so I feel guilty for bringing it up, but I was just spitballing ideas.

I think her voice is a little thin. It's not powerful or booming, which I think is why the stadium shows seem off. She's also not a musician and, much as I love Connie Britton, doesn't quite look like one on a huge stage. But I think her voice is very pretty, and any time she's done a small, stripped-down performance, she's been great. "Stronger Than Me," "Buried Under," and any time she performs with Chip are fantastic. I also really love "Postcard from Mexico," no matter the guy with her. What I have no trouble believing is that Rayna would be commanding as a label head. I don't know why they won't let her do that. Connie would kill that.

[Sutton]

MM - We saw that in season 1, why they didn't persue that I don't know. She had that strong determination of wanting her own label but then the accident and then nothing. (What I wanted to say was that her brain stopped functioning) I like Connie but I'm getting to really dislike Rayna and I don't know if that's how Connie is playing her or the series is. Having your fan base hate (strong word) dislike your main character is something I don't understand. If Rayna changes and goes back to being somewhat herself as in season 1 how long is it going to take for the fans to like her again.

 

Her singing the song "Postcards from Mexico" with Liam was good but her singing it with Deacon had so much sexual tension going between two people you could ever want without them actually performing the act on stage. When she sings with Chip for some reason she sounds like she has a good voice. I don't know if its all the acostics they add to her voice when she sings but she does sounds good.

[madam magpie]

You may be on to something about the accident. Maybe it'll come out that she has brain damage and that's why she's been acting like such a weirdo!

 

Rayna's broken and the show needs to fix her. I get it and it was interesting back in season one when she also had a spine, but it's gone on for way too long and she just keeps getting worse.

[Sutton]

I think you just gave the series a way out for Rayna, brain damage. You've read my comments and me its all emotional. They took Deacon down by letting him fall off the wagon, didn't agree with it but accepted it (not really) and they are now letting him take control of his life and what he wants more than anything is being the best dad he can be for Maddie. What are they doing to Rayna, are they going to take her down and then what build her up again, not working for me. The scenes between Rayna and LW are so (I have a whole bunch of words here) emotionless, sadness on her face, disappointment on her face and most of all no passion. She seems to be floating through the scenes and I don't know if Connie is doing that on purpose or the director is telling her to do it or it's her because she knows this is not working. No matter what scenes she has with Deacon (picking up a guitar) she always has a smile on her face when she sees him, looks that say I want you, standing next to each other so much sexual tension between them. The only conclusion I can come to is her pushing back the date of the wedding which isn't going to sit well with LW and him going to do something bad to Deacon and she finds out. Can I hope for that.

[Clemgo3165]

That might feed into the spoiler about some unhappiness in the "Ruke" camp at the CMAs. Maybe she comes to her senses about being pushed into a date.