S03.E05: Road Happy

[izabella]

And, seriously: Juliette is a diva, but going into her dressing room and going through her clothes, is freaking unprofessional.  I'm not saying Zoe should worship at Juliette's feet, but she really doesn't treat her with respect, which just seems odd to me.

 

I agree with you on that.  I couldn't believe she just waltzed into Juliette's dressing room to paw through her clothes!

 

Zoe is an odd one.  She seems to have a huge sense of entitlement (you can only see my foot on the stage!) and is insensitive of others, but she is very sensitive when it comes to herself. 

Edited October 23, 2014 by izabella

[Stella MD]

 

I blame the writing. No actor could make a character work when the writing for that character changes so much and so rapidly. Meryl Streep couldn't make sense of these wild swings.

Totally agree, and in my mind this is the problem not just with Layla but pretty much everyone on the show. Avery and Teddy in particular have been all over the map from the beginning (supportive partners one week, abusive and/or dad-killing jerks the next) but seriously I can think of an example of nearly every single character behaving in a manner that either makes no sense or completely contradicts whatever they said/did in the past. It's the reason we can't figure out what Luke's motivations are, nor Rayna's. I think the writers think they're making the characters "complex" but it really just makes me lose interest in the story because nothing makes sense. The only consistent characters are Will and Juliette (both consistently self-destructive).

[LotusFlower]

If Rayna is pissed about highlights and ear piercings, just wait until cool dad Teddy takes them for matching tattoos.

Or signs them to Edgehill Records.

I get that they were trying to show that Daphne is an entitled brat, but I'm having difficulty buying that. I mean, why is it so bratty of her to say that she preferred chocolate milk to plain milk? The flight attendant's job is serve her right? And while Cole was rude, she wasn't. She just said that she'd prefer chocolate milk. i know this is supposed to be bratty of Daphne and we'll see it more down the line, but this particular incident wouldn't ping my radar except for the narrative music and reactions.

Yes, the flight attendant's job is to serve the passengers, but she's a little girl on a private jet! And how about a "please" and "thank you." But more to the point - I thought the point of the scene, with Daphne's choc. milk request mirroring Luke's son's diva soda demand, was to show the negative effects of Rayna's new life with Luke and on the road so much and always tending to business. This storyline will somehow get Rayna back to Nashville. That's my guess, at least.

[Sandman]

I do wonder how the Mayor of Nashville has so much time on his hands and how he is so easily manipulated by a man who is clearly a bad guy.

 

Secondly, Sadsack Teddy. Please. Eric Close has always been a little more cleancut than my usual type, but in every last damn thing I've seen him in he has ALWAYS been able to get it. He's the mayor, he doesn't need some sleazy record exec to help him find women.

 

Right: In what mixed-up universe does Eric Close need help from Oliver "I'm Not A Douchebag, I Just Always Play One On TV" Hudson to meet women?

 

I think Carmack could probably handle a more substantial story for Will than he's currently given. Sadly, I think the show is going to have him commit suicide, probably by crashing his car, or driving off a cliff, or in some other unbelievably self-dramatizing fashion. Don't let him play near the train tracks again!

 

Layla. Just stop. Her characterization has been so all over the place that I don't know what to expect from her. She's been a fame obsessed All About Eve type, an innocent clueless bride, the Christian virgin, the woman scorned, the poor woebegone runner up and everything else. The show doesn't know what she's supposed to be and I don't care.

 

Yep. This.

 

Or signs them to Edgehill Records.

 

Or possibly just sells them to Jeff outright.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Sandman

[marceline]

 

It is very 2014, sadly. Chely Wright is basically the only country artist to ever come out and unfortunately her career is all but dead.

 

I hope/wish/pray that Nashville will bring on Chely Wright as a guest star for an episode. In fact I would love it if she showed up as a reminder to Juliette and/or Rayna about what happens when you fall out of favor with the mainstream country audience.

 

I'd also love to see Steve Grand get a guest appearance whether as himself or not. Just because.

[Quiche]

I don't agree. Chaley is a miles better singer (Hayden isn't really a singer at all) and has far more stage presence IMO. That said, Juliette is my favourite character but I've always found her stage presence leaving a lot to be desired. Which is fine, Carrie Underwood didn't have any stage presence when she started, country music is a different game than pop.

Wow.Avery has fallen off the crazy tree and hit every damn branch on the way down. His reaction, to Juliette sleeping with someone she hates because she hates herself and felt humiliated at trying to seduce a boyfriend who was far more interested in writing songs with Scarlett and sleeping by her hospital bedside, has been waaaaay over the top. If I were Juliette I wouldn't have slept with Jeff that's for damn sure but I would have broken up with Avery after he was spouting sweet nothings to Scarlett and that is an absolute.

Now he's acting like a veritable psychopath getting angry at her for not telling him, uh yeah maybe if you stopping calling her a whoring piece of nothing for five seconds she could have squeezed the words out, you big hunk of stupid.

Avery knows the kind of childhood she had and he knows she doesn't let anyone in, for him to be stomping around treating her like a whore is unconscionable to me. She cheated with someone she HATED. She's suffering more than he is, for god's sakes man, pull your dumb self together, and then he has the nerve to go banging and screaming on her trailer door? He reminds me of wife-beating trailer trash. How ironic. I don't want him anywhere near my Juliette. Back the fuck up Avery, back the fuck up.

#TeamHough

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.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Given how much family bandwidth has gone to Maddie and her daddy drama, I'm surprised Daphne hasn't started acting out against everybody including and especially Maddie. I'm hoping the show addresses that eventually.

I have been expecting Daphne to act out since Maddie's parentage was revealed. It was obvious beforehand that Daphne adored Deacon and that he loved both Maddie and Daphne and had spent time with them over the years (remember they used to call him Uncle Deacon?). Ever since the truth came out, he has barely spent any time with Daphne at all and even then it's always with Maddie. If I were Daphne, I would feel jealous and shunted off to the side. On top of that, Daphne gets kicked out of the room when Teddy and Rayna want to talk to Maddie about her behavior so she must feel left out on every front. I am surpised she hasn't acted out sooner and in a bigger way than chocolate milk-gate and saying, "You suck!"

[KaveDweller]

Why, all of a sudden is the press a big issue?

 

I think it's supposed to be more now because of the "Ruke" thing.  She seems to be courting the press more because she thinks it will help her album.  Before she shielded her family from the press, but now it seems to be open for all to see.

 

I cheered for Rayna's entrepreneurial spirit in season one where she just wanted to "create a label to nurture young artists", but now it just seems like a vanity project to keep her name at the top of the charts.

 

I feel like she's always been that way though.  She couldn't handle not being Edgehill's number one artist, and she didn't like Jeff telling her her album didn't have a hit single on it (which she even admitted was true). So she had to create her own label.  Her bullshit about nurturing young artists is just an excuse.

[SlovakPrincess]

Oh Lordy. Now Gunnar has a kid, too?

I can't believe Juliette just texted the news to Avery. That was ... anticlimactic. And then she won't see him? Not that he reacted maturely, but geez, Juliette!

I don't blame Daphne for finally flipping out. Her family life has been about everyone else's drama for years now. It was nice seeing Rayna bond with both her girls.

Its sad seeing Will, once again, feel like he has to freeze out a guy who actually cares for him. First cute, nice producer guy and now his trainer. And then he gets attacked. :( I really want to see him happy finally.

At least Deacon was nice to him.

Can the mid-season cliffhanger be Layla flipping out and killing Jeff? I'm so tired of him.

[TVHappy9463]

What happened to this show?  Who is writing this mess? This is definitely it's last season, at least they had one good one.  I hope Hayden and Connie get better shows next time.  

[slayer2]

 

I've always found Derek to be an asexual Ken doll.  Totally bland white bread.

I guess that's  a pretty apt description and yet I still find him attractive for some reason, I think it's his attitude towards life. Dude's pretty positive and he hasn't had the best time.

 

Can the mid-season cliffhanger be Layla flipping out and killing Jeff? I'm so tired of him.

 

I'll allow it.

Edited October 24, 2014 by slayer2

[Soup333]

Juliette's text reveal didn't bother me. She's always done impulsive things (stealing nail polish, marrying the baseball player, and so on) and this time she was pressured into contacting him by Emily. How else was she going to tell him? Every time they get together, he flips out on her. And I think, at least up until last week's episode, she still loves him. She's tried talking to him, has begged and pleaded for his forgiveness to no avail. And after all the nasty shit he said to her last week (I wish I'd never met you, etc.) she really didn't know how he might have reacted to her pregnancy. I certainly wouldn't have come out of the trailer after he showed up screaming.

 

I DO think there should have been at least one subsequent text though. Something to let him know she was serious. But then if she'd done that, he wouldn't have had to go to the set acting like a crazy person and of course, we needed that drama. 

 

Grandpa Glen's hair is really ridiculous now that we've seen him bald, but I love him for standing by Juliette.

[RedheadZombie]

And how badly is Juliette going to torch Zooey for having the nerve to save her show? 

 

I'm not a huge Zoe fan so I don't mind her getting in trouble.  But how cool would it be, if Juliette realized that she herself would have done something so nakedly ambitious in Zoe's place, and only slap her on the hand?

 

Nice to see Deacon just hanging with a friend, eating pizza. I appreciated his advice to Will, and thought it was in character for him to be open-minded about Will's sexuality. I like he and Pam as friends with benefits; don't need for it to develop into anything more.

 

I actually like Pam.  I think she's good for Deacon.  She doesn't seem to have an agenda, and is just having fun.  I think this is the kind of girl Deacon needs right now.  He keeps finding good women, and breaking their hearts.  I don't think he'll ever settle down because he's secretly waiting for Rayna (if he can catch her between men).

 

It's funny how much I don't like Rayna in relationship mode, yet love her in mama bear mode (even when it's Scarlett or Juliette).  I'm going to be disappointed if she doesn't rush to be by Juliette's side, but she's obviously not even able to give her kids enough time at this point.

 

I'm so torn about Will.  At least, I should be torn.  The actor is great and very good at eliciting empathy - he does suffering very well.  The problem is, he's such a selfish bastard.  He has absolutely no concern with how Layla is suffering as well.  I can't even stand the girl!!!  I'm assuming he expects her to keep her legs closed, while he (apparently) needs sex at least once a day.  He knows how much he needs sexual closeness, yet he can't apply that understanding to what Layla is going through.  First of all, I think they should have made Will bi-sexual.  That's relatively new to TV, and would better describe his apparent ease at having sex with lots and lots of women.  I'm still feel some for his suffering, but he's probably recklessly having sex with strange men, and then he'll probably have pity sex with Layla.  He's going to give her something, and then he'll cry about it and expect her to comfort him.

 

 

Grandpa Glen's hair is really ridiculous now that we've seen him bald, but I love him for standing by Juliette.

 

So true.  It just touches me that he answered the door to Juliette without his rug, because he just knew how much she needed him.  Such a sweet moment.  He looks a hundred times better without that thing!

 

It's funny that with all these posts, no one has really expressed concern with Juliette's health.  I know it's not a measure of how well-liked her character is.  Maybe it's the nurse in me, but morning sickness and/or dehydration don't make you short of breath to the point of passing out.  At first I thought it might be a panic attack, but then it sounded like a pulmonary embolus.   I'm hoping she's not already losing the baby, and I'm always acutely uncomfortable when pregnant actresses have to portray miscarriages.

[Ellaria]

Right: In what mixed-up universe does Eric Close need help from Oliver "I'm Not A Douchebag, I Just Always Play One On TV" Hudson to meet women?.

  

Only in the universe that is "Nashville." First it was Pig Blood Peggy. Now the Mayor of Nashville needs a sleazy music exec to set-up him up with an eager woman who likes his shirt.

Can the mid-season cliffhanger be Layla flipping out and killing Jeff? I'm so tired of him.

I'm all for it. I'm tired of him, too.

[Turtle]

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 Teddy's response to her was perfect.  Good for Teddy. 

I figured Luke didn't want people to see Will's busted up face because it gets the rumor mills going.  And Luke seems to be all about the "good guy" image, publicly.  I do worry that Will's wallet is going to make an unfortunate appearance later.  And I agree with others that it would be great to see a storyline about a gay man coming out in the industry, but I also fear that is not what we're going to get.  I loved Deacon being like "Whatever, dude, you do you, but maybe get those ribs checked out."  And stop trying to get yourself killed. 

 

The storyline with the gay singer seems so early 1990s. Even the country music industry can't be that backwards in 2014.

 

Others have addressed it, but I wanted to add: There are country music stars, and Hollywood stars, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies who are all in the closet, and who seek sex/ love on the down low and sometimes in dangerous situations.  And many of them are married to women.  It's a better situation for gay people now, but it's still not good.  I think Will's apparent "seeking sex only" attitude is a product of him attempting to suppress his sexuality for so long, and of his fear of being outed and what that will mean for his career and his life.  He probably does not see having a relationship with a man as even a remote possibility, even though I think he wants that, but he thinks he can occasionally have sex with men, at least. 

 

About Zoe in the dressing room: she did say she was looking for the designer or whoever, and then fessed up about just wanting to paw through the awesome things.  Not great behavior, but I didn't get the sense she was being shady, just nosy.

[Lillybee]

Did I blink and miss it because I don't remember anyone telling Zoe that Juliette was pregnant? At least Avery wasn't drunk, maybe he is getting it together?

[dcalley]

Daphne must have ordered "milk," which means plain milk. Sorry, kid, if you wanted chocolate, you should have said so. Daphne being suddenly picky and rude definitely seemed like a reaction to seeing Colt do it.
 

I certainly wouldn't have come out of the trailer after he [Avery] showed up screaming.

To be fair, he didn't show up screaming; he only screamed after she refused to see him.

 

 

Did I blink and miss it because I don't remember anyone telling Zoe that Juliette was pregnant?

I don't think you missed it. Zoe overheard corset/spanx talk about going up a size. I could see someone leaping to pregnancy, but it's definitely not equivalent to hearing the word "pregnant."

[gryphon]

Gunner's son is named MIcah?  The kid playing Micah looks an awful lot like the kid who played Micah in Heroes….or am I hallucinating? They both had that curly mop of hair...

 

I wish the show hadn't gone there.  Zoey was ok filling in for Juliette but I'm not a Zoey fan. 

Also not a Pam fan.  Deacon, just be yourself without a woman for a while, ok? 

[Turtle]

I don't think you missed it. Zoe overheard corset/spanx talk about going up a size. I could see someone leaping to pregnancy, but it's definitely not equivalent to hearing the word "pregnant."​

 

 

Didn't Juliette also say something about "barely covering my bump", or something similar?  I don't remember their exact conversation, but it seemed a very possible and even likely inference for Zoe to make.  And then Juliette confirmed it by first telling her not to repeat anything, and then the conversation with Zoe later about her boobs not fitting in the shirt.  

[turnitwayup]

 

Can the mid-season cliffhanger be Layla flipping out and killing Jeff? I'm so tired of him.

 

With Jeff dead and Layla in jail, it gets rid of 2 supporting characters no one cares about. A win all around. Then Will can get sympathy from his fans and boost his sales. Maybe find some storyline for him that's not making him into an idiot by cruising the park for a hook up. The media seems to hang around Luke so I half expected some pap or stalker fan to follow him and the incident would hit the blogs the next day.

[DeLurker]

This show would replace the dead Jeff and Layla with 6 new characters we don't care about.

[slade3]

This. And I've been to concerts where a backup singer got to shine, as a reward for all the hard work and probably a chance for the main performer to rest. An audience is not going to riot if one song is finished by a backup singer, and we didn't see what happened after that song. I thought Zoe was smart to jump in, because what else were they going to do? Suddenly end the song? That would stick out like a sore thumb and get people angry and gossiping. Her finishing the song gives the tour a little bit of time to come up with a plan and story. Maybe they could do an intermission and Juliette would recover (though it's probably medically inadvisable to go back out), maybe the concert had been long enough that they could end it there or have Juliette manage to do one more gentle song. Or maybe they'd have to cancel and blame technical difficulties or exhaustion (she is filming a movie at the same time, so it's believable) and provide refunds or honor the tickets for a future date. All of those things would be better PR-wise than abruptly ending a song in the middle, in my opinion.

Good point. Thanks for mentioning it. I didn't like the end, but you're right, it was a smart move to take over. Maybe the show made a mistake with the earlier Zoe scenes (going through the clothes) because it made her look like an opportunist, not a back up singer saving a show.

 

ETA: Juliette was telling her assistant that her dress (or some outfit) was barely covering her bump. Then she saw Zoe and they all looked shocked. Juliette told Zoe not to repeat anything. I thought that was jumping to conclusions because "bump" can mean anything, but they all seemed to think it obviously meant pregnancy.

Edited October 24, 2014 by slade3

[Sandman]

I agree about the possibility of Will's wallet turning up later. I was pretty sure the guy was about to be bashed, mugged, and outed all in one go.

 

I loved Deacon being like "Whatever, dude, you do you, but maybe get those ribs checked out."  And stop trying to get yourself killed.

 

Deacon in friend mode is good people. I narrowly missed being brained by the falling anvil of Luke's behaviour, though. Yeesh, show, we get it: Deacon's a mensch, and Luke has a repertoire of dick moves longer than his set list.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Sandman

[TeeVee329]

I agree about the possibility of Will's wallet turning up later. I was pretty sure the guy was about to be bashed, mugged, and outed all in one go.

 

I gotta imagine the video the reality show has of Will outing himself to Layla is still going to be used as more than a MacGuffin to keep Will and Layla married, right?  Or what about that HS bandmate of his that mentioned last year?

 

Will going cruising in the park just struck me as out of character based on the brief bits we've heard and seen (the story of him and his bandmate in high school, his past with Brent, making a move on his friend Gunnar, whatever this was with the trainer).  And he honestly seems to be getting dumber the more famous he gets.  People keep warning him to be discreet, but he moves from Brent (who said and showed repeatedly that he wasn't going to out him) to the trainer (who he didn't know at first, but clearly was willing to play ball) to cruising for a rando who easily could have recognized him from the jump.

[ahpny]

As others pointed out, there seems to be a sudden epidemic of hidden fatherhood. In addition to that, despite the many differences between Rayna/Deacon and Juliette/Avery, the writers seem intent on creating further parallels by suggesting Juliette could end up with her current co-star, who explicitly agreed to be the "father" ostensibly because the birth father is an unreliable and unstable drunk. That worked out so well for Rayna and Teddy (and Deacon). Perhaps Juliette and the co-star will also keep her child's birth records in a ridiculously accessible shoebox.

 

I think Maddie should get a vote here.

[HighQueenEB]

Chiming in here on the "who's Micah's daddy?" discussion.  In no way, shape or form do I believe that kid is Gunnar's.  I think that Kylie was telling the truth when she said it wasn't his at first.  It was only when he pressed her again that she said it was.  I'm firmly of the opinion that the baby daddy in that case is actually Gunnar's dead brother.  Recall that Kylie was asking about Jason when they first bumped into each other, and then the next time we saw them together.  The way I see it, she knows that her kid's real father is dead, so the next best option is to let his father's brother believe the kid is really his.  There's likely to be enough familial resemblance as the kid grows up that Gunnar will never question the truth.  At least, not until the kid needs some sort of vital organ transplant and blood and/or DNA tests prove that they are related but not as father-son. 

As far as Daphne goes, I'm with the others upthread who've commented that it's about time she acted, stomped her foot and told Rayna she sucks.  It's been working for Maddie for how many months now?  I also agree with the person who said that the only way I was able to figure out the chocolate milk incident was supposed to reflect her being "bratty" was because of everyone else's reactions.  And even still, I thought it was pretty silly and minor.  Tell the kid to say "please" like any other parent or adult family member would do. 

 

Yes, the wallet will definitely come back to haunt Will. 

And I don't particularly care for Noah.  He just seems a bit sketchy to me.

[DollEyes]

 

Why is Will pulling Kevin Spaceys in the park? Call Brent!

 

  Will doesn't deserve Brent. He not only treated Brent like shit most of the time, he got him fired. Now Will's done the same thing to Tony, his now ex-personal trainer. I agree that coming out's a difficult and dangerous process, but IMO Will's prolonging the inevitable only makes things worse. Props to Deacon for his compassion for Will. Since Gunnar's got his own shit-and a child-to deal with, Will needs all the friends he can get.

Edited October 24, 2014 by DollEyes

[panthergirl13]

Wait, Luke's son is named "Colt"?? Does he have a daughter named "Winnie" too?

[izabella]

It is very 2014, sadly. Chely Wright is basically the only country artist to ever come out and unfortunately her career is all but dead.

The south may be growing and changing, but it's still the south and it's still got the Bible Belt--and these people are some of country's biggest demographics.

source: born and bred Tennessean. Shares a hometown with Kenny Chesney, where the rumors run rampant.

 

I want Will to say "Fuck all y'all, I'm leaving Nashville to sing on Broadway where I can be accepted without regard to my personal sexual preferences." 

 

I don't want him dead, but how else is this going to end otherwise?

[marceline]

 

Gunner's son is named MIcah?  The kid playing Micah looks an awful lot like the kid who played Micah in Heroes….or am I hallucinating? They both had that curly mop of hair...

 

Yeah, when Gunner asked if he was the father I thought, "It looks to me like Micah's father was black or hispanic." I found the casting decision there to be...odd. Although I have to admit that I suck - to quote Daphne - at guessing ethnicity of TV actors and characters these days. (Red Band Society has tripped me up twice when introducing the characters parents.) It's harder and harder to figure out people's bloodlines these days on TV and in real life and I actually prefer it that way.

 

 

Why is Will pulling Kevin Spaceys in the park? Call Brent!

 

The out gay men I know want nothing to do with guys in the closet. I've been told that dating closet cases is basically like stepping back in the closet yourself and re-experiencing that shame and confusion all over again. It's like a form of PTSD. I like Brent a lot but at this point I wouldn't wish Will and his madness on Brent or anybody else who is out. Right now Will's only option seems to be cruising parks and visiting tearooms.

[Sandman]

And he honestly seems to be getting dumber the more famous he gets. 

 

His hats are too tight. They're squeezin' all the blood south.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Sandman

[jelaine]

My own personal, too-soapy for words, "resolution" to Juliette's situation is that co-star wants to marry her because of the baby because he's gay and needs a decent beard except he tells Juliette that from the get go, so no surprises.  Juliette agrees because she doesn't love him and can't get her heart broken and he's a good guy and stable.  Of course, Avery will decide he wants to be a real dad and co-star and Will hook up, but Will's outing will throw a wrench in those works.  

 

While I do love Will and want to see him out and happy, I adore Brent and want him to stay as far the hell away from Will until he gets his shit together and then grovels and begs and proves he's a better man than he was before Brent takes him back.

[Armchair Critic]

Scarlett, if you keep the windows open then don't act surprised you hear outside noise. Are they trying to make Bubba Gump into the guy who does the voiceover for the mac and cheese commercial?

 

I really want to like this show but it is just cliché after cliché. I knew that was going to be Gunnar's kid, I knew Will was going to be attacked in the park, that people would overhear Juliette talking about being pregnant, that Rayna would get teary eyed about missing out on things with her girls,  that Teddy would spoil the girls to compete, and on and on and on...

[BBDi]

Chiming in here on the "who's Micah's daddy?" discussion.  In no way, shape or form do I believe that kid is Gunnar's.  I think that Kylie was telling the truth when she said it wasn't his at first.  It was only when he pressed her again that she said it was.  I'm firmly of the opinion that the baby daddy in that case is actually Gunnar's dead brother.  Recall that Kylie was asking about Jason when they first bumped into each other, and then the next time we saw them together.  The way I see it, she knows that her kid's real father is dead, so the next best option is to let his father's brother believe the kid is really his.  There's likely to be enough familial resemblance as the kid grows up that Gunnar will never question the truth.  At least, not until the kid needs some sort of vital organ transplant and blood and/or DNA tests prove that they are related but not as father-son.

 

 

I am 100% sure it's Jason's just because of the anvils casually dropped by in the last couple of episodes. As noted, Kylie mentioned Jason right off the bat, and in a previous episode when Avery was talking to Gunnar about his complicated feelings re: Juliette, Gunnar said he could kind of relate because of his feelings about Jason. That there was the 1st mention of Jason we'd had in awhile, then Kylie shows up, mentions Jason again, and given that this show is not particularly subtle I think this is case closed.

 

On another topic, I do think Will's character has been pretty consistent from Season 1, when he ran off after kissing Gunnar and they had their talk. It was clear that it's not just that Will worries about how his sexuality might affect his career, but he's full of self-loathing, which is one big reason he's not going to be in a love relationship with anyone at this point--he doesn't think he deserves it. I thought in that episode the show did a pretty good job in making clear that the problems are more complicated than just how being out would affect his career--and that much of it is just internal to Will. It was pretty clear then that Gunnar and I assume Zoe and Scarlett and his friends in Season 1 would accept him and that he could at least be one of those entertainers who is out to his or her friends and gets support that way, but that's not Will's choice. So for me at least I think the show has done a pretty good job showing what is particular to Will and not trying to imply that all gay CW performers inhabit this sphere of self-loathing and self-denial. ETA: Just to be clear, I think it's fucking sad that in 2014 any entertainer has to feel like he/she can't fully come out without risking his/her career. I don't think it's OK.

 

I think one reason his storyline is unsatisfying this season is that Will is so isolated and we don't see his chemistry with those other people. Maybe that is intentional, and his isolation will drive him (or Layla) to something desperate, but it does limit what we are seeing, particularly his more likeable side.

Edited October 24, 2014 by BBDi

[Guest]

Wait, Luke's son is named "Colt"?? Does he have a daughter named "Winnie" too?

 

Almost just as bad, "Sage"... another noun, and an item you could encounter out on a country hike.  Maybe they need a character named Stone.  Oh wait, they have that.  The names in the show crack me up.    

 

I saw Hayden in People magazine pregnant and I'm thinking they might've filmed this late in her pregnancy and Juliette might miscarry soon and the rest of HP's pregnancy might be spent on the show under blankets.  I hope.  

 

Re. all the baby daddy stories-- Remember how season one had so many tired addiction stories?  I don't even remember what all characters had substance abuse issues besides Deacon and mayor #1 but it was overused like the daddy thing is here.

 

I do think Rayna is a lousy mother and there is no need to spend a year on tour.  It's not like she's touring Asia.  Go home between cities. 

 

I was laughing at the Plain Jane Maddie scene because the young actress is much prettier than Britton to me.

 

And I agree that it's not like a flight attendant automatically handed Daphne milk so that line was stupid.  No one asks for "milk" when they want chocolate milk.  

 

I think Zoe will come out a hero to Juliette, not a villain.   

Edited October 24, 2014 by Guest

[TeeVee329]

While I do love Will and want to see him out and happy, I adore Brent and want him to stay as far the hell away from Will until he gets his shit together and then grovels and begs and proves he's a better man than he was before Brent takes him back.

 

All of this, but honestly, I'd just settle for Brent being on-screen.  Or, hell, acknowledged since we know even if the writers forgot that he's still supposed to be Layla's manager.  I guess I'll have to settle with seeing Derek Krantz guest star on "Castle" next week.

Edited October 24, 2014 by TeeVee329

[mousegirl]

Observations after watching only four episodes:

 

Rayna may be a little too self-absorbed and career-obsessed (what performer isn't) but she's a warm, deeply caring woman.  Her scenes with her daughters are very moving.  Wish my mom had been more like her while I was growing up (without all the different "daddies", of course, and the paparazzi).  Having said that, the reconciliation scene with Daphne played out as too pat, too easy. 

 

When do I get to see the Avery character acting like a relatively normal person, and not like a schizophrenic who's off his meds?

 

I look forward to Hayden/Juliette having her baby, so the camera people and the director can stop with all the not-very-well-done attempts to Hide The Belly, and poor Juliette can go 10 minutes without a physical/emotional meltdown.  I find myself wondering how the intense emotion that Hayden portrays in this role may be affecting her real-life pregnancy - she's so convincing in her various meltdown scenes - and the fetus has no way of knowing that mommy is just acting, so everything's really okay little one. 

 

I've never in my life had any problem with the gay, so I am a bit shocked and ashamed to say that when Will kisses a guy, I get a little squicked out. 

 

I must say I love the character of The Cell Phone, who has such a prominent role in this show.  Her timing and characterization are spot on.  I think the role is being played by Samsung Galaxy, but I'm not sure, as I've only seen her in commercials and I don't have a smart phone myself. 

 

The title of this show should be Nashville ADHD.  The scenes play more like trailers, or movie clips, than an actual, integrated, continuous story. 

 

I liked the stuff with Scarlett, and the homeless guy.  I especially liked seeing her happy grin at the end, when he sang her song back to her so perfectly, and finished the lines she was having trouble with.  If this is someone who can create with her, make her feel good about herself and her music, and keep her smiling that beautiful smile, I'm all for adding THIS  character to the cast of eleventy others (of which we could lose 3 or 4 and never, ever miss them).

 

I do wish Clare Bowen would stop talking like her jaw is wired.  Maybe that's the only way she can do a country accent instead of her native Australian, but I can barely understand her. 

 

HighQueenEB, I think you may be right about the whole Gunnar/Kiley/Micah paternity issue - which brings a whole lot more drama to Kiley's presence, which may mean that Gunnar will need to be with her instead of Zoey, which may mean the Zoey character can fade away into the background, or even go away, which Juliette will most likely be very happy to help make happen.  Which I would like, A LOT. 

 

Can't get a handle on Pam at all.  But Deacon seems to be truly relaxing with her, so that's cool.  Loved Deacon's concerns for Will.

 

I record the show on Wednesday and watch Thursday, so I can FF the ads.  Even doing so, I think we're being cheated on content, folks.  My sense is that there's way more commercial time than actual show.  The average on a one-hour program is about 40 minutes of show and 20 minutes of ads, but I would swear Nashville has reversed the equation.  Next time, I'm just going to mute the adds and calculate.  I do hope I'm totally wrong about this.  Maybe is just that the show itself is so jumpy, the individual scenes so short, that I feel cheated at fade-out. 

Edited October 24, 2014 by mousegirl

[Midru]

 

I hope/wish/pray that Nashville will bring on Chely Wright as a guest star for an episode.

Wow. This has been in my head all season long. 100% totally agree!

 

But one reason they don't, I fear, is the same reason we don't get a more substantial Will storyline. It would ruffle the real Nashville's feathers, and Nashville the show depends on the goodwill it has with the country music establishment and the city itself. Any story where he gets ostracized and drummed out of the industry would make the industry look bad. So I bet they don't have the guts to bite the hand that feeds them. 

 

 

I can't believe Juliette just texted the news to Avery. That was ... anticlimactic. And then she won't see him? Not that he reacted maturely, but geez, Juliette!

One about Juliette that seems inconsistent is this. Most of the time she is brazen, the classic girl with "no shame in her game." Then once in a while, for no reason I can think of, she gets all hidy and ashamed of herself of something. This is one girl who, it seems, owns her shit. Then, inexplicably, she doesn't. I don't know if anybody else understands this?

[slade3]

Yeah, when Gunner asked if he was the father I thought, "It looks to me like Micah's father was black or hispanic." I found the casting decision there to be...odd. Although I have to admit that I suck - to quote Daphne - at guessing ethnicity of TV actors and characters these days. (Red Band Society has tripped me up twice when introducing the characters parents.) It's harder and harder to figure out people's bloodlines these days on TV and in real life and I actually prefer it that way.

 

 

The out gay men I know want nothing to do with guys in the closet. I've been told that dating closet cases is basically like stepping back in the closet yourself and re-experiencing that shame and confusion all over again. It's like a form of PTSD. I like Brent a lot but at this point I wouldn't wish Will and his madness on Brent or anybody else who is out. Right now Will's only option seems to be cruising parks and visiting tearooms.

My friend was dating someone who was much younger and hadn't come out to his parents yet. My friend dumped him because he said he couldn't deal with the angst and drama. The kid was out everywhere except home, so there was less angst than what Will is going through, but my friend said he couldn't relive that with someone no matter how much he cared about him. 

 

Right now, Will doesn't deserve Brent and he doesn't deserve Broadway. While I like the idea (from upthread) of him giving the finger to the country music industry and taking his voice to Broadway for a revival of Oklahoma, or something, Will wants to be one of the boys. He wants to be a straight, woman-loving, country music singing macho dude and no one gay needs to be around that kind of insecurity and denial. He hates himself, so he needs to fix that before poisoning other people. Sadly, I don't believe the writers know how to help him.

 

I also thought Micah was biracial, by the way.

[mikem]

 

Layla. Just stop. Her characterization has been so all over the place that I don't know what to expect from her. She's been a fame obsessed All About Eve type, an innocent clueless bride, the Christian virgin, the woman scorned, the poor woebegone runner up and everything else. The show doesn't know what she's supposed to be and I don't care.

 

Layla is somewhat inconsistent, but I don't think she's as inconsistent as some other characters (like Avery).  I think she is immature and very self-centered and, maybe most importantly, not very nice even though she thinks she is.  Everything's all about how it affects her.  I think the show sometimes tries to draw parallels between her grasping behavior and what Juliette was probably like early in her career, but I think the fundamental difference is that Juliette is damaged and reacts to insecurity with aggression, but she tries to be a good person when she doesn't let her insecurities get in the way.  Layla is just not a nice person.  She thinks she deserves to get everything that she wants.

 

In terms of who Micah's father is, if it's actually Jason, I don't think Kiley set it up to deceive Gunnar.  She didn't say anything at first, and then Gunnar, not Kiley, brought up the possibility that he could be the father, and he demanded to know if he was.  If Kiley cheated on Gunnar with his dead brother, I can see why she might think, in the spur of the moment, that it was easier to lie to Gunnar than tell him what really happened.

Edited October 24, 2014 by mikem

[carefree]

I think this was the final episode where the bad writing couldn't be waved away or ignored by me any more. Gunnar having a kid and only finding out as the mother and son are about to leave Nashville? I consider it the moment the shark was jumped. 

 

No one learns anything, either from their own mistakes or having seen others do it first. Luke continues to be an odious creep with a massive chip on his shoulder and his comments about Rayna just working through the girls' complaint struck me as rather telling. I'm not interested in meeting his daughter who, conveniently, happens to be at dance camp. If we have to see more new faces, let one of them be his ex. Let's see why they divorced. Because that man there? Not a nice one and his entitlement is off the chain. 

 

Also, for a show that lasts an hour, I'm often bored and feel my mind wandering. Not because of my attention span but the show isn't interesting enough to maintain my focus. It used to be but somehow the country aspect got shoved aside and the soapiness is at the forefront instead. No amount of cute accents, to me, are going to help with that if the writing remains as turgid.

 

It feels a shame because I did love this show once upon a time and now? Now I watch out of loyalty to the cast, I guess. That's happened before in the recent past for me and even then, I ended up cutting the show loose from my viewing schedule because my time's worth more than that, even if it's spent playing Words with Friends instead. 

[Bubbles]

I do think Rayna is a lousy mother and there is no need to spend a year on tour.  It's not like she's touring Asia.  Go home between cities. 

 

Has it been established that a year on tour means she'll be completely away from home during that year? I just assumed that a year was the total length of the tour but that within that year she'd have opportunities to come home here and there and would find opportunities to bring the girls out or meet them in places, like she did this week. Not that that makes her mother of the year, but it does seem like she's trying.

 

I think Zoe will come out a hero to Juliette, not a villain.

I think it might be somewhere in between. My prediction is that she'll want to fire her but before she gets a chance Zoe will get a bit of attention as the plucky back-up singer who stepped in and saved the day, and Juliette will have to play along to avoid the negative optics of firing the "hero". Not that I think any of that is realistic, but this show left realism in the dust a long time ago.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I record the show on Wednesday and watch Thursday, so I can FF the ads. Even doing so, I think we're being cheated on content, folks. My sense is that there's way more commercial time than actual show. The average on a one-hour program is about 40 minutes of show and 20 minutes of ads, but I would swear Nashville has reversed the equation. Next time, I'm just going to mute the adds and calculate. I do hope I'm totally wrong about this. Maybe is just that the show itself is so jumpy, the individual scenes so short, that I feel cheated at fade-out.

This week's episode was 41 minutes and 21 seconds long without commercials. Most hourlong shows on network tv are anywhere from 40-43 minutes so Nashville is is in the average length.

For comparison, this week's episode of The Vampire Diaries (CW) was 41:45, Parenthood (NBC) was 42:30, Grey's Anatomy (ABC) was 43:05, and Sleepy Hollow (Fox) was 43:13.

[dargosmydaddy]

 

I would have preferred that the boy be Jason's rather than Gunnar's.

Any chance it'll still turn out that way? Maybe what'sherface came to Nashville in the first place to find out from Gunnar where Jason was. When she found out he was dead, she figured she'd leave. Then when Gunnar sees Micah, she figures either A) what the heck, she'll get some support from Gunnar, or B) figures lying to Gunnar is easier than telling him she cheated on him with his brother, or some combination of the two? We know Gunnar never gets long-term stories, so it seems predictable that he'll find out within a few episodes that he's just the kid's uncle, and Micah and Mom will disappear forever. Which isn't how it should go (as Gunnar himself seems to realize, he's desperate for family), since I think Gunnar would want to be a very involved uncle, particularly if he attempts to bond with this kid as his son first, but is probably the way it will go because the writers don't care about Gunnar development.

[mousegirl]

Thanks, ElectricBoogaloo!  I guess it's just my impatience with the disconnected, jumpy nature of the show that makes the content seem so thin and unsatisfying. 

Edited October 24, 2014 by mousegirl

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I think the short scenes combined with the abrupt editing contribute to that feeling!

Edited October 24, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[methodwriter85]

I don't trust Juliette's costar. What's the game he's running?

Why is Will pulling Kevin Spaceys in the park? Call Brent!

Did the actress who plays Scarlett have work done on her face? It looked different in the "Magical Negro" scenes.

 

     I had a really hard time with that scenario. Will is young and hot. All he would need to do is take pictures of his hot abs and cute ass, set up a profile on Grindr that doesn't have his face, and he would have guys beating down his hotel door. Guys that are Will's age(Chris is 34 but since Deacon referred to him as a kid I'm guessing he's more like 25) are not cruising parks for sex. They're using the net.

 

     I think the actress who played Scarlett lost a lot of weight and that changed her face.

[millahnna]

Zoe may be a mess of a character buck Fuck me Chaley Rose can sing.

Edited October 25, 2014 by millahnna

[RedheadZombie]

I think the actress who played Scarlett lost a lot of weight and that changed her face.

 

 

I honestly didn't notice a weight loss.  I've been mesmerized by the extra ten pounds of weave.  What a scraggly mess.  She's such a pretty girl, but she hides behind that hair.  I can't figure out if it's Scarlett's issue or the actress'.

[madam magpie]

I saw Clare Bowen at a coffee shop in Nashville once, and she definitely has a lot of long blond hair. She looked lovely, and the hair did too.