S03.E18: Nobody Knows But Me

[Clemgo3165]

I get where you're coming from now, and yeah, I think they went out of their way to show the relationship as toxic for both of them, but I can't say I ever bought that. There was a bar in his hotel room at the Peabody right before Luke and Rayna were supposed to get married. They tried to make us all think he was drunk in the promo when really he'd passed out because of the cancer. I don't remember another time in Season 2, but I readily admit that I don't remember everything. There was that moment when they did flashbacks to show Deacon as a drunk around Rayna, accidentally whacking her in the face and Luke being the hero - maybe that's it.

 

I'd have preferred to go without the diagnosis too, but at least they're together and not because of the cancer.

[madam magpie]

I think, Clemgo, that the relationship was toxic only because of the drinking, but that it really scared and almost paralyzed Rayna to be in that hole with him. For me, the most telling thing was back in season one when Rayna and Deacon had that fight in his yard where she lit into him for how she never knew if she'd find him dead or alive, how she couldn't trust him to come home, etc. That kind of stress will ruin you.

They do, however, always use the drinking for drama, which I agree is dumb.

Edited April 17, 2015 by madam magpie

[Clemgo3165]

That's what I liked so much about this episode. He walked out on her again, saying he couldn't do this 24/7, yet she reacted with complete calm and totally trusted that he would be there when she called him to go be with Maddie. That was so nice to watch.

[WasntMe]

This may not belong in this thread since it's not about this ep, so mods, I apologize if so.  But why has nobody even mentioned Maddie as a potential liver donor for Deacon?  I don't get it.  I know she's a minor, but wouldn't it at least be brought up so that Deacon can refuse to allow it and Maddie can get all, "but I can save you" etc? 

[madam magpie]

That's what I liked so much about this episode. He walked out on her again, saying he couldn't do this 24/7, yet she reacted with complete calm and totally trusted that he would be there when she called him to go be with Maddie. That was so nice to watch.

Yes, definitely. It was also great how she said, totally calmly, "Nothing has changed, not between us." I think this and her refusing to walk out on that conversation at the cabin are supposed to show that Rayna has accepted life with a sober alcoholic. Rather than equating all this behavior of Deacon's with her terrible fear of his drinking, she's reacting like it's just what he needs to do and giving him the space to come back to her. That works on sober people, but not on drunks. So she does seem to have separated all the pieces and has had a shift in her thinking. How she got there, we have no idea because the show never let us see, but I think we're meant to believe that's what she did.

Edited April 17, 2015 by madam magpie

[Guest]

I think the (very simple minded) writers went with liver cancer because Rayna's beef with Deacon was "you're going to kill yourself with your drinking".  Then they could use that as a reason for Deacon to mope around, beat himself up, and not be with Rayna-- because she was right, he's dying due to his own deeds, and by doing so he's hurting those he loves.  

[Soup333]

This may not belong in this thread since it's not about this ep, so mods, I apologize if so.  But why has nobody even mentioned Maddie as a potential liver donor for Deacon?  I don't get it.  I know she's a minor, but wouldn't it at least be brought up so that Deacon can refuse to allow it and Maddie can get all, "but I can save you" etc? 

 

I'm not sure that Rayna and/or Scarlett would even suggest it. And I don't think Maddie's processed it enough to get to that point. Wouldn't surprise me if Daphne was the one to bring it up.

 

I agree wholeheartedly that Rayna looks so freaking happy now. She looked great in the car with the girls. 

 

I do remember a scene in Season 1 where Coleman said Rayna was like an addiction (maybe he said toxic?) to Deacon. I thought that was a pretty messed up thing to say. I never got the impression that Rayna was the reason Deacon drunk, she just happened to be in his life during that time and it felt like Coleman was blaming her for his addiction. 

[airwair]

I find it interesting, too, that now that Rayna and Deacon are officially together (what she wanted), he's allowed to parent her with Rayna, like regular mom and dad. It wasn't so long ago that Maddie and Colt had a party, Luke, Deacon, Rayna, and Teddy showed up to deal with it, and Rayna dismissed him with something like "Thanks for coming" to Deacon. She and Teddy went to handle Maddie alone, as her two parents.

THIS.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching them co-parent. I think they're a wonderful parental unit and it kind of irritates me again that it took so long for it to happen, but at the same time, why is it okay all of a sudden?

Is it because she knows Teddy was about to sell Maddie out? Is it because she and Deacon are actually together? I don't get it. It's like he can be her father when Rayna wants him to be her father, but if Rayna is having some kind of off day, she's gonna pull a Maddie and go call Teddy and send Deacon off with a "nice of you to come."

(I know it's quite a few episodes back, but the moment they left him downstairs while they took her to have a discussion still makes my blood boil.)

[Bringonthedrama]

. It's like he can be her father when Rayna wants him to be her father, but if Rayna is having some kind of off day, she's gonna pull a Maddie and go call Teddy and send Deacon off with a "nice of you to come."

 

That's exactly what I was thinking. I feel like him parenting Maddie along with Rayna (going from 'fun dad' to 'real dad') is somehow a reward because she now has what she wanted - and because she's disgusted with Teddy's behavior.(I think she was punishing Teddy, but not to his face, by saying "our daughter" to Deacon when they were talking about Maddie on the phone.) When she was engaged to Luke, they kept talking about blended family time and Luke was stepping into the role of other father. It seems like who is father/father figure of Rayna's girls seems to shift depending on Rayna's relationship status, or how she's feeling towards a man at whatever part in the season. 

[hqtextbook]

 

I agree wholeheartedly that Rayna looks so freaking happy now. She looked great in the car with the girls. 

 

 

Almost too happy...considering the love of her life is dying...

[Sutton]

THIS.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching them co-parent. I think they're a wonderful parental unit and it kind of irritates me again that it took so long for it to happen, but at the same time, why is it okay all of a sudden?

Is it because she knows Teddy was about to sell Maddie out? Is it because she and Deacon are actually together? I don't get it. It's like he can be her father when Rayna wants him to be her father, but if Rayna is having some kind of off day, she's gonna pull a Maddie and go call Teddy and send Deacon off with a "nice of you to come."

(I know it's quite a few episodes back, but the moment they left him downstairs while they took her to have a discussion still makes my blood boil.)

Airwair was she afraid of making Teddy angry by asking Deacon please join us for the discussion with Maddie. Deacon hasn't had that much experience parenting, but boy did he get it right. Talking to Maddie with a soft voice, telling her what she did was wrong, lying, not making eye contact when talking to him , hurting her mother was perfect. (They are working as a team already, they have each others back, which they have always had, not matter what their relationship was) Parents with years of experience has it's ups and downs with teenage kids sometimes they don't get it right. It's Chip taking all the years of experience with his own children and putting it into the Deacon character and it's coming across as Deacon is learning and he done good.

[Abstract]

How old is Deacon supposed to be? Charles Esten is nearly 50 (got to be one of the best-looking 50-year-olds on the planet), but I assume Deacon is younger, say 45? And he quit drinking before Maddie was born, which means he was sober by age 30. Assuming he started drinking as a teenager, that's 15 years max of alcohol abuse, followed by 15 years of sobriety. I'm not a doctor, but does alcohol-related liver disease really work that way?

Of course this is the Nashville universe where pregnancies take a full year....

[madam magpie]

How old is Deacon supposed to be? Charles Esten is nearly 50 (got to be one of the best-looking 50-year-olds on the planet), but I assume Deacon is younger, say 45? And he quit drinking before Maddie was born, which means he was sober by age 30. Assuming he started drinking as a teenager, that's 15 years max of alcohol abuse, followed by 15 years of sobriety. I'm not a doctor, but does alcohol-related liver disease really work that way?.

I think it can, actually. Fifteen, or even ten, years of hard drinking is pretty severe, though I've read things that use twenty years as a gauge. Deacon could also have started drinking as a littler kid if he had an alcoholic father and no supervision. (My grandfather took his first shot of whiskey at ten.) And something like 60% or 70% of liver cancer patients also had cirrhosis. (Plus, Deacon can be kind of a manwhore and hepatitis also can develop into liver cancer, so...) But the larger issue for me is that primary liver cancer (meaning, it starts there, not that it spread there from somewhere else in the body) is rare in developed countries. Something like less than 2% for men. And it has a terrible survival rate for late-stage cancer, though transplant recipients do better. By all accounts, if they're going to give Deacon liver cancer, he really should die. At the very least, he should be pretty jaundiced, exhausted, and bloated, not full of energy, carting kids around town, and having great nightly sex with Rayna. So it's like...really show? Really?? I wish they'd just given him cirrhosis like a normal drunk. Even that is uncommon: maybe 20% or something of alcoholics get it. It's still really, really bad and can require a transplant, but it has better survival rates, I believe, and can progress slowly. (I think! This is just my understanding. I'm not a doctor and don't even play one on TV.)

I think Deacon is 45 or 46. He said he was 45 during an AA meeting last season. He also didn't quit drinking before she was born, though. He said in that meeting that he was drunk the day she was born.

Edited April 18, 2015 by madam magpie

[Abstract]

Even his years of drinking were punctuated by periods of sobriety. He was in rehab several times, after all.

The storyline makes no sense, and I'll be glad when it wraps up with the reveal of the unlucky but inevitable donor.

[Sutton]

You have a hit TV Series, with two main characters that have the most unbelievable chemistry between them  (Deacon/Rayna) season 1 was amazing, season 2 no so good, season 3 first half no so good, second half of season 3 you give one of the main characters a life threatening illness that he might not recover from (we all know he will) question WHY? They could have given him hepatitis C, which is very bad but with medication, eating well, resting, taking care of yourself it can be cured. A relative had it (or has it, don't know if you can ever cure it completely but with the new medication out today it really works ) he was a heavy drinker and after 2 years they say he's cured. So why such a disease like liver cancer?

Edited April 18, 2015 by Sutton

[Ely]

 

I was delighted by Will's scenes with Kyle. I have to admit, this show is not even close to a favorite anymore, and I was never a big Will fan, but his scenes were the only reason I kept watching this episode. I think Kyle is very cute, and I loved the way he kept staring at Will with this baffled expression that made me wonder if he knew Will was struggling to ask him out and wanted him to sweat it. I hope Kyle sticks around and someone writes these two a sweet, romantic story line.

Oh, I agree. Will asking out Kevin was the most adorable thing I've seen in a long time on TV (though you would never see such a thing on Game of Thrones) so I cannot really blame him for accepting. But as others have said, I don't see Kevin going back into the closet for him. So I really don't know where they want to go with this. Except, maybe Kevin wants Will to have the career he never had and is willing to be on the DL for him. After all, he did not turn him down so there must be something.

 

I really hope this works out, I really like Kevin and we've had enough of Will taking one step forward and two steps back into his closet. It's high time for a real relationship.

[HeatherinThailand]

While I'm not a fan of Cadence as a name, it is a TV show and they are musicians, so it makes sense in the scheme of things. I am just dreading the inevitable onslaught of people naming their children that in real life. That shot where Juliette just stands over the crib and looks at the crying baby had me worried. Severe sleep deprivation does not do good things to people and as others have said, she didn't have a good role model growing up, so I was worried she might do something to harm the baby. I think she made a good decision to get help rather than do something she would regret. However, having her fly off the handle when talking about it to Avery was a little much for me. And then, taking off to LA for the day without telling Avery or the nanny is all kinds of bad news. I am also on board the happy boring Avery/Juliette train, so I am not a fan of any of the directions their storyline is taking. Avery! Don't quit the band, take the family on the road! Hello, that is clearly the right answer to the situation.

[GaT]

While I'm not a fan of Cadence as a name, it is a TV show and they are musicians, so it makes sense in the scheme of things. I am just dreading the inevitable onslaught of people naming their children that in real life. 

I have a doll I named Cadence. I just want everyone to know that I gave her the name before Juliette gave birth LOL

[vibeology]

The whole nanny thing is crazy to me. Juliette sat around bored for weeks. Obviously she was going to want to get back to work after having the baby. She should have used that time to hire her nannies. And yes, I said nannies. She needs a day nanny and a night nanny/sleep doula. Juliette wants to work and Avery wants to work. They need nannies to make that happen. Most celebrities who want to get back to work right away have a nanny team.

 

I don't mind seeing some sort of conflict between Juliette and Avery. They rushed into a marriage, the didn't plan Cadence and it makes sense that they're going to have to work things out. What does bug me is the risk that Juliette will be the one cast as the "bad parent" because the expectation is on her as the mom to be there for their daughter.

[smiley13]

The whole nanny thing is crazy to me. Juliette sat around bored for weeks. Obviously she was going to want to get back to work after having the baby. She should have used that time to hire her nannies. And yes, I said nannies. She needs a day nanny and a night nanny/sleep doula. Juliette wants to work and Avery wants to work. They need nannies to make that happen. Most celebrities who want to get back to work right away have a nanny team.

 

I don't mind seeing some sort of conflict between Juliette and Avery. They rushed into a marriage, the didn't plan Cadence and it makes sense that they're going to have to work things out. What does bug me is the risk that Juliette will be the one cast as the "bad parent" because the expectation is on her as the mom to be there for their daughter.

Juliette is being the bad parent at this point by hiring some unvetted stranger as a nanny and by leaving town without even discussing it with Avery.  I can not believe neither Emily or Glenn called Avery to alert him.  Juliette is being a spoiled brat,

[hqtextbook]

Juliette is being the bad parent at this point by hiring some unvetted stranger as a nanny and by leaving town without even discussing it with Avery.  I can not believe neither Emily or Glenn called Avery to alert him.  Juliette is being a spoiled brat,

Why is it her thats the bad parent? Avery wasnt even there! He left, assuming Juliette would sacrifice job things. They are at least equally bad :) 

[Emily Thrace]

The whole nanny thing is crazy to me. Juliette sat around bored for weeks. Obviously she was going to want to get back to work after having the baby. She should have used that time to hire her nannies. And yes, I said nannies. She needs a day nanny and a night nanny/sleep doula. Juliette wants to work and Avery wants to work. They need nannies to make that happen. Most celebrities who want to get back to work right away have a nanny team.

 

I don't mind seeing some sort of conflict between Juliette and Avery. They rushed into a marriage, the didn't plan Cadence and it makes sense that they're going to have to work things out. What does bug me is the risk that Juliette will be the one cast as the "bad parent" because the expectation is on her as the mom to be there for their daughter.

I'm wondering if Avery's mom isn't going to come into to the story somehow. They keep bringing her up and since when has this show cared about character continuity? She might end being a good childcare solution assuming she can come and stay with them for a while. I think that's also something Juliette needs is a role model someone who can help her be a better mother and build her confidence in that area.

[smiley13]

Why is it her thats the bad parent? Avery wasnt even there! He left, assuming Juliette would sacrifice job things. They are at least equally bad :) 

Avery did not hop on a plane to fly across the country.    

[Evie]

Why is it her thats the bad parent? Avery wasnt even there! He left, assuming Juliette would sacrifice job things. They are at least equally bad :)

After three weeks at home, Juliette hired a nanny and went out of town. After three weeks at home, Avery spent a day promoting his band. Juliette was wrong to hire the nanny and leave town without talking to her husband. Avery was wrong to dismiss Juliette's desire to write her song and get out for the night. Both Juliette and Avery need to work on communicating and taking their partner's needs into account. To me, Juliette's actions are troubling because they potentially point to a larger problem of her being overwhelmed/disconnected from her baby. At this point, I wouldn't classify either as a bad parent, however. Edited April 20, 2015 by Evie

[SlovakPrincess]

Oh, boy, poor Maddie and Daphne.  Deacon has cancer and Teddy could be going to jail.  

 

I don't have anything against Christina Aguilera, but I'm not loving the purple hair and I'm not really sure why she's needed on this show.  

 

The last two episodes have had Juliette yelling at her staff like a jackass.  Ugh, make it stop.  The writing for her this year has not been great ...

[Bobcatkitten]

I have always liked Luke and continue to. He blew up like twice and said bad things but hasn't everyone on this show? Overall he has been a good guy. Loved the moment with him and Deacon. And I am enjoying the ease of Deacon and Rayna's relationship. It is cute. 

 

Likewise I have never liked Juliette and continue not to. Don't know if they are going with postpartum. The reason I can't tell is she has always been selfish so this behavior is nothing new. She never seems to mature, which is frustrating. 

 

Favorite song last night was Will's in the studio. Did I miss something where he decided not to hide being gay anymore? So cute watching him with the songwriter. I like having a storyline where he develops a real relationship - not one night stands. 

[Splash]

It's doesn't ring true to me that neither Glenn nor Emily talked to Juliette before the baby arrived about nannies and additions to her security team.  Because of their careers, they'd need a nanny would is ok with extensive travel, can deal with the paparazzi, and they'd want hire a couple of people to do security specifically for the nanny and baby.  I would think this isn't something you'd call the local nanny agency for when you're wanting someone to come over a couple of days a week, so I have no idea why this wasn't discussed before the baby was born.  I actually don't think it would have been completely unusual if they hired someone when Juliette was on bedrest, just so the person could get used to the household, and the various people in their lives, to make sure it's a good fit before the baby arrives.

 

I mean, what exactly was her plan when she went back in the studio or on tour?  Just hand the baby off to Emily to deal with?

 

Gunnar looks like a moron in that hat and I wish Scarlette had told him to take it off, as well as to stop being creepy.  I like her with the doctor and hope they don't screw that up and put her and Gunnar back together.

[dcalley]

I also didn't buy Cute Gay Songwriter Dude showing his love for Confused Closted Will. Chris Carmack is apocalyptically handsome but maybe one person can turn him down?

A bartender (outdoors, so at a festival?) turned him down.

 

Juliette is being the bad parent at this point by hiring some unvetted stranger as a nanny

I got the impression she used a service, so vetting was already done.

[Ellaria]

At this point, Daphne may be the only character that I still like.

 

And Luke, now that he isn't linked romantically with Rayna, is actually enjoyable.

[aradia22]

Will and Gunnar talking about their love lives is adorable. I need them to free Will from all these depressing storylines.

 

I love Christina but she's not exactly a triple threat. She's not an awful actress. Just not... great.

 

They've been all over the place with Luke but I don't mind him so much as this peripheral character. And he actually seems like a good dad.

 

Pitchfork dude, why are you so gossipy... and rather unprofessional?

 

What? Yes! I was not expecting this lovely gift, Nashville. Deacon and Juliette back together? I wish they could have actually gotten that song written.

 

OK, fancy escort lady. Stop being ridiculous. Half a million in cash? She's basically a plot device now hanging over Teddy's head... not making any sense. Go away. And take him with you.

 

What? Do they want us to feel bad for Jeff now because he was engaged to someone who dumped him? Really, Nashville. NO. I don't care. Stop trying to make Jeff and Layla happen.

 

I love awkward Will! Awkward Will is adorable!

 

As a dramatic actress she can make me cry at the drop of a hat but crazy Juliette is fun too. I just hope we can cool it on all this irrational hormonal ranting before it gets too stale.

 

I'm glad Juliette got a nanny instead of murdering the baby. I was worried for a second.

 

Aw, yay for Will! Let's just keep this going so we don't have to deal with all those random hook ups and angst anymore.

 

Teddy, you idiot!