S04.E04: The Slender Threads That Bind Us Here

[Kathemy]

I actually just wanted to ridicule the writers of the show for making a new mother who is actually suffering from PPD act out an over-the-top version of the disorder on-screen where the mother of the child is throwing a heavy object at the husband and her newborn baby. I don't think that is very classy.

 

It would be poetic justice when it comes to them if Hayden never returned to the show, but obviously the priority here must be the happiness and good health of the actress.

Edited October 21, 2015 by Telepath

[Clemgo3165]

For one thing, this discussion doesn't belong on the episode thread. There are other places to take your thoughts about Hayden's illness.

And for me personally, I don't think we should make assumptions about the writers intentions or about Hayden herself. I'll be happy to listen to all of them when and if they're ready to talk. Until then my thoughts go out to Hayden and her family, I hope she'll continue to do what's best for herself and her daughter.

[candall]

Okay, I just read two full pages saying the exact same thing, but Deacon's final lines--Her whole life my sister was a fighter.  She never gave up, ever.  Scarlett gave up.--were just pure bullshit.  And infuriating. The writers might as well have gone the extra mile and had him fall off the wagon if they want to sell Deacon being that irrational and wallowing that deep in delusion and self pity.  BLEH.

 

 

Yes, Rayna was goodhearted to help Will land some positive press coverage. . .

 

Am I remembering correctly that Will was supposed to sign with Highway 65 and then he blew Rayna off to go with Luke instead?  Or was that someone else?

[Clemgo3165]

Nope, that was Will.

[thaliasghost]

I think I figured it out--not in this episode, but in one of the promos, Scarlett is apparently at Beverly's home and says "I was the last person to leave her here to live like this."  I didn't really notice the furnishings, thought of it more like "live alone."  But I see your point, Thaliasghost.  (Also, think this s/b in a different thread, but not sure where, or how much to move.)

Yes, I just noticed. I was referring to the sneak peak video for the coming episode which included that scene. I didn't quite see it as living alone (by all accounts, she had been living alone for quite awhile. What was Scarlett supposed to do? Not attending college when she had the chance to stay in Natchez?) I saw it specifically as that, them pointing out in what horrible squalor she lived in while living in a "normal" (read: non-Hollywood-style) apartment.

[thaliasghost]

Thaliasghost: I have no idea what you're referring to. Caleb is a doctor; I'm sure he can afford a nice condo. Deacon lives in a bungalow in a neighborhood like East Nashville or maybe 12 South, which are super trendy and not cheap...though not Belle Meade where Rayna who's rich as hell definitely lives in a mansion. Jeff had a mansion, Luke has a huge ranch, Colt lives there with his dad so I guess he's got a mansion, Juliette is super rich and has a huge house. Teddy was the mayor. Who are these regular people again?? Nashville fans may live in small houses, but most of these characters are filthy rich. They live in homes that reflect that.

I was referring to the scene/comment in the sneak peak for the coming episode.

 

In this case, not directly to Nashville but to tv writing in general. We usually only see a certain life style portrayed on tv. Even thought that most of the time is not realistic. People have taken the time to calculate how certain characters in tv shows could never actually afford the clothes, apartments and lifestyles they have. Think of Friends, they could have never afforded that apartment and lifestyle in New York City as waitressing 20-something and they were also really white for being in NYC. Carrie Bradshaw could have never afforded what she did with her job. The only somewhat realistic portrayal was Roseanne and that because they deliberately wanted to make a show about working class people with working class lives.

 

I did find the writing unrealistic regarding their lifestyles. Jeff's mansion was beyond ginormous. Someone in that position is NOT going to find themselves reduced to being a paid-by-percentage manager for an unknown failed reality tv starlet no matter what they do. It just isn't like that.  Gunnar was living pretty well before he got his big break and unrealistically well after his big break. Due to streaming, royalties are not what they used to be and they certainly don't pay for such a nice house because you wrote one song for an established star. How are The Exes and Layla getting paid? Do they receive a substantial monthly stipend just for being on the label?

[Clemgo3165]

Yes, I just noticed. I was referring to the sneak peak video for the coming episode which included that scene. I didn't quite see it as living alone (by all accounts, she had been living alone for quite awhile. What was Scarlett supposed to do? Not attending college when she had the chance to stay in Natchez?) I saw it specifically as that, them pointing out in what horrible squalor she lived in while living in a "normal" (read: non-Hollywood-style) apartment.

 

Maybe it'll play differently tonight. Hard to tell what's meant from a line in a promo. 

[thaliasghost]

Ah, that makes sense. Haven't seen the actual scene yet, but I interpreted it as she meant leaving her mother alone. Both she and Deacon would have guilt over "leaving" Beverly. 

 

The only character living remotely like most viewers is Layla and that's only because she hasn't moved out of the Scarlett/Avery house. Even though the boys are bunking together, all three of them have money. Even without Juliette's assets, Avery should have gotten a nice check from his co-write of Dirt and Will should have some money from his very popular reality show and the tour with Luke. 

I was actually laughing out loud when Jeff made that comment about Layla living in "this dingy ass apartment" because it was such an insane comment and if Layla weren't maninpulated by an abusive partner, she would have realized that his statement was ludicrous.

 

She is actually living in a really nice house (it is also a house, not an apartment.) A house with its own set of stairs leading to another story, a house with a lawn and a backyard, a house in which four people used to live that she now has to herself and strangely seems constricted to one single room. She is living in a really, really nice place that most 21 year olds could not afford. I know plenty of people much older who live without kitchens, in moldy basements, in one room studio apartments, parents who share a couch in the living room, people who don't have a huge living room and a nice bedroom to boot. I was also wondering exactly how she could afford a rent that was formerly split with 3-4 people. But that leads to more questions, how could Avery, who was not even waitressing, afford to live there on his own.

 

Jeff has apparently no idea what a dingy ass apartment really is.

 

There is a Finnish-Kurdish singer trying to make it and she told stories about how she went to L.A. to become a star and found herself living in a dive with cockroaches and no electricity trying to get a record deal. That's more like it.

[romantic idiot]

Here's the thing though - most people don't compare themselves to the average or less fortunate - they compare themselves to the leaders in their field. Or perhaps that is just me. The no shoes no feet story is sweet but rare.

[madam magpie]

Also the difference in cost of living between LA and Nashville is huge. What would be considered a great find out here in LA may very well be seen as a dump in Nashville. I actually think all the living spaces are pretty spot on for the characters. Jeff is a rich snob; I can see him thinking an apartment is a dump. Layla probably also has money from the reality show, but she doesn't live in any sort of mansion.

Scarlett lives with the doctor and she lived with Deacon before that. Realistically, she very well may not pay any rent at all.

Edited October 21, 2015 by madam magpie

[Soup333]

I was actually laughing out loud when Jeff made that comment about Layla living in "this dingy ass apartment" because it was such an insane comment and if Layla weren't maninpulated by an abusive partner, she would have realized that his statement was ludicrous.

 

She is actually living in a really nice house (it is also a house, not an apartment.) A house with its own set of stairs leading to another story, a house with a lawn and a backyard, a house in which four people used to live that she now has to herself and strangely seems constricted to one single room. She is living in a really, really nice place that most 21 year olds could not afford. I know plenty of people much older who live without kitchens, in moldy basements, in one room studio apartments, parents who share a couch in the living room, people who don't have a huge living room and a nice bedroom to boot. I was also wondering exactly how she could afford a rent that was formerly split with 3-4 people. But that leads to more questions, how could Avery, who was not even waitressing, afford to live there on his own.

 

Jeff has apparently no idea what a dingy ass apartment really is.

 

There is a Finnish-Kurdish singer trying to make it and she told stories about how she went to L.A. to become a star and found herself living in a dive with cockroaches and no electricity trying to get a record deal. That's more like it.

 

Avery didn't live in that house alone, did he? I thought he and Scarlett always lived there together until he moved out. Then Scarlett had trouble paying the rent and Gunnar moved in. Then Will moved in upstairs. Then Scarlet left. Then Layla moved in and Gunnar moved out/into his own place and Zoey moved in with him. She never really lived at that house so there would only have been three people splitting the rent. 

 

I assumed Layla was paying rent with the tv show money at least until Jeff got power of attorney over her. He could be taking care of it now since he's her manager/boyfriend/yuck.

 

Technically, you could consider it an apartment since it is a split-level with a separate apartment upstairs. I never thought that Will shared a kitchen with Gunnar and Scarlett. At any rate, Layla could have an upstairs neighbor that we never see or hear about. 

 

I just gave that way too much thought.

[Sandman]

I do think most of this nonsense is because of revisionist history on the part of the writers, though: it takes less creativity and is easier to write a straight "she was an angel" storyline than a "life is complicated and we're still devastated by the death of this woman who was mean to us" story.

I think the revisions are coming from Deacon, rather than the writers pretending we won't notice the difference, honestly.

[pattycat]

"I think the revisions are coming from Deacon, rather than the writers pretending we won't notice the difference, honestly."

I Don't understand what You mean by this? Deacon is a character created by the writers.

Do you mean you think , Chip, the actor, is making up his own revisions?

[Clemgo3165]

I understood it to mean that Deacon is the one writing revisionist history, not Chip. We're not expected to believe all that he said in his eulogy because it was colored by what he'd been through with her recently.

[madam magpie]

I understood it to mean that Deacon is the one writing revisionist history, not Chip. We're not expected to believe all that he said in his eulogy because it was colored by what he'd been through with her recently.

I hope that's true and that it comes back around, but those hopes aren't high...

[TWP]

When someone dies, most tend to forget their wrongs and remember them well.  It's human nature.  IMHO, the revisionism is a moment of reality in a pure fantasy work.

Edited October 26, 2015 by TVWithPity

[Guest]

Has HP actually said the Juliet story affected her condition?  I'd be shocked at that, given how ridiculous and over the top the stories on this show are written.  Juliet is like a clownish mosaic of every bad celebrity breakdown and old wives tale about PPD.  I'm amazed HP can act it out with a straight face.  

[Sandman]

The character is the one creating the revisionist family history.

True, the character is the writers' creation, but what I mean was that the character is lionizing his sister (and fooling himself about what kind of a person his sister was, what kind of talent she had, and so on.) The writers are not expecting the audience to accept the character's grief-inflected memories (maybe "memories" is better) at face value, I don't think.