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S04.E12: How Does It Feel To Be Free

ElectricBoogaloo

By ElectricBoogaloo
in Nashville [V]

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

A familiar face is back on the Nashville music scene when Luke recruits his old friend Riff Bell to join him on tour. While the duo excitedly starts planning Riff's return to the stage, newcomer Vita arrives at The Beverly, but while she convinces Deacon and Rayna she deserves a shot, Frankie has his doubts. In the end, more questions than answers remain. Radio personality Buzz Brainard also guest stars as himself.

 

Promo:

WhosThatGirl

WhosThatGirl

Luke is here! Hi, Luke! I feel like it's been forever since we've seen Luke, even though it was only because it's been about a long time since this show came back and he didn't appear on last weeks episode so, it feels like it's been forever.

 

Maddie sucks. Stay on the farm, Colt! Never return! Really, I'm thinking he's going to fare much better there. But also, I'm sorry blonde girl singer whose name I have never cared to remember is always around and ugh, I don't like her. I'm also just sad that Daphne is going to continuing to get shafted because her older sister sucks. It makes me sad that show itself feels this way too. 

 

Of course Scarlett is the one to catch Erin being a lying cheater. That's such a show thing to do, especially such a Nashville show thing to do. Also I totally forgot who Erin was.. until she came on screen. Which is how invested I am in this relationship. Gunner's non reaction just turned on my countdown clock for Scarlett and Gunner to reunite. Cause.. that's clearly happening. 

 

I couldn't hate the Avery/Juliette now Layla plot more if I tried. You know when it was Scarlett getting in the way of Avery/Juliette back when this show was AWESOME, it made sense. Scarlett and Avery had history and it scared Juliette, but Layla just..is terrible. The character has always grated and the actress doesn't do her any favors for me. I can't take this crazy. I'm sorry, but no. Remember when we hated Avery on this show? That was so long ago. Now I only want good things for him and am still bitter that they gave Juliette a post-partum depression storyline, both because of Hayden's real life issues and also because no one is allowed to be happy on this show, except for Deacon and Rayna. I hate this Lyla Avery thing. Stupid show. 

 

 

Speaking of those two, I love that The Beverly is now The Bluebird, I guess. 

 

Oh Will. If i ever needed to feel bad for him, this show does it but I'm glad that he got back on stage to sing. At least this show let him win one. 

 

WHY ARE WE ADDING MORE CHARACTERS TO THIS SHOW? My lord. We just keep adding more. This new Vita girl and now Luke's old country music buddy. 

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TVFAN

TVFAN

So, Layla is going to use sweet Avery to hurt Juliette.    Alrightie then.  Game on!  I want Juliette to come home and destroy her as only Juliette can.  I get that Layla wants revenge on Juliette, and if she wanted to take her on professionally I would not be able to criticize her.  But putting Avery (and little Cadence) in the middle of WWIII is not cool.  That witch doesn't care who she hurts.  (Not that she ever has!)  

 

Team Juliette for the win!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Way to go Will!  That bully needed someone to stare him down.  

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airwair

airwair

So... what did I just watch? Didn't feel like my show. That's for sure.

Totally betting that Frankie took the money for whatever reason and is all set to frame her.

I don't think Colt is being such a twerp that he deserves a Taylor Swift style song lashing. I think he and Maddie have grown apart as he wants structure and she wants to be an insufferable diva. It happens. Welcome to the big leagues, sweetheart. (Am I the only one hoping Deacon was just down the hall when she started yelling at him about ignoring her since they had sex? That reaction could've been humorous.)

I changed the channel during Layla's foolishness.

Also, Vitavitavegamin is no Adele, which is what I was expecting given everyone's OMG BEST VOICE EVER reactions. Deacon does NOT need to take over A&R at H65 any time soon.

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dbell1

dbell1

(edited)

Bye Erin. Take Cash with you? And add Vita (really? "Vita"?) to the road trip. Maybe Layla wants to join? And toss Maddie in the trunk, she'd just whine anyway.

Can't blame Colt for staying on the farm. His gf and dad both suck. What's a Riff? Is that a Garth Brooks stand in?

Avery really can't catch a break. And you'd think Juliette would have had Doc Uptight call him to say "you're free" before he got dumped via press release. I did laugh out loud at Jules not wanting "drama" around her.

Edited by dbell1
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madam magpie

madam magpie

I keep referring to Cash as the Wise Janitor (TM Not Another Teen Movie). She's the older, virtually total stranger who dispenses wisdom to the clueless teenager.

Maddie, you better not let your mom hear that song, she'd probably figure out that you slept with Colt.

Don't we think Rayna knows or at the very least, suspects, since Deacon caught them getting naked at his house?

Bort

Bort

Don't we think Rayna knows or at the very least, suspects, since Deacon caught them getting naked at his house?

Since they weren't yet doing it at the time, which I think Maddie explained? And I guess Deacon believed her? It's been like ten years since this show has been on so I don't really remember anymore. But anyway, my point is that Deacon may not have bothered to tell Rayna.

madam magpie

madam magpie

He definitely told her off screen. When Maddie says "so does this mean you're not going to tell mom?" he said "noooo... no, it does not."

Yes, he said he'd tell her. I wish they hadn't totally dropped that, but I feel like Rayna's got to know. Skipping school to get naked with your boyfriend in an empty house pretty much says you're either doing the deed or getting ready to. I'll call bullshit if the show tries to pretend Rayna had no clue.

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Fisher King

Fisher King

"Vitavitavegamin"  Love it!

I had to laugh when she told Rayna she'd done some things in the past she wasn't proud of - considering the actress playing her was killed off recently & left for zombie chow on The Walking Dead. 

Naw, she didn't take the cash. Frankie is the thief here.

 

And the guy playing Luke's friend Riff plays rocker Gus on Shameless. He wrote an appropriately-titled song called "Fuck you, Fiona" for his now ex-wife.

 

Can we please take some focus off Maddie & Daphne? Love their singing, but they're both so annoying when NOT singing.

 

There was absolutely no need to bring Erin back just to have Gunnar break up with here. Don't know if I can handle more jealous, angsty crap with him & Scarlet.

 

Besides the homophobic redneck breaking Will's nose, Will actually was the highlight of this episode.

 

 

 

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pattycat

pattycat

I don't think Rayna would be freaked out to learn Maddie and Colt, had sex.

Would she have preferred they wait; I'm sure. I don't think she was a lot older, when she and Deacon became lovers, and, at least, Maddie and Colt, are close to the same age. It's not an exploitive situation.

I imagine Rayna would want to be sure her Daughter was handling it emotionally, and, of course, that she was being safe, both in terms of birth control and Preventing nasty bugs!

At least that's what I'd hope! But, we need Drama! We don't get to see Mama and Daughter bonding over a very real situation that Mama's and Daughter's bond over.

Now Deacon! It's much harder, often, for Daddy's to accept that their daughters, aren't little girl's.

AnnaRose

AnnaRose

(edited)

I really liked Vita and her voice/song.  And her scene with Rayna at her car totally gave me a Tami Taylor vibe, so that was a big plus for me.

 

Tired of the redneck/homophobia stuff, but loved that Will got up on stage again.

 

I hate that Layla is determined to use Avery to try to punish Juliette.  As far as she knows, they've been separated and Juliette announced they are divorcing... so why is she so sure that it would even mean that much to Juliette?  For all Layla really knows, Juliette got pregnant so they got married, but she left because she doesn't really love him.   Add to that Avery being one of Will's best friends... is Will a good friend to Layla at this point?  I've lost track.

 

Maddie sucks, as usual.  Poor Daphne.  I don't know who Cash is supposed to be, either.   I wish she and Maddie would just go away on tour.  Stay on the farm, Colt!  You're better off there.

 

As somebody else mentioned, I couldn't remember who Erin was supposed to be when Gunnar took her call.   Then when I saw her, I was surprised she was still even in the picture.  I'm glad Gunnar broke up with her.   Scarlett seemed rather dour or depressed throughout the episode.  I did like her taxidermist mention though.  I guess it's just a matter of time until Scarlett and Gunnar get back together.  Too bad I don't care about them as a couple any more since Gunnar became all weird and stalkery a while back.  Or was he just jealous and possessive?   I don't even remember why I started hating him so much.  Him and his stupid hair.   I do like him with Cadence and with his buddies though.

Edited by AnnaRose
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madam magpie

madam magpie

(edited)

I have a hard time believing someone would throw a bottle at Will for being gay while he was playing a club in Nashville. Did I miss something? Did they drive to some redneck bar in rural Alabama? I've seen a lot of music in Nashville and suspect that guy would never have done it to begin with, but would have been tossed pretty fast when he started heckling.

I liked Vita's song but don't believe it was written by a 15-year-old. Also, living in Southern California, the land of car break-ins, my first thought on Rayna seeing her car wasn't "Oh how sad." It was, "Girl, someone is going to steal your guitar. Put valuables in the trunk!"

Don't care about Luke, Layla, Erin, Colt, or Luke's buddy. I'm tired of Avery being an emotional mess and Daphne/Maddie having sister drama.

Maddie/Cash sounded lovely together. I like Cash fine so far.

When did Frankie become a jerk??

The promo for next week baffles me, and I cannot believe I'm still watching this show.

Edited by madam magpie
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Artsda

Artsda

 

I'm also just sad that Daphne is going to continuing to get shafted because her older sister sucks. It makes me sad that show itself feels this way too.

This is on Rayna, she never should have forced them to be a duo when Daphne's a child and then you have a older teen. This was never going to work out well for Daphne, and Rayna knew it's not what Maddie wanted either. 

 

Best thing about this episode was Will and his getting back on the stage.

  • Love 4
ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

  • Author

In not at all surprising news, Layla continues to suck. You'd think after hearing what Avery had to say, she would have a heart but no, her high school version of revenge must continue. And now poor Avery and Cadence are going to be the collateral damage. It's pretty bad when the best thing I can hope for in this scenario is that Layla actually falls in love with Avery so that she realizes she shouldn't be trying to hurt Juliette through him (because obviously it's too much to hope that she grows a soul and just realizes that on her own without falling in love with him).

 

I liked that we got to see Avery actually producing for all of a minute this week. So much better than watching him forced to sing jingles or be in the booth but not actually do anything because we have Dramatic Dialogue.

 

I was fine with Cash giving Maddie the Girl Power speech because it's terrible to watch teenage girls torture themselves with all of the "what did I do wrong?" second guessing after they've had sex with a boy who then becomes distant. Don't get me wrong - Maddie is still a self centered pain in the ass, but if Colt doesn't want to be her boyfriend anymore (and he certainly hasn't been acting like it), then he should at least have the nerve to dump her instead of telling her that he doesn't have time to see her and he doesn't really feel like talking to her. Either be a boyfriend or break up with her, but quit with this passive aggressive crap.

 

Rayna going to bat for Vita reminded me of Tami Taylor encouraging Tyra to study and apply to college.

 

I don't care about Luke's man pain or his fans turning on him. While I get his bewilderment (especially since it's true that he's the same person now as he was before the tax stuff), I just don't give a crap about Luke's storylines ever. Wah, your kids don't want to live with you. Have you given any serious thought as to why?

 

I'm not sure how I feel about Riff yet. I am going to keep waiting for him to bust out "Fuck You, Fiona" every time I see him. Theoretically, it can't hurt to have a Tony award winning singer in the cast but I am not interested in his family road trip/tour with Luke. Prediction: Colt reluctantly agrees to go back on the road with Luke and then Riff's angelic looking boy will turn out to be the same bad influence he was as a kid (burning ants with a magnifying glass!) and then Luke and Riff will point fingers at each other about whose kid is worse and who is the bad parent. Or maybe Colt will hook up with the daughter and then Maddie finds out and dumps him but writes a Taylor Swift-esque song that becomes an overnight sensation. Meanwhile, Riff blames Luke for Colt having sex with his daughter and another tour explodes.

 

I have such mixed feelings because I love the way Maddie, Daphne, Layla, Scarlett/Gunnar, and Vita sing but their storylines suck. Can we just relegate them to singing one song every week and ignore them for the rest of each episode? To be clear, I also dislike Luke's storylines but I don't want to hear him sing every week. In the middle ground are people like Will and Avery because I like hearing them sing and their storylines don't 100% suck.

 

Who exactly is Cash again?

Cash is Frankie's daughter. Frankie is the guy who co-owns the Beverly with Deacon.

  • Love 5
Bort

Bort

I liked Vita's song but don't believe it was written by a 15-year-old. Also, living in Southern California, the land of car break-ins, my first thought on Rayna seeing her car wasn't "Oh how sad." It was, "Girl, some on is going to steal your guitar. Put valuables in the trunk!"

Mine was similar, it was, "Why has no one stolen that guitar? Does it have a Toys R Us label?"

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

  • Author
I liked Vita's song but don't believe it was written by a 15-year-old. Also, living in Southern California, the land of car break-ins, my first thought on Rayna seeing her car wasn't "Oh how sad." It was, "Girl, some on is going to steal your guitar. Put valuables in the trunk!"

I thought the same thing. Never leave anything visible! I live in northern California and car break ins are so bad that people in San Francisco leave the doors unlocked and notes that say, "DOORS UNLOCKED," so that their windows don't get smashed every night.

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Sandman

Sandman

(edited)

I changed the channel during Layla's foolishness.

 

I wonder if I can create macro for this. I foresee needing to post it a lot.

I have such mixed feelings because I love the way Maddie, Daphne, Layla, Scarlett/Gunnar, and Vita sing but their storylines suck. Can we just relegate them to singing one song every week and ignore them for the rest of each episode?

 

I think I do this in my head anyway.

Edited by Sandman
grannygeek

grannygeek

 

WHY ARE WE ADDING MORE CHARACTERS TO THIS SHOW? My lord.

Oh big Word on this!

Also am I the only one old enough on this board to remember that 'vitameatavegamin' was a classic comedy bit on I Love Lucy: "Hello friends. I'm your Vitameatavegamin girl. Are you tired, run-down, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular?"

 

I thought Maddie told Rayna that she was a "woman" when they were in a fight in the car.

Threw up in my mouth a little when recalling this.

Maddie is being written as a little [insert misogynistic term here]. I know teen girls aren't always this miserable to be around, I co-raised one with my son when her addicted, promiscuous-with-both-sexes mother abandoned them. She's a shining light that I can only take small credit for.

Of course, why single out only Maddie's part for the huge writing FAIL this once must see tv show has become.

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marceline

marceline

My biggest takeaway from this episode is that the bouncers at the club where Will was performing suck. That guy should've been removed the second time he heckled the stage.Somebody needs to review Dalton's rules from Roadhouse.

 

I can only hope that this storyline with Layla ends in her tragic death so that she can spend eternity in the Tertiary Character Afterlife with her beloved Jeff. that said, I did like the reminder that she was married to Will. I'd almost forgotten that.

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basiltherat

basiltherat

Why would anyone want to steal Vita's guitar -- it's Nashville, EVERYBODY already has a guitar!

Selfish Maddie, maybe Colt is confused about HIS emotions and doesn't know what he's feeling. Also, poor Daphne.

I was so glad Will didn't do what everyone expected him to do. I'm always rooting for him.

Luke does not want Biff or Riff's family on the road with them. He was hoping for a bros-lookin'-for-hos tour. Maybe to retaliate he'll go after the wife!

Yup, Frankie totally is framing Vita. Why? Maybe she's his long-lost daughter.

And, finally, was anybody else waiting for Cash to plant a kiss on Maddie?! I know they did this with Will/Gunnar, but Show is not above repeating things.

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DeLurker

DeLurker

(edited)

I don't like the overly fake accent of Scarlett and the actress annoys me but when she said she was going out with the taxidermy guy tonight, I Lol'd :)

I'm not a Scarlett fan, but she handled spitting out the taxidermy date perfectly.

 

So, Layla is going to use sweet Avery to hurt Juliette.    Alrightie then.  Game on!  I want Juliette to come home and destroy her as only Juliette can.  I get that Layla wants revenge on Juliette, and if she wanted to take her on professionally I would not be able to criticize her.  But putting Avery (and little Cadence) in the middle of WWIII is not cool.  That witch doesn't care who she hurts.  (Not that she ever has!)  

 

Not excited by a triangle or whatever geometric shaped drama they are going to create, but seeing Juliette take down Layla will be amusing.  Layla bores.   I was so disappointed the promo showed Juliette but we did not see her this ep.  

 

Totally betting that Frankie took the money for whatever reason and is all set to frame her.

I'm sure Frankie is setting her up too - they might as well have put him in a fake mustache* so he could twirl it.

 

"Vitavitavegamin"  Love it!

I had to laugh when she told Rayna she'd done some things in the past she wasn't proud of - considering the actress playing her was killed off recently & left for zombie chow on The Walking Dead. 

 

<SNIP>.

 

Besides the homophobic redneck breaking Will's nose, Will actually was the highlight of this episode.

 

I kept thinking her name was Vegamite.

 

When she showed up on my screen it was a Hey!  It's that guy/gal!.  It took me a minute to place her but she was in Night Shift - a so bad it is good show.  That would/should qualify under "things I am not proud of".

 

And Will was the highlight.

 

I thought the same thing. Never leave anything visible! I live in northern California and car break ins are so bad that people in San Francisco leave the doors unlocked and notes that say, "DOORS UNLOCKED," so that their windows don't get smashed every night.

Way too many years ago a friend lived on an apartment just off the beach in South Florida.  The people who lived there left the car doors unlocked too and left out loose change or a dollar as an offering otherwise the same thing would happen.

 

* Mustache is not spelled moustache no matter how often I do it.

 

And I want Colt to realize he is crushing on Will.

Edited by DeLurker
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WhosThatGirl

WhosThatGirl

Frankie had addiction problems, right? Something tells me that this is where the story is leading to. Or maybe it's Cash taking the money. 

 

I still stand by, this need to keep adding more people to this show when we don't need them and the show can hardly write for the characters they do have.

 

Free Daphne. Poor kid. I still stand by that Maddie is a selfish brat and Daphne is going to be the one who gets hurt, considering that's all this show does to her now is make her feel awful. 

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Sandman

Sandman

Also am I the only one old enough on this board to remember that 'vitameatavegamin' was a classic comedy bit on I Love Lucy: "Hello friends. I'm your Vitameatavegamin girl. Are you tired, run-down, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular?"

I kept thinking her name was Vegamite.

 

When she showed up on my screen it was a Hey!  It's that guy/gal!.  It took me a minute to place her but she was in Night Shift - a so bad it is good show.  That would/should qualify under "things I am not proud of".

 

And Will was the highlight.

 

...

* Mustache is not spelled moustache no matter how often I do it.

 

I totally thought of Lucy, grannygeek -- we're counting reruns, right? And I'm only listless and pooped out when it comes to this show.

 

Will was totally the highlight of the show, even if the show suckered me into thinking was going to the club to kick some redneck butt.

 

It took me a while to recognize where I'd seen Vegemite (heh) before -- and I'm no prouder, but Dr. Krista Bell-Hart was the least objectionable character on that crazy show, in a lot of ways; also I learned that Goossen is actually Canadian! (Yay.)

 

* depends on who you ask.

Shellie

Shellie

This is on Rayna, she never should have forced them to be a duo when Daphne's a child and then you have a older teen. This was never going to work out well for Daphne, and Rayna knew it's not what Maddie wanted either. 

 

 

I agree with this.  Even if Maddie is obnoxious, it's unrealistic to expect a teenager who wants to be hot/sexy/compelling to boys, and to be a music breakout sensation, to sing duets with a little girl.  I'm not sure how old Daphne is supposed to be, but she appears a lot younger than Maddie at this point.

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wendyg

wendyg

I think Daphne and Maddie are supposed to be the same ages as the sisters who play them.Who, in real life, seem to find singing together and sharing their musical breakout success huge fun.

 

Roger Ebert once said something about films where the real lives of the actors are more interesting than those of the characters they play...and this sure is one such case.

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Clemgo3165

Clemgo3165

I agree with this.  Even if Maddie is obnoxious, it's unrealistic to expect a teenager who wants to be hot/sexy/compelling to boys, and to be a music breakout sensation, to sing duets with a little girl.  I'm not sure how old Daphne is supposed to be, but she appears a lot younger than Maddie at this point.

I agree with you, but for me one of the big problems is that Maddie ACTS a lot younger than Daphne at times. I get her frustration at being signed with her sister, but why not have a serious sit down with Rayna to reiterate her desire to do something on her own too? She could perform as a duo with Daphne sometimes in exchange for some gigs on her own in more mature settings. The way to get your Mom to respect your dreams is to be respectful to her.

  • Like 1
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madam magpie

madam magpie

I agree with you, but for me one of the big problems is that Maddie ACTS a lot younger than Daphne at times. I get her frustration at being signed with her sister, but why not have a serious sit down with Rayna to reiterate her desire to do something on her own too? She could perform as a duo with Daphne sometimes in exchange for some gigs on her own in more mature settings. The way to get your Mom to respect your dreams is to be respectful to her.

I'm guessing because no one has ever taught her to behave this way and she has no adult models of that approach. People have to learn how to be grown-ups. They don't just magically age and know. Maddie could learn over time, but Its highly unlikely someone who was raised as she's been would choose to act that way at 16. Her mother hid her paternity from her for years, after all. Truth-telling and mature conversations aren't this family's strong suit.

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KaveDweller

KaveDweller

I think Daphne and Maddie are supposed to be the same ages as the sisters who play them.Who, in real life, seem to find singing together and sharing their musical breakout success huge fun.

 

Roger Ebert once said something about films where the real lives of the actors are more interesting than those of the characters they play...and this sure is one such case.

 

I think they try and make Daphne seem younger than the actress (who's 12), probably to make the Maddie/Daphne drama work better. Maddie was 13 when the show started and she was presented as seeming older than Daphne does now.  The actress who plays Daphne is a lot shorter and younger looking than her sister so it makes it easy for the show to do this. 

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Shellie

Shellie

I think they try and make Daphne seem younger than the actress (who's 12), probably to make the Maddie/Daphne drama work better. Maddie was 13 when the show started and she was presented as seeming older than Daphne does now.  The actress who plays Daphne is a lot shorter and younger looking than her sister so it makes it easy for the show to do this. 

 

This is what I think goes on too.  I could see someone who's never watched the show before thinking Maddie is 17 and Daphne is 11. 

madam magpie

madam magpie

(edited)

This is what I think goes on too. I could see someone who's never watched the show before thinking Maddie is 17 and Daphne is 11.

That's basically what the Stellas are, though, I think. Lennon is nearly 17, and Maisy is fairly recently 12. I think the fact that the real girls happily work together doing what Rayna wants the fake girls to do negates the "no teen would want to work with her little sister" assessment. More true, it seems to me, is that the relationships are totally different. The Stellas seem like happy, well-adjusted kids who really enjoy their family and what they're all doing together. The kids are friends and allies. Maddie/Daphne haven't been friends and allies in a long time, maybe ever. Maddie is spoiled and self-absorbed, and allowed to be that way by her family, and Rayna is trying to force them to be friends. That will never work, and Rayna should stop trying to make it happen. The fake kids may be sisters, but they're very different and don't want the same things. Also, their family is super dysfunctional.

Edited by madam magpie
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Clemgo3165

Clemgo3165

I'm guessing because no one has ever taught her to behave this way and she has no adult models of that approach. People have to learn how to be grown-ups. They don't just magically age and know. Maddie could learn over time, but Its highly unlikely someone who was raised as she's been would choose to act that way at 16. Her mother hid her paternity from her for years, after all. Truth-telling and mature conversations aren't this family's strong suit.

They seemed pretty functional as a family unit back when the show first started, lots of talking happening between Rayna, Teddy, and the girls. And Deacon has been successful up until recently at getting Maddie to talk, they were able to work through a number of issues. Rayna kinda checked out around Luke and seems to be more focused on her label now. But I don't think her adult models have been all that bad in the parenting department overall. She didn't grow up with yelling and petulance, and she had a secure family up until the divorce.

I think the Stella's do healthy parenting well, but I also think they got two pretty terrific kids. Recently I've seen Lennon post some solo songs, and in a recent interview she picked her duet with Juliette as her favorite scene to film rather than Maisy's sister duet. Not to say she's being mean to her sister, just that she's growing up and finding her own way, as she should be.

I don't fault Maddie for wanting that too, I just wish she would act like the mature young woman Cash says she is.

madam magpie

madam magpie

(edited)

They seemed pretty functional as a family unit back when the show first started, lots of talking happening between Rayna, Teddy, and the girls. And Deacon has been successful up until recently at getting Maddie to talk, they were able to work through a number of issues. Rayna kinda checked out around Luke and seems to be more focused on her label now. But I don't think her adult models have been all that bad in the parenting department overall. She didn't grow up with yelling and petulance, and she had a secure family up until the divorce.

I think the Stella's do healthy parenting well, but I also think they got two pretty terrific kids. Recently I've seen Lennon post some solo songs, and in a recent interview she picked her duet with Juliette as her favorite scene to film rather than Maisy's sister duet. Not to say she's being mean to her sister, just that she's growing up and finding her own way, as she should be.

I don't fault Maddie for wanting that too, I just wish she would act like the mature young woman Cash says she is .

Maddie isn't a mature young woman, though. She lacks compassion and perspective. I'd say her family has always been dysfunctional; she just didn't know it. Now she does, and she's been one kind of disaster after another since she found out. Also, I'm not sure she didn't grow up with yelling and petulance. Maybe not so much screaming but passive aggressive freeze-outs? Sure.

It reminds me a little of the movie Room (minus the rape and imprisonment, of course). The boy in that story is living in horrific circumstances; he just doesn't know it. When it's revealed and he has to deal with the new order, he struggles. Maddie didn't grow up in an honest, rational home with parents who talked things out and lived truthfully. She grew up with parents who were hiding some huge secrets, and I don't buy that it never bled through, even if she didn't understand what was going on. Plus in the time since, her life has been one extreme event after another. Sure, when she hated her mother and Teddy, Deacon could get her to open up, but now he's on her shit list too. She's not going to write a song with him about having sex for the first time. Come on. Not only is he a man and her father, but he lost his mind when he caught her and Colt together. Even if they were getting along great, she'd be unlikely to go to him with that. It might be dumb (it is) that the Maddie/Deacon rift happened, but here we are. And I don't think Maddie has or has ever been taught the skills to initiate difficult, mature conversations. She's also so completely self-absorbed that all she sees is her side. That's an extremely immature way to view the world and other people.

Edited by madam magpie
Clemgo3165

Clemgo3165

I just don't see it that way. Sure, Teddy and Rayna had their secrets, but they managed a fairly functional household for 13 years. Plenty of time for Maddie to learn empathy and develop some maturity in the way she deals with others. And even through the latter half of season 2 Rayna was still consulting the girls about decisions that impacted them. And Deacon was able to draw out Maddie until she saw him roughing up the furniture after Bev died, so not all that long ago. Yes, things are a big mess now, but they haven't always been.

I never suggested that she'd write a song with Deacon about her first time, so I don't need or appreciate the "come on." But she can go deeper with her music all by herself, she doesn't need a songwriting partner or her Mommy's permission to write what she feels. And as far as I can tell, nobody is standing over her making her write sweet bubblegum tunes.

And while Deacon freaked out about finding Colt and Maddie half dressed in his house during school hours, he didn't go off on her or shout about it. In fact it led to a pretty sweet scene at the end once Juliette assured him they hadn't actually done "it."

Maddie is immature, manipulative, and self-absorbed and I really don't think we can blame that all on her parents.

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madam magpie

madam magpie

(edited)

Oh, I most definitely blame her parents. Since she's a kid with zero real life experience, I think it's their responsibility to teach her how to behave, what to value, etc. When she's 30 and has seen how the world works and has learned nothing, I'll blame her. But Maddie, to me, is a monster of Rayna and Teddy's creation.

How do you know Teddy and Rayna created a well-adjusted family for 13 years? I don't think we saw any of that. We came into the middle of a screwed-up story with both parents pretty emotionally detached from each other, struggling financially, and on the verge of divorce. Just because they weren't total psychos or drunk in a gutter doesn't mean the family was healthy. Lots of people function while living in dysfunctional relationships.

As I recall, Deacon threw Colt out and yelled at Maddie about misusing the key he gave her, etc. when he found them at the house. Does that mean he's a monster? Of course not. But no matter how well it ended, that's what he did and it's not going to make his daughter trust him with details of her sex life. Clearly what Maddie wanted to write about was sex and Colt and feeling bad about (seemingly) being ditched. She confided in a friend...not her mother, father, or little sister. From where I sit, that may be the most normal teenage thing she's done in ages. Many, many people can't go deeper with music (or any kind of writing) by themselves. Often people have writing partners or teams. Maddie is 16 years old. I'd call bullshit if she suddenly started writing amazing songs all on her own. The last song I remember seeing her write was with Deacon, who has been portrayed as a master songwriter. Did she also write with Rayna? Another supposed master songwriter. Maddie needs help to dig deep and craft a great song. I have no problem believing that.

Edited by madam magpie
pattycat

pattycat

I don't think the show has any intention of going this way, and maybe it shouldn't, at this point, but in real life, I'd suspect, that, at least some of Maddie's problems with her parents, originate with the Maddie's Daddy issue.

Her Mother and Father lied to her, her entire life, about her actual Paternity. When it came to light, what she'd always believed about her parents was untrue. This came on the heels, of the separation, and the blow up, of the only family she knew.

If you raise your child on a lie, no matter how good you may think your intentions, when the lie is revealed, what happens to trust?

I can also, in addition to Maddie resenting Rayna and Teddy for lying, imagine her resenting Deacon, for not being able , to get sober and be a Father and a Partner, for her Mom.

No, I don't think we're going to deal with this, but, I can definitely imagine it still being a part of Maddie's issues, apart from her desire for independence.

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Clemgo3165

Clemgo3165

(edited)

How do you know Teddy and Rayna created a well-adjusted family for 13 years? I don't think we saw any of that. We came into the middle of a screwed-up story with both parents pretty emotionally detached from each other, struggling financially, and on the verge of divorce. Just because they weren't total psychos or drunk in a gutter doesn't mean the family was healthy. Lots of people function while living in dysfunctional relationships.

As I recall, Deacon threw Colt out and yelled at Maddie about misusing the key he gave her, etc. when he found them at the house. Does that mean he's a monster? Of course not. But no matter how well it ended, that's what he did and it's not going to make his daughter trust him with details of her sex life. Clearly what Maddie wanted to write about was sex and Colt and feeling bad about (seemingly) being ditched. She confided in a friend...not her mother, father, or little sister. From where I sit, that may be the most normal teenage thing she's done in ages. Many, many people can't go deeper with music (or any kind of writing) by themselves. Often people have writing partners or teams. Maddie is 16 years old. I'd call bullshit if she suddenly started writing amazing songs all on her own. The last song I remember seeing her write was with Deacon, who has been portrayed as a master songwriter. Did she also write with Rayna? Another supposed master songwriter. Maddie needs help to dig deep and craft a great song. I have no problem believing that.

How do you know they didn't? For me, the girls seemed happy and well-adjusted, and loved by both parents. That we saw them at the end of their marriage doesn't mean it was full of dysfunction for the entire time. Daphne didn't appear out of nowhere.

Of course Deacon threw Colt out and yelled at Maddie about the key, then he sat in the truck in silence on the way home because he didn't know what to say. Given the situation I don't know any parent that wouldn't have yelled at that abuse of trust. And anyway, I can't figure out why you're bashing me for something I never said, I don't care if Maddie writes with Cash, if that's what it takes to create that song, fine. And I wouldn't expect any teenager to want to write about sex with their parents, and never said that. I do disagree with Cash' insinuation that her parents are keeping her from writing her deepest stuff because we see that they aren't.

Edited by Clemgo3165
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