S04.E18: The Trouble with the Truth

[wendyg]

telepath: why that particular episode?

[Kathemy]

1 hour ago, wendyg said:

telepath: why that particular episode?

That's where both Scarlett and Gunnar start to go out of character in order to create synthetic drama. First they had Rayna offer Scarlett a solo contract, which was incredibly idiotic - she'd heard them together - for the absurd reason that Gunnar missed a meeting because his brother had been murdered. Then they had Scarlett accept the contract and hide it from Gunnar, even though she was madly in love with him and didn't even want a solo career to begin with. Finally they threw Gunnar into a plastic "bad boy" cliché role - which did not fit the character one bit and was promptly dropped when it'd served its purpose - in order to further drive them apart and break them up. 

This was the very first sign that the writers of the show were more interested in hysterics than in believable storytelling and people that made sense. This philosophy has spread to infect the entire show and all of their storylines, from car crashes over suicide attempts to emancipation histrionics.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Telepath
Correction

[MisterS]

14 minutes ago, pattycat said:

So, so true, about the seriousness of Frankie violating AA confidentiality. We're still clueless, about what is motivating Frankie. This isn't just jealousy. Good grief, the man is pushing Senior citizen status. It's not like he's some impetuous kid.

Just a couple episodes back, Deacon saw him thru a relapse. And this is how Frankie responds? Is the man mentally ill? It's like he has suddenly developed a new personality!

And Rayna's attorney; did he do or attempt to do, anything to counter the attack on Deacon? I never saw him interrogating Deacon, giving him a chance, to, at least explain the examples that Maddie brought up. And he also didn't seem to go after Maddie, quizzing her about the circumstances, of the examples she gave. All I saw, was him asking Maddie, if Deacon ever hit her.

Deacon's choice to go to the bar, without telling Rayna, was, indeed foolish. I can certainly understand the impulse, and he did try to avoid a fight, but it was a bad choice. It's also, a choice that I don't think, the Deacon that we've seen evolve, over 4 Seasons, would have made. Another plot point, written just for drama, regardless of how much it hurts the character.

I have been patient with Nashville for nearly four seasons now - through Dante, the car crash and coma, months and months of Luke and Rayna, Deacon's miraculously rapid and total recovery from cancer and transplant surgery, Juliette's PPD, Beverley's unfortunate demise (a great message to potential organ donors) and reinvention as a good person, too many dodgy flashbacks and a litany of underdeveloped and pointless side characters. All this I've managed to endure and stay loyal - I feel I owe it to the cast - but Frankie's betrayal of Deacon's confidence/abuse of his position as a cynical plot device takes the cake. 

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

Nashville To Deacon: Temper, Temper

Will it cost him and Rayna custody of Maddie?

[Ohmo]

17 hours ago, CMSupergirl said:

I want Maddie to suffer off-screen. Why should we have to suffer as well?

This may be odd, but I want the satisfaction of watching Maddie suffer on-screen.  I really do.  I want the satisfaction of someone saying to her face "You are a spoiled, ungrateful, immature brat...and you made your adorable sister cry."  If Maddie's comeuppance only happens off-screen, then this disaster of a storyline will have no payoff for me...which will piss me off greatly.  I want Maddie to face some consequences.  Cash and Frankie, too, but I don't want Rayna and Deacon to just roll over and welcome Maddie back with hugs and kisses.  Her attitude and behavior have been disgusting, and to not see consequences would be a slap in the face to Daphne in addition to Rayna and Deacon.  If I were Daphne, I'd be ticked if Rayna and Deacon just let that slide.

[Kathemy]

15 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

This may be odd, but I want the satisfaction of watching Maddie suffer on-screen.  I really do.  I want the satisfaction of someone saying to her face "You are a spoiled, ungrateful, immature brat...and you made your adorable sister cry."  If Maddie's comeuppance only happens off-screen, then this disaster of a storyline will have no payoff for me...which will piss me off greatly.  I want Maddie to face some consequences.  Cash and Frankie, too, but I don't want Rayna and Deacon to just roll over and welcome Maddie back with hugs and kisses.  Her attitude and behavior have been disgusting, and to not see consequences would be a slap in the face to Daphne in addition to Rayna and Deacon.  If I were Daphne, I'd be ticked if Rayna and Deacon just let that slide.

... Consequences for Princess Maddie? On this show?!

I have to say I don't really care about them showing and delving into her "suffering", because I'm not in the least interested in her perspective. I just want her to be humiliated in any and every way humanly possible.

[Lisa418722]

3 hours ago, LotusFlower said:

Me too.  I so want Liberated Maddie to crash and burn.  But my fear is that only Cash and Frankie will be portrayed as the bad guys.  Innocent Maddie's only crime was to be manipulated by those with hidden agendas or an ax to grind, and she'll be welcomed back with open arms.  

I was wondering about Frankie violating AA confidentiality - I know it's not like a priest or doctor, but still there is something.  Isn't that part  of the reason they don't use last names so that you can feel free to open up and say things you wouldn't share in the "real world"  (sincere question because I have not had any experience with AA or NA).  

Maddie - in real life I wouldn't want anything to happen to her, but since this is a fictional TV show, I want Maddie to fall, fall hard, fall fast and not have everyone around her to blame Cash and Frankie for what happened to her. I want her family to say "you wanted to be emancipated, guess what, that's part of the deal.  You fall, you've got to take care of yourself."  

[marceline]

2 hours ago, Lisa418722 said:

I was wondering about Frankie violating AA confidentiality - I know it's not like a priest or doctor, but still there is something.  Isn't that part  of the reason they don't use last names so that you can feel free to open up and say things you wouldn't share in the "real world"  (sincere question because I have not had any experience with AA or NA).

 

As someone who dated a drunk for years and therefore has more experience than I like to admit I'm happy to answer your question. You're exactly right about why people use first names only. On top of that, a big part of the steps is owning up to what you did wrong. The 8th and 9th steps are:

8.) Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9.) Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Not only is that tough to do if you're afraid that the person will turn you into the cops for what you say it's an important part that you make amends to the people you harmed. Deacon's done that and at least some of the people he harmed forgave him. It should end there.

BUT...
I would forgive ALL of this if it led to the return of Coleman, Deacon's original sponsor, portrayed by Robert Wisdom. One of the incidents the lawyer listed was Deacon punching out Coleman. I would praise the TV gods if this were a chance to bring him back even if just for one episode.

Edited May 6, 2016 by marceline

[spottedreptile]

1 hour ago, Ohmo said:

I don't want Rayna and Deacon to just roll over and welcome Maddie back with hugs and kisses. 

Sadly this is what parents do these days. Beg and bribe their children to like them. They honestly seem afraid of their own kids. 

[Sandman]

On 2016-05-05 at 1:09 PM, DeLurker said:

And what's Frankie's dog in this fight?  Why does he give a damn about whether or not Maddie gets emancipated?

I was also thinking that Frankie's breaking of confidentiality must be a heinous violation of what's expected of a sponsor, though I know nothing of any recourse that might be available to someone in recovery in such circumstances. I would hope at the very least that Frankie's eligibility to be a sponsor to Deacon or anyone else in future is called seriously into question.

On 2016-05-05 at 4:25 PM, pattycat said:

Deacon's choice to go to the bar, without telling Rayna, was, indeed foolish. I can certainly understand the impulse, and he did try to avoid a fight, but it was a bad choice. It's also, a choice that I don't think, the Deacon that we've seen evolve, over 4 Seasons, would have made. Another plot point, written just for drama, regardless of how much it hurts the character.

The lawyer's exposition, in the scene where Rayna and Deacon are walking outside the courthouse with him, suggests that he did cross-examine Deacon to try to limit the damage done; we just didn't see the cross-examination onscreen. I absolutely agree that the growth that Deacon has shown over the last seasons makes his impulse to go to the Beverly to sort it out with Frankie that much harder to understand.

I think Frankie's motivation, though, is one thing the show has been fairly explicit about (though it does imply a complete personality transplant for Frankie): he's poisonously jealous of Deacon, and he considers that Deacon stole his bar out from under him. Does this mean that Cash and Frankie have been trying to ruin Rayna and Deacon from the moment Frankie introduced his daughter to the Jaymes/Conrad/Claybourne family? I have absolutely no idea, but at this point, I feel that I'm forced to guess at Frankie's motives a whole lot less than I am at his daughter's -- or at Layla's, for that matter, but that's different, and necessarily more boring, whiny post, I guess.

Admittedly, it's a long shot, but it's not outside the realm of possibility that when or if Maddie were to come back with her tail between her legs, Rayna might tell her that's she's welcome to visit, but her house is no longer Maddie's home, since that's what emancipation means. I could see Rayna telling her some variation on "You're my daughter, and I will always love you, but you have a home of your own now. You fought to make your own choices, and now you get to make them. But those choices have consequences, and you don't get to break your father's heart, and mine, and pretend that you didn't."

Edited May 10, 2016 by Sandman

[Trixie Belden]

I am SO ON BOARD for a Luke/Juliet romance.  Sign me up!  She needs a grown ass man that can handle her while treasuring her at the same time.  Avery is not that guy.

Also, if Maddie was my child, before she even took 2 steps away from that table I would've been saying "I need your phone, your watch, your car keys and go ahead and give me the shirt, jeans, shoes, socks and jacket you're wearing.  The police will be at your place in 30 minutes with a detailed list of everything I bought you so have that packed and ready.  You want to be grown?  Be grown."  This storyline makes me so stabby.

[LadyHa]

I can't believe that for a brief time during season 1, this was my favorite network show!  It is now one of the worst examples I know of where characters have frustratingly little consistency from week to week.  For example, in no way do I believe that Deacon would allow a dumb fight like that to happen.

That dreadful interview with Scarlett & Gunnar just felt like some writing room decision of "hey, I know how to kill a bunch of time in this episode- let's just rehash absolutely everything that has happened with these characters."  Their storyline is feeling so repetitive, especially considering last week's awkward insertion of the great song "If I Didn't Know Better."  Maybe the writers have been directed to pander to casual or new audience members?  For the longtime viewer, it's extremely unsatisfying.  Nashville, I wish I could quit you, but I enjoy the actors so much that I keep tuning in.

[LadyHa]

3 hours ago, Telepath said:

That's where both Scarlett and Gunnar start to go out of character in order to create synthetic drama. First they had Rayna offer Scarlett a solo contract, which was incredibly idiotic - she'd heard them together - for the absurd reason that Gunnar missed a meeting because his brother had been murdered. Then they had Scarlett accept the contract and hide it from Gunnar, even though she was madly in love with him and didn't even want a solo career to begin with. Finally they threw Gunnar into a plastic "bad boy" cliché role - which did not fit the character one bit and was promptly dropped when it'd served its purpose - in order to further drive them apart and break them up. 

This was the very first sign that the writers of the show were more interested in hysterics than in believable storytelling and people that made sense. This philosophy has spread to infect the entire show and all of their storylines, from car crashes over suicide attempts to emancipation histrionics.

Hmm, I might have to agree with this.  I loved the episode right before that.  Rayna sang Pour Me Something Stronger, Sam got to do some acting,  and Scarlett & Gunnar got together.  Then again, I pretty much continued to enjoy the show after that without feeling much conflict - right up until the ridiculous Car Accident.  

[dirtydi]

My dream scene, Maddie comes crying with her tail between her legs, knocks on the door, Daphne opens it, and then she slams the door in her face.

 

Teddy and Rayna raised a real asshole.  (Actually, the writers turned Maddie into one.)

[Brookside]

7 hours ago, marceline said:

On a more shallow note, it's time to start dressing Juliette differently on stage. That flesh-colored sparkly thing did Hayden no favors but even more importantly, Juliette isn't the Taylor Swift wannabe she was when the show premiered. The character has evolved and her style needs to evolve with her. She can still be youthful, bright and sexy without being jammed into what looked like a sequined condom. I've always had issues with Juliette's dresses because I keep imagining what it's like for the people in the front rows to be giving Juliette a visual pap smear but now she looks like someone who is trying too hard and I don't think that's what they mean to convey.

I was going to bring "visual pap smears" (fabulous description!) up, so to speak, about all singers. I don't even hear the music I'm so grossed out.

And talking of dresses, what on earth was Scarlet wearing at the end?  Granted I hated her as a ratty extensioned pseudo hippy, but wannabe Juliette is beyond the pale, er, I mean sparkly.

[marceline]

Confession: At the end when Rayna was sobbing with her head in her hands I said, out loud, "Don't worry Tami. You still have Julie and Gracie Belle." #TexasForever

[vendredi3]

The scene where Deacon was set up to be a violent instigator is when I yelled out, "fuck you, show." If it comes back next season with new show runners (especially Zwick and Herskovitz) I'll give it a try. Until then this show is dead to me.

[Wilco]

What a waste this show has become...agree with all the comments about the terrible writing and inconsistent character behavior. It's like a race to the bottom.

There is just nothing to root for and misery all around. What do the producers see in Aubrey Peeples? She has got a nice voice but she is a terrible actress. And the girl who plays Maddie is not very good either.

And is it just me... or do the producers just not like having Chip Esten or Jonathan Jackson singing any more ?  I am probably just biased as they are two of my favorites, but they seem to get very little to do these days other than play hurt and/or anguished. And we seem to get this constant parade of guest performers singing mediocre songs that add nothing to the already badly conceived storylines. 

Do these show runners read the fans' comments and the blogs? Surely they can't be pleased with the state of the show.

Read recently (tvline maybe) that the show's renewal was now closer to a 'safe bet'. As a longtime fan (albeit now almost just a hate watching one) -am a little mixed. On the one hand would be interested in seeing what new writers and producers could do with a show that had so much promise and quality in the first 2 seasons. But am also just so sick of these terrible depressing stories that we should just pull a Beverly and pull the plug.

[justmythoughts]

As a Juliette fan (Hayden does an incredible job!)... and even an Avery fan (JJ is sooo cute) I am really sorry for them because I do think this is really hard. I can see both their sides... But I do think (as much as it hurts me to say it) they should grow up a little apart, date other people, before they can get together again. Not for the sake of drama, I hate Layla and I will be very sorry for Luke (if he again engages in a relationship with a woman who is in reality in love with someone else, and ends up being ditched, specially now that he is being quite nice towards Will), but for the sake of getting some maturity. Avery could see that Jules has really changed not her sassy ways, but toned down her crazyness, Juliette could see that other people could really like her and care for her, that she is worth it, Cadence could have both her parents in a nice place as friends, until they could walk on the same path again, and eventually got back together... but who am I kidding?! this show. and we have not that time.

Maddie... sign me up for those who would love to see her get some hard times. Not necessarily dangerous times, but just some reality check, to gain some perspective, coming from Rayna and from the world... Deacon could be like not in a good basis with her for a while (like: you threw me under the bus? fine, so let's not pretend that you are some sweet innocent girl, you are my daughter, sure, but you can throw shit on me, so right back at you,deal with your own life for a while on your own).

Frankie... Cash... can they really be thwon under a bus? literally. Scarlet and Gunnar... like you all said, kind boring, circling all over again. Will... I am so sorry that these writers can not show that real nice and open minded people are out there and he could have some nice friends, and the same way lots of random people get out of their way to bash him out, so nice random people would get out of their way to support him. Reality check writers,vat least some things (AA sponsorship, being openly gay...) you could try to keep close to reality!

[WhosThatGirl]

40 minutes ago, marceline said:

Confession: At the end when Rayna was sobbing with her head in her hands I said, out loud, "Don't worry Tami. You still have Julie and Gracie Belle." #TexasForever

Julie is an ANGEL! compared to Maddie. When Maddie turned and said to Rayna,"I'll be okay Mom" while Rayna was SOBBING..I really wanted to hit her. 

[vendredi3]

2 minutes ago, WhosThatGirl said:

43 minutes ago, marceline said:

Confession: At the end when Rayna was sobbing with her head in her hands I said, out loud, "Don't worry Tami. You still have Julie and Gracie Belle." #TexasForever

Yeah, when they were getting ready for the court hearing and Deacon was trying to reassure Rayna, I was thinking, "I love you Deacon, but you're no Coach Taylor."

[MaryM47]

Quote

That dreadful interview with Scarlett & Gunnar

I know S&G aren't A-list celebrities, but shouldn't they have had their manager with them during this big, important interview to help stonewall those extremely personal questions? It seems that Bucky is always at Rayna's side during similar interviews and photo shoots. I know that by choosing the name The Exes, they've left themselves wide open to that line of inquiry, and both of them are too wussy to just say "No comment" or some other quick, polite answer, but they went way too far with that ridiculously inquisitive interviewer in service of the almighty Plot. 

[thegriswolds]

49 minutes ago, WhosThatGirl said:

Julie is an ANGEL! compared to Maddie. When Maddie turned and said to Rayna,"I'll be okay Mom" while Rayna was SOBBING..I really wanted to hit her. 

totally agree, and here I had thought I hated Juile Taylor more than any TV daughter ever.  

2 hours ago, Sandman said:

Admittedly, it's a long shot, but it's not outside the realm of possibility that when or if Maddie were to come back with her tail between her legs, Rayna might tell her that's she's welcome to visit, but her house is no longer Maddie's home, since that's what emancipation means. I could see Rayna telling her some variation on "You're my daughter, and I will always love you, but you have a home of your own now. You fought to make your own choices, and now you get to make them. But those choices have consequences, and you don't get to break your father's heart, and mine, and pretend that you didn't."

Agree that is a long shot possibility, but I think the more likely outcome is that Deacon and Rayna start having problems -  because after all it must be Deacon's fault that Maddie got emancipated - Maddie comes back with her tail between her legs, and Deacon is on the outside looking in.  Because we know that no couples can be happy on this show.

[KaveDweller]

Maddie seemed shocked when the judge said she was emancipated. I actually wonder if she thought Rayna would back down and let her come home and still sign with Sony. I hope that the deal falls through and she has to deal with it. Before she was a brat, but letting the lawyer bring up all that stuff about Deacon's past was completely awful. I can't even think of another way to describe it.

I'm surprised they didn't have and press covering that hearing. There was paparazzi at Rayna and Deacon's wedding, what Maddie's doing should be a big scandal.

[DeLurker]

I think I just need to lower my already low expectations even further and just see how bad these next few eps can get. 

[Court]

I hope Maddie crashes and burns. She's an entitled, spoiled brat.

How did this show go from one I loved to one that I loathe? I'm a completion even if shows are bad. However, I am done.

[Lillybee]

There is something wrong with this show when Luke Wheeler turns out to be the most decent person on it.

[LJonEarth]

I actually don't hate the Maddie storyline, someone with talent and opportunity being held back (for the right reasons) by her parents. I just think it's being told at the wrong point in this show. And they had to get here by making Maddie insufferable and dumping even more on her father and sister.

Layla Grant's storyline is a perfect mirroring of Aubrey's place on this show. A bunch of boring nothing. I love her voice, but the writers really don't know what to do with her.

I still feel like they have bones of interesting storylines, with the four or five groupings of characters. If there's time before whenever this series ends, I wish they'd stop introducing new characters semi-main characters and quit meandering with the main characters' plot lines. Luke helping Will is a great storyline. Don't care about his son. The Exes are path is interesting. Again, don't care about son or baby momma or meddling Alicia Witt. I won't go on. This show has always felt so unfocused.

People here in Nashville even seem to have completely given up on it after last season. 

Edited May 8, 2016 by LJonEarth

[Bwill3133]

11 hours ago, Ava said:

I'm much too practical to be watching this show.  My first thought after seeing Will's vehicle being vandalized is "How the hell did they know where he lives!"  Will lives with Gunnar and Avery in Gunnar's house.  Do random people just know that?

Probably not that hard to find out.  Everything is on the internet these days. Sports fans find out all the time where coaches live so this part finding where Will is doesn't surprise me. 

[Quof]

I'm getting the feeling I shouldn't even bother watching this episode that I still have recorded. I hate when tv shows screw up court proceedings (which they always do), and I have no use for angsty teens.  Is there at least some music?

[toodles]

13 hours ago, Wilco said:

What a waste this show has become...agree with all the comments about the terrible writing and inconsistent character behavior. It's like a race to the bottom.

There is just nothing to root for and misery all around. What do the producers see in Aubrey Peeples? She has got a nice voice but she is a terrible actress. And the girl who plays Maddie is not very good either.

And is it just me... or do the producers just not like having Chip Esten or Jonathan Jackson singing any more ?  I am probably just biased as they are two of my favorites, but they seem to get very little to do these days other than play hurt and/or anguished. And we seem to get this constant parade of guest performers singing mediocre songs that add nothing to the already badly conceived storylines. 

Do these show runners read the fans' comments and the blogs? Surely they can't be pleased with the state of the show.

Read recently (tvline maybe) that the show's renewal was now closer to a 'safe bet'. As a longtime fan (albeit now almost just a hate watching one) -am a little mixed. On the one hand would be interested in seeing what new writers and producers could do with a show that had so much promise and quality in the first 2 seasons. But am also just so sick of these terrible depressing stories that we should just pull a Beverly and pull the plug.

I agree with pulling the Beverly plug.  They thankfully pullled the plug on the real Beverly, but she became a saint when that happened instead of the rotten person she was.  That name seems to be cursed on this show.

[tennisgurl]

I just really have no idea how they intend to ever make me like or root for Maddie after all this. Her character is just irredeemable at this point. She wanted Deacon in her life so much that she completely shut Teddy out multiple times (and Teddy did a lot of things wrong, but I do think he tried to be a good parent), whined endlessly about not being allowed to hang out with him, and was hoping and praying for Rayna and Deacon to get married, and now she throws him under the bus? Because of crap some weirdo 20 something wash up said she should do for her "career"? What an awful brat! How can the audience ever expect to connect with her again? What is happening with this show? 

I agree with the majority here. This show has gone WAY off the rails. This crap with awful Maddie and Cash and Frankie and the pointless subplots and the plot lines that just keep circling (Scarlette and Gunnar are going t get back together! NOPE! Will gets some success! NOPE!) without any end in sight, and not enough music! On a show that is allegedly about music! 

I am sure I will be around next season, because I want to see what the new writers can do with this show, but I am probably not going to be looking forward to this shows return like I have in the past. I mean, if I really want Nashville, I will just drive to real Nashville, where people still actually play music, and people sometimes do things that make sense. 

[NannyBails]

16 hours ago, marceline said:

Confession: At the end when Rayna was sobbing with her head in her hands I said, out loud, "Don't worry Tami. You still have Julie and Gracie Belle." #TexasForever

I miss Tami Taylor! 

[Adeejay]

The character of Maddie has always been my least favorite.  I find her to be a selfish ingrate.  I just can't get over the fact that from the moment she found out Deacon was her biological father, she completely turned her back on Teddy, the man who raised her from birth.  Given how hard she fought to get her parents together, it doesn't make sense that she would turn on them just to have a career. 

I've been following Hayden P's career since "One Life to Live", Chip Esten's since "Big Love" and Jonathan Jackson's since "General Hospital", so I am happy to see them gainfully employed.  However, I am at the point where I no longer care whether or not the show is renewed.

[justmythoughts]

Although Maddie's nonsense makes me boring, I still cannot see myself rooting for cancelation. 

I know how out of character was for Deacon after all the improvement along the years to become this crazy violent man, and that his scene with Rayna at the end was harsh... but as someone who can't stand violence, I understood her actions, if it was my husband I'd be pissed off! Not only cause she knew it was going to cost them Maddie's guard (which was a favour to you, believe me!), but because mancave behaviour is just the worst! It is like: who I got married to? 

As some other airing shows, Nashville is going through a very dramatic route... I don't know if it is what most people are into nowadays, but as my husband says: "for drama I have real life, TV is supposed to be entertaining". Sure, some drama is part oft hings, but it is being weeks or months since things got pretty hard on some shows and smiling is like finding a new metheore or star or planet, very unlikely. Balance is a good thing, writters, some drama and some happy plots at the same time would make us less whiny!

[dcalley]

9 hours ago, Quof said:

I'm getting the feeling I shouldn't even bother watching this episode that I still have recorded. I hate when tv shows screw up court proceedings (which they always do), and I have no use for angsty teens.  Is there at least some music?

Scarlett and Gunnar sing on stage, but Gunnar's being all pissy. Juliette brings Luke on stage to sing with her and they seem to be enjoying themselves. I'm sorry I can't remember the song titles. This gif is the best thing about this episode (thanks, recapper John!). It makes me laugh every time.

[Bwill3133]

I loved Will jumping out of the shower excited about his song on the radio! You are still one of the best. Too bad it didn't last. Your happiness that is. 

As always I love Juliette, tiny backsliding and all. She did better at the end coming clean to Layla and letting Avery go. I like her and Luke as friends because all of sudden he is awesome and patient and I think she needs that from someone besides Emily and Glenn.  I'm actually looking forward to Derek Hough next week because he did like her and tried to help hide her pregnancy? Clearly she's not over Avery but we can see where it goes. 

Now, everyone's favorite storyline: Maddie. My first question from when this started is why hasn't Rayna cut off her phone? If she had been really disciplined at all in the last 2 years this may not be happening.  It's really hard to field calls from labels without it. And Maddie doesn't drive so is everyone around her just going to chauffeur her? That would get old really fast.  Also is that the best lawyer you could get Rayna? One objection through all of Deacon's misdeeds? So he's angry understandably afterwards and goes to confront Frankie at The Beverly? On what planet was that a good idea? I get Rayna's frustration with him. Maddie is still terrible and should not be welcomed back with open arms but she will. 

[pattycat]

I don't think Deacon became a crazy violent man, in the last episode. Frank's totally instigated the fight, Deacon actually tried to avoid it, till Frankie called Rayna a bitch, and said Deacon was leeching off his dead Sister.  

To me, the bigger issue, is that Deacon made the poor choice to put himself in that situation. I love Deacon, and I think he deserves a tremendous amount of credit, for how hard he's worked, and continues to work, to be a better man. He has a great heart, he's intensely loyal to the people that he loves; he cares so much. 

BUT-even as a big fan, he made a Bad decision. He knew the court was looking at his history of violent behavior. He'd had a devastating day in court, but, so had Rayna. Leaving without telling her, going to talk to Frankie~~~

What bugs me; I don't think this is behavior we would have seen from the present day Deacon. I think it's a lazy prop, by the writers to create more drama for the couple. As if they didn't have enough.  

[DeLurker]

Quote

I still feel like they have bones of interesting storylines, with the four or five groupings of characters

And the core group of characters are actually interesting, yet we get 99% of each ep and season totally under-utilizing some incredible talent and trying to distract us with badly chewed, regurgitated stories with new characters no one outside of the writers room cares about.  I've been waiting around for nigh 3 seasons (2-4) waiting for them to get back to the basics.

This show deserves an Emmy in the Most Wasted Talent category. 

At least they haven't ignored Connie's magical hair.

[TVFAN]

I'm a big time Javery shipper, but even I am starting to feel the lure of Juke.  Yes, Juliette did some hurtful things, and, yes, Avery was hurt by her behavior, but Juliette was ill!!!  Postpartum depression is a disease.  If she had had cancer or heart disease or some other physical ailment would he be constantly blaming her for it?  Because that's what he doing now with the constant, "You hurt me.  Blah, Blah, Blah."  What he went through was tough, but frankly does not compare to what Juliette suffered.  It was one thing for him to leave in order to protect Cadence, but  he doesn't have to act so snotty with her now.  How about a "I'm so proud of you for fighting your way back" or "How can I help you recover?"

Luke is kind to her.  He's mature.  He did ask how he could help.  They had a blast together on stage, and, frankly, he's red hot.   He may be just what Juliette needs to be happy.

I hope that at least for the time being, Juliette ignores Avery and his scheming girlfriend and focuses on her own life.  Once Avery realizes how much he screwed up, he can be the one crawling back to Juliette for a change.

[PepSinger]

I HATE MADDIE, CASH, AND FRANKIE SO MUCH IT HURTS.

I was so pained by this episode that I could not watch it in full. 

I'm not even mad at Deacon because he and Rayna shouldn't even BE IN THIS SITUATION. 

Chip's face when the lawyer brought up all of those offenses while he was drunk broke my heart. He was so blindsided that I just hated Maddie forever in that moment.

What in the fuck happened to this show?

[smiley13]

There is no forgiving Maddie at this point for me.  I hope we get to see her suffer for what she did to poor Deacon.

[Attatude]

Is anyone else bored with the drawn out Will-is-gay storyline?  We get it. Now can't they move on and let him sing?  They've taken away his friends and his purpose other than as a PSA. That whole story is out dated. The character even said he doesn't want to be known as the gay singer. Writers, listen to your character.

Maddie's behavior is totally predictable.  She has terrible parents. Reyna is always gone and the girls were left first with their criminal father, then Reyna's anxious sister, and finally Deacon.  His behavior has been out of control for years. Then they dumped Maddie on Cash because the parents couldn't bother to parent her, without knowing anything about Cash except who her father is.  Yes, she's being a spoiled brat but that is who they raised. She's doing what they allowed her to do.  I have no sympathy for Reyna, who went from married, to Luke, to Deacon in a short amount of time instead of being a mom to her girls. They need her more than all these self centered men do.  She should have waited to get involved until the girls were out of the house.

Why does Avery get involved with emotionally stunted lunatic women?  He's another one who should parent his baby and stop dating.  

I won't be disappointed if they end this show.  It's become a soapy farce.  I just want to hear the singers sing.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Attatude

[WhosThatGirl]

Lately, I've thought Rayna was a terrible parent and I think she may have always been one, from the start of this show. I think when she and Teddy were married, he did most of the heavy lifting parent wise; Rayna was being a music superstar at the time. And then they broke up and I think Rayna tried to but then the many men in her life, along with Highway 65 took over- I watch reruns everyday and the rare scenes that do have just Rayna and Maddie are Daphne are either when she has to break news to them  ("Luke and I are getting married over Christmas break, yay!") or yelling at them, mostly Maddie. The most family scenes they really had was when Luke came into the picture with his family and then all those staged things they had to do, like that Christmas tv special. And then Deacon came into the picture and like has been said, Deacon hardly really knows how to parent. I don't think Rayna has ever really had a time to just..adjust. And she has thrown her kids for a few loops a thousand times over.

[thuganomics85]

Oh, wow.  I'm usually entertained by the ridiculousness of this show, but I think this episode broke me.  I just hated watched almost every moment of this episode, and that should not be happening.  I know shows need conflict and it can't always be rainbows and puppies, but watching the characters I like keep getting pummeled and left in tears, while the assholes reign supreme is getting out of hands.  I'm already watching Game of Thrones, Nashville.  Don't need you pulling that shit!

 Frankie is evil, as far as I'm concern.  Cash is loopier then a box of Fruit Loops and still creeping me out over her obsession with Maddie, but Frankie actually using his sponsorship with Deacon to their advantage, is the lowest of low.  I hated to go this off the deep end, but I really wanted him to die after that.  Or at least be crippled and gone for good.  That was just so horrid.  And while Deacon has made plenty of mistakes, he has also been supportive to Frankie, and I just can't see why Frankie would go this far.  The only option is that he's, well, evil.  I hate him.  And Cash.  They make me miss Lamar, who at least was an entertaining antagonist.

That said, I hate Maddie too.  I feel like the show still wants me to feel for her or think she's being manipulated, but I just can't.  She had to have known this would hurt both Deacon and Rayna.  She's not an idiot.  She had too.  But she did it anyway.  Because she's a selfish brat, who only cares about herself, and thinks her family is the worst thing ever, just because they might be admittedly overprotective.  She has no idea how much worse it could be.  Hell, she could ask over half of the characters on this show about what real shitty parents can be like.  Hell, she could ask her former idol, Juliette.  But she won't, because she sucks. I don't think I have hated a teenager this much since Joffery Barethon, and I was suppose to hate his ass.

Of course, they just had to cause all this by making Deacon a impulsive idiot.  As Rayna said, what did he really think was going to happen?  After that betrayal, he had to know Frankie is not someone who can be reasoned with or talked with.  Only reason he should have been there would be to tell Frankie they were through with partners, and begin the process to get The Beverly back.  Instead, Deacon was an idiot and torpedoed the case. And probably just majorly hurt his relationship with Rayna.  Fucking hell, Deacon.

Moving on.... sigh.  Of course, Gunnar and Scarlett fuck things up like the nitwits they are.  First Scarlett gets pissy over the reporter bringing up Zoey, and then Gunnar just looses his shit over the idea that Scarlett slept with him at first because of what happened to James.  Really, you two? This is going to easily sway you again?  You guys are hopeless.

Avery continues to be an idiot, and really thinks he and Layla can be a thing.  At least Juliette accepts this and tries to move on, but I have a feeling Layla won't let sleeping dogs lie.  I did notice Avery briefly looked jealous watching Juliette and Luke together, so maybe he'll wake up.  Someday.

No surprise, Will keeps getting the shit knocked out of him.  Now he earns the ire of some homophobic television personality lady, and the gay-bashers are gunning for him.  Well, it was fun while it lasted.  I'm sure when he got the script, Chris Carmack was like "Whelp, back to this again!"

Luke somehow has become one of the more likable characters on this show.  Not sure how that happened.

I don't know, guys.  These last episodes really are going to have to fix things, because this is the closet I ever came to dropping the show.  It's just sucks watching actors I love and admire, desperately doing what they can, but slowly being destroyed by the awful writing.  I have no idea how they can turn it around; especially with Maddie.  Because I fear they'll just end it with her somehow coming back and all is forgiven, and that isn't enough for me.  I want her to fail.  And then for Rayna to grow a spine and be like "Sorry, dear.  You wanted to be an adult, well here it is!  No money, no home, nothing!  Get a job like a normal adult!"

Oh, and then Daphne ends up becoming the next mega-star.  Now, that would be the best irony ever.

[WhosThatGirl]

The thing is, Maddie thinks her job is going to be being a famous superstar.  And we have all pointed out that while Maddie is talented, a lot of the talent and cache that came with people wanting her to sign with them was based on her being Rayna- and then Deacon's- child. This may not work out for her and then she will find a real honest job for the first time in her entitled little life. I sincerely hope that happens. I also hope if she had some sort of trust fund from Lamer that now she no longer has access to it. At any point.  She no longer wants to be a Conrad/Claybrone child, then she no longer gets a trust fund that came with it. But whatever, here is what's probably going to happen:

Cash and Maddie probably are going to be roommates now, Cash becomes Maddie's pseudo manger, Cash steals all of Maddie's money and ruins the deals. Maddie comes back and is welcomed home with no real consequence. Also, "you can still be on my label, sweetie" is what Rayna says. 

In a perfect world, Daphne would sing all by herself and be the superstar. 

[izabella]

Such an awful episode with ridiculously bad drama and worse characters.  I agree with everyone about everything in this thread. 

So, I'll just say, wow, Juliette was nominated for an Oscar!  I'd have expected way more buzz around her after that; reporters trying to follow her for quotes, photographers, but no.

[ChrisK]

On 05/05/2016 at 3:09 AM, DeLurker said:

Thank you!  I only know about AA and NA from a distance, but I was sure that disclosing what was shared in a meaning or as a sponsor was a serious matter that was only done under extreme circumstances.

And what's Frankie's dog in this fight?  Why does he give a damn about whether or not Maddie gets emancipated?

Frankie doesn't care about Maddie at all. He is indulging in payback becuase his ego was injured. Remember his drinking binge? I anticipate Frankie's real objective is to force deacon out of his club. The restraining order is the first step to achieving goal. 

2 hours ago, WhosThatGirl said:

The thing is, Maddie thinks her job is going to be being a famous superstar.  And we have all pointed out that while Maddie is talented, a lot of the talent and cache that came with people wanting her to sign with them was based on her being Rayna- and then Deacon's- child. This may not work out for her and then she will find a real honest job for the first time in her entitled little life. I sincerely hope that happens. I also hope if she had some sort of trust fund from Lamer that now she no longer has access to it. At any point.  She no longer wants to be a Conrad/Claybrone child, then she no longer gets a trust fund that came with it. But whatever, here is what's probably going to happen:

Cash and Maddie probably are going to be roommates now, Cash becomes Maddie's pseudo manger, Cash steals all of Maddie's money and ruins the deals. Maddie comes back and is welcomed home with no real consequence. Also, "you can still be on my label, sweetie" is what Rayna says. 

In a perfect world, Daphne would sing all by herself and be the superstar. 

Daphne deserves to triumph. I have enjoyed her growing close bond with Deacon.

[Sutton]

ChrisK --  "Daphne deserves to triumph. I have enjoyed her growing close bond with Deacon." I agree, seeing her bonding with Deacon and him being so patient, loving, giving her guitar lessons is nice to see. But knowing this series and how they don't like character being happy for any length of time I'm wondering how long it's going to last. The promo for next week is giving us some view of what's going to happen between Rayna and Deacon and if it plays out what Rayna says to him about "She can't do this anymore." jumping to conclusions here, it would mean Daphne won't be seeing Deacon for a while.

[deSchenke]

7 hours ago, ChrisK said:

Frankie doesn't care about Maddie at all. He is indulging in payback becuase his ego was injured. Remember his drinking binge? I anticipate Frankie's real objective is to force deacon out of his club. The restraining order is the first step to achieving goal. 

Daphne deserves to triumph. I have enjoyed her growing close bond with Deacon.

I think you've hit the nail on the head.  Frankie's upset that Deacon took over the bar, changed the name to memorialize his own sister, changed the theme, and sang on stage.  He's seething in anger and found a way to get Deacon and get Deacon out.  

What Cash's motives are, I have no idea.  

Despicable people, the both of them.