S05.E09: If Tomorrow Never Comes

[justmythoughts]

They could have easily make Rayna into a humanitarian kind, shipping her to Africa to help poor villages, coming to spend time with her family off camera. It would be far fetched but we would be free of the mouring and probably Deacon going back to booze. 

I would love this show to focus on Juliette and Avery. I always loved them. But I don't think gospel Juliette is as interesting as pop/country Juliette with sparkly dresses, great performances and a sassy temper was. So I'll wait and see because the trio (witj Cadence) still warms my heart.

Scarllet... Dear, watch Nashville because we definetely do not watch the same show. You and Gunnar habe both bern wrong. You are no saint, and he is no devil. Writters, please just keep them as the Exes, I can't take anymore Scarllet's big sad eyes as if she was the deepest person in the world, so full of emotions that no one can understand. Join the Maddie parade: you are not more important than the rest of the world, take your head out of your a#$ and look around, other people get hurt and need attention and are tired of your endless whining.

I can't say I am ready to leave the show yet, but I am pretty close. I wish they had ended last season, with Juliette's flight landing safely, JAvery hugging and little Cadence smiling. Done! 

[Madding crowd]

I think this episode could have been handled better. Besides the media barrage of hints that Connie was leaving the show, having her in a car accident for the second time seemed like a lazy turn. Then to have the doctors say she is just fine only to die in what seemed like hours later, again seemed corny and inaccurate. I also thought it odd that when she flatlined, Deacon and the girls didn't yell out something like "Please save her" rather than just starting to cry and oh well. I understand that she could not be saved and they were preparing for the worst, but you would think in the moment they would still try. Not a doctor either, but I sat through two aunts with organ failure. They were both in their 80's and took a couple of days to die. Rayna is still young and healthy (up to that point) and she seemed to go really fast. I did tear up at hearing a few bars of Wayfaring Stranger more than anything else.

I used to like Scarlett but if I have to look at her anguished face one more time I'm going to scream. Gunnar did nothing wrong here-when she broke up with him he dated other people. She also dated other people. Why is Gunnar the bad guy who is groveling?  I don't see Juliette carrying the show but I assume it will continue as an ensemble show. 

I have been wondering if one of the reasons Connie left is because she is really the only non singer in a lead role. She can carry a tune but cannot hold up her end singing with any of the others. I did think and still think she played her part well and I could picture her as a country queen. Not looking forward to the funeral, custody battle or Deacon's pain. 

[Kathemy]

As I said on fanforum, Zoey, come back. Everything is forgotten.

[GATenn]

Quote

I remembered Nashville has a hockey team.  That apparently shuts down traffic to the hospital.  I've never been to Nashville but...  come on, does it really take HOURS to get to any hospital?

No. If I recall correctly, Rayna lived in Belle Meade, which is southwest of town. St. Thomas West would be no more than a 10 minute drive from her house because the hospital is right there.

About 10-15 minutes past there (at the most), there are THREE hospitals, and she wouldn't have gone anywhere near a sporting event unless there was a Vanderbilt game (and literally pass four hospitals to get to any others), and that wouldn't have held up anything. She wouldn't have even had to get on a freeway - it's a straight shot up one main road, and depending on which hospital, one turn off that road.

Nashville traffic is getting worse by the day, but still.

Edited February 24, 2017 by Nashville Pete

[Aulty]

I came here to write some lengthy rant about Scarlett, but I won't. Just 2 things:

1: Overall, I think loosing CB is a chance for the show to slowly introduce new characters or give others more of the limelight - I want a small storyline for Bucky and Scarlett's agent - they are likeable characters and with all the crap they have to deal with, I'm sure something interesting can come from that.

2: Sorry, Maddie, but I, like, can't with, you know, that, like, stupid way they make teenagers talk. Form proper sentences, intonate and don't slurr your lines (or whatever you call it when it sounds like they don't use their jaw or tounge and everything comes out in that monotonous tone - drives me up the wall, dammit)

[Jillybean]

A couple of things I forgot in my earlier post:

 

I thought I heard Daphne call Deacon "Dad," which was weird.

I think Scarlett's former rat's nest has made its way to Maddie's head. Also, between the accident and her return to the hospital she had 3 different hairstyles. Priorities.

[Ohmo]

I don't know what I'm going to do.  I'm no great fan of Rayna, so leaving would not be about missing her at all.  I hate that Daphne is getting the shaft.  I loathe her sister, I really and truly do.  Maddie is an utterly selfish human being, and no, Scarlett, she is not just acting like a teenager.  She is not.

I don't know if I can watch Maddie mourn because, as serious as a parent's death is, I don't know if I can watch Maddie make yet another thing all about her.  Deacon on yet another path to self-destruction also does not interest me.  AT ALL.

If this was the plan, then I don't understand why there wasn't more of an effort to keep Luke and Will Chase.  I know CMT probably needs to count its pennies, but Luke was a character with an established record label.  All of the characters could have been moved en masse to Wheelin' Dealin, and we could have seen Luke only occasionally even though he would have still headed the label.  Highway 65 was not that solvent to begin with before Zack's money.  Now Rayna's dead, so unless Highway 65 becomes Juliette's baby, we have a show about the music industry with no viable label.

ETA:

Quote

Real life comment, my dad died from a MRSA infection. The opening had me flashing back to a horrible time in my family's life. 

Another real-life comment: My mother had serious heart surgery in her mid-40s.  I was in my early 20s, and guess what?  I sat my butt in a surgical waiting room for HOURS (more than 4).  Maddie did not have to be there for the entire time, but she was certainly old enough to sit her ass down for part of the surgery. Her panic attack pissed me off.  Yes, people get them (myself included), but you let it run its course and then you go back to the waiting room.  Rayna's surgery was not about Bratty Maddie.  Daphne showed more maturity than she did.

Edited February 24, 2017 by Ohmo

[gryphon]

Bucky!  Hi!  Of course, he's there, he's family.  Maddie, I do not feel sorry for you and your guilt. 

I did cry a little at the end..I wish the sound would have been just instrumental music at the end after they finished singing--the loud sobs took me out of it. 

I'm here till the bitter end.  

[Primetimer]

Kleenex stockholders, enjoy your sad gains.

View the full article

[CatWarmer]

I watched the first 20 minutes then had to do something and caught the last 10 minutes so it doesn't sound like I missed anything I need to watch - that's why I come here!

On the custody issue, isn't Maddie still emancipated?  She sure acts like it!  I don't remember anything legal putting her back under legal custody of her Mom.  But I zone out on her stuff so maybe I missed something?

Also I could see Scarlett being in the room at the end because Deacon's niece and all.  But why Gunner?  No relation, and not really closer to Rayna than any other artist.  Clearly not a comfort to Scarlett at this point!

[grannygeek]

Fuck you fuck you fuck you a thousand times, show.

Really, country music channel, you think this move will increase viewers?

Suspecting this, i pulled the show off my Hulu Watchlist last week.

Oh, and p.s. - fuck you, show.

[luna1122]

15 minutes ago, grannygeek said:

Fuck you fuck you fuck you a thousand times, show.

Really, country music channel, you think this move will increase viewers?

Suspecting this, i pulled the show off my Hulu Watchlist last week.

Oh, and p.s. - fuck you, show.

Connie Britton wanted to leave...what could the showrunners have done to make it more tolerable to lose her, if not her dying? Just curious. I personally wouldn't have liked it if they'd had her leave Deacon and the girls, for whatever reasons...that would be inexplicable and wrong. I did think she might go into a coma, leave the possibility open that she could return later. Or just have her go on tour and come back now and then. But that would have seemed odd, after awhile. If she really truly wanted to leave, really, what choice did they have? I think, after all these seasons, a recast would have just been too weird.

Edited February 24, 2017 by luna1122

[WhosThatGirl]

Yeah I don't really blame the show. Connie wanted to leave but I do think she's a major player in this show and something tells me she's wanted to leave since last season. I remember when bees of cancellation happened last year, she was doing late night tv show, forget which one and she didn't seem.. that broken hearted about it? I think she's been ready to move on.

Which is going on my long list of why this show should have maybe stayed dead. Granted I hated that they left Juliette with a cliffhanger of her airplane but the rest of the characters got a lovely end last season and honestly I'm not impressed with what they've come up with this season.

[GaT]

5 hours ago, justmythoughts said:

But I don't think gospel Juliette is as interesting as pop/country Juliette with sparkly dresses, great performances and a sassy temper was.

I think that Juliette has to be gone because she's going to take Rayna's place so she has to be more Rayna-like in personality. 

[seacliffsal]

Well, I cried pretty much throughout the episode except for Maddie scenes as I was too busy having to FF through them.  This just really hit my heart, and maybe was close to the scenario of losing my mom.  

A couple of sour notes:  MADDIE.  And, SCARLETT.  So, the scene of the two of them together when Maddie was saying how much she put her mom through and then Scarlett said, basically, no more than a normal teenager.  No, Scarlett, most teenagers do not drag their families through an emancipation court case.  Of course she put her mother through an exceptional number of horrible times and events.  Then Maddie said, basically, that Scarlett was perfect.  No, Maddie, perfect people don't keep putting relationship blame on other people (Gunner) when they are just as responsible for the misery in their relationships.  

Wow, Deacon's pain was deep and it seemed so real.  I would like to see Deacon navigate this life without Rayna as she was the center of his life whether they were together or not.  Hopefully, he won't start drinking.  Maybe the promise Rayna made him give her before she died will help keep him sober.

[limecoke]

So many thoughts.  I do not cry over TV or movies...well...twice, maybe, and they were old movies and I was much younger.  Other than that, nada.  I love "This is Us" and every episode makes me all verklempt but I didn't shed a tear Tuesday night.  But this one got me.  Maybe it was the thought of the young girls who have had to watch their mom die.  Maybe it was the loss of my own father, maybe it was "A Life That's Good."  I lost it and I bawled.  Mr. Limecoke looked at me like I was nuts.

Charles Esten and Maisy Stella were absolutely wonderful.  For Esten, it was Emmy nomination worthy.  I'm reading so much vitriol towards CMT for "killing Rayna off."  Don't these people know it was Connie's choice?  I wish her the best in whatever she does.  

Anyway, I'm not out yet because I want to see where CMT takes this.   Just a few requests to the cable network from Limecoke:  

1. Please do not make this the Maddie show.  I'm liking Maisy so give her more to do while not making the girls the main characters.

2.  For the love, please do not let Deacon sink into alcohol again.  Please!!

3. Give us more Juliette and Avery and let Juliette shine.  We want her feisty and happy (for more than 10 minutes). Oh, and more Avery singing, please. 

4. Resolve this Scarlett and Gunner thing once and for all.  Get them away from each other and end the nonsense.  And let Scarlett grow up!

Thank you.

Edited February 25, 2017 by limecoke

[J-Man]

Quote

They could have easily make Rayna into a humanitarian kind, shipping her to Africa to help poor villages, coming to spend time with her family off camera.

Or Rayna could've been so impressed with Juliette's newfound spirituality that she decides to become a nun and joins an order that imposes a vow of silence. Yeah, that's the ticket!

I certainly hope the driver who hit the police vehicle in which Rayna was traveling has a HELL of a lot of liability insurance.

[Simba122504]

NV without Rayna?! I mean she wasn't my favorite character, but she still was an important figure on the show. I don't if it will survive. This season is already lame. 

[NorthstarATL]

I really didn't see the ending coming until Rayna hallucinated her mother in her room, but maybe I missed some signs because I was SO annoyed with Maddie! I know people can't really control panic attacks, but somehow the sense I got was that Rayna was getting all that attention and Maddie needed everything to be about HER! And then she wanders the city while even people who aren't family or close friends (Hi, Will!) populate the waiting room! I actually enjoyed Juliette's and Avery's scenes, because I know what it's like when you're not healing as fast as you think you should. Do they spend any time with their daughter?

  WHY was Gunnar waiting for Scarlett? And pleading with her? Just, no.

 And next week looks to be all about Rayna's family, so I think I'll skip it.

[TDT]

Guess CB wasnt interested in doing a "Rayna's devious twin" storyline..

Havent seen This Is Us(though i keep hearing good buzz about it..)though mentioning Tuesday's episode,i assume a major character was killed off there as well?

[Gemma Violet]

19 minutes ago, TDT said:

 

Havent seen This Is Us(though i keep hearing good buzz about it..)though mentioning Tuesday's episode,i assume a major character was killed off there as well?

Yes, and strangely, as beautifully written as This Is Us is, I didn't shed a tear.  Conversely, I just finished watching Nashville, whose writing leaves something to be desired, and I was crying like a baby at the end.  And I had read all the spoilers so I knew what was coming.  

ETA:  I just read this thread and see I'm not the only one.

Edited February 25, 2017 by Gemma Violet

[J-Man]

So is Connie Britton no longer an executive producer of "Nashville," or is she still getting credit?

[Irlandesa]

5 minutes ago, J-Man said:

So is Connie Britton no longer an executive producer of "Nashville," or is she still getting credit?

Probably not but we probably won't know until she's completely unaffiliated with the show as an actress.  I would imagine we may see Ghost Rayna or Hallucination Rayna in the next episode. 

[Auntie Anxiety]

11 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Not a doctor either, but I sat through two aunts with organ failure. They were both in their 80's and took a couple of days to die. Rayna is still young and healthy (up to that point) and she seemed to go really fast.

I think the doctors briefly (I mean one sentence that I had to rewind and turn on the closed captioning for) talked about throwing some emboli (embolisms?) which would speed up the process. Don't think organ failure was the main cause of the fake death. Not that it makes any difference.

Edited February 25, 2017 by Auntie Anxiety

[film noire]

From the recap:

Quote

 Gunnar's stupid declaration that he's going to "fight for" Scarlett, whatever that may mean in his dumb badger language

LOL

Edited February 25, 2017 by film noire

[ElectricBoogaloo]

14 hours ago, Jillybean said:

I thought I heard Daphne call Deacon "Dad," which was weird.

Yes, near the very end when Rayna was unconscious (just before they started singing "A Life That's Good"), Daphne was sitting next to Deacon and she said, "Dad?" He seemed a tiny bit surprised but he replied, "Yes, sweet girl?" This is the first time that Daphne has ever called Deacon "dad," and I'm sure it's because of what Rayna told her earlier when Daphne was snuggled up on her hospital bed with her.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Why is there only one doctor in the entire hospital? It seems weird that the same doctor who met with Juliette was also the one overseeing Rayna. Could CMT really not afford to cast two doctor characters for this episode?

Inside the episode:

[Ohmo]

Quote

NV without Rayna?! I mean she wasn't my favorite character, but she still was an important figure on the show. I don't if it will survive.

I think it will if the writers remember who Juliette is.  When the series started, she was no slouch when it came to business.  Juliette had a huge "branding" empire (sorta like Taylor Swift in that sense) and a very successful concert tour and presence in the country music scene.  If THAT savvy Juliette comes back, with Bucky and/or Glenn by her side, that would rock the house for me.  I also think there's a place for Deacon in such a scenario.  I wouldn't call him an astute businessman, but he has a great sense of the industry...who knows who, how things are done, etc.  So does Avery in terms of the younger demographic, so I think some sort of combination of Juliette, Avery, Deacon, and Glenn/Bucky could whip Highway 65 into shape in the business sense.  Juliette and Avery do some performing, but handle the business side.

Use Will.  Tell Scarlett to "shit or get off the pot."  Either she's serious about her professional career and can work with Gunner or she's not.  I know everyone's got a personal life, but she seriously has to get a grip on hers.

Someone has to get hold of Maddie and tell her to get real.  I nominate Juliette because she's always seemed to get Maddie to listen to her.  Personally, someone from her family needs to tell her what's what, and the frickin' world doesn't revolve around her!

Someone mentor Daphne professionally.  (I think Avery would be a good choice for this, or maybe Will.)  Develop her as a character other than being related to her horrid sibling.  I didn't mind her conversation with Scarlett, if Scarlett can get her crap in order.

All of this is dependent on one Juliette Barnes, so I hope Hayden is now healthy enough emotionally to carry this load.  With Hayden, I still think it is 100% possible for Nashville to shine, but if something else happens with Hayden, I think the show is done.

[Auntie Anxiety]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

 

Why is there only one doctor in the entire hospital? It seems weird that the same doctor who met with Juliette was also the one overseeing Rayna. Could CMT really not afford to cast two doctor characters for this episode?

 

Ostensibly, since both Juliette and Rayna had orthopedic ailments, the same doctor could have been treating the two of them, but that would probably only happen if the hospital was located in Podunk, which begs the question of why two big deal country music stars would be patients at a teeny community hospital when they'd be so much better off at a larger medical facility. Guess that makes too much sense. The small town hospital approach is so much more of an soap opera trope.

[methodwriter85]

On 2/23/2017 at 11:04 PM, luna1122 said:

I liked rayna but I honestly thought a lot of people weren't that fond of her and thought  that the focus of the show should be Juliette. I'll miss her but I think it will give Charles Eston a lot of stuff to work with, and I love him so I'm good with that. I really started watching the show for Jonathan Jackson, and I'll keep watching for him. I just wish he had a little more to do. I'm not crazy about it becoming the maddie show either, so I hope the teen angle doesn't take over. 

Yeah, I always got the impression that Rayna really wasn't that liked by the fanbase. Hmm. In any event, this does give Charles a lot to work with.

[FortKnox]

Question. Did anyone notice when Scarlett was talking to Maddie she said something like with her mother there wasn't room for both of them to be bad?

Which means I guess they're going back to Beverly being a awful, abusive mother and not the saint they tried to make her to be last season.

[shksabelle]

Wow. That was one boring episode considering it was the death of one of the most important characters. 

Also, for me the death of the show. I detest Maddie and Scarlett, and will not waste time watching their storylines. The "new, improved" selfless Juliette is boring as all getout. 

This show started out great and devolved to a third-rate soap. 

[Bwill3133]

I can't lie , I cried at the end.  Singing "A Life that's Good" did it for me. I love Connie Britton but she obviously wanted to move on.  My heart breaks for Daphne. I'm glad she finally got to say how she felt about being left out in their family. Dont love that she called Deacon " Dad."  Teddy was in jail but he was not an absent parent when he was there. In fact he was the main parent when Rayna went on tour. 

I'm glad Rayna and Juliette got some scenes together. Their dynamic needed to be used more and I'll miss them together. Juliette and Avery semi-happy; I'll take it! Getting rid of the crutches is hopefully the first step back to the Juliette I love. I think HP can carry the show but they are going have to make the supporting characters have better stories. 

Scarlett and Gunnar. Just be The Exes and sing. You clearly can't be happy with each other. Just let it go. Gunnar you can't fight for a woman who doesn't want to be with you. It's pathetic. 

This all happened in 24 hours  but couldn't someone have called Tandy during that time? Budget, actor availability and all that I know but I think she'd have been on the first flight to Nashville after finding out her sister was in a car accident AGAIN. 

Hey Will, maybe next week you'll actually get lines! Keeping my fingers crossed. 

[mojoween]

19 hours ago, Gemma Violet said:

Yes, and strangely, as beautifully written as This Is Us is, I didn't shed a tear.  Conversely, I just finished watching Nashville, whose writing leaves something to be desired, and I was crying like a baby at the end.  And I had read all the spoilers so I knew what was coming.  

ETA:  I just read this thread and see I'm not the only one.

I didn't cry at This is Us either.  But the Stella sisters sobbing at the end of this made me cry too.

I think I remember hearing something about Connie with a diminished role back when CMT first was reported to have picked up the show, but didn't keep up with the news.  So for me, this was *almost* a total surprise.

I say almost because I was scrolling through FB yesterday and saw an Entertainment Weekly post with a headline something like "How Nashville Will Move on From THAT Twist" so when I watched today I basically knew what was coming.  And I was really irritated because I LOATHE spoilers.

[KaveDweller]

6 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

Ostensibly, since both Juliette and Rayna had orthopedic ailments, the same doctor could have been treating the two of them, but that would probably only happen if the hospital was located in Podunk, which begs the question of why two big deal country music stars would be patients at a teeny community hospital when they'd be so much better off at a larger medical facility. Guess that makes too much sense. The small town hospital approach is so much more of an soap opera trope.

They just needed Juliette to hear something bad was going down with Rayna, since no one else would have thought to tell her.

[mojoween]

One thing I loved was Avery's droll "she doesn't listen to me either" when Juliette went storming down to Rayna's room.  I love Jonathan Jackson so very much.

Scarlett, on the other hand, walks into a hospital room with a sleeping patient and proceeds to WAKE HER UP to bitch about her love life problems which were entirely of her own making.  Shut up, Scarlett.

[pattycat]

  9 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

Ostensibly, since both Juliette and Rayna had orthopedic ailments, the same doctor could have been treating the two of them, but that would probably only happen if the hospital was located in Podunk, which begs the question of why two big deal country music stars would be patients at a teeny community hospital when they'd be so much better off at a larger medical facility. Guess that makes too much sense. The small town hospital approach is so much more of an soap opera trope.

They just needed Juliette to hear something bad was going down with Rayna, since no one else would have thought to tell her.

I'm assuming both Juliette and Rayna would have been treated at Vanderbilt, in Nashville. A Major Medical Center. I'd further assume, that's where this episode was supposed to take place.

I don't find anything odd, about both of them having the same Ortho Dr. Early in the episode, someone said their top Orthopedic surgeon had been called in.
Two big stars, would, most likely, be getting the car of a top Dr,, especially for complicated cases.

The scene in the Drs office, where Juliette and Avery, just happened to be there, at the right time to hear about Rayna, yes, that was a little contrived

[General Days]

On 2/23/2017 at 10:25 PM, slasherboy said:

They recently had a casting call for mourners, so it couldn't have been that big of a secret.

Well, sure it could have been, at least to people who don't seek spoilers and aren't actors who get call sheets. 

That said, after last week's stalker confrontation and then crash, I expected that either Rayna would die this week , or the new showrunners would be fired, because she was already in a horrible car crash and Hayden's character still isn't recovered from her plane crash, so yet another wreck was a pretty week plot point (and far weaker if Rayna lived). 

[pattycat]

I'll go out on a limb and guess that Deacon is going to start drinking again. Because we haven't seen that enough in the prior seasons.  And then he has some anger management problems. Because we haven't seen enough of that either. Yeah, I'm done.

Question: WHEN have we seen Deacon do all this drinking?

I've seen every episode of Nashville, at least once, and I recall One Episode in which he drank.. The episode in which he found out, the love of his life, had lied about having a child together.

Not an excuse, but certainly, not like he's spent 4.5 years on and off the wagon.
He was sober for like 12 years before the relapse, and he's been sober since!

Hopefully, the promise he made to Rayna, his love for the girls, the support of family and friends, and his own strength, will help him navigate grief, without alcohol.

[General Days]

On 2/24/2017 at 10:01 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Hahaha, thanks for the much needed laugh, @dbell1!

Man, it's been a rough couple of weeks between Jane the Virgin, The Magicians, This Is Us, and Nashville killing off main characters. Hopefully this is the last one for a while because I don't know if my poor tear ducts can take this much longer.

The person I felt the most sorry for is Daphne. Like she said, Rayna was the only person she had left. Maddie is off being a petulant teenager, Teddy is in prison, and Deacon is her stepfather (not her legal father because I can't see Teddy allowing that).

Fine, Maddie had a panic attack, but then she CHOSE to stay out all night and most of the morning with Clay, never stopping to think that maybe Deacon or Daphne might need her. Sure, Deacon told her to go home and get some sleep but he told Daphne the same thing and she stayed.  When she was running through the streets of Nashville to get to the hospital the next day, I just rolled my eyes. Deacon got to the hospital earlier that day with smoothies and a burger so it was obviously late enough in the morning that regular restaurants (not just all night diners) were open. She could have used common sense and gone back to the hospital before Deacon called her so I felt no sympathy for her, especially because she was making it ALL ABOUT HER.

When Deacon told Rayna that the nurse said only immediate family was allowed into her room, I expected her to say, "Bucky IS family." Heh, loved that Juliette just ignored the nurse and barged in anyway. I know that recovering patients need to rest, but emotional support is important too.

I agree that Scarlett and Gunnar need to just break up. I totally rolled my eyes when he asked if she was going to stay with Damian because the sex was so much better. Gawd. Don't get me wrong - Damian was a total douche during the video shoot so I don't understand why Scarlett is at all interested in him, but reducing Scarlett's interest in Damian to "is he better in the sack?" is so stupid and immature.

Can't wait to buy Daphne's version of "Make You Feel My Love."

I agree with everything you said, Electric Boogaloo, except that kids in Maddie's age can be SO like that. Sorry, smarting parent of three in the age group. Like, I've had ugly moments in which I hoped I would die, so they'd realize they'd been MEAN TO ME. (Exaggeration intended.)

[nlkm9]

13 hours ago, Bwill3133 said:

I can't lie , I cried at the end.  Singing "A Life that's Good" did it for me. I love Connie Britton but she obviously wanted to move on.  My heart breaks for Daphne. I'm glad she finally got to say how she felt about being left out in their family. Dont love that she called Deacon " Dad."  Teddy was in jail but he was not an absent parent when he was there. In fact he was the main parent when Rayna went on tour. 

I'm glad Rayna and Juliette got some scenes together. Their dynamic needed to be used more and I'll miss them together. Juliette and Avery semi-happy; I'll take it! Getting rid of the crutches is hopefully the first step back to the Juliette I love. I think HP can carry the show but they are going have to make the supporting characters have better stories. 

Scarlett and Gunnar. Just be The Exes and sing. You clearly can't be happy with each other. Just let it go. Gunnar you can't fight for a woman who doesn't want to be with you. It's pathetic. 

This all happened in 24 hours  but couldn't someone have called Tandy during that time? Budget, actor availability and all that I know but I think she'd have been on the first flight to Nashville after finding out her sister was in a car accident AGAIN. 

Hey Will, maybe next week you'll actually get lines! Keeping my fingers crossed. 

OMG! I love Will. hoping he will get more airtime:)

[KoBnR]

I haven't watched Nashville since season 3. But I tuned in to see what happens to Rayna and whether or not I'd jump back in to see where it goes. This episode hit Really close to home. My mother was involved in a car collision. Shattered pelvic bone and broken back. We didn't know this at the time of finding out. We were told she was hit and awake and okay. That she was talking and fine. That she was in the ER waiting. So we decided not to go to the hospital at that moment. Which later, I do regret doing. Because maybe we would have been able to say goodbye... What if! But in the moment, the shock and news really just messes with your head and your decision making process. An hour later, she was in critical condition and bleeding. And they couldn't stop it. My grandmother had to call it. So for me, I was crying like a baby during this. And from my point of view, I thought it was close to authentic.

On 2/24/2017 at 3:27 PM, Ohmo said:

 I was in my early 20s, and guess what?  I sat my butt in a surgical waiting room for HOURS (more than 4).  Maddie did not have to be there for the entire time, but she was certainly old enough to sit her ass down for part of the surgery. Her panic attack pissed me off.  Yes, people get them (myself included), but you let it run its course and then you go back to the waiting room.  Rayna's surgery was not about Bratty Maddie.  Daphne showed more maturity than she did.

Guess what? People deal with things differently. It's not a black and white situation. People react differently to these types of situations. Sometimes it doesn't make sense. Sometimes it's the wrong choice but a choice nonetheless and no one should be ridiculed or judged for it. We can't predict how things are going to play out. In the end, all of them were there to see her last moment.

[EuropeanGirl]

On 2/25/2017 at 6:35 PM, Ohmo said:

I think it will if the writers remember who Juliette is.  When the series started, she was no slouch when it came to business.  Juliette had a huge "branding" empire (sorta like Taylor Swift in that sense) and a very successful concert tour and presence in the country music scene.  If THAT savvy Juliette comes back, with Bucky and/or Glenn by her side, that would rock the house for me.  I also think there's a place for Deacon in such a scenario.  I wouldn't call him an astute businessman, but he has a great sense of the industry...who knows who, how things are done, etc.  So does Avery in terms of the younger demographic, so I think some sort of combination of Juliette, Avery, Deacon, and Glenn/Bucky could whip Highway 65 into shape in the business sense.  Juliette and Avery do some performing, but handle the business side.

Use Will.  Tell Scarlett to "shit or get off the pot."  Either she's serious about her professional career and can work with Gunner or she's not.  I know everyone's got a personal life, but she seriously has to get a grip on hers.

Someone has to get hold of Maddie and tell her to get real.  I nominate Juliette because she's always seemed to get Maddie to listen to her.  Personally, someone from her family needs to tell her what's what, and the frickin' world doesn't revolve around her!

Someone mentor Daphne professionally.  (I think Avery would be a good choice for this, or maybe Will.)  Develop her as a character other than being related to her horrid sibling.  I didn't mind her conversation with Scarlett, if Scarlett can get her crap in order.

All of this is dependent on one Juliette Barnes, so I hope Hayden is now healthy enough emotionally to carry this load.  With Hayden, I still think it is 100% possible for Nashville to shine, but if something else happens with Hayden, I think the show is done.

I truly hope that they will get it right with Juliette and save the show. I think you're descriptions are spot on and I'd love to see that Nashville! 

[nlkm9]

just please dont pair deacon and juliette again--theyre way better as friends and I love her with avery

[Sandman]

On 2017-02-24 at 10:04 AM, ch1 said:

I say revolve the show around Avery, Will and Gunnar.  Every female can go - especially Maddie and Scarlett.

I vote we keep Cadence at a minimum, Juliette if she keeps acting like a decent person -- or remains willing to become one. I'd be out like that if Layla were to come back -- although Scarlett's characterization seems lately to be almost at Layla's level of disarray.

From the recap:

Quote

As ridiculous as the plotting and writing have often been on this show, they never overused this relationship, which is part of what made their scenes together special. Sigh.

This is an entirely apt observation.

Edited February 27, 2017 by Sandman
To quote from the recap.

[Ohmo]

12 hours ago, KoBnR said:

Guess what? People deal with things differently. It's not a black and white situation. People react differently to these types of situations. Sometimes it doesn't make sense. Sometimes it's the wrong choice but a choice nonetheless and no one should be ridiculed or judged for it. We can't predict how things are going to play out. In the end, all of them were there to see her last moment.

I noticed that you said that you hadn't watched Nashville since Season 3, and you've been lucky in terms of missing out on what has been done to the character of Maddie.  You're right, people do react in different ways, and extreme stress does mess with your head.  I'm also sorry about the real-life loss of your mother.  That said, in terms of the fictional, selfish, character that has become Maddie Conrad, I have absolutely no problems judging and ridiculing her behavior. 

Over the course of almost two years, Maddie has been selfish and incapable of seeing anyone or anything beyond her own wants and needs. For HER and specifically HER, I question her motives and sincerity given her past behavior.  The writing was not indicative of her making one decision like you made in terms of your mother.  Giving Maddie a panic attack and then having her immediately bounce out of the hospital to spend time with her boyfriend (even though they were talking about Rayna) reeked of the convenience, abdication of responsibility when it comes to Maddie being required to actually DO something for someone else, and selfishness that we have seen from her for far too long.  This was not one decision like you thought about in terms of your personal situation.  For Maddie, it was much more representative of a pattern of behavior that has made her a distasteful character.  So, I stand by my original comment.  Her ass should have been in a chair in the waiting room, at least for part of the surgery.  She was given a pass so she could cop out on her behavior yet again.

Edited February 27, 2017 by Ohmo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

CMT's tribute to Rayna:

[grannygeek]

  On 2/24/2017 at 4:50 PM, grannygeek said:

Fuck you fuck you fuck you a thousand times, show.

Really, country music channel, you think this move will increase viewers?

Suspecting this, i pulled the show off my Hulu Watchlist last week.

Oh, and p.s. - fuck you, show.

Connie Britton wanted to leave...what could the showrunners have done to make it more tolerable to lose her, if not her dying? Just curious. I personally wouldn't have liked it if they'd had her leave Deacon and the girls, for whatever reasons...that would be inexplicable and wrong. I did think she might go into a coma, leave the possibility open that she could return later. Or just have her go on tour and come back now and then. But that would have seemed odd, after awhile. If she really truly wanted to leave, really, what choice did they have? I think, after all these seasons, a recast would have just been too weird.

"what could the showrunners have done to make it more tolerable"?
They could have done a lot of things, including retiring to the country, perhaps spending time with the Magical Negro she encountered during her cross country drive, letting Juliette (as some have suggested) run the company and having pretend phone calls with her. NCIS makes irregular reference to Tony DiNozzo since he's left the show. But that would have required using people who Know How To Write - not the oafs who have made us endure Maddie, and Deacon's never-ending moping for years now.

[txjenn1]

I don't really mind that Rayna is dead and I'll continue to watch to see where the show goes from here (more Juilette and Avery, please!), but killing her off from complications from yet another car accident is just lazy writing to me. Rayna was held at knifepoint by a stalker; why not have him murder her? That, in my opinion, would have propelled the show into a much more interesting plotline.

[tennisgurl]

I have to say, while Rayna was never my favorite, its just so weird thinking about the show without her. I certainly never disliked her, and I really enjoyed her and Deacon once they finally got together. Her being dead is just really depressing. This has been a brutal season of TV. Main characters are dropping like freaking flies. And, with Rayna, I don't even feel like this was necessary. She could have easily have just gone on tour or on sabbatical or off to do charity work abroad or something, and have Connie come back for a cameo at the end of the season. I get Connie wanting to go, it just sucks it was like this. Even Rayna was like "another car crash? Really? I literally just escaped a stalker!" I was doing pretty well, until they started singing I Have a Life that's Good. That got me tearing up. Plus, I've always liked that song, and its weirdly appropriate for the end of Rayna's life. And the acting from everyone was really good.

I really didn't think they were going to go through with it, until we saw Rayna's ghost mom. Then I knew she was a goner, no matter what the doctors said. For once, I was alright with Maddie. I wont call bullshit on her running off and not staying with her mom, people deal with things differently. I'm sure by next week she`ll be driving me nuts again. And poor Daphne. She really has been left out of her family so often, thanks to all the drama surrounding/created by Maddie. First with everyone fighting over who would be Maddie's dad, then with Maddie's personal bullshit. I think Deacon does love her, but he is still closer and more involved with Maddie. And Teddy is still in jail, so while he could come visit, and maybe she will be in touch with him more, but this still really sucks for her. I cant imagine Maddie spending much time with her little sister.

The only good thing that could come out of this is less Maddie drama, and more of Juliet as our Leading Lady. But, knowing this season, they'll probably decide that Maddie should be the new Rayna. The true tragedy here.