S02.E21: All or Nothing with Me

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Rayna organizes a charity concert at Fort Campbell after finding out Luke has been injured in Afghanistan, forcing him to cut his tour short. Deacon and Maddie are brought closer together as they chart a new course for their future. Teddy is beginning to feel like his family is slipping further and further away from him. Juliette is racked with guilt knowing that her back is against the wall after Jeff threatens to go to Avery with the truth. Gunnar is feeling pressure to reveal a secret about Juliette to Avery until Zoey urges him that his professional and private life should be kept separate. And Will and Layla begin shooting their new reality series.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIYSoTZJd6w

[dbell1]

Oh Juliette, you misguided fool. Of all the men in Music City, you hook up with Jeff FREAKING Fordham?  Why?  If Avery was waiting at my house, I'd be home (even with his silly mullet). And I think he'd forgive her for some wise reason.  Oh, and that whole Juliette can't get hold of Avery storyline didn't ring true last week - did she drop another phone in a pitcher? The woman's more connected than Twitter.

 

Scarlett's main attraction is singing.  So, if she's not going to croon, she can go.  But I have the feeling Gunnar or Avery will drag her back onto the Bluebird stage.

 

Rayna loves Luke?  And Teddy was nice to Deacon?  Did I enter into an alternate world this week?  Oh, and I can do without Pickler on my screen.

 

Layla and Will on a reality show.  Yep, this was a brilliant idea. NOT.

[ramble]

Question regarding the preview:

Are they going with a Juliette pregnancy storyline? Is that what they were hinting?

If so I may have to finally check out. I enjoy some soapyness but c'mon show!

Had we ever heard about Juliette's dad before tonight? I don't seem to recall that.

Isn't it amazing how well the reality show is going for Will & how easy it is for him to keep up his charade? Wait... that's not right. That storyline is so boring.

Edited May 8, 2014 by ramble

[Lillybee]

When Juliette did that spot in the trailer park where she grew up, she said something about he dad being missing from her life. I don't remember if it was because he left the family or what. But I do remember thinking that her dad would come back to mess with her.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

What really annoyed me was Luke didn't believe Juliette was being as altruistic as he was about performing for the military until he overheard her talking about her dad AND he questioned whether Rayna was organizing the performance to promote her label. So let me get this straight - Luke is allowed to perform for the troops without having any ulterior motives besides being a red-blooded 'Murrican, but Rayna and Juliette must have some sort of agenda if they want to do the same thing? Okay, DICK. I hate that it took overhearing Juliette's story about her dad to convince Luke that she was on the up and up. Newsflash, Luke: lots of people who have no connection whatsoever to the military still support the troops.

 

I feel bad for poor Daphne. I totally understand that Maddie wants to get to know Deacon as her father and I totally support that, but Daphne voiced the concern I've had since everyone found out about Deacon - everyone is so concerned about Maddie and no one is thinking about how this is affecting Daphne. Suddenly her sister is separating herself from what Daphne sees as her family. Both girls always loved Deacon and now Maddie has a special relationship with him that excludes Daphne. It makes me wish that Deacon would ask Rayna if he can spend some time with Daphne, even if it's just taking her to a movie or something. I'm glad that Teddy was able to be level-headed and not let his usual jealousy get in the way when he told Daphne that she and Maddie will always be sisters.

 

The one bright light in all of this is that Daphne holds no ill will towards Deacon. I loved that when Rayna asked him to join them onstage, Daphne encouraged him to come out onstage. As much as I loved seeing Deacon, Rayna, Maddie, and Daphne finally sing a song together, I thought it was sneaky of Maddie to wait until they were onstage to ask Rayna if they could include Deacon.

 

To be honest, I was laughing at the pissy looks on both Luke's and Teddy's faces. Yes, this is a complicated family situation, but if they love Rayna and Maddie respectively, this is something they need to accept. Deacon will always be part of their lives and there is no getting around that. They need to put aside their petty jealousy and insecurity and let it be.

Edited May 8, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[OhYouMen]

Okay, so what is Luke's game at this point? It seemed like he was up to something for most of the season, so his actions in this episode just didn't make sense. Is it possible he was being sincere about his feelings? Does he have the time and inclination to run an incredibly long con on Rayna for some reason?

[sinnerforhire]

I think Luke was sincere. I think his problem is mostly about Rayna's relationship to Deacon. I think he (rightly) perceives that Rayna still has feelings for Deacon, and he's trying to get her to fess up to it rather than hide it and tell him she's "all in" when it's so obvious that she is not as invested in Luke as he is in her. I don't think Luke's running a con, I just think the writers can't decide whether he's supposed to be clueless and callous or deep and sensitive, so he veers from one to the other every couple of weeks.

[madam magpie]

I don't think it's a con, but I do think that Luke, like Teddy, sees Rayna as a prize to be won from Deacon. That's not to say he doesn't care for her. He does. But like anyone with eyes, he can see she's still hung up on Deacon and so he tries to win her away. Deacon doesn't treat her that way; he seems to love and respect her for who she is. Maybe that's because he's the better man, or maybe it's just because he's already won in that regard. I like to think the latter, but with how inconsistently this show is written, who knows.

Edited May 8, 2014 by madam magpie

[Charlie Baker]

I don't trust Luke.

 

A good episode for moving the plots along before next week's season ender.

 

How great was Charles Esten throughout this episode?  And Eric Close stepped it up when he was telling Deacon about Maddie's birth.

 

I doubt everyone's favorite character Scarlett will be leaving Nashville behind. ;-)

 

And of course Juliette's hook up with Jeff was a dumb mistake which it looks like she will pay for, but I see it as something completely in character.

[franopy]

Quick question: Is Charlotte's awful, awful mother still around? I had to stop watching last week because I could not bear it and might have to skip this one too if she features in it. Thanks!!

[mellotune]

Franopy, Scarlett's mother left town thankfully, after Scarlett told her she loved her but needed her mother to leave town, hopefully forever!

 

Did anyone else think that Zoe was borderline weird last night? Honestly, I wish she would leave Nashville as I don't care about her at all. She's only there to be a place-holder in the inevitable Scarlett-Gunnar reunion anyway.

 

I hope against hope that Juliette will not have to "pay the price" for the hookup with the oily Jeff. All he is missing is the mustache to twirl whenever he shows up.

Edited May 8, 2014 by mellotune

[DeLurker]

How great was Charles Esten throughout this episode?  And Eric Close stepped it up when he was telling Deacon about Maddie's birth.

I doubt everyone's favorite character Scarlett will be leaving Nashville behind. ;-)

Totally agree about Deacon & Teddy, but then they had to have Teddy casting the death glare at the end.  Ugh.

 

I was very happy wiith a mostly Scarlette Free episode, but they are just toying me with the line that she's leaving Nashville. 

[gryphon]

Newsflash, Luke: lots of people who have no connection whatsoever to the military still support the troops.

I totally agree, EB. I was blaming his jerkiness on a little ptsd--I don't know whether they want me to feel like he's a jerk or a good guy. Both, I guess--there are times when I'm really believing in him and Rayna and then---not so much.

Getting tired of the whole Will/Layla thing.

[SunnyBeBe]

I wouldn't mind it if Scarlet did move away.  She's so clueless. It's like she floats from one idea to another with no real insight.  Please leave lady. She could move to LA, write songs and email them back to Nashville.  I'm just tired of her and the hold she continues to have on Avery and Gunnar.

 

I like Zoey fine.  At least she has some ambition, drive and zeal for life.  And she sings better than Scarlet too.  

 

I wish Gunnar had turned his head and pretended he never saw Jeff and Juliette.  Nothing good can come from it.  He should zip up his mouth and forget it. Now he's told Zoey.  We know were this will go.  Hopefully, they aren't setting it up for another Rayna/Deacon/Teddy situation.  Only with Juliette/Avery/Jeff. Wouldn't that be bizarre?

 

Will is so horrible.  The man seems to love to hurt those around him.  He's hurting Layla on some many levels.  He's going to go down in a scandal and destroy Layla too.  Is that guy in the gym a plant?  I wonder if the guy will have a hidden camera when they meet for this private session.  

 

I adore Maddie and Daphne when they sing, but I really wish they could get a little more animated.  They are experienced enough now to have a little more confidence and not look so stiff and cautious when they perform.  They are my favorite part of this show.

 

I know Deacon is handsome and charming, but  I pray that Rayna stays away from him.  He is a heartbreaker and it's likely he is going to relapse in the future.  Unless she is prepared for that, Rayna needs to stay away.  I know it must be difficult, but is it really worth it?  Run Rayna.  I'm not saying to go with Luke, but he's more dependable than Deacon.  

[sinnerforhire]

The thing I hated most about Gunnar is how he was acting like he's Avery's bestest friend and he had some kind of duty to tell him about Juliette & Jeff. Doesn't he realize that Avery quit the band because Gunnar was such a jackass and Avery certainly doesn't seem to consider Gunnar much of a friend. Gunnar, butt out and mind your own damn business. None of the Juliette/Jeff/Avery stuff has anything to do with you.

[Tara Ariano]

Here's John's post on the episode!

[Lyndy]

Okay, we're agreed that Luke was the one who sent Maddie's video to the tabloids before it was taken offline, right? Based on his weird, angry disappointment at the Teddy, Rayna, Deacon TV appearance from a few episodes ago? Where he seemed pissed off that the paternity scandal blew over with a single interview?

 

If I'm right about that, a) what's his endgame and b) why is he being so pissy about Rayna's history that has nothing at ALL to do with him? They need to reveal his motives soon.

 

Also, I hate this guy so much. I hate him more than I hate Jeff Fordham.

[SunnyBeBe]

If they would actually show Luke to be a fake, I'd buy it, but since they don't, I'm not positive what his true motivations are.  It could be the writers are just trying to toy with us.  I suspected that Jeff might have put Luke up to something, but he was after Rayna years ago, long before Jeff was on the scene.  

[whatsatool]

Apparently I'm in a very elite minority that finds Jeff very sexy in a NorthandSouth kind of way.

[Steph01924]

Apparently I'm in a very elite minority that finds Jeff very sexy in a NorthandSouth kind of way.

I finally watched that recently and I can totally see what you mean; Hudson does bear some resemblance to Armitage. I think Hudson as a person is attractive (and I may like him a little more just because he's Goldie Hawn's son; I love her!), but Jeff the character is just icky. Armitage's character in N&S at least redeemed himself a bit.

[Lillybee]

I still think that Juliette's father is alive and perhaps her crazy, drug addled mother lied to her about his fate. If Nashville gets another season, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Juliette's dead daddy comes back.

[mellotune]

For some reason, I thought that Juliette was totally making up the story about her father. It didn't occur to me that her mother probably lied to her. Since her mother obviously had issues, it makes sense that we might see Juliette's father make an appearance in Nashville.

[missbonnie]

Well that was a big ole mess, and why doesn't Juliette wear any makeup half the time? It makes her eyes totally disappear in her face. I know that is shallow, but it's bugging the hell out of me. We all know that Scarlett isn't going anywhere, and it's just a matter of time before Layla catches her husband in a situation that she's not going to like. I swear Avery seems to have a hairline that receeds more every show. Stop styling it that way, it's starting to look like a comb-over is coming up soon. If Rayna accepts that proposal, I will barf. I like Gunnar more and more with every show. Teddy is becoming dead weight and where is Rayna's sister? And finally, what the hell is the holdup with ABC and renewing this show? They renewed a bunch of them yesterday and still no word on this show.

Edited May 9, 2014 by missbonnie

[fastiller]

1 I wish Gunnar had turned his head and pretended he never saw Jeff and Juliette.  Nothing good can come from it.  He should zip up his mouth and forget it. Now he's told Zoey.  We know were this will go.  Hopefully, they aren't setting it up for another Rayna/Deacon/Teddy situation.  Only with Juliette/Avery/Jeff. Wouldn't that be bizarre?

 

2 Maddie and Daphne ... ... are my favorite part of this show.

 

3 Deacon is handsome and charming...

1 It'll either be Zoey becoming eeeevviill and holding it over Juliette when J decides she doesn't want Z on the tour, or they'll be all buddy, buddy, happy, happy about the secret.  Or both.

 

2 Mine too.

 

3 Just quoting it 'cause it bears repeating.  Never thought this way about Esten when he was on Whose Line.

[SunnyBeBe]

I can't get into Jeff, but I find that Luke is growing on me. I know. It's kind of gross, but that rugged, not very handsome look is becoming more appealing to me. lol 

And even though I dislike Will's character, because he's so mean, I do enjoy his signing.  He's good, IMO.  

I have always had a soft spot for Teddy and still do. I like him despite everything.  I hope they don't write him out. 

[franopy]

Thank you, mellotune! What a relief.

Franopy, Scarlett's mother left town thankfully, after Scarlett told her she loved her but needed her mother to leave town, hopefully forever!

 

Did anyone else think that Zoe was borderline weird last night? Honestly, I wish she would leave Nashville as I don't care about her at all. She's only there to be a place-holder in the inevitable Scarlett-Gunnar reunion anyway.

 

I hope against hope that Juliette will not have to "pay the price" for the hookup with the oily Jeff. All he is missing is the mustache to twirl whenever he shows up.

[prican58]

I feel sorry for Will. He really does seem lost, with nowhere to run. When we first met him (before and after we knew he was gay)he was bedding babes left and right and feeling no guilt/remorse/whatever b/c he was willing to do anything for success. Now he finds himself in a hole (closet?) he can't get out of. That boy needs a miracle.

 

Hayden . What can I say? She owns this role. I hope she can get another season out of Nashville and then move on to a role that will define her. I first saw her on and SVU episode when she was about 8-10 years old (?) and she was very good. I'll follow her anywhere.

 

Hope she gets to marry her big strapping Klitchko. I read the wedding is on hold while the Ukraine situation evolves. 

[Isazouzi]

 

why doesn't Juliette wear any makeup half the time? It makes her eyes totally disappear in her face. I know that is shallow, but it's bugging the hell out of me.

 

I love that about her. I love that she can be all made up when needed, and then make-up free like a regular person the rest of the time. Unlike the vast majority of actresses who would have you believe they go to bed with a full face of make-up. Hayden is young and very pretty, she can pull it off IMO. More power to her. And she's such a good actress. Juliet feels like a real person thanks to her.

With that being said, I'd like to know what's going on with her hair! Am I hallucinating or is she wearing wigs every time she has her hair down? What's wrong with her real hair? In season 1, I remember thinking it was sometimes a mess, so maybe her actual hair is unmanageable to the point a wig is easier to style? That's what's bugging me!

And since I'm in the shallow end of the pool, Layla needs to have a makeover. Nothing works: her hair, her clothes. I just can't. Her and Will's story is getting really tedious, but I still feel sorry for them. We all know it's not going to end well and they feel quite isolated right now. All these people really lack good friends overall.

 

I used to love Maddie and Daphne singing too, but I've been a bit let down recently because I feel they've been doing the same basic thing over and over (lead voice, second voice) with no variation. They're both very talented and I'm pretty sure they can do more.

 

I hope Scarlett does leave town for good. She can take Teddy and Layla with her too.

 

I too think that Luke is just jealous of Deacon's relationship with Rayna. We might have read too much into his behavior from the TV interview about Maddie, through no fault of our own. It was acted in a very weird and nefarious way, totally over the top. It made him seem completely unpredictable and crazier than he probably is meant to be. It's possible he's just an asshole with no ulterior motive.

[Sonja]

Okay, so what is Luke's game at this point? It seemed like he was up to something for most of the season, so his actions in this episode just didn't make sense. Is it possible he was being sincere about his feelings? Does he have the time and inclination to run an incredibly long con on Rayna for some reason?

I thought Luke was shady from the start and expected him to be in cahoots with Jeff, but there was a Q&A with the producers recently and apparently Luke is supposed to be sincere about Rayna. To me, he still comes off as having an agenda though, so either the actor made some really bad acting decisions or the producers weren't entirely truthful and didn't want to admit to changing directions mid-season. In any way, he looked like an insecure jealous jerk in this ep. And if he wants to be with a woman who has kids, he'll better find a way to get along with said kids' fathers. At least he had the guts to apologise to Juliette.

[whatsatool]

I finally watched that recently and I can totally see what you mean; Hudson does bear some resemblance to Armitage. I think Hudson as a person is attractive (and I may like him a little more just because he's Goldie Hawn's son; I love her!), but Jeff the character is just icky. Armitage's character in N&S at least redeemed himself a bit.

Yes I can just see Jeff striding into a Manchester cotton mill in the Industrial Revolution.!   He is so much sexier than all the guppies they keep throwing at us.

[Lillybee]

Rayna, get a brain and sign ZAG. They were good tonight. When Avery talked to Juliette about her cheating, I was glad that he didn't use his famous phase from GH, "rutting like farm animals".

[aradia22]

Hayden can make me tear up so fast. She got to me when she was talking about her dad. I'm not sure how this gels with the story we were getting earlier. Thanks for the reminder, Lillybee. I knew they'd mentioned it but I couldn't remember when it happened. 

 

Scarlett's main attraction is singing.  So, if she's not going to croon, she can go.

YUP. Nothing more to say. She's not a very good actress. I still love her songs though so yeah, she can stay if she sings.

 

Okay, so what is Luke's game at this point? It seemed like he was up to something for most of the season, so his actions in this episode just didn't make sense. Is it possible he was being sincere about his feelings? Does he have the time and inclination to run an incredibly long con on Rayna for some reason?

 

I think Luke was sincere. I think his problem is mostly about Rayna's relationship to Deacon. I think he (rightly) perceives that Rayna still has feelings for Deacon, and he's trying to get her to fess up to it rather than hide it and tell him she's "all in" when it's so obvious that she is not as invested in Luke as he is in her. I don't think Luke's running a con, I just think the writers can't decide whether he's supposed to be clueless and callous or deep and sensitive, so he veers from one to the other every couple of weeks.

 

I think Will Chase just comes across as sketchy for one. I think it's partly because of Smash and partly his general demeanor. However, I genuinely feel that if Luke doesn't get revealed as running some long con involving Edgehill, it's because the writers changed their minds somewhere along the line. He's been sketchy from the beginning and there have been too many hints about him maybe sabotaging Highway 65 for Edgehill's interests.

 

I hope we can stop punishing Juliette almost every time she has sex with someone. I'm not sure where we're going with this. It didn't seem to be the typical self-destructive behavior we've seen from Juliette in the past. With the dead eyes while she and Jeff were "intimate" and the "I'll never be clean!" shower and Juliette telling Jeff that she was very drunk, I feel like the show was implying that he made have taken advantage of her to some extent. 

 

I did like the way "Don't Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet" was almost re-purposed and kind of sort of fit the setting. 

 

I think the writers definitely did what they could to make the Deacon/Maddy/Rayna thing work this episode without too much of the overbearing Saint Rayna stuff. The problem is I think they adapted after the response they were getting. If they wrote it this way from the beginning, it might have made more sense. While I felt like it's kind of retconning a bit, I'll go with it. (But the snarky part of me thinks, how convenient that he was sober when Scarlett was born but not when Maddie was born.) 

 

Ugh. Kellie Pickler. She was terrible on American Idol and I've given one or two of her albums a chance and at best they're tolerable. 

 

And yes, Chip Esten did great work this episode.

 

Oh, Lord was Connie struggling to sing A Life That's Good. Maybe they need to write her losing her voice into the script more often so it's believable when she can barely get out the notes and doesn't bother to hold any of them.

[madam magpie]

They never said that Deacon was sober when Scarlett was born; Rayna just implied that he was overjoyed about it and good with her. The dude's been an alcoholic for 20+ years. That means he was in and out of sober for a long time, and he probably wasn't drunk 24/7 the whole time.

[Sutton]

I hope this is the right place to put this. A person on a different forum (Hope she doesn't mind me using her comment) described Deacon/Rayna perfectly. "Rayna and Deacon can write their own version of the kamasutra-- (First it was the eye-sex, then the arm-sex and now the forehead-sex),   Dear Lord. THEY ARE HOT TOGETHER!!  (LUKE WHO?)  Thanks (Sha--- for the perfect description that all the fans see but Nashville writers don't....