Nashville review – 1×02: ‘I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You)’

Courtesy of ABC

Frankly, last week’s premiere of Nashville had me a little worried that it was too cluttered. But my faith is restored when this week’s episode starts off strong and has enough good stuff that I get reeled-in before the first commercial.

Let’s bitch it out…At the end of the premiere, I was dying to know the history between Connie Britton’s Rayna and Charles Esten’s Deacon. And in the first segment of tonight’s episode, there was enough to keep me hungry for more. But hearing the details of their past relationship really makes me conflicted. At first, I blamed Deacon’s drug problem for the break-up. Then we hear that Rayna married Teddy (Eric Close) while Deacon was in rehab, so I switched to siding with him as the wronged party. You don’t just throw away a partnership like that when the going gets tough, Rayna! What were you thinking?? I’m still not sure how I feel about it, and I’m hoping that I’ll be swayed one way or the other in the coming weeks.

One thing I am sure about is the chemistry between Rayna and Deacon. It is undeniable and I love them together. What I’m not loving is the lack of chemistry between Rayna and her husband. Whether its intentional or not, I am definitely pulling for Deacon and Rayna, as opposed to Rayna and Teddy. And the idea of an intimate tour between Rayna and Deacon while she’s away from Teddy is everything I could ask for as a viewer. I would say it’s lucky that Teddy doesn’t go see their impromptu set at the The Bluebird since that whole scene just proves to me that the possibilities are endless for the troubled singer & guitar player. I am really looking forward to every delicious moment of it. You know..once I get past the fact that I’m hoping for a marriage to fail and a family to fall apart. (*cough awkward cough*)

Another thing I’m loving about this show is the music. Like I said last week, country music is a great love of mine. So finding a (so far) good quality show that also incorporates good country music is a huge plus for me. The duet between Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) and Deacon is epic, even though she gives me the creeps (more on that later). Also, is it just me that was cringing when Jonathan Jackson’s Avery played his set? I know I wanted him to get more screen time, but wow…that was not good.

At one point in the episode, Juliette tells Deacon “I swear I’m not stalking you”. Well, I beg to differ. This little tart is giving me the creeps (and did for the entire episode!). I thought she was supposed to be this big time star on the rise? Yet we are supposed to believe she has time for all these cutesy games she’s playing with someone old enough to be her father? She’s there every time Deacon turns around, trying to buy him off with gifts, music and amateur hour skinny-dipping. Y’all, she’s trying to move in on Rayna’s man! I am not okay with that – at all! But the look on Juliette’s face when Deacon calls Rayna up on stage with him instead of Juliette is priceless. Take that, b*tch!

My apologies. My emotions got the better of me there. I spent the whole time praying she wouldn’t win Deacon over so I feel very vindicated by this ending.

Courtesy of ABC

A few more observations:

•  I’m still trying to figure out what the point of Scarlett (Clare Bowen) and Gunnar’s (Sam Palladio) storyline is. I thought maybe it concerns the song that will save Rayna, but that doesn’t seem to be it at all. So are they just the next Rayna and Deacon? They’re getting enough screen time to convince me they’ll become something relatively big. But right now I feel like I’m wasting my time watching them
• I can see what they’re trying to do with the mayoral race, but I’m just not ‘all in’ yet. But that’s not from lack of talent. Powers Boothe and Robert Wisdom excel as Lamar and Coleman Carlisle, but there’s just something missing from the story. But again, it is only episode two
• Again, there’s not enough screen time between Rayna and Juliette. The one little scene they do share together shows such great potential, I’m not sure why Nashville is holding back on this. I guess maybe to build the foundation and then throw them together later to produce bigger sparks? I’m just impatient to see the back and forth between them because that will be TV gold.

How did you feel about tonight’s episode? I thought it was an excellent follow up to the premiere and I’m definitely excited to see next week. Does anyone else find Juliette creepy? Tell me I’m not the only one pulling for the Rayna/Deacon love story! Sound off below.