Courtesy of ABC
In an episode that seems disjointed, Nashville tries its hand at letting the supporting actors take the stage. Well… let’s just say that I wasn’t overly impressed.
Let’s bitch it out…
Firstly, I think by now we all know how I feel about Deacon (Charles Esten). So an episode where he does not play centre stage is already at a disadvantage in my eyes. But honestly, Deacon is severely underused this week, with only a couple of very short scenes. I did laugh out loud at his sarcastic joke to a furious Scarlett (Clare Bowen) about Avery (Jonathan Jackson). Its nice to know Esten’s not just a good singer and dramatic actor, but can carry some comedy as well. Why on earth would the Nashville writers put someone like this on the back burner and deprive me so?!
I guess I need to talk about the whole Avery situation, but I’m just not sure what to say. It’s been obvious since the beginning that the guy cares more about his career than he does about Scarlett, so I’m not very surprised when he takes the meeting at Marilyn’s (Rya Kihlstedt) house. Frankly, what surprises me most is that he turns her down and leaves. Though I do love his defense to Scarlett that “thinking” about cheating on her is okay, so long as he doesn’t actually act on it. Say it with me, people: this guy is a jerk, and Scarlett leaving just clears the path for him prostituting himself to get a better career. I hate to say “I told you so”…oh wait, actually I don’t. I knew he was a d-bag from the first episode and I love being proven right.
Okay. So what the heck is up with Rayna (Connie Britton) and the “Creepy Record Producer” which is how IMDB lists Liam (Jim O’Rear). (Seriously, they don’t even credit him as Liam, it legitimately just says Creepy Record Producer). So obviously I’m not the only one who got a really weird vibe from that whole storyline? I mean, the weird music and creepy warehouse; him getting her drunk and then taping her…it’s all too weird for me. And the fact that Teddy (Eric Close) has no problem with her coming home after 2am, drunk and unable to remember she spent with some random stranger? Even weirder. The whole thing just feels off to me and not up to Connie Britton standards (Yes, it’s a thing)
Courtesy of ABC
Oh yeah, Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) is also in this episode. Her scenes are a bit forgettable, which is surprising considering she’s a star of the show. She better be careful because trying to clean up her image might make her actually fall for the good, wholesome, age-appropriate football player Sean Butler (Tilky Jones). She shows a bit of emotion, he shows her she’s better than the partying.. and voila we have a whole new love interest. Their scenes don’t do anything for me yet, though I did enjoy their impromptu duet on the jet. That little bit is really enjoyable and if they are looking to make him a part of her music career, I would be in full support of that.
Finally, Teddy’s underhanded ‘traffic stop’ of Coleman (Robert Wisdom) actually sets in motion a few things that will clearly come back to bite him in future episodes. Turns out the photographer secretly taking pictures of Teddy and Peggy (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) is actually a P.I. whose specializes in (wait for it) photographing cheating spouses! With Coleman’s wife encouraging him to destroy Teddy and his family (including Rayna), the implications of these pictures are going to be wide-spread. All I can say is this: if it clears the path for a Rayna/Deacon reconciliation, then bring.it.on!!!
Other Observations:
- Did anyone else find that this episode just isn’t very cohesive? There are barely any interactions between our main characters as everyone is off doing their own thing. It’s a different format than we’ve seen on the show, but it just doesn’t come together for me like it should have. I am a huge fan of this show so I’m hoping they find their footing again next week. We have seen some brilliance from some of the writing and acting, but tonight it just isn’t there.
- In case you were wondering about who the heck the Lumineers are (since they were name dropped a million times), they’re currently getting quite popular with this infectious Top 40 hit, ‘Hey Ho‘ (though they’ve been around for quite some time
Do you agree with me that tonight’s episode is lacking? Or am I off my rocker? Who else wishes there was more Deacon tonight? What did you think of the new, age-appropriate love interest for Juliette? Sound off below!
Nashville can be seen on Wednesday nights at 10pm EST on ABC. The show is taking a one week hiatus next week, so we’ll see you in two!