Courtesy of ABC
The most important thing I discovered while watching this week’s new Nashville: addictions come in many forms. So we not only have two recovering addicts trying not to fall off the wagon, we also have a country superstar who is addicted to her talented guitar players instead of her husband.
Let’s bitch it out…
In the first scene of this episode, I am struck by how flirty Rayna (Connie Britton) is with her guitar player/partner-in-crime, Liam (Michiel Huisman). And because it’s me, all I can think is “Geez, is she trying to replace Deacon (Charles Esten) already?!”. Now the interesting part there is that neither Liam, nor Deacon, are actually Rayna’s husband but this never even enters my mind. She is all over Liam on stage! I mean, I get it – she’s acting for the crowd when she’s on stage, but she still has a weird attachment to this guy that can’t be explained. Oh wait, yes it can! Rayna is trying to replace the irreplaceable. She’s kicked Deacon out of her life and now she’s found this new guy to take his place as her new “BFF”. Well nice try lady, because those are some big shoes to fill.
I’m glad that this storyline gets wrapped up so quickly. Liam was a creep from his very first episode and my opinion of him has yet to change. Last week I enjoyed his banter with Juliette (Hayden Panettiere), but in ‘You Win Again’ he’s back to being a jerk with her; it just so happens that’s exactly what she needs. It’s like he takes pleasure in screwing around with her, but before long, we realize he’s also screwing around with Rayna. And in a “girl power” moment that I appreciate (though mostly because I hope it means I won’t have to watch this creep anymore), Rayna gives him the boot. At least Teddy (Eric Close) isn’t blind to the similarities to the past twelve years of her friendship with Deacon and calls her on it. I think Rayna and Teddy’s conversation after the party is really touching and emotional. Teddy leaves it all out on the table and Rayna needs to throw the guy a bone already (no pun intended of course). He may not be my favourite character, but this is a step in the right direction.
Courtesy of ABC
Now you might find it strange for me to suggest that Rayna give her husband another chance, considering all I want from Nashville is to see a Rayna/Deacon love affair, but I am genuinely disturbed by tonight’s episode. Charles Esten does such a brilliant job in his angry confrontation with Rayna (and the whole episode actually) that I actually hate her. Why DIDN’T she wait for him?! (Well we know it’s because she was pregnant, but I guess he doesn’t) So Deacon got sober for her and she had already left him for another guy. It just seems like Rayna is always ruining his life in one way or another. Seeing Deacon ripping apart at the seams after Rayna spends months trying to replace him with some backstabbing loser… well it makes me feel like she’s not good enough for Deacon (in this moment). He needs to get back on his game and she needs to bring her head back down to a normal size before they can be together.*
*Don’t worry folks – I still have complete faith it will happen and when it does, I will love Every. Second. Of. It. But for right now, I’m kind of angry at Rayna and I need some space.
Other Observations:
- Juliette also has some really poignant scenes. Her conversations with Deacon as well as her mother Jolene (Sylvia Jeffries) both brought tears to my eyes. Kudos for making these feel very raw and emotional. They’re expertly acted and a pleasure to watch.
- I’m not too sure how I feel about Scarlett (Clare Bowen) and Gunnar (Sam Palladio) joining forces with Avery’s (Jonathan Jackson) old band. I mean, sure its fun to jam together in the gazebo (garage?) but how is this going to work? Are these guys going to play on their record deal with them? This is something I’m going to have to see more of before I can comment. Though it is priceless when Avery drives by in his fancy new car, listening to his own song on the radio and then gets pissed seeing them all having a blast playing together. Suck it, Avery!
- How awesome is the poster of Rayna and Juliette at the party celebrating “Wrong Song”‘s ascent to #1? I loved Juliette’s reaction to seeing Rayna’s prominent placement. The rivalry lives on!
- Possibly my favourite moment of the entire episode is right near the end of the episode when Deacon runs by Teddy in the airport and hops on the plane and we cut to a close-up of Teddy’s face. It’s truly amazing and makes the whole episode for me.
So did you enjoy this week’s episode with all the raw, emotional scenes? What do you think is going to happen with Gunnar and his fugitive brother? Were you as angry as I was with Rayna during her fight with Deacon? Sound off in the comments below!
Nashville is taking a week off and will return on Wednesday, Feb 6 at 10pm EST on ABC