Courtesy of ABC
Two couples finally grow closer as we play ‘spot the celebrity’ at Deacon’s (Charles Esten) birthday party.
Let’s bitch it out…
Somehow Teddy (Eric Close) seems to have it all, when he’s the one who actually cheated on Rayna (Connie Britton). Doesn’t seem fair that such a snake is getting everything he wants while his wife and children are dealing with the consequences. Actually, part of me wonders if it was him that planted the story about Rayna and Deacon in the tabloids just so that he could come out on top. He always had a problem with her relationship with Deacon and now he’s getting a little too comfortable with his power in the big mayor’s chair. I mean, appointing his mistress (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) to the board just so that he can have an excuse to have an afternoon quickie in his office after they play pretend in front of his staff? Barf. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this show so far, its that nobody has any problem knocking Teddy down a few rungs, and I can’t wait until Lamar (Powers Boothe) takes that upon himself. (Come on, we all know it will be Lamar that gets his hands dirty to take care of Teddy for us).
Actually, on that note, it’s really nice to finally see Lamar act like a father and give a few words of wisdom to his daughter.. ones that actually hold true anyway. It brings a tear to my eye to have him finally stand up for his daughter and tell her to be proud of herself. I spent a fair amount of tonight’s episode so mad at how Rayna is being treated that my heart is happy to finally see her dad do something right. It’s Lamar’s behaviour that convinces me that Teddy won’t be sitting pretty in a few weeks because daddy dearest is going to take care of things like he always does.
Let’s move on to Rayna and Deacon. Sigh. Finally an episode where I am not angry with either of them, and Rayna swears she wants to do right by my main man. This remains to be seen, but looks promising! As long as she keeps this up and doesn’t invite the creeper – aka Liam (Michiel Huisman) – back into our lives, I can forgive her missteps and allow her to reunite with Deacon.
Courtesy of ABC
My poor Gunnar (Sam Palladio). It takes the death of his brother to finally get Scarlett (Clare Bowen) to jump on top of him – and for him to finally get more than a brief mention in the “Other Observations” section for the first time in a long time! This is a big day for my other main man. Obviously Gunnar’s headed for a bad place (with a lot of guilt) for his “role” in the death of his brother. Don’t misunderstand me though – I’m happy Nashville got rid of the dead weight aka Gunnar’s brother, Jason Scott (David Clayton Rogers). This guy has been nothing but trouble and Gunnar does the right thing by ditching the gun and kicking his sorry butt out of the house. Granted, Jason ends up dying as a result, but honestly, this would’ve happened sooner or later. And because of this he and Scarlett get together sooner rather than later, so everyone’s happy! Or is that just me? Anyway, I could probably write this storyline myself it’s so obvious, but that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy the ride.
Other Observations:
- As if there isn’t enough to love about this show, the fact that we see Nashville royalty on a fairly regular basis is definitely another plus. I love me some country music and catching a glimpse of some stars at Deacon’s birthday party adds a nice extra touch. I get to play “spot the real life country star” while watching.
- In a move that surprises no one, Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) is back to being a self-centered bitch aside from a brief “human” moment with her mother’s cute new addiction counselor (Jay Hernandez). Juliette’s story about wanting her mother to die when she was nine years old is a bit of a shocker, but hey, we all knew she was messed up, right? The real question is whether anyone else feels another inappropriate marriage on the horizon with this new guy. Because I sure can.
- Ummm.. anyone else see the irony of Rayna singing a birthday serenade to Deacon that features a chorus that includes “pour me something stronger”? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a pretty song, but his alcohol addiction is the reason they split up, so this is a little insensitive.
- Yes Avery (Jonathan Jackson), you are exactly where you belong – on the outside looking in as everyone swoons over your ex and her new man. Why is Avery even on this show?! Can someone explain it to me please? I get it – he’s coming to the realization that he screwed up and he misses Scarlett, but this story is getting pretty old. There’s nothing new, so every week we have to watch him have two moments: one when he think he’s a big shot and another where he is the loneliest, saddest person in the city. To which I say: who freakin’ cares?! Give me something new or cut him loose already.
- Be still my beating heart…Deacon is holding an adorable dog, looking all perfect in front of my dream house. Wow, folks. Just wow.
Is it possible that anyone else is as excited as I am about these two couples finally finding their footing?! (Answer: Probably not). Do you think Gunnar is responsible for his brother’s death? Is Juliette going to start an inappropriate relationship with addiction counselor guy? Sound off below in the comments!
Nashville airs Wednesdays at 10pm EST on ABC
I have been following your outstanding reviews for a couple of months now. I really like yours and your colleagues’ write-ups. I wish you had a general comments box for comments like mine.
Now, Nashville–one of the best network dramas out there. Though you probably beg to differ, I think Elementary is the other.
Do not be surprised if you see Teddy somehow turn the screws on Lamar. He seemed to have found a spine in this last episode, and never discount all the pent up rage he has had to swallow knowing that he was second fiddle all these years to Deacon. And asking Coleman to be deputy mayor just forged an anti-Lamar alliance.
Juliette is a strange person–a guilty, damaged, angry, caring bitch. She will jump on the bones of the addiction counselor, and when that ends, she will displace her anger again on her mother.
This show would benefit from a flashback scene, although the actors are too old to portray themselves. But it would be interesting to see what went on 15 years ago when Rayna put Deacon in rehab and married Teddy…what did Lamar think about that then?
Gunner and Scarlett are perhaps the glue that holds the noble and idealistic meaning to this show. And they sing so pretty together. But, I was off-put by their grief-fucking–seemed totally out of character for the cupcake girl. And I wouldn’t have minded seeing Gunner’s brother joining them in their singing career–he wasn’t a bad dude, nor was his character redundant to the show. The south is fraught with second-chances guys. Just dig up Johnny Cash and ask him.
Actually, you are not the first to tell me how great Elementary is! I just have so many shows on the go already that I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet but its on the list for summer watching 🙂
I know that you’re right about Teddy probably getting the upper hand on Lamar for awhile, but I just hate Teddy so much sometimes that I have to believe Lamar will come through for us in the end. Teddy has such a cocky attitude lately that I can’t even handle him.
Glad you see exactly the same things I do about Juliette! No doubt in my mind she’s going to get in to an ill fated relationship with the addiction counsellor at the expense of her mother’s sobriety.
A flashback is a great idea! You’re right about the logistical issues with the actors, but there is SO much that I need to know about what happened back then and why she would do this to my Deacon. I just don’t believe he was THAT bad that she had to run off and marry someone else and keep Deacon’s child a secret from him. I will need a lot of explaining from her to ever accept that, as I expect Deacon will when he finds out about it.
Ahhh yes. As much as I’ve been wanting Gunnar and Scarlett to get together, the sympathy bang is never a good idea. But, I will allow it cause it moves them closer to where I want to see them haha!