Courtesy of ABC
Wow. Just wow. Now that is what I’ve been waiting for from Nashville. As the show’s first season comes to a close, I’ve never been more anxious for the next episode…. too bad I have a few months to wait!
Let’s bitch it out…
I literally don’t even know where to start because this episode is that good.
I’ll start with Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) because she’s amazing. If I wasn’t on the bandwagon before, I am waving the fan club signs at the front of the pack now. I can’t think of a time where I’ve seen such vulnerability played to perfection. Between the anger, the downward spiral and then the understanding of what really happened, Juliette goes through an emotional roller-coaster trying to deal with the death of her mother. She goes through the gamut of emotions, culminating with the heartbreaking letter from her mother from beyond the grave. I cry right along with her when she reads it, and it is a pleasure to hear her sing a tribute to her mother at the end the show. A heartbreaking song to honour a woman who struggled through her life, but was loved anyway. <Sigh> I might start crying again right now thinking about it. Panettiere is that good!!
Okay. Next is going to be the hard one to deal with, because it breaks my heart to watch an entire episode of this. Deacon (Charles Esten) not only falling off the wagon, but setting fire to the thing as he goes, is brutal to watch. That must be a testament to the actor, because it’s actually painful to see him so destroyed and destroying the people that love him. I actually gasped out loud “NOOOO” as he takes that first drink. I knew it would all be downhill from there. As unbelievable as this may sound, I actually had a moment where I agree with Teddy (Eric Close). We all know I am a huge Deacon supporter – and have been waiting for the “secret daughter” reveal for the entire season – but when Deacon drunkenly attacks Teddy, I actually found myself thinking that Teddy is right. Rayna (Connie Britton) and Maddie (Lennon Stella) deserve so much better. The fact that Deacon’s drinking results in the car accident cliffhanger – which I now have to wait MONTHS to see the outcome of – makes it that much harder to handle.
And so: Hayden Panettiere and Charles Esten: this reviewer bows down to you and your epic performances.
Courtesy of ABC
Other Observations:
- The moment between Rayna and Juliette at the cemetery just brings the entire season full circle. To start the year off, they couldn’t even stand to be in the same room together, and now they’re having a heart to heart (in a very motherly way if you ask me…) about how Juliette is good enough. This scene is really touching and I’m really glad it made the cut.
- On that same note, it’s really nice to see Glenn (Ed Amatrudo) back. Naturally he would be the one who brings her her CMA, and he’s the first one to actually hug her. It’s nice because all these people that she pushed away make a point to come back to be there for her in a time of need. It makes me happy because it shows that she’s not actually as alone as she thinks.
- How I made it this far without addressing the Gunnar (Sam Palladio) proposal is beyond me. It’s no secret that I’m a huge Gunnar / Scarlett (Clare Bowen) supporter but I’m not sure how I feel about this. It really comes out of left field – I mean, she kinda broke up with him last episode! He’s been on a downward spiral since the death of his brother and the attempted kiss by his new bff Will (Chris Carmack), so this sudden turnaround is a little bit hard to believe. I guess I’m not elated over this because I just don’t see it happening. I don’t see Scarlett agreeing right away after they’ve been having so many problems.
- As soon as I saw Peggy (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) all those months ago, I knew that if I held out long enough, her husband would make an appearance. Well, ladies and gentlemen, tonight my prayers are answered: Brad Paisley makes a guest appearance (and even sings a song with Rayna!) Like I said earlier, there is just so much in this episode, I’m amazed at every turn!
- Oh yeah, and Peggy is pregnant. Looks like she and Teddy aren’t getting written off the show anytime soon <sigh>
So what did you think of the season finale? Do you think there’s any chance Deacon or Rayna don’t survive that car crash? Were you in awe of Juliette as well? Will Scarlett say yes? Will Will learn to accept himself? Sound off below and thanks for reading along this past year!
Nashville will return in the fall for its second season on ABC.
Both Deacon and Rayna will return (of course!!) but not without it taking the full next season to make their way back to each other..Their relationship is a C&W song, for sure. When Peggy revealed her pregnancy, all I could think of was, poor Maddie. Of course, that opens up the avenue for her to understand that there are all sorts of families, lots of people love her, and that there’s a place for Deacon is her life, too.