Oscarville
We learn right off the top that Juliette has received an Oscar nomination for "Shenandoah Girl," and so right off the top I am annoyed. This show acts like every single thing exists in its own windowless box. Case in point: This. I don't REALLY care if they follow the life timeline, but the Oscars are a very well-known thing, and most people know they happen in the late Feb/early March area. But like.... the last time these people celebrated Christmas, Rayna was still with Luke Wheeler. Right? For there to be Oscar nods, Christmas would've had to have happened relatively recently. Am I missing something? They may well have sorted all this out, but the air dates and such may be contributing to my confusion. I do think Nashville isn't trying that hard to anchor us in any time and place, which only matters when they pop up with an event like this whose specifics I know very well.
Also, the Oscars aren't the only major award show. Juliette would also have been in the conversation for the Golden Globes, among others, and so an Oscar nomination wouldn't have been this one solitary free-floating thing she'd be awaiting. She'd have already gotten or NOT gotten a Globe nod, or win, and be in the throes of awards season -- Globes, Grammys, etc. It's just dumb and lazy, basically. I understand that I am someone who HAS to know all these things because it's my job, and that the average viewer wouldn't think about it, but it's also the type of thing that could have been easily corrected with more INTERESTING storytelling. Maybe Juliette was in rehab for the Globes. Maybe she couldn't do press for the movie and didn't get a nod, or did, and won/lost in absentia, so the Oscars are a bigger deal for that reason. It's frustrating when stuff like this gets trotted out for convenience and contrivance, and trotted out badly. Things can be accurate AND juicy.
But, a comment inspired me to add: I do have all the sympathy in the world for the scrambling this writing room had to do when they lost Hayden. Obviously that needed to happen and I'm glad she left and got herself help; the result may be that the show is having to hold its breath and hope people like me don't have rants about the Oscars timeline, because they're rebounding from an unforeseen circumstance. I AM NOT INHUMAN, y'all. But I do think, like I said, that leaning into the accuracy stuff could've yielded something that's actually BETTER.
Rageville
Juliette calls Avery to celebrate the Oscar nod, and he's clearly with someone -- and she guesses, correctly, that it's Layla. When she hangs up the phone, she gets that standard Juliette Barnes "Imma Sup On The Bones Of Those Who Would Take What's Mine" expression.
Uhhhhhville
Emily confronts Avery, telling him that sleeping with Layla while they're all on tour -- and RIGHT after Juliette had bared her heart to him again -- was really, really stupid. She EXTREMELY astutely adds that he'd better not have picked Layla specifically so he wouldn't pick Juliette, and Avery gets this expression on his face that is what I imagine a balloon feels when it's being slowly deflated.
Afterglowville
These two wake up cuddling, late for a Rolling Stone interview. In the elevator, they assure each other that it wasn't just the booze talking, and they surreptitiously hold hands under the table while the reporter asks them questions about their relationship. With her fuzzy hair and fuzzy sweater, Scarlett looks like she is her own stunt double, created by Gund.
Quarrelville
Sadly, as the reporter's questions become more personal, these two drift further and further apart, visually and emotionally. Scarlett bristles at remembrances of how Gunnar got together with Zoey; Gunnar takes umbrage with Scarlettt's depiction of his proposal being a product of a brain scrambled with grief for his dead brother. Then he gets petulant and refuses to answer anything, so Scarlett has to carry the load, which pisses her off. It was actually a very well-done way to rehash their very long history and all the drama and ups and downs, while making it clear that each of them has "chapter[s] we remember different," per Scarlett's grammar-troubled statement. It's also a convenient way to throw cold water on their loins a bit longer, but I buy it because they DO have a really complex history. There is no counter-aphrodisiac quite like reality.
Exesville
By the time they perform, they're well separated. Gunnar is extremely hurt that Scarlett never gave hm any credit for really, really wanting to marry her, and says she always assumes the worst of him emotionally and he's sick of it. The reporter pops up long enough to ask how they're able to make it work, and Scarlett's response is, "Because we are The Exes," and the unspoken current between them is, "And it has to stay that way." I hope this story includes the angle, "These two clearly banged last night; I'm not stupid. I HAVE EYES."
Sudsville
Will flips on the radio and hops in the shower, and as he's sudsing, the radio plays his song. This actually made me so sad. NOBODY WAS HOME FOR HIM. He was jumping for joy in his bathroom and whooping and nobody could even run in and hug him. WILL NEEDS A HUG, NASHVILLE.
Funnyville
However, here is his chest. Also, I wonder if this moment was scripted or accidental, but it was great: As Will is dancing energetically, the suds fly into his eyes, and he stops and goes, "OW," and tries to wipe them out. It's terrific. I love you, Chris Carmack. You are an unsung MVP of this show.
Talking Headsville
A conservative TV host rips Luke a new one for trying to push the gay agenda on people -- her words. She's gross. Will doesn't want to dignify it, but Luke insists that they must speak out, and so he goes on her show via satellite and starts to say all the right things. She asks if Luke would be hurt if his son came home and said he was gay, and Luke says something like, "Yes, I would. BY PEOPLE LIKE YOU, WHO ARE AWFUL AND WOULD SEEK TO MAKE HIM FEEL LIKE LESS." Unfortunately, the feed cuts out right after he says, "Yes, I would," and a shitstorm is born. (Actually, it's a surprisingly mild shitstorm. But it still sucks, and poor Will is left gaping at the TV, all, "WHAT JUST HAPPENED.")
Emancipationville
Maddie and Cash show up in court, as does Frankie, who is sitting on their side (to Deacon's irritation). Maddie has put on a blazer that she may have stolen from her high school drama club's costume closet. She could save them all a lot of trouble by saying, "Your Honor, have you been to The Beverly? IT IS THE WORST AND SO WAS SHE. I DON'T GET IT," and Maddie might have won on the spot.
Testifyville
And Rayna goes with a gentle flowered blouse that she hopes says, "I am a responsible, measured parent who just wants to tend my daughter like a blossom in the garden of life."
Restraintville
Deacon and Rayna are both warned about outbursts, and Deacon does a phenomenal job sitting on his feelings. He is quiet, just sitting, listening, and suffering. I assume he wrote six songs just then.
Tearsville
Rayna's side seems to be winning, so Maddie's lawyer says it's time to bring out the big guns. Maddie isn't happy but Cash asks her how badly she wants to win this, and presumably Maddie decides, "Real bad." So she gets on the stand and lets her lawyer lead her down the path of Deacon Is A Rageaholic . I'm not sure why this surprises Rayna and Deacon, because they KNOW Maddie felt this way, but for some reason the two of them appear thoroughly startled that all this completely predictable backstory is being utilized. Maddie sniffles that he has a temper that could burn the lugnuts off a racecar, and that she's been afraid of him in the past. I can't tell if she believes or she knows she's just saying it to get the outcome she wants. Her tears seem pained in a way that were flavored with shame, a bit. As well they should be. Deacon is impulsive and protective, and misguided about how he handles things he deems threatening to his children, but that has NEVER been directed at Maddie. This, and what ensues, was a huge dick move, and the fact that Cash -- who is old enough to know better -- allowed Maddie to fire a bullet that can't EVER go back into the chamber... well, it goes to show her motives are as selfish as Rayna fears.
Bugeyesville
Her lawyer then puts Deacon on the stand, and while his eyes attempt to cut her face off with lasers, she lists every single hellacious thing he ever did in his life -- it's like his IMDb page, but for drunken lunacy. Because it's not all police-file stuff; it's also clearly from his oral history. There are dates, from back in the '90s; there are sordid details. And when it starts, Deacon makes eye contact with Frankie and realizes he's been sold out. Frankie gets up and leaves, and Deacon holds it together on the stand as best he can. We don't see it, but they saddle his attorney with an expository line later that claims they refuted all that and established his current sobriety and calm, and all they can do is wait.
Obedienceville
Rayna copes by going up to Maddie's room and sniffing whatever strands of her hair are still on the pillow. Also, if anyone asked her why she signed Maddie to Highway 65 and then did nothing whatsoever to a) record music, b) develop talent and skills, c) book gigs, or d) make good on what you would imagine a record deal would do, we certainly didn't hear it.
ALSO ALSO, remember Vida? Vita? Whatever her name was? That was... what the hell was the point of that? Was it JUST to set up some disagreements between Deacon and Frankie? Zzz,
OMGDEACONville
Deacon, though, is a problem. He is just... so misguided. And Rayna should know better. I don't know why she didn't tie him to a post in the kitchen. He sneaks out to The Beverly and sees Frankie -- basking in adulation and in the bar's success, by the way -- and asks to talk. Frankie then plays his part to the hilt: He tells Deacon that Rayna threatened to take away Cash's career, and then sucker-punches Deacon.
Then, while Deacon tries to defend himself, Frankie starts hurling insults at him about Rayna, about his drinking, and about how he was a waste of his dead sister's liver or something. The verbal and physical punches keep coming, as Frankie manages to make sure he incurs some damage. It seems like he's trying to provoke Deacon and lash out so that Deacon will hurt HIM, and indeed, though Deacon clearly spends 95 percent of his time just trying to get Frankie the hell off him, Frankie makes sure Deacon finally snaps JUST as people run outside and see Frankie with a bleeding mouth. "HE TRIED TO KILL ME," Frankie announces. Game, set, match. Dillweed.
Cold Rageville
Rayna, who had been calling and calling and getting no answer, finally hears what's up and visits Deacon in jail. Her tone is almost more devastating than if she'd shouted. He insists he just went to see Frankie to talk, and Rayna doesn't buy it. She thinks he knew exactly what would happen if he went down there, regardless of whether his intentions were to behave himself, and she is coldly, evenly FURIOUS that he couldn't put someone else first just for once in his life. And she's right. This wasn't about Frankie's betrayal of Deacon, or a sponsor's betrayal of his... sponsee. This was about getting Maddie back, first and foremost, and Deacon KNEW avoiding trouble was their only shot and he blew it. It's his alcoholic's mentality at work: He had all the reasons in the world ("Oh, I was just... All I did was... I didn't mean to...") but in the end the inevitable climax found him anyway. Because, no matter his intentions, he cannot see things as NOT being about Poor Little Me. And there was no resisting the pull of wanting Frankie to say, "You are right and I was wrong," even if it meant a fight would ensue.
Guttedville
And he knows it now, too. He can't defend himself. This is the face of a man who has realized he is a pathological idiot and self-saboteur, even when sober. And that it's possible every instinct he THINKS is okay is actually tainted. Deacon is a great tragic figure. He's fundamentally decent. His intentions are good, protective, loving. But his demons make him self-serving.
HOWEVER: Not enough attention here is paid to the fact that Frankie flipped on Deacon because Rayna threatened Cash's career. It was COLOSSALLY stupid and egotistical of Rayna to play that card, and blinkered of her to think it wouldn't come back to haunt her. Deacon owns his own actions, but Rayna needs to take responsibility for poking the crazy that is Frankie.
Weepsville
The judge has no choice - and rightly, given that Deacon put Frankie in the hospital -- but to give Maddie emancipation. At this judgment, Rayna simply hangs her head and sobs quietly. It's really wonderful from Connie Britton. It's essentially noiseless. Rayna just slumps and crumples and shakes. "I'm going to be okay, Mom," Maddie says, but Rayna doesn't make a sound.
Eavesdroppingville
Something clicks in Juliette's brain, and she guesses that Layla is trying to win over Avery as revenge because she knows the truth about how Jeff died. (Luke is her confidante in this, although he can't calm her down.) She stomps over to confront Layla, and overhears her talking to Avery. In that convo, it seems like Avery might be about to dump Layla; she jumps in and gives Avery an out, saying that she likes him and respects him, and doesn't want to do anything to overcomplicate his life or make things harder for him and Cadence. This flips a switch in Avery and he says that all he knows for sure is what a good person and friend Layla has been, and that if she can deal with his mess, he'd like them to try. As they kiss, Juliette dies inside, but she leaves quietly.
I'm really curious where this is going, because the way Layla handled that was textbook. She jumped in on the I Just Shouldn't Right Now speech and calmly, supportively, listed all the reasons she totally would understand if he backed away. Her complete rationality made Avery rethink himself, it seems. And if she played it that way on purpose... well done, madam. Well done either way, honestly.
Smileville
Please note that this is the first genuine grin we've seen from Jonathan Jackson in a long time, and it was like flights of angels dropping down from their cream cheese party in heaven to sing us some opera.
Honestville
Juliette then handles this as maturely as possible: She actually goes and tells Layla the truth. Well, first, she talks it out with Luke, and points out how much it sucked hearing Avery NOT take the way out that Layla offered, because it means he's actively and not passively choosing her. But THEN she drops the truth bomb, quietly, with some tears, and lots of humility. Layla is somewhat astonished. As you would be. The way Juliette handles this ENTIRE thing is pretty impressive, given her history. She leaps to the same old angry, jealous, threatened reactions, but then actually listens to people's advice and internalizes things she sees and hears, and decides to do the right thing for someone ELSE rather than for herself.
Bummerville
AND THEN: She stops Avery and asks if he's happy. He isn't paying attention to her deeper meaning, necessarily, but he does say he is, and sort of smiles. She nods briskly, and turns to see Luke. "I had to let him go," she says, brokenly. Luke offers to help. Oh boy. I wish he had meant, "Can I help you discuss with your costumer the fact that this dress is terrible and maybe you should borrow some of Rayna's leather pants." But instead...
Gropesville
... he means that he just really does want to help her, so she has him go out and sing with her so that she can shake off the malaise. This results in a very sexual gyration. Juliette looks like she's in a soft-core porn flick, while Luke looks like a kid posting with a cardboard cutout of an actress in his favorite soft-core porn flick, which will become his Facebook cover page.
And yet, I'm not entirely against these two hooking up. Why? I don't know. Obviously my end goal is Juliette and Avery. But GET SOME YOU TWO is how I feel right this second.
Hmmville
And of course Avery has a moment of not liking the looks of this AT ALL, but then he leaves with Layla, so... we'll see. The moment she moves on will be the moment Avery realizes he never really did.
There is also a missed opportunity here. He asks Layla what's on her mind, and as Layla stares at Juliette, she says something like, "Have you ever waited so long to hear something from someone, and then when you finally get what you want, it doesn't feel like you thought it would?" Avery gives her a look like she's nuts and says, "I don't know what you're talking about." And yes, true, in the literal sense, he does not know to what she is referring. But that line could have had other meaning, and they ignore it. See, Avery knows EXACTLY what this feeling is, in a general sense, because he JUST lived it. He waited and waited and waited for Juliette to come around, and then once she finally did, it was too late and he didn't feel about it the way he once would have. I can't figure out why they didn't play this beat, especially with Juliette performing RIGHT THERE, and fresh off that moment where he appears not to like Luke slithering all over oer.
Slurville
Meanwhile, poor Will is trying to remain silent and let his music speak for itself... so a bunch of homophobic shit-slingers deface his car. I hope Luke Wheeler invites Will to his next concert, and they use the time to haul this car on-stage and LIGHT IT ON FIRE.
I also hope next season gets to be The Season Of Will Lexington's Complete And Utter Triumph. I also kind of want Gunnar or Avery to realize they are gay and in love with Will. Because the problem is, none of the actors they've cast to be Will's love interests are charismatic enough for him, and I don't care about any of those characters enough to want Will to find lasting love with them. I realize obviously that this will not happen, and truly, Gunnar and Avery belong elsewhere. My point is: They need to find someone REALLY EFFING AWESOME to deserve my beloved Cowboy Chris Carmack.