Nashville, season 2, episode 2
I am unclear when this photo of Juliette and Avery and Cadence could have been taken, given that she walked out on the family a month ago and I'm not sure if enough time passed before that for Cadence to look so... up and alert. But, it's just here to drive home a point: Kelly and Michael stick up the photo, and Juliette is actually choked up and brought to tears at the sight of it, which she clearly was not expecting (the sight OR the tears). She plays it off like she's just homesick. Also, Juliette may not have taken the time to call her family, but at least she spent a boatload of hours basting herself in bronzer.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Avery is watching, and is taken aback by the show of emotion. He decides maybe this means Juliette is not a heartless baby-ditching automaton, because it seems genuine and not at all choreographed. Cadence just wants to eat her own toes. ALSO genuine and not at all choreographed.
Hey, look, Bev isn't dead! And she's trying REALLY HARD to show Scarlett that she, too, could pull off a pixie if she just sliced out the forty pounds of cotton candy she has glued to her head.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Scarlett is skeptical. She spent eighty-five hours at the salon getting an actual cloud woven into her extensions, and she's pretty sure a hummingbird just built its nest in there.
But listen: After one segment of Bev giving Rayna the side-eye, all we get are a) her telling Deacon that she heard him the whole time she was in her coma and she loves him and she doesn't regret helping him, so he should go home and get some sleep and see the girls; and b) telling Scarlett she's sorry for being a lousy mother and that she's proud of her. The second she sent Deacon away and then started being nice to Scarlett, I was like, "Oh, wow, Bev is going to DIE."
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Juliette, meanwhile, is still drinking her liver away on the private jet. Oliver Hudson lets her know that people are (finally) whispering about the fact that she hasn't been seen near her family in forever, and so he's insisting that she spend some time with them once she touches down in Nashville. Juliette spits that Avery hates her so she'd rather keep drinking Champers than changing Pampers.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
So, Oliver tries his hand at Avery. Not sure how he knew Avery was back at Gunnar's place and not still with his parents -- or really how any of them know where he is, ever, at any time -- but he neatly dodges Avery's fists and tells him that Juliette is scared and alone and sad, and afraid to reach out for help. He's worried. This might be true, but I also feel like he's manipulating Avery to get what he wants. Oliver Hudson can be opportunistic AND sincere at the same time. Like Oprah.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Rayna can't seem to keep business running. She loses out on this legend who had agreed to sign with her, because he's hearing the chatter that she can't function as a human business person -- I'm paraphrasing -- and so he's OUT. This leaves her with the Exes and Layla, and she's ignoring both of them, so it seems like she's cruising Highway 65 straight to bankruptcy.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Luke, though, has one more artist than he can even handle. He's talking to a fancy consultant who's telling him he has to drop Will Lexington because the core country audience isn't ready for his homosexual jelly. Luke insists that's small-minded of her, and that Will's music is so good that even his son the hip-hop DJ thinks it's the best. Essentially, Luke is being as cool and open-minded about it as anyone would want, and therefore -- much like how we know Bev is going to die because she's making amends -- Will's record deal is totally about to get euthanized.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Scarlett and Gunnar, as usual, cannot be relied upon to act professionally when professionalism is required. If I were Scott Reeves, their manager, I would pull them aside and YELL IN THEIR FACES about how they need to stop acting like pouty and petulant little bilgepumps and just POSE FOR THEIR ALBUM ART ALREADY and also Scarlett if you cannot stand up straight with all that wool in your hair then please sell it on the docks and try again. For cues on posture, please consult Gunnar's own hair. That thing has taken some major deportment classes.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Naturally, this is photoshopped into something much cozier, and naturally, Gunnar acts like he has NEVER HEARD OF SUCH SHENANIGANS and WHAT HO THE BLACK MAGIC OF TECHNOLOGY and he's just positive Scarlett will flip her tiny, woven lid.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Alas, not only does Scarlett bring Dr. Huggies to the band meeting about it, but she doesn't appear to care one bit about the photographic chicanery. Gunnar is clearly the most perturbed that she ISN'T perturbed. It tears him up inside that Scarlett isn't destroyed by the image of them cuddling up, and that she actually shrugged it off and left with Dr. Luvs. It is eating him alive. It is suckling on his pancreas.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Juliette's first act is to throw a big party in her mansion, so imagine her shock when Avery arrives with Cadence in tow. SHE, unlike Oliver, did not bother to check on Avery's whereabouts, and just wanted to crawl down a bottle of her feelings. Instead, she is about to crawl down a bottle of formula.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
She does melt a little at having Cadence in her arms, and there are some nice scenes where she apologizes to Avery for freaking out and admits she knew she let it get so far that she lost sight of how to crawl home. The two of them end up making out, which is immensely satisfying, except also WAY TOO FAST to stick.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
At a school talent show, Daphne and Maddie -- billing themselves as the Conrad Sisters -- play a song by their favor boy band, Boulevard, which broke up the day before. It's totally charming, and so are they, and my God, I believe the children are our future. Rayna is so charmed that she immediately calls Bucky and tells him to get her on a plane to Wherever The Lead Singer Lives Now. He's ripe for the picking and she thinks she can get him on Highway 65 to revitalize her fortunes. Here's a tip, Rayna: SIGN YOUR CHILDREN. Seriously. I know she's their mother, but it's almost EGREGIOUS bad business to sleep on a musical act that's SUCH A SLAM F'ING DUNK, and by being her mother AND their bosses, she can protect them from all the Big Bad Wolf stuff she's always warning them about, while giving her company a shot in the arm. It's genuinely a no-brainer. If freaking Kris Jenner can momager her family into global superstardom, then Rayna freaking Jaymes can sign her own children and make them into superstars without ruining their souls. Maybe. Either way, it's time to find out.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
However, poor Daphne gets caught in a bathroom stall while some classmates rag on her and Maddie -- and Teddy, and how he's guilty as sin, and a total crook. You can, much like Ralph Wiggum, almost see the moment her heart breaks in half.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Across town, Luke is throwing an industry party for Juliette's new album, and she brings the family on the red carpet. Avery chirps something about how he and Cadence are going to join her on the road. She flinches -- visible to us but not to the world, supposedly. This is the first clue to be debated: Is she just playing a role this whole time, or was the prospect of returning to work with a family in tow the first thing that pushed a bad button.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
During Juliette's performance, Cadence starts crying, and it distracts her. She's attentive after but struggles to change Cadence's diaper, and these are signs two and three that not everything is right. I am coming down on the side of: Juliette had good intentions but she's still sick so the reality of a) her life, b) her loss of control, and c) and her career intersecting with that life and loss of control FREAKED HER OUT.
When I watch scenes like this, though, I always get sad for the poor baby. What did they have to DO in order to make her cry like that on-screen? Wait for her to REALLY mess up her diaper? HOWEVER, I do need to point out that -- unlike real babies at, say, Fashion Week (ahem, Hilaria Baldwin), Cadence here was wearing protective headphones for the concert portion of events.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Luke convinces Will to come to Juliette's party, because it's no press inside, and he can enter through the back. He has a nice conversation with Pam Tillis and the dude who jettisoned Rayna earlier, which gives him hope that country will accept him. And it's really cute, until Ten Gallon Hat up there has a friendly conversation with him and then beats back a photographer by barking, "NO PHOTOS TONIGHT." Will understands the motion of THAT ocean...
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
... especially when he later spots that same dude happily posing for photos with the very straight Luke Wheeler. Will's face falls and he leaves, and again... as repetitive as this story is, I think Will has one of the strongest emotional throughlines of this entire show, and Chris Carmack is deeply underappreciated for what he's doing.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Rayna manages to get herself in a First Class seat next to Marcus Keen, aka the Harry Styles of this storyline (played by actor Riley Smith, who has a long list of credits you might know; tops among them is The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but naturally, the first thing I ever saw him in was the Olsen Twins joint New York Minute and DON'T YOU PRETEND YOU DIDN'T ACCIDENTALLY WATCH THAT ONCE). She butters him up by discussing what he really wants to do, and how all the record labels wooing him are trying to prescribe his next move rather than listen to what he wants it to be, and then she makes her pitch: complete creative freedom in the country realm, which is as warm and welcoming as a bubble bath. (Unless you are gay, apparently -- at least in THIS show's universe.) When he gets off the plane, she calls Bucky and orders him to MAKE THE DEAL, even if it means blowing off her other clients ONE MORE TIME.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
And so it is that not even a personal call from Rayna can make Layla feel better about her "Reserved" table at The Bluebird being totally empty when she performs there. Layla, see, has been getting blown off left and right. Oliver Hudson isn't leaving Juliette's side, Rayna is chasing other tail, and Bucky is at a conference table negotiating a deal that he didn't even technically know was on the table the whole time Rayna was in the air. Lucky for Layla, being EXTREMELY woebegone suits her new music nicely.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
But NEVER FEAR. THE BALD EAGLE IS HERE. Glenn, toupee firmly in place, tells Layla he thinks she did a wonderful job and that if she ever decides to ditch Oliver then he would love to be her first call. I LOVE THIS IDEA. Glenn needs a new daughter and Layla needs a manager she is not also having sex with; it's perfect. Maybe she can talk him out of the hair.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Avery loses Juliette at the party, and when he comes home, he finds her phone ringing in the trash can. That is way harsh, Tai.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
On her plane, Juliette accepts her burner phone and snaps at Oliver, "You got your photo didn't you?" I still don't think she was lying from the start, though; I think seeing Avery flipped a switch and she actually meant well, until the switch flipped back.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Okay, so this was annoying. Scarlett has decided that their planned tour is too long and she doesn't want to be away from Bev. Gunar assumes it's because Dr. Pampers freaked out about the album art, so he goes to confront the young Dr. Doogie Howser about how he's obviously threatened by Gunnar's past with Scarlett. He is, indeed, hoping Dr. Enfamil will take the bait and admit Gunnar is full of sexual power. Instead, the writers assassinate Dr. Similac's character -- and thus pave the way for his imminent exit -- by having him mouth off to Gunnar, really smugly, about how he totally is NOT threatened because he knows this music thing is just a lark and you can't make a living that way, because music isn't important or lasting. Not like MEDICINE. So basically, they're turning this guy into an asshole just to clear him away. Sometimes love triangles are better when all three prongs are likable and an actual hard, emotional choice is made., y'all. Gunnar files away this information, but doesn't get to use it yet.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
Luke saw Ten Gallon Hat freak out over having his picture taken with Will, and concludes that his market research is correct: the world isn't ready for Big Gay Will, and so he gently cuts Will loose. "Hardest thing I've ever done," he tells his cohorts later. Well... then don't do it, dude.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
This is Rayna's face when she realizes Deacon is going to sleep at home instead of at the hospital, since Bev sent him home because she's fine now and he's done his part and he needs to LIVE DAMMIT LIVE, which then paves the way for her to die and leave him feeling guilty.
Nashville, season 2, episode 2
And sure enough, as Scarlett fluffs some flowers in a vase and natters cheerfully at Bev, the camera does a rack focus from Bev's smiling face -- rubbing her temple once in vague irritation -- to Scarlett's. The blur over Scarlett's shoulder does not move again, and when she turns around, Bev is basically down for the count. The machines start beeping and Scarlett starts screaming, and I think we all know where this is going. Now, based on the trailers, they do not appear to have killed her immediately, so that Scarlett and Deacon can have a screaming fight about it again, because this show has again underestimated how much we care about Bev or anyone else's feelings ABOUT Bev. Seriously, if this doesn't usher the Grim Reaper into town, then I don't even know. Either Bev or don't Bev, Nashville, but don't drag it out another frame.