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# Fug the Show: Nashville recap, S4 E12, "How Does It Feel To be Free"
- URL: https://go-fug-yourself.ghost.io/fug-the-show-nashville-recap-season-4-episode-12/
- Published: 2016-03-25T17:00:38.000Z
- Updated: 2017-01-23T19:11:22.000Z
- Author: Heather
- Tags: Nashville, #wp, #wp-gallery, #slideshow, #Import 2026-10-07 07:46

## Rageville

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bf/b9/bfb99790-924d-4e41-a7e6-5e3c6e04fe57/content/images/static-gofugyourself-com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-7-e1458868127515.jpg)

Avery goes to Juliette's rehab center, only to be told by her VERY SNOOTY doctor that Juliette won't come out because she doesn't think it'd be healthy. Which is an obnoxious thing to say to the father of your child, who has shouldered ALL OF THE LOAD and who is lying for your reputation, but I also get that she's fragile. Here's the thing: As much as I HATE what has happened here to Juliette and Avery (from an invested fan standpoint), I think the show was correct in its instinct that Juliette is a person who might be susceptible to this kind of episode. Her falling apart felt organic. And THEN once it became clear that Hayden had to leave for her own similar treatment, the show couldn't punt on it and have her behave the way she did and then just come back and make it all better immediately. They kind of HAD to keep pushing and go nuclear and snap Avery. Because I think the only way to put them back together for real is to break the old thing and then eventually build a new one.

## Glennville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-1.jpg)

Rayna is just tickled that Glenn is taking over for Layla because she loves him. She is correct. Everybody loves Glenn. There was a Glenn-shaped hole in my heart until he showed up again. For my money he's TWICE the manager Bucky is. OH YES, THAT'S RIGHT, BUCKY, I JUST THREW DOWN WITH YOU.

## Raynaville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-2.png)

I realized I went through this entire episode without really getting a shot of Rayna. So here is one for you. Her hair doesn't do anything remarkable, nor does it collapse in on itself. She DOES actually behave like a real label owner, though, letting Layla go into the studio for her new album while they prepare to release her other one, and displaying actual real interest in signing actual real artists she has seen with her own eyes. It's like she got a software upgrade.

## Snubville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-4.jpg)

Colt is not returning any of Luke's texts, although he reads them with Mild Interest. Maddie also gets upset with him because she wants attention and he just wants to mop floors and bale some hay. As someone in the comments said last week, there is no bigger burn than your boyfriend bailing on you to do CHORES. It's the "I have to wash my hair" of Living On A Farm With Your Grandfather.

## Heatville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-5.jpg)

Luke also gets a ton of flak from radio callers about his financial situation. He is trying to explain the whole tax problem, and casually notes that he's only guilty of not paying attention to what his accountants were doing. But now that his fans have a dollar amount attached to his success -- specifically, the $40 million that he didn't even notice was gone -- they've decided their down-home boy is no longer one of them. He's reeling from that, so he and his team decide he needs to beef up his tour again. His solution? Going to Avery to ask about Juliette. Which is a DICK MOVE, Luke. Because Luke actually KNOWS that Juliette nearly killed herself and that her life situation surely is not what she pretends it to be, and yet he still went to Avery sniffing around about her availability. Avery rightly tells him where to shove all ten gallons of his hat.

## Vitaville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-6.jpg)

Vita here walks in and nabs a spot on open mic night, and Deacon makes Rayna come hear her. Rayna falls in love, and contrary to her every other business impulse in any other episode, actually immediately tries to sign her.

What transpires: Vita needs a job to stay in town, so Rayna and Deacon convince Frankie to hire her at The Beverly. Frankie has NEVER liked the look of her, or whatever -- and Vita confesses to Rayna she's "done some things" and does have felonies in her past -- but Deacon points out that the two of them look like crap on paper too, and they should just give her a chance. Fast-forward to the end of her first shift, when she leaves and Frankie starts counting the money and they're $500 short. Everyone assumes Vita did it. Because I guess she's the butler in this scenario.

## Slurville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-8.jpg)

Will went off to find himself in tiny clubs in Kentucky, and came back with a yen to perform, so Scarlett and Gunnar bring him up during their set. And I thought that meant to play and sing WITH THEM, but instead they just hand him the stage and he starts in on this really downbeat ballad. None of which validates what happens next, but it does seem like poor decision-making on another level.

ANYWAY, some dipshit cud-chewing bigot starts hurling slurs at him and then chucks an actual bottle. But just when you think Will is going to pass on pressing charges because he wants to beat the dude to a pulp himself...

## Victoryville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-16.jpg)

... he instead returns to the scene of the crime, where the bigot is drinking again, and gets BACK on stage and continues performing and snaps that he isn't going to let any human tub of dipping tobacco take him off-stage ever again. GO WILL GO. And now I think it's time for them to get his career going again. Chris Carmack is so great, and would be such an asset again if they'd just get him back singing.

## Dumpsville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-9.jpg)

Scarlett catches Erin making out with another guy; when she tells Gunnar, he expresses surprise to Erin that "casual" didn't also mean "monogamous." I... okay. I cannot imagine he didn't think she was seeing other people, but sure. Fine. The net effect is that he suddenly realizes he wasn't at all jealous when she was off banging someone else, and therefore she's not the woman for him. Sadly for Erin, he's saying this just as she's confessing to feelings for him, but that's the way the subplot crumbles I guess. She is probably only really going to miss his hair, which in this episode looked like the top part of a hamburger bun and I TOTALLY FAILED at getting a screengrab of it. I AM THE WORST.

## Hairville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-17.jpg)

This is not Peak Gunnar Hair from this hour, although it was pretty self-confident. Here he has told Scarlett he, too, wants something bigger than just casual, and there is a tremor in the Force.

## Bondville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-12.jpg)

Cash tells Maddie to dig deeper in her songwriting, and Maddie spills about Cole being distant after they had sex. Cash then convinces her to open up about it in song -- Deacon is going to flip his already loose lid when he hears it -- and to lay down the law with Cole. Which she does, telling him that if he's still into her then he needs to respect her by blowing off his chores and letting a cow go unmilked so that they can have MORE sex. (I'm paraphrasing.)

And do you see that dear moppet in the background? Daphne sees them performing together and is not happy. I hope she HEARD it and walks up to Deacon and asks, "What does 'make love' mean and why is a 16-year old talking like Krystle Carrington?" Because Daphne obviously watches a lot of Dynasty. She, um, found Tandy's old DVDs, obviously.

## Buttonsville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-10.jpg)

Layla and Avery are working together swimmingly. She almost immediately gets him to open up to her, and convinces him -- via a very legitimate analogy to her marriage to Will -- that being in an emotional jail is a terrible fate and he should free himself. (She later makes some comment about how she TOTALLY understands what he means about Juliette killing the life he thought they had ahead of them, and then has to cover for herself, so Layla obviously is still A Mind At Work here.) And they don't lack chemistry. at least. I find this a believable route for Avery. He just wants someone empathetic. It's not going to last, but it isn't insane for him to consider going there, either, while we all wait for his Someday reunion with Juliette. Perhaps he can inspire Layla to grow out her bangs.

## Rantville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-13.jpg)

Juliette's doctor is terrible to Avery. I know her job is to defend her patient, but it's patently absurd to me that she treats Avery like the enemy. He points out to her that he's done EVERYTHING for Juliette, including lie, but he's DONE and that she can tell Juliette to end their marriage in 24 hours or else he will. I'm a WEE concerned that we had to go without Juliette here; I don't know that I believe she would have refused to see him. I hope they play it that nobody actually told her he was there.

## Truthville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-15.jpg)

At any rate, the cat is out of Ye Olde Bag. She gives a nice statement saying that Avery is the best, and Avery removes his wedding ring and gives me an attack of the feels.

## New Dudeville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-11.jpg)

Luke bumps into an old superstar friend of his who left the business to raise his family. This leads to a lot of awkwardness when he goes to dinner at their house and they ask how Luke's kids are, and Luke's answer is basically, "Neither of them lives with me so I don't know." There's this judgmental silence before he and his friend get up to go fondle his wall of awards, and then Luke asks if he'll come back into the biz and be on Luke's tour.

## Familyville

![](https://static.gofugyourself.com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-18.jpg)

He agrees, with one catch: His whole family has to come. Luke claims he's fine with it, but you know he won't be. Either he'll resent it, or he'll end up fracturing it. Also, his friend doesn't CALL him to tell him the news. He FACETIMES him, then calls in the family he had waiting in the wings to be all, "WHEE, YOU'LL BE SEEING A LOT OF THIS!!!" If I were Luke, I'd have done a U-turn right there.

Also, the dude's name is Rif Bell. I forgot to mention that part. RIF BELL. Ring it, Luke. I wonder if he will in fact ring Rif's wife's bell. SURELY there has to be a dramatic payoff here that involves more than just hangdog expressions and texts to his son.

[Fug the Show: Nashville recap, S4 E12, "How Does It Feel To be Free"Nobody reads anything this week. Well, except for Avery, who reads the riot act to Juliette's therapist. If the Emmys weren't such snobs about this show, Jonathan Jackson and Hayden Panettiere would both be multiple nominees (though sadly Juliette isn't back yet -- reports from the set have her coming back in episode 14).![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bf/b9/bfb99790-924d-4e41-a7e6-5e3c6e04fe57/content/images/static-gofugyourself-com/uploads/2016/03/nashville-season-4-episode-12-recap-7-e1458868127515.jpg)](https://go-fug-yourself.ghost.io/fug-the-show-nashville-recap-season-4-episode-12-03-2016/)