So is the good news the fact that ABC’s Nashville series is taking a month off? Or is it something else? Episode 8 – entitled Where He Leads Me, billed as the Winter Finale, was also tagged with ‘All your questions will be answered.’ Not sure that happened, but let’s have a look at what we did see.
Last week closed with the Rayna Jaymes – Juliette Barnes duet as they sang The Wrong Song at the Ryman Auditorium, which sets the stage (no pun intended) for this week’s opening:
01 – Rayna Jaymes’ dressing room at the Ryman – It is almost party time as Liam, Bucky, and even Marshall Evans, the head of the label, are there celebrating how successful the pairing of Rayna and Juliette was. Never mind that the gals can’t stand each other. They’ll surely remain at odds – I mean isn’t the entire show built around the frisson of these two? Yet Rayna says, That was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Teddy arrives and offers his congratulations then says, Are you good to go? Rayna says, You wanna have a glass of champagne first? Teddy: We can have a glass at home. He’s heading out to take the girls home. Once again, Rayna perceives that Teddy is a bit ‘off’. We know why, don’t we? After all, he’s got that fessin’ up to do.
02 – Rayna’s home – Teddy and Rayna finally get to have that talk.
Teddy: Coleman has these photos of me and Peggy talking. Then we hugged. It was just a hug. Rayna [not buying Teddy’s explanation] : I find it hard to believe that anyone, especially Coleman, would leak photos of two people talking. Why would Coleman do this.Teddy: I’m winning the election and Coleman thinks a fabricated affair would make me drop out. Rayna – Is it fabricated?
03 – Sean is again with Juliette who is still trying to light his fire. He turns down sex once again. But he does ask to her to meet his folks at their church tomorrow. If we could, we would bet our last dollar that Juliette will be on her best behavior.
04 – Deacon shows up at an old buddy’s house. He and his old pal used to run together back in the day. But now – The Revel Kings are all about music. Sex, No Drugs, and Rock ‘N Roll is how they describe their sober selves. Anyway, they offer Deacon a job. A two year guitarist job with an opportunity for more. A sober band – who woulda thunk it? Deacon says he’ll consider it, and his friend says – Hey, Deacon, what is keeping you here in Nashville? Deacon doesn’t answer but we can – all together now – Rayna!
05 – Hailey is speaking to Scarlett. Seems Hailey knows this band, and this band could use a beautiful gal to sing in front of them. Isn’t it nice that Hailey would do something so special for Scarlett. Yeah, only that isn’t why she’s doing it. She wants Scarlett away from Gunnar. No surprise to that is there?
Avery ‘WOWS!’ Domino
06 – Avery sings for Domino Welles. Wells is impressed – his word of the day – WOW! Wells asks Avery to come to Atlanta with him – on his private jet.
07 – Scarlett and Gunnar are working on a song called When the Right One Comes Along. Scarlett mentions Hailey’s offer to help bring her together with that band. Scarlett goes on to say that she’s not interested. Writing songs with Gunnar and waittressing is fine with her. Only when Scarlett mentioned what Hailey did – that caught Gunnar’s attention. Big time. As predicted in my recap last week – the triangle of Gunnar, Hailey, and Scarlett needed some propulsion, those folks all can’t be miserable. So stay tuned for more.
08 – Also as predicted – Rayna shows up at Coleman Carlisle’s HQ. She’s all set for a proverbial shootout with Coleman. Coleman answers Rayna’s claim that Teddy is not having an affair with Peggy by saying he thinks the same way but – he has these pictures. He shows them to Rayna. Though the pictures include a huge hug – they’re relatively tame. After all, everyone in the photos is still wearing their clothes.
Coleman: If that’s not an affair – then you tell me, what is it then?
Rayna: It’s none of your damned business is what it is ….
Rayna is plenty pissed. At Coleman, at Teddy. She exits the Coleman HQ….and we go to the break.
09 – Sean and a demure, as in properly dressed for church, Juliette arrived at the church. Everyone is introduced, and things seem quite pleasant. Juliette even agrees to sing in front of the congregation with the choir as back-up. Of course, we can see from her face that she’s calculating the positive PR that would come out of this.
10 – The sisters: Tandy and Rayna sit down to talk about Teddy’s issues. Coleman has an agenda. Coleman has pictures. Tandy swears there’s nothing going on. Tandy reminds Rayna that Teddy would make a good husband and a great father. Then Tandy says, We’ve got a meeting to put an end to all of this.
Rayna: Who’s we?
I guess that means more issues for Rayna, don’t you?
11 – Peggy arrives at Teddy’s HQ. She’s all distraught. Teddy brushes her off.
12 – Juliette sings wonderfully at the church. The song is For Your Glory, written by Kate York, Leeland Mooring, and Jack Mooring.
I’ll rise up and and be your voice, I’ve made my choice, This is my story. Your songs are stored inside my heart, Break me apart, It’s for your glory. Let it pour out of me. Let it pour out of me. Let it pour out of me. It’s for your glory.
13 – Scarlett sits on her porch. Avery shows up with a bottle of champagne to celebrate his offer to go to Atlanta and work with Dominic Wells. Scarlett wishes him well – but things are still somewhat icy between them. Avery leaves.
14 – At the end of the church service. Juliette asks the Butlers what they’re all doin’ tonight. Sean says he has to watch some film (that would be game film) and then he’ll have dinner with his folks. Mrs. Butler says, I always fix a big Sunday dinner when our QB is in town. A pregnant moment follows and no one says anything. Finally Mrs. Butler asks Juliette if she would like to come for dinner. You betcha!
15 – Lamar’s House. Teddy, Lamar and another guy – Rayna walks in:
Ya’ll thought to have a meeting about our family and you didn’t think to include me! Lamar says we have it under control. Rayna: It’s not under control.
Just then they realize that the photos have made the internet. Lamar: I guess Coleman got tired of waiting.
16 – Gunnar meets with Hailey. He’s very upset that she told Scarlett about the band without asking him first. Hailey says That’s all weird and possessive. Gunnar says he was being a friend by breaking up Scarlett and that guy at the bar. Hailey says, what you were doing was staking a claim. I prefer that my boyfriend be more interested in me. Boom. It’s over Gunnnar. Wait a minute, says Gunnar. Hailey – its alway been over [as in it was never going to work – doomed from the start]. Hailey walks off.
17 – Dinner at the Butlers. Juiette brings flowers AND those pink boots that Sean’s sister Dana loved so much. Mrs. Butler says that the gift of the boots was very nice but Dana can’t accept them – they must have cost a fortune. Juliette – I never had a sister, so this is fun for me, anything I can do to help [with dinner]?
18 – Gunnar and Scarlett at the Bluebird. Scarlett is getting the tables set up – finally Gunnar decides to tell Scarlett what he feels – When you were singing in the bar, they couldn’t take their eyes off you. Neither could I. You’re amazing. You have more talent than anyone I know. They kiss passionately before Scarlett comes to her senses and pushes Gunnar away. Wait a minute – you’ve got a girl friend. No I don’t – we broke up.
19 – Meanwhile, Rayna decides to get to the bottom of Teddy and Peggy. So she drives to Peggy’s house. There she finds that Peggy has attempted suicide and has almost OD’ed on sleeping pills.
This time is the perfect time for a commercial breaks. Rayna and Hailey and Peggy aren’t having a good day. On the other hand Scarlett and Juliette are. Will it last? Let’s have a look –
20 – Rayna and Teddy: Rayna tells Teddy that Peggy Cantor OD’ed on sleeping pills. Her husband came home and found her, otherwise she’d be dead. Where did you hear that? From a neighbor of Peggy’s. What do you mean a neighbor? Rayna: I went over there. People just don’t try to kill themselves for no reason. So what happened? You had an affair with her, right? Teddy – No.
Okay Teddy has to do more confessing. This time he tells her about the failed Cumberland deal, and how Peggy came up with this idea. Like a fool, I listened to her. She said nobody could get hurt.
Cut to The Bluebird Cafe. The MC says we have a special treat – a song from Gunnar and Scarlett. Only Scarlett won’t go on stage. Gunnar starts the song by himself –
There’s no music, no confetti,
Crowds don’t cheer, and bells don’t ring,
But you’ll know it,
I can guar-an-tee,
When the right one comes along
Cut to Rayna entering her bedroom. This begins a lengthy montage. All the while Gunnar is singing this song.
Every single broken heart,
Will lead you to the truth,
Cut to dinner at the Butler’s
You think you know what you’re lookin’ for,
until what you’re lookin’ for finds you,
Cut back to Rayna
In a cold world, it’s a warm place
That you know you’re supposed to be
Scarlett serves drinks
A million moments for sweet relief…
Teddy enters Rayna’s bedroom, but Rayna simply sits silently
When the right one comes along …
Juliette at the dinner is happier that we might have expected. But then again – this is a family setting that she never had before. Her homelife was much much different.
All that changes, is everything, when the right one comes along.
This montage was very effective and very beautifully done. It was the highlight of the show – if not the season up until now.
23 – In their bedroom Teddy asks Rayna say something, to say anything.
Rayna: You stole money from a bank…
Teddy: Which we paid back…
Rayna: And then you and my father and my sister bribed an auditor..
Teddy: We did that to cover up the borrowing of the money
Rayna: These are crimes, Teddy
Teddy: I did it to protect our family..
Rayna: You didn’t do it to protect our family. We never needed that money. You did it for yourself…I trusted you..
Teddy: You still can
Rayna: I don’t think so.
Well then, there you have it. Teddy’s dark secret has been revealed. Rayna can’t be pleased with Teddy despite his confession.
But Rayna isn’t the only one to get some very bad news. Because meanwhile back at the Butler’s kitchen…
24 – Juliette and Mrs, Butler have a heart -to heart: We’ve worked hard to establish Sean’s brand and we won’t see it get tarnished because he got tangled up in repairing yours.
Juliette: That may have been how we met, but I genuinely care about your son.
Mrs. Butler: This family, and you – don’t hold your breath sweetie…
Basically Mrs. Butler tells Juliette that she’s read about her, and her mother, and for that – she’s not going to be welcomed into the Butler family. In short – get lost.
25 – Rayna has it out with Tandy. Seems Tandy knew more and knew before. Whenever it happened – Rayna’s had enough. She tells Tandy that she’s just like Daddy, and leaves without hearing any more from Tandy.
26 – Deacon rolls by Juliette’s place. She says that they should get together and write some more songs. Deacon says he loved to only he might be out of town for a while – IF – he takes the gig with Revel Kings. What? You’re still thinking about it?
Deacon takes a letter from his pocket. From Juliette’s Mom in the rehab center. Deacon has to deliver it by hand because Juliette won’t take her Mom’s calls. Deacon tells Juliette that her Mom is sorry about everything.
But Juliette is pissed. If I read that letter it will only bring back memories. Of having to eat dry pancake mix, because our money went up her nose. Or my first kiss was from one of my mom’s creepy boyfriends. Yeah I know all about families – because I never had one. This leads to more words and Deacon leaves when Juliette doesn’t take well to Deacon’s running interference for her mother. Juliette tells him he be in much better shape if he took the time to fix his own mess [of a life].
Wow, we are on some string of events. First Rayna and Teddy, then Mrs. Butler and Juliette, then Rayna and Tandy, now Deacon and Juliette. Nobody’s having fun. And there’s more where that came from.
27 – Scarlett comes in to talk with Gunnar. She’s confused. He’s not. He doesn’t regret kissing her, and he doesn’t want to take back anything he said. Their song, When the Right One Comes Along was his heart talking to hers. Only – as she says – she confused. She wants to keep to the song writing deal and keep that separate. Nothing else. This is more than Gunnar can bare. He storms off – Good luck with your new band – methinks he’s suffering from a broken heart.
28 – More bad news. On the Domino’s plane to Atlanta, Domino tells Avery that he wants Avery – not his band. Domino puts it this way – I look forward to working with you – just you.
This isn’t what Avery wants or needs right now. Domino says, I ain’t talking about going back, I’m talking about going forward.Avery doesn’t want to go along with Domino’s plan, but Marilyn Rhodes intervenes: Don’t throw away your career before it even begins, she says to him.
29 – Deacon and Rayna meet. He asks about Teddy. It’s complicated, she says. Deacon tells her about his gig with the Revel Kings. That’s a real deal she says, sounds like an opportunity of a lifetime. Rayna says – you get to go off and see what’s around the next bend. Deacon – so do you…
and now a commercial break…
30 – Teddy’s come clean press conference. Rayna steps up and does the right thing. She tells Teddy, I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing this for our daughters.
31 – At the song publisher’s office, Gunnar and Scarlett are told that one of their songs has received a request – to be put on hold – this is the prelim to someone buying the song. In short this is good news and something to celebrate. The publisher says that she looks forward to more songs from them and a successful partnership.
32 – Deacon meets with the Revel Kings and tells them – If I don’t leave now, I never will – so I’m in.
33 – Rayna meets with Marshall Evans – the head honcho at the label. He proposed a huge ARENA tour – Rayna and Juliette will Co-headlining. 80 Cities – big arenas – big money (50/50) – and you will alternate with her about who closes each night. Co-starring, co-billing , and an equal share about the concert’s closing song each time. What do you think?
Rayna: I’m not saying no…
34 – Sean shows up at Juliette’s place. They meet out by her pool. It is night time. Candles by the hundreds. Very romantic setting. Juliette takes Sean’s hand and says she has something to ask him. It doesn’t come out easy. She says she had a heart-to-heart talk with Mrs. Butler last night, and it got her to thinking about families. Then comes the shocker – Juliette shocks both Sean and us, when she says Will you marry me?
Fade to black.
Nice way to end the episode. We get to think about it for a month. Personally, I don’t see it happening. There’s the tour, there’s his family. Like right now – we have no idea IF his Mom told him what she had said to Juliette. We have no idea if he had come over to break it off.
What ever he intended, he was blown away by Juliette’s setting, the look of her in the candlelight, and the kiss. Just a month before we get his answer.
I think it is better if she stays the bad girl. What do you think?
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