Spoilers Ahead
Yet another heavy episode with tons and tons of drama.
Episode Summary: Deacon’s throwing his anger and sadness out on Scarlett. Layla has her debut at the Opry but Markus Keen steals the spotlight with performance with Rayna. Juliette’s now taking stronger drugs, so when Cadence goes to the ER for high fever, she has absolutely no idea forcing Avery to believe she’ll never change. Will continues to be a wonderfully supportive figure and a complete ray of sunshine.
Review | Analysis: It’s no surprise that writing about Nashville is incredibly hard right now because while I’m all for good drama, sometimes when it’s too much, I don’t want to talk about it. The reason why I review things is to sit down and discuss the material further, but with this season I want to forget these episodes ever existed. That said since there’s been no resolution since last week this review will be much shorter than most. My deepest apologies, but ultimately spending time discussing sad material affects me negatively so I have to stay away. I understand grief. I understand that life comes with numerous difficulties but there’s enough of it in the real world, and I don’t want to spend my time reviewing and talking about depressing things as well. The fantastic balance that was once present in Nashville currently isn’t thereby making this so difficult.
It’s genuinely making me so sad that we keep dragging on Juliette’s storyline because it’s so admirable that Hayden Panettiere is actually seeking help for it. There’s nothing wrong with postpartum depression. It happens to numerous women and it’s normal. We don’t cover postpartum enough on television and it’s upsetting to see it neglected for so long when most parents realize what’s going on with them and get help. It’s just become unnecessary drama at this point because if Juliette was aware of the fact that the phone call was regarding Cadence’s time at the ER, I’m pretty sure she’d be there. It’d snap her out of this funk.
I’m glad Deacon’s strong enough not to drink but blaming Scarlett for all this is unsettling. They’re all they have right now, and while I’m a firm believer in the fact that medicine isn’t always 100% and people can wake up from comas and miracles can happen, Scarlett’s decision was hers to make. How long were they supposed to leave her comatose and constantly worrying about her state? This wasn’t the first time Beverly was in a state like this so the second could’ve had more lasting effects. It was Scarlett’s rightful decision to make and seeing as how Deacon is the only person she’s got left, it’s heartbreaking and disappointing how much he’s throwing his anger out on her. And seeing as how the series really enjoys dragging out storylines this season, I hope this isn’t one of those because it’d be going too far.
Tonight was the first time I was actually able to see real chemistry between Caleb and Scarlett. His choice to turn to Gunnar for help on a song in order to show Scarlett he wants to understand her world was beautiful. It felt fitting and for once, their relationship felt incredibly real. And this was perhaps the lightest, most interesting part of the episode.
It was also interesting to see Zoey confront Gunnar about the fact that the real reason their relationship ended was that he was never truly over Scarlett. As of now, seeing Gunnar and Scarlett as good friends is great. They’re better this way and if it eventually leads elsewhere, I hope it’s done honorably and not forced. Speaking of Zoey her return felt so appropriate because she’s one of Scarlett’s best friends, and if she weren’t there to support her, it wouldn’t have made sense at all.
I still cannot stand the thought of Jeff and Layla together let alone look at them in intimate scenes. And to each their own shipping-wise, but this is a pair that’s so toxic I can’t help but speak up about it. She deserves better. It was beautiful to see Will support her in the way he did proving that after all they’ve been through, they can continue to be friends with one another. It’s nice to see them understand one another in the way they do, and their friendship could really patch up their current wounds in the industry.
Speaking of Will, I love how supportive Rayna is of him even though most country artists don’t want to be affiliated with him. And I’m hoping this later leads to her signing him into Highway 65 because his talent deserves to be showcased. She’s the perfect person to do this because Rayna Jaymes cares so much about music and good people. And Will’s constant desire to be there for other people even though he’s currently in a dark place is incredibly admirable. It’s making me appreciate his character more and more.
I was excited about Markus Keen’s storyline but the cockiness seems like it may be a problem in the future. I am, however, thrilled with the fact that he’s choosing Avery to be his producer because he deserves credit as well, but I can’t exactly trust him too much at the moment.
It’s always great to get moments at the Opry because live performances are one of the strongest aspects of the series so I’m hoping we get more in the future.
Once again, apologies for the lack of enthusiasm in this review, I essentially don’t have much to say and I’m sincerely hoping the series keeps a better balance between drama/light moments because it’s what got me to begin reviewing it in the first place. It feels unfair to readers that I’m sitting here unable to properly review because there’s nothing I really want to talk about further due to how depressing it’s gotten.
What are your thoughts on this week’s episode?