Nashville Thoughts: A Nervous Breakdown In Front of 10,000 People 

Nashville shook me up last week when I sat down to watch and take notes for my recap.  Everything looked so familiar and I’m ashamed to admit that it took me 15 minutes to realize that it was a repeat.  This week made me excited about the rest of the season…

What went down in “I’ve Been Down That Road Before”:

Juliette – The ingénue was the star of the show as she stretched her wings; being Nashville’s “manufactured pop tart” was no longer enough.  She talked about it with her new band guru, Deacon, and he reminded her that it’s not enough to talk about it; she had to do something about it.

Her manager was a little freaked when she went on stage out of costume to sing a new song.  It didn’t help her cause when a reviewer live Tweeted about her song with less than complimentary jibes.  Later, we learn (thanks to her assistant) that her performance was loved by her fans.

Rayna – Still working on her marriage while on tour and it’s not working out so well as the shock of Deacon joining the tour makes Teddy question her commitment and sends him straight to bed with Peggy.

While Teddy is warming the sheets with Peggy, Rayna is trying to convince herself that ending her friendship with Deacon was best for both of them.

Deacon – Comes to the rescue again and joins the tour for Juliette.  For the first 40 minutes, he refused to speak to Rayna, then an uncomfortable “man to man” with Juliette’s manager inspired him to follow his own advice – he stopped talking and started an impromptu make out session with Rayna (yeah, Rayna) in the elevator.

Cheatin’ spouses.  Teddy showed up to ask Rayna for a divorce right after she made a booty call to Deacon.

Scarlett, Gunnar and Avery – Their story is getting better, but it’s still such a small part of the show.  I want more!

Basically, Avery’s career is taking off and he’s still a d–k.  His former band is still teaming up with Scarlett and Gunnar.  They’re making pennies, but Rayna is considering signing them to her new label (shhh, they don’t know yet).

Oh and Scarlett asked Gunnar to move in with her (as friends) to help cover Avery’s share of the rent.  This didn’t sit too well with Avery who promptly got the beat down when he once again showed his ugly side.  Such a d–k; even when he’s trying to be nice.  I’m starting to look at Gunnar in a whole new light; and so is Scarlett.

Stay Tuned – There’s the preview for next time and then there’s what I want to see.  I’m looking forward to seeing Avery get the comeuppance that’s coming his way; I think it’ll do him some good.  And I want to see more of Juliette’s new image.  The teaser shows us witnessing Rayna freeze up on stage, which has me chomping at the bit for a week to go by quickly.

Nashville airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC.