Nashville Review: Didn't Expect It to Go Down This Way

Sigh. This was not my favorite episode, largely because I find the Maddie situation so gosh darn annoying. Whining about record deals is in no way endearing, and that entitlement reached peak levels with her emancipation announcement. Plus, maybe make sure that deal is a sure thing before detaching from the parental money train?

One aspect of that storyline I did appreciate, though, was Rayna’s reference to her own wild child days. It was an apt comparison, and her devastation at the end completely showed how much she’d hoped that Maddie wouldn’t follow in her footsteps. However, Rayna had a much better reason for leaving her dad than her daughter does, though I’m sure Maddie disagrees. The teenage drama also led to one of the better scenes of the hour, with Rayna going to Juliette’s to look for Maddie. My longest-running complaint about this show is that they’ve never done enough with Rayna and Juliette’s relationship. They turn to each other when in crisis, but there really isn’t a basis for it; there haven’t been enough casual scenes between the two to justify that level of closeness. I do love their scenes together, but a more fully realized relationship would make those moments that much stronger.

Life on the road continued to play a big part in this episode, with Luke looking for a permanent performer to fill in for Riff. I think we all knew that Juliette was going to get that spot, but after some nice maturity from her in the last couple episodes, I’d hoped she’d at least give Avery a heads up first. I’m not terribly surprised that she went for maximum drama, though. She may be more tempered post-treatment, but that love for the dramatic is a huge component of her personality that isn’t going away any time soon. I do hope the move was fueled more by wanting to be close to Cadence and jump back into her career than by that small moment she witnessed between Avery and Layla. Juliette’s a jealous person, but even she has to know that the “share the mic with the guitarist” bit is pretty standard concert fare and doesn’t necessarily mean anything.

I think her decision at least partially came from a place of wanting to get Avery, her “missing piece of the puzzle”, back to the place that he used to occupy, but she also acknowledged that she put him through hell and doesn’t really deserve that yet. She’s in an interesting place right now of wanting her life back the way it was, recognizing that she has to work to get it there, but getting frustrated by how long that’s taking. It’s understandable, but I don’t know if forcing her way onto the tour is the best way to fast track it. Plus, rejoining the tour where all hell broke loose doesn’t seem like the best decision for her mental health.

Also on the road, we had Autumn trying to drive a wedge between Scarlett and Gunnar, though I have no idea why. It’s hard to get a read on her; I don’t know if she has a reason for doing it, or if she’s just someone who likes to make trouble. Regardless, I’m curious to see how it shakes out. Maybe it’ll be the thing that finally brings The Exes back together?

Back in Nashville, Will tried his hand at dating, though his first attempt got awkward quickly when his chosen dude revealed he was straight. Will took it pretty well at least, so hopefully it won’t deter him from trying again soon.

What are your thoughts on this episode and the Maddie of it all? Let me know down below!