Nashville Review: The Trouble With the Truth

Last week’s episode was genuinely good, but this week we’re back to the glorious trainwreck version of Nashville. That’s not to say I wasn’t entertained, but it’s a bit of a bummer after being reminded of the show’s potential.

Starting things off, Scarlett and Gunnar take three frustrating steps back after their reunion in the last episode. At the start of that Rolling Stone interview, it was adorably obvious that they were no longer exes, making their reversion at the end of the hour that much more disappointing. Putting aside my ‘shipper investment, that development was annoying because essentially the same thing happened when Autumn pressed Scarlett and Gunnar about their past, making the awkward interview feel like a blatant obstacle to stop them from dating again. I’m sure they’re saving their actual reunion for the finale, but why toy with us now? That moment won’t be nearly as impactful considering they got together a few episodes before.

Maddie had her day in court, and it was even uglier than I thought it would be. I was legitimately surprised that Frankie spilled those details about Deacon’s past, but with how much of a crazed jerk he’s been lately, I probably shouldn’t have been. Still, violating the sponsor-addict confidentiality was a pretty cold move, especially for a case that doesn’t even impact him that much. I felt for Deacon when he had to admit to everything Maddie’s lawyer accused him of (I wanted someone to give him a hug, honestly), but it was a terrible idea to confront Frankie at the Beverly. Sure, Frankie was saying awful things about Rayna (which again, didn’t feel all that warranted, despite the things she said to Cash), but Deacon should have realized he was being baited.

I also took issue with Maddie saying that she doesn’t feel safe around Deacon. Look, if she truly feels that way, then absolutely she should have said something. But story-wise, there isn’t enough evidence to convince me of that. In all of her talk of emancipation, she’s cited being angry that her mom wants to control her as an artist, but she’s never mentioned Deacon’s anger issues in that context, making it look like something she was saving as her ace in the hole. It’s a pretty awful thing to put your dad through, especially for some misguided quest for freedom.

In other news, I can’t believe that Juliette Barnes, Oscar nominee is a phrase that now exists, but there you go. Ju followed a kind of strange path here, absolutely sure that Layla was using Avery one moment, then thoroughly convinced by one overheard conversation that she wasn’t, and finishing things off by finally admitting the truth about Jeff’s death. I still have no clue if Layla is genuine in her feelings for Avery, or if giving him an out was master manipulation at its finest, but for Avery’s sake, I hope it’s the former. I did appreciate that Juliette came clean and admitting to Luke that it’s easier to hate Layla than recognize the pain she’s caused her was a nice moment of self-awareness. The ladies’ conversation about Jeff, while nice, did show how much this show loves revisionist history. Neither Jeff nor Beverly were good people, regardless of how they died.

Juliette’s stuff with Luke did make me wonder if they might be headed towards something romantic; we know she has a thing for older dudes, much as I’ve tried to scrub her and Deacon sleeping together from my brain. Luke also did more damage control for Will this week, though it was significantly less effective this time around. Will was so excited when he heard his song on the radio, it was a bummer he got brought down by various homophobes, whether questioning his morals on national television or defacing his truck. As I said last review, it’s an unfortunately realistic storyline, but I hope Will gets a victory by the end of the season.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Let me know down below!