Seriously, where did all of the happiness go? It seems as if all of the misery has been permanently cemented in Nashville.
Will is still in seclusion after being let go from Wheelin’ Dealin’. He takes his retreat to Kevin’s house where he hangs out with his boyfriend’s friends. At first it seems like he is also among friends, until he is scolded for not using this difficult time in his life as an opportunity to combat homophobia in country music. Is it fair to put the cause on one man’s shoulders when all he wants to do is be who he is? No, but that doesn’t mean Kevin’s friends don’t also have a point. How is Will supposed to stop being known as simply a gay country musician if he himself is not willing to help change things?
Juliette is firmly denying that she has a family as her husband and his friends star in an episode of Three Men and a Baby. Spending a day with Juliette while out on tour, Luke finally gets an up close and personal view of what Juliette has been doing. At first it seems like fun, but Luke has already had the young carefree experience and the family life experience. So as much fun as he has, he knows that Juliette is on the verge of losing her family and wants her to learn from his mistakes; but it’s not enough to help Juliette dial Avery. Sidebar: I would like nothing better than to throw Juliette’s new self-proclaimed “best friend” off of the tour bus while it is still moving.
Avery is so tired and furious, and no amount of talking through his problems with Glenn and Emily is going to ease his mind. He has had enough and decides to file for divorce and full custody of Cadence. Though Cadence can’t vocalize it, the fact that only her mother’s lullaby can soothe her indicates just how much she misses Juliette. It’s enough to make Avery pause on signing the divorce papers, for now.
As if Rayna wasn’t dealing with enough, she is summoned to Maddie and Daphne’s school to be informed that her youngest is suspended for getting into a fight with another student. I’m going to take a moment to step on my soapbox and rant. How about instead of schools just adhering to a zero tolerance policy for violence, why not also have a zero tolerance policy for bullying? I understand that it is impossible to regulate everything children say or do, and violence is no way to solve a problem, but it is completely ignorant to think that words can’t be used as a form of violence and abuse as well. Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, let’s move on to how Rayna tackles her child’s woes.
Completely at the end of her rope, Rayna takes the girls to visit Teddy, which ends in disaster since he has to confess to his girls that he is guilty as sin. In their hurt and anger, Daphne and Maddie violently tear up all the family photos with Teddy in them. It breaks Rayna’s heart; she realizes she has to be the one to take the first step to mend her family. Rayna thanks Teddy for all the years of being a great husband and father, and that the mistakes he made don’t cancel out the good person he is. Teddy makes peace with his girls before telling them that he will be pleading guilty and staying in jail, but he promises to rebuild their family when he gets out.
Scarlett is faced with the unthinkable decision to take her mother off of life support after Beverly is left fully dependent on life support. Partly controlled by guilt, Deacon is outraged at the idea of ending Beverly’s life, but the decision is Scarlett’s to make. Scarlett being Scarlett, she seeks solace and answers at the chapel piano. Gunnar knows exactly where to find her and exactly what to say to give Scarlett the strength she needs to make a decision. She decides to end Beverly’s life and donate her organs, but must do it alone as Deacon cannot bring himself to watch his sister die. So we say goodbye to Beverly as “Hold You in My Arms” narrates the ending montage, guiding Beverly into God’s arms.
A more emotionally grounded episode, but will anyone in Nashville ever be able to hold onto happiness? Do they even know where to find it anymore?
[Photo credit: Mark Levine/ABC]
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