The title for this week’s episode of Nashville is more than just a statement or a good choice for a song title. Quite a few characters are in a freefall, and one takes a literal deadly nosedive.
Rayna has had enough of Maddie thinking that she is an adult and grounds her. Unfortunately the only way through teen angst is through it, so this could take awhile. Rayna deals with difficult people all of the time, but Markus is threatening her already thin patience. After his disastrous meeting with Avery Markus demands that Rayna be the one to produce him. Unfortunately Markus says that he wants Rayna’s input, but he vetoes all of her suggestions. It’s a good thing Rayna is such a patient negotiator. She still believes in Markus and the stories he can tell in his music. She thinks Maddie and Daphne singing Markus’ song to him can help, but Daphne can’t do it and reveals to her mother that people are making her feel ashamed to be on stage because of Teddy’s incarceration. Her talk with Rayna gives her confidence again, until Maddie cuts Daphne out of singing Markus’ song. At least this whole afternoon turned out well for Markus, who finally hears what Rayna does in his music.
Will still feels his heart is in performing so Kevin arranges a gig for him. It’s a new experience since it’s the first time he’s publicly performed since coming out, which means he’s not just singing to screaming girls now. Will’s fans think singing to another guy should be a piece of cake, and while I applaud their acceptance, it makes things uncomfortable for both Will and Kevin. Will can’t stand the idea of being labeled just a gay artist for the rest of his career, and the strain is too much for Kevin to take anymore. Heartbreaking but it makes sense. Will needs to figure out the kind of person and the kind of artist he wants to be now, and it’s a journey he needs to take alone.
Gunnar’s one time hook-up returns to Nashville with him and almost immediately causes problems. To be fair all the trouble is because of Gunnar’s desperation to make something work with her. How is it that every girl Gunnar chooses after Scarlett is a worst choice than the last?
In Natches, Juliette and Deacon are still packing up the last of Beverly’s things. On their last night they get invited to the bar where Beverly had a regular timeslot as a lounge singer. Scarlett can’t bear to go at first, but when she does she is surrounded by her mother’s friends who have nothing but good things to say about Beverly and how proud she was of her daughter. As a final tribute to Beverly, Scarlett gets up on stage to fill her mother’s timeslot to a tear-filled crowd. This closure gives Scarlett the confidence to go on tour with Gunnar now that she can feel it’s what her mother would want for her. Surprisingly, after seeing how many people loved seeing Beverly sing, Deacon decides to invest in a bar with his sponsor and rename it ‘The Beverly’.
Juliette is in even more of a freefall after Avery notifies her he’s filing for divorce and sole custody of Cadence. The drugs and denial are nothing compared to the firestorm Juliette creates when she physically attacks a fan. Avery may have just filed for divorce but he still cares, enough to swallow back bile and call Jeff to ask him to help his soon-to-be ex-wife. I never thought I would be putting my faith in Jeff, but I guess there is no other choice since Glenn thinks Juliette has reached the point where she needs to help herself.
Luke struggles to deal with the fallout of his star numbing herself while the media watching. Seeing his chance to become the CEO of Luke’s label, Jeff takes care of the situation. To be fair, Jeff also sees this as an opportunity to get away from Juliette so that he can focus more on Layla as just his girlfriend. How did Layla and Jeff become the couple I root for? Jeff proves his worth in Luke’s eyes and lands the position, and plans on celebrating by moving in with Layla. Everything’s coming up Jeff, until he makes the mistake of being decent. In trying to stop Juliette from committing suicide, Jeff accidentally goes over the ledge himself. The one selfless act Jeff commits, and it costs him his life.
There’ll be no resting in peace for Jeff when the show returns in two weeks, since it looks like the circumstances surrounding his death are going to be explained to the outside world as blurry.
[Photo credit: Mark Levine]
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