When ABC cancelled Nashville after four seasons, many of us just accepted the fact and moved on even though we knew that the story of Juliette and Rayna were far from over. When CMT picked up the series for a fifth season, we weren’t surprised given the show’s pull with audiences in the country music industry. That fifth season was truly something else. We’re now deep into season 6, but everything that’s going on now is a result of all the crazy things that happened in season 5. So here are the five biggest surprises that CMT’s Nashville threw at us at season 5.
Juliette’s plane crash
This was the story that starts off the 5th season. It was kind of brutal in so many ways, and it drove the story of Juliette for an entire season. The plane crash plot was a little too crazy, but Nashville is pure of crazy anyway. The fact that Juliette was the only one that survived was a little too coincidental. Why her? Why the survival? It was a little too unrealistic at the moment that someone would survive that plane crash. We get it though; she’s the star of the show. Anyway, this plane crash literally messed Juliette up–mentally and emotionally. It’d take her a long, long way to recovery, and we never would have guessed what it was exactly that would get her out of her slump.
Will Chase’s exit
We heard that he was leaving, but we also heard this amidst rumors of another central character leaving. This was a big surprise given that there were still so many things that tied his character, Luke Wheeler, to the story. If Nashville was anything, it’s all about the music. And Luke Wheeler was the music. Without him, things would definitely change in the show. That’s apparent now after he’s sold his label. It just isn’t the same without him, and it was something that we never thought was going to happen–at least not in this season. But again, we get it. His exit is only the result of someone else’s exit, and that someone is even bigger than his role.
The paternity test
This was a shock for sure. In episode 12, both Gunnar and Scarlett found out that he wasn’t the father after he opened the paternity test. It was certainly a shock to us all only because we were all hoping that Gunnar was the daddy. It turns out that Damien George was the dad, and sadly, this was probably something that Scarlett already knew in her gut. Still, the sweetest of them all, Gunnar, accepted it all full face with grace like no one else could. He told Scarlett that he still love her anyway–a true testament to the kind of man he truly was. Of course, he recanted on that a little bit later stating that it was truly difficult to accept. Of course it was, but you’re doing it well Gunnar.
The kiss
The biggest shocker of the finale was this: Deacon and Alyssa’s kiss. We were all surprised, but even Deacon was just as surprised as we were. There was sexual tension between these two from the very beginning, but this kiss was way beyond that. It turned into something that was truly sweet and a great way for the character to exit after this season. The kiss was something that Alyssa basically offered Deacon as a way for him to heal his pain. Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t. But we can tell that Deacon appreciated it much after the shock and surprise wore away.
The death
Of course, we couldn’t have written this article without writing about Rayna’s death–the biggest surprise of them all. There really isn’t much to say about it except the fact that the way she left was truly surprising. The death was more than brutal. It was just unnecessary. Many fans argue that Connie Britton’s character could’ve left a different way–maybe just moved on to a different place or something more simple. But drama isn’t drama without all of that, so we get it. But Rayna’s torture and death was something that would affect the rest of the show from there on out. It was truly the saddest moment for Nashville, and the show will never, ever be the same again without her.
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