110 replies to this topic

[TWoP Nikita]

From Zap2it:

As Teddy's campaign progresses, Rayna must endure an investigation that reveals family secrets; Juliette sees Deacon perform with Rayna; Scarlett is torn between her dream and her commitment to Avery.

This thread will open at 11:00pm EDT on October 17th.

[Jedi Nut]

"Music from tonight's episode of Nashville is available on iTunes."

That is, except for the AMAZING song you just heard from Connie Britton & Charles Esten. Considering she's the freakin' lead of this series, I'm positively baffled that none of Connie's songs have been released for download yet, particularly that last duet.

Overall, I'm still not wowed by any of the storylines, but I continue to flat-out love the songs. I do like where they're going with Juliette's growing self-awareness regarding her own music.

Edited by Jedi Nut, Oct 17, 2012 @ 10:06 PM.

[Colonel Green]

I didn't think it was a big deal in the first episode, but on the basis of this, Connie Britton's voice is going to be a problem here. She just doesn't sell the idea of Rayna's prowess, and when she and Deacon are dueting, she's noticeably inferior to Juliette's duet with him in the same episode, where the reverse is supposed to be true.

More generally, I have to say, Juliette's desire to prove herself as a legitimate talent is making her more relatable to me than the story they've got going with Rayna (who comes across as irritatingly entitled a lot of the time; I mean, Juliette can be too, but Juliette's a huge success now so I somehow find that more credible coming from her).

[Last Time Lord]

At times, it felt like there were two episodes going on at once. We had the Rayna stuff with the music and the political "intrigue", and then the stuff with Scarlett and Gunner getting an offer to record a Watty White funded demo, and decided of that's what Scarlett really wants, which I found to be much more interesting.

This episode had too much politics in it for my tastes, but I admit there is a possibility I may be letting anger at the current reality interfere with my fantasy.

I absolutely adored the song Rayna and Deacon sang at the end. This show has a real awesome duet to close out the episode thing going on. I like it.

[Runningwild]

I had the closed captioning on (I had been watching Y&R and I use it to understand Victor) and laughed when it said Juliette and Deacon were harmonizing when they were actually singing in unison.

Again, they saved the best song for last. Rayna and Deacon singing together was hot! There's your chemistry right there. Juliette/Deacon and Rayna/Teddy are not even close.

[Make It So]

Juliette sounds better than Rayna.  Sorry. Perhaps they should've cast someone less talented than Hayden.

I wonder if Juliette's interest in Deacon has gone beyond trying to trick him into working for her. She seems to actually feel for him, judging from her reaction to Deacon and Rayna's performance.

[audreyngreen]

Hayden is doing a fantastic job of make her character an unbearable ogre. She’s got bitchface making down to an artform. “Fire him.” BLEH.

Though her voice was better this week. Can anyone say whether that was Hayden’s actual voice?

Poor whittle Juliette. So the man you’re trying to bribe and have sex with doesn’t want to stay in your pants? No sympathy. She is the description of an ageist. She didn’t even really consider Rayna a rival for Deacon’s affections until she saw their smoking ass hot chemistry during the duet.

Am I supposed to be more sympathetic to the cruel, selfish horror that is her character because she recognizes that her video was shit? Or wait, is it because we find out next week how awful her mom is?

Either way I can buy Deacon jumping into bed with her after Rayna stood him up like that. She really is her own worst enemy. Miss SparklyPants got a laugh from me and my husband though.

Edited by audreyngreen, Oct 17, 2012 @ 10:19 PM.

[CK17]

Juliette sounds too good for the show to make it seems like she's the no talent joke while Rayna sounds quite bad for a 8(9)? time Grammy winner. The show has a bit of a problem on its hands.

[gingercharm21]

I think Rayna has a decent voice for the fact that it really is Connie Britton as an actress. I still remember Hayden's attempts at a "music" career a few years ago, laughable doesn't begin to describe it. Of course, both Hayden and Connie are probably being auto tuned to hell and back, so I'm not holding either to high standards. I definitely want that last duet in my music collection.

[Cherith]

Juliette sounds too good for the show to make it seems like she's the no talent joke while Rayna sounds quite bad for a 8(9)? time Grammy winner. The show has a bit of a problem on its hands.

I am pretty sure the point of the episode was that Juliette is quite talented and has a great voice but has been pigeon holed into poplike music where she doesn't have the chance to show it off. They showed her frustration and anger at being stuck doing the music she has now and she was quite good without autotune (in show it was clearly autotuned in reality) when they were just going over the song (clearly intentional).

I don't think it is a problem. She is supposed to be good but unable to showcase it.

Edited by Cherith, Oct 17, 2012 @ 10:16 PM.

[deb50]

Boy you can just HEAR the mustache twirling on Rayna's dad.

I have a crush on Deacon but it looks like I'll have to get in line.

So my guess is Rayna was pregnant when Deacon went into rehab so she drug Teddy down the aisle.

Im still shipping Coach/Mrs.Coach so what do I know.

[LazyBum1115]

Agree with everyone about the whole Juliette is a better singer than Rayna thing. Connie Britton is pitch perfect on all the acting stuff and her voice isn't dreaful, but it's not good enough for the storyline they seem to want to tell. The way people react to Rayna's singing (and Rayna's general distain for Juliette's type of music) makes me feel like Rayna's supposed to be an incredible singer and she just isn't. They really ought to think about dubbing CB.

That said, I do enjoy the show and I feel like it has a lot of potential stories for them to follow.

Also, based on the Rayna/Deacon backstory we got in this episode, who wants to start taking bets on whether or not the older daughter is Deacon's and not the husband's?

ETA: Damn. deb50 beat me to it.

Edited by LazyBum1115, Oct 17, 2012 @ 10:32 PM.

[loriro]

I don't think it is a problem. She is supposed to be good but unable to showcase it.

I agree with this. I don't get the impression that Juliette is not talented (despite the "auto tune" crack in the premiere). I get the impression that people, and Rayna in particular, are offended at the "adolescent crap" (I believe she called it) that Juliette sings. Hell, even Juliette knows it's bubblegum pop that has no depth to it. When you compare the kind of songs Juliette is putting out with songs Rayna (and Deacon) sang when Rayna was first coming out -- the final duet being a case in point -- there is a HUGE difference in quality. I think that's why Rayna's the "queen of country". A competent voice on phenomenal songs goes a lot farther in certain circles than a great voice just looking to "cash in". At least it did back when Rayna was starting out.

But...

Juliette sounds too good for the show to make it seems like she's the no talent joke while Rayna sounds quite bad for a 8(9)? time Grammy winner. The show has a bit of a problem on its hands.

Taylor Swift has won Grammys, so a great voice isn't necessarily a pre-requisite.

But I think, as others have said, that Juliette is starting to realize that to have real staying power, and to really fulfill her wish to grow up, she needs to start exploring deeper musical territory.

I do think Hayden has a really good voice for this kind of music.

The thing I really like about the original music is that it really is a character. It provides so much exposition and really helps move the story/plot along.

And finally... East Nashville gets a shout out with "The 5 Spot". Continue to love that they are using real places instead of creating fictional clubs.

Edited by loriro, Oct 17, 2012 @ 10:33 PM.

[missbonnie]

I love this show even if it feels muddled at times with all the story lines. In all honesty, if they did away with the young couple who sang last week, I wouldn't miss them a bit. Half the time tonight I kind of felt like I needed a map to follow who's doing what to or with who.

[Gibasi]

I think I would like this show a whole lot more if there wasn't all the damn singing! It slows everything down and I am just waiting for it to be over. I like the way they just showed a little bit of Deacon's song at the Bluebird.

I get that I am supposed to like Rayna more than Juliet but so far I am more interested in her story line than Rayna's.

I did not like the duet between Rayna and Deacon at the end. I didn't like the song, didn't like Rayna's singing. Really I hated it.

There's nothing I would buy on itunes. I tuned in for Connie Britton and story. So far I am feeling meh about the whole thing.

[Make It So]

I agree that the point of this ep was to show that Juliette can sing (further moving away from the Taylor Swift comparisons), as was shown by Deacon's surprise at how good she sounded when they were writing.

Kirsten Not!Dunst agreeing to the demo seems like trouble for some reason.

Powers Boothe is bringing the E-vil.

Edited by Make It So, Oct 18, 2012 @ 8:47 AM.

[GenieinTX]

Deacon is attractive, but when he starts singing - he is smoking hot. Rowr. It's bizarre that is Chip from Whose Line. Dude matured very very nicely.

I am really loving this show. I'm glad that Rayna isn't perfect, she can be quite the bitch at times. And Juliet is going to be getting more sympathetic. There is no clear villain except Daddy. I just wish I believed that Rayna loved her husband, or liked him even a little bit. She doesn't act like she wants to be around him at all.

I have to kind of laugh that EVERYONE has a country twang/drawl. I seriously doubt everyone in Nashville who is trying to make it is from the South. But, I do like hearing it a little bit.

[Colonel Green]

(further moving away from the Taylor Swift comparisons)

Nobody's ever going to compare Swift to June Carter Cash, but she's not a bad singer; she has a narrow range, certainly.

Speaking of Swift, I was a bit amused that there was an ad for her new album airing during this episode (they still advertise albums on TV?), given that the show isn't exactly complimentary to her biggest fanbase.

[Brinny]

I thought the episode bounced around a bit too much. They either need to cut some characters or storylines or streamline them or something, because the whole thing was bit muddled. Still sticking with it though, it's only the second episode after all. (Plus I gotta hang in there at least until Rayna and Deacon start up with their rockin' affair. 'Cause you know that's gonna happen. And it'll be awesome.)

"Music from tonight's episode of Nashville is available on iTunes."

That is, except for the AMAZING song you just heard from Connie Britton & Charles Esten. Considering she's the freakin' lead of this series, I'm positively baffled that none of Connie's songs have been released for download yet, particularly that last duet.

Not the same thing, but the original is by Kacey Musgraves and Trent Dabbs. Edit: Oops. That would be the JULIETTE and Deacon duet. Sorry!

Edited by Brinny, Oct 17, 2012 @ 10:54 PM.

[MethodActor05]

I am pretty sure the point of the episode was that Juliette is quite talented and has a great voice but has been pigeon holed into poplike music where she doesn't have the chance to show it off.

It made me think of Jessica Simpson, who does/did have a great voice(if overly trained), but was pretty much told to hold back on her stuff because she had to stick with 90's bubblegum pop.

Connie Britton's voice is passable...I think if they tried to play her off more as a Dolly Parton type it would work, but yeah- if we're supposed to think she's an incredible vocalist there's a credibility gap there.

Hayden is selling the hell out of her character.

[Jedi Nut]

Brinny: That song, "Undermine", was covered by Hayden & Charles earlier in the episode. I don't know what the title of Connie & Charles' duet was, or if it's an original/cover. But they're 2 different songs.

ETA: Ah, I see you caught that too.

I also agree that Juliet is supposed to have a really good voice, and I expect the series to explore that. Personally, I'm quite impressed with Connie's performances so far. She was a little shaky in those opening seconds of that last duet, but she sounded great after that.

Edited by Jedi Nut, Oct 17, 2012 @ 10:55 PM.

[Irlandesa]

Can anyone say whether that was Hayden’s actual voice?

Yes. Everyone is doing their own singing.

“Fire him.” BLEH.

I would've fired him too.

I am pretty sure the point of the episode was that Juliette is quite talented and has a great voice but has been pigeon holed into poplike music where she doesn't have the chance to show it off.

I agree. But I also think this is an example of the show adjusting a few things after the pilot. They wrote the pilot with the point of view that Rayna's character was going to be a better singer than Juliette but smartly ended up going with the best actress for the part and not the best singer. That left a non-existant talent discrepency, or if anything, comparisons favored Juliette.

I was really pleased to see the adjustment. Too often show creators don't have enough flexibility in their storytelling to account for that and try to force their plot when the elements don't quite fit (*cough*Smash*cough*). So now it's not so much that Rayna is that much of a better singer but rather she had better songs and chemistry with a duet partner.

I was also glad the show took a step back from the "men keeping their womenfolk down" theme I thought they were setting up with Teddy and Avery.

I like the variety of the music in the show but I felt the pacing was a bit off in this episode. It felt like much of the music was stacked towards the end. I do think it wouldn't hurt to do fewer songs per episode.

[sweetpd7]

I have to kind of laugh that EVERYONE has a country twang/drawl. I seriously doubt everyone in Nashville who is trying to make it is from the South. But, I do like hearing it a little bit.

I was raised in rural Virginia, and haven't heard an authentic deep drawl yet. I don't have a strong accent because we spoke another language at home. But when I visit, my twang is back on.

I must say that the duet Deacon and Rayna sang at the end would never have been a hit 20 years ago. Maybe 10, but not 20. It was to much cross-over and pop for back then.

The show has Connie sing soft songs, because she doesn't have a strong voice. She's on tune and pleasant, but her voice is soft. I don't see her being able to carry a loud, footstomping Reba or Miranda song.

The show may be hitting us over the head a bit with Connie and Deacon being a couple, her getting married, and them still carrying a torch. Scarlett and her writer friend will most likely end her other relationship. When the producer nodded at Scarlett and friend to Rayna and Deacon, I'd saw their emulating the writing/singing will have their personal lives doing the same.

Mr. boy scout EC is hiding as much as Rayna. I'm sure she has no idea what he's hiding by burning those papers.

[Brinny]

Brinny: That song, "Undermine", was covered by Hayden & Charles earlier in the episode. I don't know what the title of Connie & Charles' duet was, or if it's an original/cover. But they're 2 different songs.

ETA: Ah, I see you caught that too.

Thanks for the heads up, anyway!

Did some digging and according to ABC it looks like the Rayna/Deacon duet "No One Will Ever Love You" was written by Steve Mcwean and John Paul White (the latter of which makes up half of the Civil Wars who wrote "If I Didn't Know Better" from the last episode), but I have no idea if it was recorded prior to Connie and Charles or if it was written specifically for the show.

[lacey81]

Connie Britton's voice is a problem. I understand as an actress with no singing history, it's not bad, but it's not working for the character as written. That's the more important part. They're painting Rayna as a great singer. It would work better for me if they threw in something like her voice is slowly weakening with age (which is very often true with female singers), adding to her losing her stature in the industry and struggling to get it back.

[ferrix]

They're painting Rayna as a great singer.

I don't have a major problem with her voice, because I see her not so much as a technically great singer, but more as an accomplished veteran of the industry... which is not quite the same thing. Anyhow, since when is having a great voice a prerequisite for a great music career? And that in fact held true even way back before the days of autotune... Take Bob Dylan for example: one of the most remarkable and influential artists of his generation, but rarely accused of having an unfair advantage of being blessed with fantastic voice :)

Besides, she's had her best years behind her - it's not beyond realm of possibility her voice is not quite what it once was.

[Isolde]

I think Connie's voice is a problem as well; her singing on that last duet was pretty bad, IMO. Her voice is way too thin and nasally. There is no way I would buy that as a hit today let alone 20 years ago. I didn't find the lyrics all that deep either. Plus, I'm not sold on the Rayna/Deacon grand love. While I don't think she is in love with Teddy, I do think that she loves him, and I'd like to see what it was/is about him that made her choose him to be with.

Overall, I'm enjoying the acting from the entire cast and am interested to see where the stories go. I find Juliette to be the more layered of the two female leads at the moment with a ton of potential. I hope we start getting more insight and depth into Rayna. Hopefully, the show won't get too over the top with the soap plot lines.

[thuganomics85]

Still really enjoying the show surprisingly. There are still a few things they need to work on, but I'm really enjoying the majority of these characters, and think most of of them aren't one-dimensional, with the exception of Lamar, where, as awesome as Powers Boothe is in the role, he's pretty much every rich bad guy I've seen in movies/TV.

That said, while Connie Britton continues to be spot-on acting wise, I agree that her singing seems to be weak. I can maybe buy that the power in her voice has gotten weaker because of age perhaps, but it's hard for me to believe she's only now losing her success. Hayden Panettiere continues to be surprisingly good as well and I'm glad they address that Juliette actually has a good enough voice, it's just she's currently on a path where style is over substance, because Hayden does have a better voice then Connie and even other singers out there, IMO. Charles Estin continues to make me forget about his Whose Line history, even though I'm still not sure what to make of Deacon.

Loved the Powers Boothe and Robert Wisdom scene. Good casting with Robert; he isn't as famous as Powers, but he has a gravitas and presence to him, that I can see him being a threat and not just getting blown away by Lamar and his schemes.

Looks like Gunnar and Scarlett are going to team up now. Not sure where they are going with this, but I'm rooting for them.

Only character I'm still underwhelmed with is Rayna's husband. I just find him to be kind of a bore.

Edited by thuganomics85, Oct 18, 2012 @ 3:46 AM.

[catesnow]

Rayna's voice is terrible!! I think the actress is good in her role but her singing voice is really not believable for the character. Why don't they just have someone else sing for her? It's very distracting.

I like Juliette, never knew Claire from Heroes was such a lil sex kitten.

[gpgurl50]

I liked the last duet personally. Also, I admit I found it kind of hilarious when Rayna met those ladies at the fundraiser and only wanted to talk to the one who had never heard of Juliette before.

I respect that Juliette wants her music to be better but she also comes off as a little obsessed with Deacon. Admittedly, she is obviously playing him to get him to work for her, but she also freaks out when he doesn't call her. She rejected her music video just because he might not like it even though her millions of fans probably would. She showed up at his house, his performance and was obviously hanging out in that truck for a long time just to drive up the exact moment he was off work to take him to the lake. Just seems like a little more than work in a bad way.

I was also surprised that the idea that Watty had for Rayna last week was not to use Scarlett and Gunnar's song but to team up with Deacon again. I liked that Scarlett decided in part to do the demo because she wanted more from her life rather than picking one guy over the other.