53 replies to this topic

[TWoP Nikita]

From Zap2it:

Rayna reconsiders things after hearing Teddy's side of the story; Juliette finds an unexpected sense of belonging with Sean's family; Gunnar confesses his feelings; Deacon and Avery are each offered opportunities.

[Runningwild]

I was so happy for Juliette, she seemed so happy to be with Sean's family. Then her mother had to go and be all bitchy and made me feel bad for her.

Can't wait to see the Juliette/Rayna tour.

Edited by TWoP Nikita, Dec 6, 2012 @ 1:57 AM.
off-topic preview talk

[Irlandesa]

I haven't really been into Juliette/Sean as a pairing so marriage seems kind of far fetched for me, but I do believe I'm going to love it when the mother finds out that "You? This family? I don't think so" is so. But she's heading for a crash. She's marrying him for all the wrong reasons. They make sense but they're wrong.

Am I wrong but did they just basically turn Gunner into a less passive aggressive form of earlier Avery? With Avery, you could tell that things were making him uneasy but he tried to keep it cool. With Gunner, he went all out possessive and he's not even her boyfriend yet. Yikes!

I'm looking forward to the tour. I wonder if they'll end up roping Deacon back on to traveling with them.

Edited by TWoP Nikita, Dec 6, 2012 @ 1:57 AM.
off-topic preview talk

[kariyaki]

Does everybody know that Deacon is the babydaddy to Rayna's oldest kid except Deacon? Because Rayna's sister being all (to paraphrase) "You knew when you first met Teddy that he'd be a good father..." When I meet dudes, I don't say stuff like that to myself. That seems like something one would think about when they need a man to be a good father, you know... imminently.

Hasn't this storyline been done before about labels wanting to sign a singer but not the band? Oh right, in Satisfaction. Not a movie that should be emulated, yikes.

[Runningwild]

Hasn't this storyline been done before about labels wanting to sign a singer but not the band? Oh right, in Satisfaction. Not a movie that should be emulated, yikes.

My first thought was La Bamba.

[allyw]

I'm really trying to like this show but I was completely bored. I don't think I'll be tuning next year.

Edited by allyw, Dec 6, 2012 @ 1:02 AM.

[gpgurl50]

It looks like Deacon is going to get a good job opportunity. Also, he seems on good terms with Rayna still. Maybe he'll meet up with her on the road again?

I don't really care who wins the political race. I do care that it made Rayna so fed up with everyone in her life that she might go on tour with Juliette just to avoid dealing with them anymore. At least she knew up front she couldn't trust Juliette. Also, apparently half the cast has a pill problem if Peggy got hospitalized.

It was so sad to see Juliette so excited about hanging out with Sean's family when she was unwanted by his mom. Admittedly, she was not up front about what kind of heart to heart she had with his mom and she was trying to seduce Sean while his dad waited outside in the car. However, she really did seem on her best behavior with the family. I also like how she was supportive of Deacon succeeding. I nderstood her freak out about not having food when she was a kid and that sad detail about her first kiss being from one of her mom's creepy boyfriends. I think her engagement freakout is her trying to get a good family for herself. If she's married they have to take her. Or so she thinks. I don't know how she expects to get married when this episode Sean just said he LIKED her.

I think Gunnar went a bit off. Suggesting someone join a band is not demanding they join one. She and Scarlett are kind of friends after all. Plus, Hailey was right that you can write in the day and perform at night. I felt like they kind of rushed through the breakup to get to the other Scarlett/Gunnar stuff. I feel like given Gunnar just made Scarlett feel bad about kissing someone else after her breakup and given she just caught Avery having sex with someone right after their breakup, I think Gunnar's timing was horrible, trying to kiss Scarlett right after his breakup. Like maybe minutes after. Now, their partnership is going to be awkward, moreso considering Scarlett brought up that they didn't have to be partners at all. At least all the feelings are out in the open.

I guess we're going to see how far Avery is willing to go for fame. Obviously, very far but I think his decision to keep his bandmates or not will show where his line is. He at least admitted, he should've celebrated Scarlett getting her deal. I'll assume for now he wanted to make things right with her before taking off on what he assumes is his new fabulous life rather than keep her on the hook. Who knows?

[Ginandtonic]

If Deacon didn't take the job with the band, I think I would have thrown my TV out the window. I felt sorry for Juliette when the football players mother talked to her like that, what does the woman think she's doing? Is she going to control her son for his entire life?

[thuganomics85]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the marriage will be doomed. While I do think Juliette does care for Sean despite how it started out, I think it's mainly over what happen with his mother, plus I think she's convinced herself this is the right thing to do, to make her a "better person." It's just way to rushed, and I don't think she thought things through at all. I suspect it will end badly. Hayden Panettiere was great in all of her scenes. I'm surprised over how much I'm enjoying her as Juliette.

Drat. I was hoping Rayna finding the truth will cause Ted to drop out, because I'm just tired of the political story. But it looks like she'll play along for their daughters, but I think emotional, they are done as a couple. I'm guessing either Coleman will find out the truth, or Peggy will let it slip out of the bag. Or maybe I'm completely wrong, and Ted wins. I wish I cared, but I don't.

Glad Deacon took the job. It wouldn't have been stupid if he didn't.

In two episodes, Gunnar has managed to annoy the hell out of me. I don't know; there is just something... off, about the way he is approaching things with Scarlett, and I didn't blame her for getting upset. And I'm not sure if it's a "lie", but I thought it was a bit shady when he said "We broke up!", when, really, Hailey rightfully just dumped his ass. But the way he said it, it came off like he was playing it off like it was a mutual thing. I'm sure it will happen, but I'm kind of not liking it anymore.

Can't make heads or tails over Avery. He seemed sincere with not only giving Scarlett the bottle, but saying they should have opened it when she got the deal first. He's still a dick, but I think he does honestly care for her on some level, but his ambitions and insecurities are making him do awful things. I'm actually curious to see how that will play out.

I really hope Rayna and Juliette tour together. The show it at it's best when Hayden and Connie Britton are together.

[firebrat1229]

Anyone else notice how Sam Palladio's (Gunnar) British accent slips in and out? I caught it once or twice in the last ep and it was VERY pronounced in some of the scenes here.

Edited by firebrat1229, Dec 6, 2012 @ 5:25 AM.

[CapsChick]

I didn't notice, but that's because I've taken to fast forwarding through most of the Gunnar/Scarlett scenes. I've gotten to the point where I can no longer tolerate her annoying voice and constant deer-in-the-headlights dopey facial expression.

[ElectricBoogalo]

Wow, of all the reasons to get married, "piss off your boyfriend's mom" seems like a pretty bad one. And how long have they been dating? Less than a month? Not exactly the most promising combination for a successful lifelong marriage.

To be fair, Sean's mother is a piece of work. "We've worked hard to build Sean's brand"? Sheesh. Funny to see how different I am from Juliette. I've been lucky because most of my boyfriends' parents/families have been very welcoming and friendly, but if I had just started dating someone and found out his mom was a two faced bitch, I'd definitely consider if I wanted to be part of that family permanently. I'm sure Juliette sees this as a game to win (piss off the mom AND get to finally have sex with Sean!), but I see it as an endless fight which sounds like way too much work. At least Sean's sister was enthusiastic about meeting Juliette.

And I did feel for Juliette. She was so excited to be part of a real family (I mean, look, she was so excited that she managed to find a dress that covered her ass AND boobs for church) and thought they were accepting her only to have Sean's mom tell her that she's not good enough for him.

Nice to see that Deacon reached out to Rayna when he saw the leaked photos (is it wrong that I wondered if Lamarr had leaked them himself in order to motivate Teddy to start playing dirty?). That must put him in a weird position since Coleman is his sponsor. It's funny how sometimes personal problems are enough to make you get past your anger to make sure that your friend is okay. I've seen it happen before with my friends where people have a blowout fight and are barely speaking and then something terrible happens and they bury the hatchet in order to be there for each other.

I liked that both Deacon and Rayna were clearly just friends in that scene at the park. Neither of them saw the situation as an excuse/opening to hook up. I also loved how genuinely excited both Rayna and Juliette were about Deacon being offered that job. They clearly respect his talent and are very proud of him getting such an amazing opportunity. Neither of them had any thought along the lines of "But I need you here" or "What will I do while you're gone?" They both wanted him to take the job because they saw how amazing it could be for him.

Although Avery's story has been done before, it's for a reason. It happens. Lifelong friends who love to play music together end up with broken relationships because a record label only wanted one (or part) of the band. It's sad to see it happen. Of course, in Avery's case it's hard to feel too sorry for anyone since he's been kind of a jerk to Scarlett and we don't really know his bandmates. As much as I dislike his character, it's interesting to watch him slowly rise and get exposure/opportunities without Scarlett by his side because he clearly misses sharing his triumphs with her. Getting that meeting with the guy from Atlanta made him realize how thrilling Scarlett's recent success was and what a shit he was for not being enthusiastic or supportive. I'm not saying I want them to reconcile, but it's nice to see him begin to comprehend how the shoe feels when it's on the other foot.

[FortKnoxII]

When Juliette said her first kiss was when her mom's creepy boyfriend forced himself on her I thought the next thing she was going to say her first sexual experience was being raped by one of mom's boyfriends.

Glad they didn't but, I have a feeling they'll go there.

[rustybones]

I really loved this show at first...now, not so much. In fact the more I see, the less I like it. Don't care if or when it returns.

[ElectricBoogalo]

I have mixed feelings about Juliette's relationship with her mother (and Deacon's entanglement). What Deacon is saying is true: as far as we know, Juliette's mother is the only family she has and she is sorry for her past mistakes. But that doesn't mean Juliette has to forgive her, communicate with her, or have her in her life. It bothers me that people like Juliette are pressured into having a relationship with someone who treated her badly. As we continue to get tidbits about what life with her mother was like, it's clear that Juliette was really on her own, fending for herself with no one to help her or protect her. She has every right to be upset that she was eating pancake batter and being kissed by her mom's creepy boyfriend. I, too, was afraid she was going to say he (or another of her mom's boyfriends) raped her. I was relieved she didn't say that but I wouldn't be surprised if that's revealed later.

I get that Deacon is trying to help both Juliette and her mother and he has a valid point but it's really not his place (or anyone's, for that matter) to convince Juliette to be part of her mother's recovery or her life. If she chooses not to let her mom be part of her life, there's nothing wrong with that. It's her decision and I understand why she's upset that Deacon is pushing for that.

I absolutely HATE when people say things like, "You should have a relationship with this person while you can because if you don't, you'll regret it when they're gone." One of my friends had no relationship with her father (or "the sperm donor" as she referred to him). He left her mom when she was very young and although they lived in the same city, he chose not to be there when she was a kid. When she was about 30, she found out that he had terminal cancer. A lot of people urged her to reconcile with him so that they could make peace with each other before he died. She had no interest in that. She said that he had 30 years to try to have a relationship with her and he chose not to so what was the point of going to see him right before he died? She never regretted it after he died either. Juliette's situation isn't exactly the same, but she clearly has a hard time being around her mother so if she doesn't want to visit her in rehab and take her phone calls, that's her business. I think she said in an earlier episode that her mom had been to rehab multiple times, so I wouldn't be surprised if she just can't bring herself to get her hopes up that it will stick this time. Hoping for that every time just leads to heartbreak and her mom has let her down so many times that it's understandable to me that she wants nothing to do with her.

[Lila82]

I love a good soap, but Peggy's overdose was such amateurish writing. For a show with strong female characters, even Scarlett trying to find her wings, it was a cheap move for a woman to be so overwhelmed by her white people problems that she tried to commit suicide. Not that it's unrealistic, but ugh. Really? On the other hand, bravo, Haley. Way to walk away with her dignity intact and still do her job.

Does everybody know that Deacon is the babydaddy to Rayna's oldest kid except Deacon?

Just Tandy and Lamar. Per the pilot, not even Teddy knows. Which means it's a secret that's going to come out right about February sweeps.

Anyone else notice how Sam Palladio's (Gunnar) British accent slips in and out? I caught it once or twice in the last ep and it was VERY pronounced in some of the scenes here.

I hadn't noticed it in previous episodes, but it was jarring last night. My larger concern is how flat Gunnar's been written. We don't know a single thing about him except that Watty White thinks he's talented and he's in love with Scarlett. I really like Sam Palladio and want to like Gunnar, but right now he's just kind of there.

When Juliette said her first kiss was when her mom's creepy boyfriend forced himself on her I thought the next thing she was going to say her first sexual experience was being raped by one of mom's boyfriends.

I thought it was implied that it probably went further at some point. While Juliette's past is obviously horrifying, I'm glad we got confirmation for her behavior. She's acted like a victim of sexual abuse and now we know why. Which is why I'm torn on what's happening with Sean. She's used sex as a means of self-soothing, but she's now wrapping herself in his love. Which is good for her and probably also terrifying, but will easily blow up in her face, because while he clearly cares about her, he doesn't know her. Not the real her. Deacon is the only character who's seen all the ugly parts of her and still likes her, and while I don't think Sean would reject her, he doesn't know any of the important stuff about her. I do think they can work in the long run, but their relationship is unfolding in reverse and Juliette can't hide who she is forever.

[cosmom]

There are such large parts of the storyline that I don't give a rat's ass about, but they do have some (not all) compelling characters.

At the top of the list is Juliette - HP is playing her great. She's letting out the rough life backstory just in snippets so she winds up being a tangled mix of a person. At times she comes across as a total bitch that is immature and unlikable and then she slips in something really sweet and genuine (her earnest joy for Deacon at touring with the Revel Kings). I love that the writers are not hitting us with the bad childhood as a blanket excuse for her and not hitting us with it all at one.

I love Connie Britton and I think she is doing a great job with the role of Rayna. In contrast, Teddy and the whole campaign/embezzlement stuff is dull. Deacon is much more interesting as the talented, damaged soul.

I find Scarlett tiresome and Gunnar has gone from mildly interesting to pure soap driven stuff in the last two eps. I find Avery more interesting than either of them and I quite like Hailey. Coleman is awesome.

The sister, Tandy (?), just became a bit more interesting last night. I wonder if she has more involvement in the schemes and family cover ups than I previously thought.

One thing that did bother me was Rayna should have asked Deacon about touring with a band that was clearly known for drinking and drugs in the past. They haven't been clean that long - 6 months and a year I thought.

I have mixed feelings about Juliette's relationship with her mother (and Deacon's entanglement).

MethMom has only been in rehab a couple of weeks I would guess, even if it is for the billionth time. Deacon pushing Juliette at on opening that door sounds wrong to me. He's got to know that a couple of weeks in rehab doesn't "fix" the problem or address the history between those two. If he wants to be there for MethMom - fine. If he wants to encourage Juliette to be receptive to having that relationship - fine. Pushing it like he did? Not fine.

Edited by cosmom, Dec 6, 2012 @ 9:41 AM.

[ElectricBoogalo]

Maybe that's also part of Juliette's grand plan. Sean is a good Christian guy who is most likely going to believe that marriage is a lifetime commitment. If she ropes him into marriage now, before he knows about all the other stuff and who she really is, he won't leave once he does find out. I think she's afraid to tell him about her past and let him know who she really is. Marrying him sooner rather than later gives her that safety net. It's not a good plan because she could just as easily decide she wants to leave and then he and his family will fight getting a divorce.

[audreyngreen]

I can't believe I once didn't mind Scarlett, in fact in the first episode I may have even liked her. What a drip.

I could actually stomach Juliette in this one.

Edited by audreyngreen, Dec 6, 2012 @ 10:39 AM.

[Midru]

Maybe it's just me, but every week it seems I have more sympathy for Juliette and less for Reyna. With her horrible childhood and that mean mother in law to be, I totally melted when she asked Sean to marry her. They shouldn't get married, of course...

and I don't know why Reyna keeps leaving me cold! When she told Teddy how betrayed she felt I didn't buy it at all.

LOVED that guitar shaped pool. What do you bet you can count giant guitar shaped pools like that in this country on one hand?

Anyone noticed how the show makes songwriting looks like about the sexiest thing two people can do, and how it makes the collaborators fall in lust?

Is Deacon's new band the Revel Kings? Or Rebel Kings?

Let's predict the future. What do you bet Scarlett and Gunnar become the opening act for the tour? Will Juliette's marraige last until the end of the season? Will this election finally get here before spring, and who wins? I predict yes, no, and Teddy!

[marceline]

Oh Juliette, you poor fucked up kid. That child has absolutely no framework for making good decisions. The moment she ends up in a situation that pushes the buttons her mom installed she slingshots right into some sort of awful reaction. Proposing to Sean is no different than stealing that bottle of nail polish. It's just her way to numb her pain. I have to give credit to HP, who has never been one of my favorite actresses, for making me feel for Juliette more than I ever thought I would. You could just see the her desperation at wanting to be part of a "normal" family. You could see her falling in love, not with Sean but with what he represented. ("I've always wanted a sister.")

I just knew that Mama Sean was going to cut Juliette off at the knees. I can't really blame her. How many trashy girls have set their sights on her son and I doubt any of them had Juliette's public baggage? I loved that she's smart enough to talk about Sean's "brand."

I love Deacon. He's probably one of my favorite characters on television right now just because he's one of the most real. As the rest of the show gets soapier (I don't know if that's good or bad), Deacon still seems to real and relatable.

I don't know what to say about Rayna. I'm not fond of the election story so whenever she disappears into it I lose interest in her.

Can we PLEASE do something about the makeup on this show? I love Connie Britton and think she's a beautiful woman but all that sparkly eyeshadow just makes her look like an old hooker and don't even get me started on Juliette's makeup in the proposal scene. She was in drag queen territory.

[kia112]

Suggesting someone join a band is not demanding they join one. She and Scarlett are kind of friends after all. Plus, Hailey was right that you can write in the day and perform at night.

I gotta side with Gunnar on this one. Sooner or later (especially sooner with a band that's really ambitiously going for it), band duties are going to take over. You rehearse during the day and play at night. And eventually, you're gonna start to write for the band that you're with. I mean, clearly he didn't want Scarlett to join a band for other reasons, too, but I think Hailey's suggestion came from a place of simply not wanting her around Gunnar too much. Especially since it came right after her comment saying that "Ring of Fire" was all that Gunnar had been talking about.

[ggmarie]

GOD Gunnar and Scarlett are such drips. I'm much more interested in Avery's story. I liked that scene with the champagne bottle. Although they need to give him another connection besides Scarlett to keep him on this show for a longer period of time.

Connie Britton was great in those scenes confronting Teddy. MAN she is such a good actress.

And Juliette continues to be the most interesting and sympathetic character, IMO.

Edited by TWoP Nikita, Dec 6, 2012 @ 10:43 PM.
off-topic preview talk

[basiltherat]

Finally, a "church" song! Don't most Opry type shows close with a spiritual/gospel song stlll? About time, even if it did come from the loosest woman on the show.

And, holy geez, isn't Scarlett the most Eeyore-ish thing on TV? She is drippy and never smiles and, yet, two hot guys are in love with her! And Juliette has to beg for sex.

Football mom is a cold fish -- don't mess with my brand, rather than don't break my son's heart. She needs to get with Lamar.

Deacon is the rock (a very sexy rock) of this show. For his own sake, I hope he goes on tour with the Reb/v/el Kings, even though I may see less of his fine self.

[shron17]

This episode was good except I was disappointed there was nothing about the tour until the end. And I don't want Deacon leaving on that other tour.

And Juliette continues to be the most interesting and sympathetic character, IMO.

The proposal really summed up for me why I dislike Juliette so much. She's setting Sean up for a huge rift with his close and loving family (not to mention a nasty divorce) if he accepts and apparently doesn't even care. Sure, his mom was wrong and it's his decision, but I really hope Juliette let's him know what's going on before the wedding. That's a helluva way to treat someone you claim to care about, almost on the same level as Lamar. And I get that she manipulates out of fear that it's the only way to get what she wants/needs but I'm really ready for her to show some growth.

One thing that did bother me was Rayna should have asked Deacon about touring with a band that was clearly known for drinking and drugs in the past. They haven't been clean that long - 6 months and a year I thought.

But Deacon's been clean for over 10 years and Rayna isn't his sponsor. I liked that she trusted him to make his own decision and was supportive.

Edited by TWoP Nikita, Dec 6, 2012 @ 10:52 PM.
off-topic preview talk

[smiley13]

Loved that Sean's Mother is not buying Juliette's fake crap. Juliette is not good enough for her son and he is too blind to see it, so someone has to point it out. Poor Sean is too blinded by the prospect of sex with Little Miss Trashy.

Juliette is the one who got Deacon involved with her Mom's treatment and now she is angry that he has been checking on her?? What a self absorbed twit this girl is.

Rayna was awesome dealing with the whole Teddy business and with dealing with Marshall Evans.

Loved that Gunnar let Scarlett know how he feels, but did not like the way she treated him. They are a dynamic pairing IMO and have so much chemistry.

I don't give a hoot about Avery. They could ship him off to Atlanta and leave him there and I would never miss him.

I hope that Deacon takes his opportunity to tour with the Rebel Kings, but I still want him in Nashville.

[gingercharm21]

I know Gunnar and Scarlet are "meant to be" but damn does that girl grate on my last nerve! Someone have her drop the "who? little 'ol me" doe eyed act and fast! Would it have been so hard to just make them song writing partners?

[portfino]

Scarlett is absolutely brutal. Both that thing she does with her eyes and that baby talk is annoying. She's taking Gunnar down along with her. If it weren't for the mayoral thing, she'd be the worst part of the show. Can't they do something more interesting with Lamar?

On the plus side, Juliette is growing on me, and I'm genuinely interested in where they're going with Tebow.

[FortKnoxII]

I didn't notice, but that's because I've taken to fast forwarding through most of the Gunnar/Scarlett scenes. I've gotten to the point where I can no longer tolerate her annoying voice and constant deer-in-the-headlights dopey facial expression.

Amen to that. I don't get how Scarlett has two men fighting over her.

I'm not saying she's ugly but, like you said it's her facial expressions. She always has this sad, depressing look on her face and she looks like she's a second away from crying her eyes out. Not to mention the woman's lack of backbone.

[zmulls]

I enjoyed this episode a lot....the writing is taking the characters from their cliche starting points and taking them in more interesting directions.

(During the Scarlett-banjo-on-the-porch scene I had to freeze frame to get the address and look it up on Google Maps). Real address and building, but it's Shawnee Press, not Edgehill Records -- it's near Edgehill street, though).

The only scene I didn't buy was the church scene. I was OK with Juliette being asked to sing with the choir, but I expected her to sing *with* the choir, maybe get a short solo. I didn't expect that it would be suddenly staged as a mini-concert, with hand mic and with her alone on stage rocking the pews.