Review: 'Nashville' : 'I Saw the Light'

This week on 'Nashville,' we spent most of the show in New York City. That's where we caught up with Rayna, her daughters, and sister Tandy cruising the Big Apple in a limo. As they drive by a billboard with Rayna's giant face on it, the girls are in awe. Maddie eventually drops on her mom and aunt that she wants to sing professionally, to which Rayna responds:

It's all good and fun to be in the music business until your kids want to be in it too. As my grandfather was fond of saying, "Do as I say, not as I do." LOL. Grandpa. In a later conversation, Rayna talks to Maddie and the younger sister about finishing growing up etc and Maddie asks her the very valid question we were all thinking, So why did you give me a guitar? Guitars are feelings receptacles, Rayna says shortly before hopping onstage with her awesome hair and pants, in front of thousands of screaming fans. Maddie is like... Yeah. Sure don't want any of this. She continues to watch from the side of the stage with bio-dad Deacon and his new girlfriend Stacey the vet. The audience cringes as he puts his arm around Maddie and we think They've kind of got the same head shape. How have they not figured this out? Rayna exits stage right. Later at some after party type thing at the hotel, the Jaymes girls freak as they have a short conversation with Juliette where she encourages to follow their dreams or something and jokes with them about partying. When Rayna wants to send the pair to bed, 13-year-old Maddie responds that they're scheduled to "party like a rock star with Juliette." Bless her pea-pickin' little heart. Rayna has a heart to heart with Tandy about the girls. She just wants to protect them. Tandy tells her that they don't see it that way. They probably think Rayna's just trying to stand in the way of their dreams. After Tandy sprinkles in a little Lamar-as-unsupportive-parent in the conversation, Rayna arranges to have the girls do the sound check. They sing "Ho Hey" by the Lumineers and I wonder why they don't get to perform more on the show. Marshall watches with dollar  signs in his eyes, so you know where this is going.

On the other half of the tour is Juliette, of course. Rayna's billboard is right outside her window and it's super annoying, even if she's in a Zen circle thing with Addiction Counselor and Druggie Mom. "Can we please focus inward??" Druggie Mom snaps. You tell 'er, Druggie Mom. Later, Juliette tries to pull some of that crazy business man out of Addiction Counselor because last episode we established he'd been addicted to power and sex. He advises her on getting Marshall to set up a meeting with a cellphone company and then advises her on pitching them a sponsorship deal. So while she's planning with AD how she can get a gig hawking cellphones, she dismisses Druggie Mom to go to the crew's AA meeting instead of meeting with AD. Anyway, Juliette lands the deal but Druggie Mom tells her she wishes her daughter would care as much for her as she does for the cellphones.

Considering all the bad shit Druggie Mom has done, we feel sad for her because at least she's trying to be better. This is also a testament to what the show can do when it doesn't quickly dispose of a character. To make amends, Juliette dedicates a song to her mom at her next show. BUT if you think that Juliette has made a breakthrough and is ready to put her mom's wellbeing or whatever closer to the top of her list of priorities, think again because she beds Addiction Counselor at the end of the episode.

Speaking of quick trips to the bedroom, Deacon and Stacey the vet are cobbling together something that actually looks like a relationship. (She bought him grapefruit as to prevent scurvy! Love means staving off scurvy.) He invites her on tour. Flash forward to NYC, Deacon gives Stacey the backstage tour. After running into both Rayna and Juliette, Stacey gets way weirded out... like so, how many women on this tour have you slept with so far? On the upside, Stacey gets to tell Rayna "We met though his dog." Anyway, Stacey and Deacon talk. He tries to calm her apprehension. Toward the end of the episode, he tells her he's thinking of coming off the road.

Back in Nashville, a month has passed since Scarlett got the record deal offer and she still hasn't told Gunnar, which pisses him off when he does find out. Just so happens, though, that they've got a new neighbor. It's Luke from the O.C.! Presumably he's moved to Nashville from Oregon looking for a change of scenery. He even bought himself a hat. Scarlett asks him, "Cowboy, musician, or both?" They invite him over for dinner. Gunnar makes awkward comments about the deal, but mainly he hits it off with Luke and they sing in the backyard. Gunnar actually sends Scarlett inside to fetch them dinner. Luke asks Gunnar what the deal is with the um, deal, and Gunnar tells him what happened. The next morning, Scarlett wakes up Gunnar and tells him she's not going to sign the contract because she basically owes everything to him (?). That night he explains that he wasn't upset about her success. He was upset she didn't tell him because he's not a rotten jealous dog like Avery. Gunnar is in fact, the supportive type. So yes. Please sign the damn contract.

Since Avery's stink is wafting through the air, we might as well talk about him. Between Dominic and Marilyn, plus being in breach of contract, all bridges in Nashville are burned. No 5 Spot, no music publishing deal. No nothing... well, there's always 2nd Ave. JT visits him as he busks and tells him he's giving up on Nashville and going home. Avery should do the same (PLEASE LISTEN TO JT). Avery  resists. JT gives him the name of a guy he can call about some roadie work with a tour NYC (guess which one).

Even though Avery's left town, that doesn't mean Nashville is free of its biggest scumbag. Teddy and Peggy are playing house. She shows up wearing nothing but a trench coat.

Lamar starts plotting how he can get Teddy to build on his land like was planned. Long story short, he'll use Peggy against Teddy because she's the one who leaked the divorce to the tabloids. Oh, and Lamar has a heart attack at the end of the show.

Stray Observations:
+ Did we know that Scarlett's house has a rentable upstairs? That just happened, right?
+ Scarlett O'Connor has set women back 40 years.
+ When Avery loaded his gear in that taxi to the bus station, I really thought and hoped the cabbie was going to take off with his stuff.