* This review contains spoilers *
Considering Nashville’s closest TV relation is probably Dallas, swapping oil for country music, the mid-season finale for its second season delivered heaps and heaps of plot twists, character development and tee-ups for 2014.
Rayna (Connie Britton) basically channels her series-long, “you can kiss my decision as it walks out the door,” sass toward labels and walks out on Jeff Fordham (Oliver Hudson) and Edgehill Records. Considering the fact everyone tells her not to do it – and Jeff makes the compelling argument that she needs to focus on selling records – really she shouldn’t have. But who cares? This is Nashville – irrational decisions are what our leading ladies thrive on!
Speaking of which, Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere), having had an affair with a married man, has had it all blow up in her face and landed herself yet again in a tabloid tempest. In typical diva-avoiding-responsibility-fashion she screeches at long-suffering manger Glen (Ed Amatrudo) to find out who leaked it and instead deduces it herself: it’s Layla Grant (Aubrey Peeples), everyone’s favourite snarky, reality-show-discovered singer. Layla’s pretty smug about the whole thing since there’s no way of proving she did it. She even has the audacity to sidle up to Jeff and in a really sleazy fashion hate on Juliette and talk about how much of a bitch she is. Bitch she may be, but Juliette also sells records, always a good thing in Jeff’s book. And Layla’s a worthless identity-devoid reality singing contest runner-up, and hence entirely replaceable. Harsh words from Jeff, but it gets back to Nashville’s running commentary on the brutality of the music industry.
Away from the leads’ dramas, Gunnar (Sam Palladio) is still struggling to launch his solo career, Scarlett (Clare Bowen) is having second thoughts about this whole country singing business and Avery (Jonathan Jackson) sleeps with her, only to be torn when a teary Juliette turns up to profess her love to him.
The weightiest emotional sledgehammer, though, comes with budding country singer Will (Chris Carmack) taking the decision to step out in front of a train. He’s struggled all season with reconciling his sexuality with his career in country music and, having slept with his ex-boyfriend and filled presumably with self-hating, he decides to end it all. I really hope Will isn’t dead because that sends a terrible message and would be a waste of the one meaningful storyline amongst the high camp-soapiness of the rest of it.
The only possible reprieve is two people were placed on the death seesaw last night. Peggy (Kimberley Paisley-Williams), batshit bride of Rayna’s ex-husband Teddy (Eric Close) who tricked him into marrying her after she’d already miscarried their baby and then tricked him again into thinking she’d miscarried again using pigs’ blood, was shot in a botched assassination attempt on the mayor. Nobody will actually care if she goes, though, because she was crazy and horrible to Rayna’s adorable kids, which is so not okay.
‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ did everything a mid season-finale should and provided a genuinely surprising and shocking cliff-hanger with Will’s apparent death. It also cemented Nashville as one of few shows on television that is almost solely female driven in the narrative. Everything, in the end, relates back to Juliette and Rayna. That being said, those two aren’t carrying the entire show like in the first season, and secondary characters have come into their own much more to the extent that the death of Will was actually meaningful where last season I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid. It might not be in the leading rank of HBO-class, but Nashville is supreme soapy fun and, on occasion, actually has profound commentary about the music industry, creating a charming country cocktail of entertainment that I look forward to carrying on with in 2014.
Best Back Down To Earth Zing:
Jeff to Layla on her importance to the label: “There’ll be another runner up on American Hit-Maker next year.” Gulp.
Most Stereotypical Child to Interfering Step-Mother Response:
Maddie to Peggy: “YOU’RE NOT MY MOM!” Inspired observation Maddie, well done.
Randomest Diva Demand:
Juliette to Glen: “I just asked you for a name, Glen! One thing – A NAME!” No mineral water for our girl Juliette.