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With Daphne off on a trip somewhere, Maddie decides it's time to ask her parents if she can take guitar lessons with Deacon. Teddy, of course, gets super weird about it, and is surprised to hear that Deacon and Maddie are getting closer. But they let her and it's cute, and Maddie invites Deacon to come and see her perform at a kids' open mic. He does, causing Teddy to freak out further. But the biggest freak-out comes when Maddie invites Deacon up on stage to duet with her on "A Life That's Good." It's totally sweet (though not as good as when Daphne sings harmony), and while Rayna gazes upon the sight with a subtly happy look, Teddy stews and then confronts Deacon outside the venue in his signature dick-like way. Deacon engages, Maddie sees it all and complicated feelings ensue. While Teddy admits to Peggy that he's so upset because Deacon is Maddie's biological dad -- and Deacon asks Megan what his legal rights are -- Rayna tells Maddie that two dysfunctional dads are better than none. And then Rayna tells Deacon and Teddy to shape up and deal. Teddy, in turn, pulls Deacon's spot performing in the Music City Music Festival. Mature!
Things also get even worse between Juliette and Layla, as the latter gives herself a bonus encore and the former bumps her teen rival to the opening-opening performer slot and usurps a duet with Will. Glen is not thrilled that Juliette is engaging in these teenage diva antics and in part blames Charlie Wentworth for bringing out the worst in her. Yes, Charlie Wentworth is on the scene telling Juliette that he wants to build a life with her. She doesn't believe it, but becomes more convinced when she learns on Extra that he's filed for divorce from Olivia. All words have extra weight when spoken by Mario Lopez. Juliette has a drink with Will, who has been getting into trouble his own self and has been assigned Brent as a "constant companion" by the label. He says one day he'd like to meet someone who makes him feel like the best version of himself. Juliette takes this to heart and tells Charlie (after leaving a message for Avery) that he's not really in love with her and should get back together with Olivia. She's glad that they figured this out before telling the world about their dalliance. But her teenage diva antics come back to haunt her as Layla calls TMZ's tip line with news about why Charlie and Olivia Wentworth split up (two words: Juliette Barnes).
Meanwhile, Avery rounds up Zoey and takes her on a trip to St. Louis to visit Scarlett on tour. Gunnar is there, of course, and it's all very awkward. First, Gunnar realizes that Avery and Scarlett are back together, though honestly he doesn't seem to care much. , Gunnar and Zoey decide that they're officially "a thing" and feel that they have to tell Scarlett. But it's difficult, since Scarlett is having a sad about her life in general and specifically about how Gunnar, Avery and Zoey have bonded in her absence. This is shown full force in a scene where they all play cards together while Scarlett scraggles her weave and looks like a basset hound. Zoey winds up not telling Scarlett about her romance with Gunnar, but then Scarlett catches them kissing and looks really mad (all whilst wearing a floor-length doily).
Finally, Lamar is still in jail. He's not doing so hot and wants to be moved to house arrest, but needs character witnesses who can say he's not a flight risk. He asks Rayna to get Tandy (who has been incommunicado for obvious reasons) to do it. Tandy starts to have doubts about cooperating with the feds, but once they remind her that they can implicate her in all the wrongdoing if she doesn't, she pipes down. She doesn't show up at Lamar's court date, so Rayna spontaneously takes the stand and says a few words on his father's behalf. The court still denies his request and back to the clink he goes. He still manages to get out a "mwah ha ah" during a conjugal visit with Smithers, though.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously on Nashville: Lamar got arrested for evildoing, and Rayna hated to see his old self in the clink. Despite his own feelings on the matter, Teddy told Deacon that he had a responsibility to try to not be an enormous fuck-up, for Maddie's sake. Zoey broke the "girl code" (also known as "decent human" code) by banging Gunnar repeatedly, and proclaimed that Scarlett could never find out. Layla rejected Juliette's one kind gesture, telling her to go save someone else who doesn't actually want to be treated like a whore. And while Avery made a sincere declaration of friendship to Juliette, Charlie Wentworth made a bumbling British declaration of love.
We begin with Layla Grant onstage in Minneapolis, asking the audience if they have time for one more. Um, technically they have time for like 14 more since Juliette is on after her. They cheer and someone hands her a bedazzled guitar. Layla then dedicates her "spontaneous" encore to someone special -- that would be a surly-looking Will -- and also, "all y'all." She launches into the song and from her dressing room Juliette watches and says, "All y'all? She's from Connecticut." Juliette also wonders since when is Layla allowed to give herself an encore. Glen notes that she can't exactly pull the plug now. Though that would be REALLY awesome. Although Layla sounds fantastic on the song, or perhaps because Layla sounds fantastic on the song, Juliette notes that every minute she goes over pushes back Juliette's set, racks up union fees, and seriously pisses her off. Glen says that he'll handle it with Layla's management.
On his way out, Glen runs into Charlie and gives a non-surprised, "Mr. Wentworth. What a surprise." Charlie mumbles something about the Music City Music Festival, and Juliette asks Glen to leave them alone. She tells Charlie that she needed time to think, but he says that the week that she's taken so far has almost killed him. Well, at least he's not dramatic or anything! Juliette tells him that they had fun, but he should stop trying to push it. Charlie argues that he's not trying to push anything, that he loves her. She shakes her head, saying that he likes games but she's not a toy, and now she has a show to do. She tries to leave and Charlie grabs her hand, saying that he wants them to have a life together. Juliette says she doesn't believe him, and while not exactly slamming the door on her way out, closes it firmly. For some reason whenever I see Charlie Wentworth I sing the, "You know my name is Simon and I like to do drawings" song in my head. Can't you just picture him in the bathtub?
We then cut to Teddy's office, where Maddie gazes upon the ad for the Music City Music Festival featuring headliner Juliette Barnes. Rayna and Teddy enter, fresh from dropping Daphne off for her big trip to D.C. Why she's going to D.C. is anybody's guess, though if she were running for Congress I'd certainly vote for her. Rayna gives Teddy some good-natured grief about Juliette headlining the festival, and he notes that she was Charlie's choice, though he of course would have had Rayna. She gives him points for making space for Scarlett in the lineup as Maddie flaunts her all-access pass. Just as they're ready to go, Maddie has a request to make now that she's got Rayna and Teddy in the same room -- she wants to take guitar lessons with Deacon. She asked him, and he in turn told her to ask her parents. Teddy is quite surprised to learn that Maddie has been talking to Deacon at all, and wants to discuss it with Rayna in private.
Then we're in Tulsa, where Scarlett is rambling around aimlessly backstage at an arena with a basset-hound face, looking even more chagrined when Gunnar ignores her woe-is-me countenance in passing. He's got no time for it, what with being eager to take his incoming nightly call from Zoey. She's calling from the Bluebird, and Scarlett then calls Avery, who is also mere feet away at the Bluebird. She tells him that she has a free day coming up, and though she's doing all right she misses everybody. Incidentally, she hasn't heard from Zoey in ages. Avery offers to put her on, except she's already talking to someone. Gunnar can then hear Avery through Zoey's phone and just says, "This is weird." Deceit and deception provide logistical challenges! Then Avery has another one of his brilliant ideas: with the tour stop of St. Louis being only five hours from Nashville, he suggests that he kidnap Zoey and the two of them can come and see Scarlett. Avery puts Scarlett on speaker phone so she can make her chipmunk plea, which Gunnar now hears in echo. He notes that things are getting even weirder, but tells Zoey to come. Zoey agrees to the road trip, looking both excited and perturbed. It is true that this might be a sting by the Girl Code police.
Now back to Teddy and Rayna. Despite some ambivalence on her own part, Rayna thinks that Maddie's request to take guitar lessons with Deacon isn't unreasonable, since they have a musical connection. Teddy tells her not to pull that DNA crap with him, since Deacon will never be Maddie's parent. Rayna assures him that nobody's trying to replace him but also they can't keep Maddie and Deacon apart forever. Then to bring a little more cheer into her day, Rayna gets a prison-automated collect call from Lamar. We haven't heard anything from him in so long that I was kind of wondering if he was already dead.
Then we're with Deacon and Megan, who has files and legal pads spread all over the bed in accordance with her position as hot lady lawyer. He kisses her neck, she calls him a bad influence, and I gag. I mean, whatever, she's fine. Deacon then gets a text from Maddie with an enthusiastic, "THEY SAID YES!!!!" Megan asks how he feels about it, and he says he's known Maddie for 13 years and knows how to play guitar, so it shouldn't be a problem. But he secretly looks REALLY happy.
Soon we're at a bar, where Will is downing shots. Just as he asks the bartender to put on some honky tonk music, a nervous looking Layla barges her way in through the crowd. She asks Will if he's okay, since he left before she finished her set. He says some of the guys talked him into coming out for a drink or five, which I'm sure didn't take much convincing. Someone recognizes Layla, and THEN recognizes #laylaandwill. She notes that they should be heading on out since they have a radio interview tomorrow morning, but Will has had about as much of her (and, probably, her vagina) as he can take. He hears some song about being a gunslinger, then drunkenly makes his way on top of the bar to do more shots and sing, like he's in an all-male stage show of Coyote Ugly. The thrill of being the Piper Perabo of Minneapolis overtakes him, and he dives into the crowd. The crowd parts and he lands face-first on the floor. D'oh!
Juliette then returns to her dressing room after a great set, saying that she's looking forward to getting home to Nashville for a few days before the Music City Music Festival. Glen's ready for the Festival to be over, given the complexities of dealing with the Mayor, the booker, and Charlie Wentworth, who is waaaaaay more involved than sponsors usually are. Speaking of Charlie, Juliette asks Glen for a moment alone before taking an incoming call from him. When she picks up she notes that he's kind of like a creepy stalker, and he just tells her to turn on the television to channel 7. It's Extra, because Charlie is clearly a huge fan of Mario Lopez. Mario delivers some breaking news, which is that it's Splitsville for Charlivia. Yes, Charles and Olivia Wentworth called it quits after five years of marriage, with Charlie filing for divorce. Juliette is rather speechless about it all.
And then we're in jail with Lamar, who's asked Rayna to come and visit him. He has eschewed visits previously, since he looks the same color gray as his prison uniform and didn't want them to have to experience that in a direct visual context. He admits that he's not holding up so well, and his attorney is trying to arrange for house arrest. They've scheduled a hearing, but Lamar needs character witnesses to testify that he's not a flight risk. But since he has no friends other than Smithers, that's probably not going so well. Rayna looks nervous, so Lamar clarifies that he's not expecting her to appear in court, given all she's gone through. It's Tandy who knows him best, and worked with him, and knows more than anyone what he did or didn't do. And how! But he's had some problems getting in touch with her. Rayna asks if he wants her to ask Tandy on his behalf, and Lamar says that what he wants is to see his granddaughters again before he dies in jail. Well THAT'S not manipulative or anything!
Then we're in St. Louis, where Zoey and Avery have arrived, much to Scarlett's delight. Avery plants a big kiss on Scarlett, which Gunnar sees with mild surprise. It works in his favor, as he has to act like he didn't know that the Nashville buds were coming. They exchange awkward greetings, and when Scarlett says that she has a quick rehearsal to fix her monitors, Gunnar offers to show Avery and Zoey around until they're done. Because everyone likes Gunnar better than Scarlett now, they seem perfectly happy with that arrangement. This, like everything, makes Scarlett sad.
Ranya and Tandy then walk with giant coffee cups, and Rayna gives Tandy a guilt trip about how horribly Lamar is faring in jail. She explains the petition for house arrest, and the need for a character witness to show up at his bail hearing. Rayna admits she was relieved that Lamar didn't ask her to be the character witness, seeing as how she doesn't have the "loving relationship" with him that Tandy does. Tandy isn't exactly chomping at the bit to support Lamar either, at least publicly. She cites press as a reason, because of course she can't tell Rayna that it might be a conflict of interest for the daughter to put him in jail to then testify on his behalf. Rayna is conflicted, but also feels bad that Lamar is having to endure prison rape at his age. She asks Tandy to think about testifying on his behalf, and she herself is going to think about whether or not to support him as well.
Now we're with shirtless Will, whose busted face is being checked out by a doctor. He tells Layla that the label canceled their radio interview, while the doctor says that he's just bruised and should be fine to perform. Brent shows up to ask what happened, and Will tells him that the after party got a little out of hand. Layla tattles that he dove off of the bar, and Will notes that she's not even supposed to be at a bar. But as his "girlfriend" (which she unfortunately believes is the case without ironic quotes), she worries about him. "But if he doesn't care about her caring about him, then maybe it's all pointless", she says. (Girl, trust me when I say this whole thing is indeed pointless like you don't even know). Once Layla leaves, Brent notes that Will has been in quite a lot of trouble lately, including reports that he was in a fistfight in Houston. Will does NOT say, "Yeah, but that was to beat the crap out of those slovenly sports fan homophobes who were bothering you!" Instead, he says that Edgehill is looking for a star, and he's just trying to live the life. But the label would like Will to HAVE a life long enough to record an album, so Brent is going to be his "constant companion" from here on out. Well isn't that convenient? Will thinks that Brent is loving this, and when Brent says he's just doing his job Will says, "You sure about that?" Brent gives a look indicating that yes, he is in fact sure, then tells Will to fix things with Layla. No one refers to her with any sort of fish euphemism, which shows great restraint.
We're back in Minneapolis, where Juliette is reading breaking news of the Charlivia split. The "Char" of that couple pops in her room, as he is wont to do, saying that he lost the paparazzi in Chicago. She wants to know that he's sure, since the last thing her recently rehabilitated image needs is to be branded a home wrecker. DUDE, Rayna told you! Anyhow, Charlie promises that Juliette is his little secret, which sounds really gross. He can't wait to move on with their life together. Juliette points out that to do so he'd lose half of his fortune. He tells her that despite what the tabloids say, he does have a pre-nup, and also Juliette is really special by virtue of having made her own money so that she doesn't need his. He tells her that she's royalty and shouldn't forget that, and in response she says, "I like the way you see me." I do feel like he played it just right with a woman who was called white trash for the first sixteen years of her life.
Back in Nashville, Rayna drops Maddie off at Deacon's place. As Maddie gets her guitar out of its case, Deacon and Rayna have the opportunity to have eye sex while planning pick-up details. Maddie yells, "I'm ready!" Girl, tune up and give those two a little more eye-fucking time!
Meanwhile, Peggy sits in bed reading a magazine while Teddy comes back early from a run. It turns out he's in a crap mood. Well that's nothing that a little pork blood omelet won't fix! She's like, "Boo-hoo… me too… miscarriage… I want to feel the magic of a baby in my belly", etc. etc. Then she asks Teddy what his problem is, he mentions his distress over Maddie wanting to take guitar lessons with Deacon. Peggy thinks this is understandable, since Deacon almost killed Maddie's mother. So, clearly she doesn't know about Maddie's paternity. Which, on the one, hand is weird. But on the other hand: pork blood. I wouldn't tell her shit about my deep dark secrets. "Anyway", says Peggy, "today is about Teddy getting to watch Maddie perform and be a proud papa". And then they smooch with happiness that is certainly going to be short-lived.
In St. Louis, Gunnar shows Avery and Zoey around the more glamorous parts of the arena. As Zoey tries her hand at pinball in the lounge, Gunnar confirms with Avery that he and Scarlett are a thing again, and then says, "Cool," in response. Avery excuses himself from the light bit of awkwardness lingering in the air to go to the bathroom, leaving Gunnar and Zoey alone. She's peeved that he didn't seem very excited about her coming, he's like, "Are we in the same situation?" Then they talk about Scarlett and Avery being a thing, leaving Zoey to wonder if she and Gunnar are even a thing. Answer: they are a thing. They kiss and are interrupted by Avery, who is adorably impressed by Luke Wheeler's house-sized dressing room.
Back at Deacon and Maddie's guitar lesson, they talk about the virtues of three chords and the truth, and she tells him that she listens to his album a lot. He says it's really old, and she asks why he never made another one. Deacon tells her that he started playing for Rayna and all that, but maybe will make another one soon. In fact, he says, he got a spot playing in the Music City Music Festival, which she thinks is awesome even though it's just a few songs in a little tent. She tells him that she's playing one song at an open mic for kids at Two Old Hippies, and it would be awesome if he could come. He IS her guitar teacher after all. Deacon looks craggy/tickled by it all.
In Minneapolis, Juliette walks with Charlie and explains about Layla expanding her set, leading to their managers having to work it out. Charlie asks what she's going to do, and she says that though she wants to slap a bitch, that's probably not a good idea. But Charlie actually enjoys bitch-slapping, as she should know. And when Layla enthusiastically bounds up to them saying, "Mr. Wentworth! HI! What are you doing here?...I was really sorry to hear about your divorce." (Juliette drags this font of empathy away). She tells Layla that she was thinking about the line-up, and it's better to have a boy between two girls. She's flipping the sets, so that Layla plays first. Upon this news, Layla apologizes for going over time the night, saying that she just got overwhelmed by it all. This new earlier slot, says Juliette, will get her overtired ass home by curfew. She grabs Charlie's arm and walks off, satisfied with her latest maneuver like this is Divas Live or something.
After a break, Will approaches a pouting Layla at the food table. She thinks he's come over to gloat, given that Juliette flipped their sets. But this is news to Will and he says he's sorry. She wonders why, since it's good for him. Will explains that he's happy to get to play in front of more people, but is sorry that Layla got screwed in the process, AND he wants her to be his beard again, as evidenced by his gift of roses.
Meanwhile, Tandy meets with the feds and says that she's not sure she can continue to keep the truth from Rayna. She feels like she's losing her way, what with all the lying and avoiding. Shouldn't she be a pro at that from her days at Wyatt Industries? The federal agent just laughs at her, and says she's doing the right thing. But Tandy feels bad about Lamar's old ass suffering in jail, and wonders if maybe she should let God be his judge and jury. Well, she might have thought about that one before. The agent wonders if she's seriously thinking of serving as a character witness for Lamar, and notes that if she does, they'll have to expose her as their star witness. And then Lamar will probably have her killed, which he might do ANYWAY according to the previews for week.
We're then in Juliette's dressing room, where a pissed Glen says that he was handing the Layla situation. Layla is singing a duet with Will on his last number. Juliette is furious at this snake-like behavior, and Glen reminds her that she's 19-years-old, and is going to do 19-year-old stuff sometimes. It's not personal, he says, and the protocol is that he talks to Layla's manager, who in turn talks to Layla. But Juliette argues that sometimes you have to go to the source and talk to them in a language they understand: the language of bitch. Glen wonders if this is something she heard from Charlie, who may not have an official role in her business but sure does bring out the worst in her. Juliette is obviously not so thrilled to hear this, and when Glen says he thought that she had matured in the time they were apart, she tells him to go manage Layla, who is just about the right age for a disapproving daddy. Glen does not even know what her problem is.
At Two Old Hippies, Rayna arrives to be warmly (and confusingly) greeted by Peggy and whisked to the front row, where they've saved her a seat so "Maddie only has to look one place to see her family." Rayna gives a very southern, "Good thinking!" While they talk about Maddie's nerves, Deacon walks in, much to Teddy's chagrin. Rayna shrugs, indicating that she didn't know he was coming.
Meanwhile, Juliette is raging at her hair and makeup team when Charlie enters to tell her that her "promos" look great. Juliette tells the beauty team to get out in that loving way of hers. Then Charlie asks, like the giant creep that he is, "Where's my happy girl?" She says she's getting a stiff neck from looking over her shoulder, and Charlie tells her to drop it, since Layla's a pale imitation. Then, like she's a 4-year-old, he asks, "What are you?" She answers, "Special." This means, says Charlie while kissing her neck, that she can do what she wants, when she wants, and for as long as she wants to. This guy gets grosser by the minute! Luckily, he's heading to D.C., but will see Juliette tomorrow night in Nashville when she can tell him how she dealt with her "annoying little problem." Bolstered by repeating that she's special to this creeper, Juliette smirks and assures him that she will indeed deal with it.
Back at the open mic, Maddie is introduced to great applause. She starts off by saying that she's not used to singing alone since Daphne is usually with her. And, she continues, that she didn't write the song she's about to sing, but it's very important to her. She then asks the open mic host if she can bring someone up, and Rayna and Teddy give each other a look. Yes, of course, she's singing "A Life That's Good," and yes, of course, she invites Deacon up to sing with her. Deacon is obviously surprised, and Teddy looks like he might pop a blood vessel in his head. He gives a look to Rayna, who says she knew nothing about it. Someone in the audience recognizes Deacon, and then Peggy leans in to Teddy and says she didn't realize Maddie and Deacon were that close. "Neither did Teddy", says Teddy. And then OBVIOUSLY the whole thing is so cute and awesome, and no one needs Teddy as a father now because: a) he is a dink, b) he can't sing. He realizes this acutely from the front row of the audience. And so does Rayna, kind of, as she glances from Maddie to Deacon and back again with a little smile on her face. On the beat of the last strum, Teddy hangs his head down, which really made me laugh.
Back in Girl Code Violationville, Avery, Gunnar, and Zoey are all playing some sort of card game that they play after hours at the Bluebird. Avery invites Scarlett to sit in, but she says she'll watch first since she doesn't know it. She then leans in to Zoey, saying that they've hardly gotten to talk since she's been there, and she wonders if Zoey has met any boys. OH, HAS SHE! She improvises that sadly she's been spending most of her time with Avery and Gunnar, and then the three have some back and forth banter and Scarlett has a sad because she feels left out. I mean, Zoey basically did come to town and inhabit her old life.
Deacon is leaving the kids' open mic when Teddy storms out of the building after him. And really, Deacon is just minding his own business and when he sees Teddy asks him to tell Maddie that he had to run. But Teddy has another agenda. He wants to know what the hell Deacon thinks he's doing and that he can't just "swoop in" and "dazzle her with this music crap." MUSIC CRAP!!??!!! Teddy is the worst. He tries not to be, but he just can't help it. Maybe he's been made extra cranky by his pork blood Bloody Mary this morning? Anyway, Teddy wonders what happened to Deacon saying that he wasn't cut out to be a father. Deacon reminds him that Teddy himself said that Deacon had responsibilities. But Teddy didn't mean publicly, in the form of music crap. Teddy seems to think that Deacon influenced Maddie to call him onstage, because that is TOTALLY Deacon's style. Deacon tries to walk away, but Teddy calls him back, saying that he and Rayna have no interest in co-parenting with Deacon. I'm sure Rayna would love that he's speaking for her in this situation. And really, why don't the two of them just whip it out and see whose is bigger? Deacon says that he never expressed an interest in co-parenting, and Teddy in turn says that he doesn't care if Deacon's sober.
Furthermore, he thinks that Deacon should still be in jail because of all the damage he's caused the family. Is that…something that you can be arrested for? Deacon has finally had enough, and yells that if you want to talk about damage, you should talk about how Teddy married his damn mistress and asked his daughters to sing at the wedding. It is at just this moment that Rayna and Maddie come out and look at this spectacle with horror. They then hear Deacon (who has gotten REALLY close to Teddy at this point) say that Teddy should be asking himself why Maddie is calling him and not the man that raised her. Teddy, who is never one to shy away from being a drama queen, grabs Deacon's collar and yells, "You are not her father!" and then Maddie yells at them both to stop it. She runs off, and Rayna runs off after her, and Peggy stands there wishing she had brought along a Tupperware container of pork blood for emergencies.
Now we're back with Juliette's gang, where Will is finishing up his set. He tells the audience that he has one more song, but needs to do it with a very special friend of his. Layla smirks just offstage, and a crew member starts to hand her a microphone. Just then Juliette swoops in with a mid-career Madonna high ponytail, intercepts the microphone, and tells Layla that she's sitting this one out. She walks on stage much to Will's surprise, and crazy cheering from the audience. Will plays it off, and Juliette says she's there to sing a song with her favorite opening act. She's wearing red leather plastic pants, because she's special. And these two sound great together. Sorry, Layla!
Then we're in bed with Scarlett and Avery. He wants to get busy, but she's too preoccupied with the haunting specter of Avery, Gunnar and Zoey playing cards. Avery explains that the three of them just saw each other a lot working at the bluebird, and that she shouldn't worry since they all still love her. Scarlett has the feeling of being all alone in a room full of people, and Avery is his recently awesome self as he tells her that she's the sweetest girl he knows. She's also the least horny girl that he knows, and just wants to watch TV. That's what you get for being sensitive!
Meanwhile, Peggy asks Teddy what the heck his problem is with Deacon. Teddy admits to her that Deacon is Maddie's biological father. He apologizes for not telling her sooner. And, as far as secrets go, this one is less in need of a sincere apology than anything involving pork blood, methinks. Teddy doesn't REALLY think of Deacon as Maddie's father, given that he wasn't there for the birthdays, for the first steps, the skinned knees, the fevers. I mean, that's because Deacon didn't actually KNOW he was Maddie's father. So you can't exaaaaactly blame him for that.
We cut to Deacon, who is furious at his house and noting to Megan that he has rights. He's been playing good and staying in his lane, but if Teddy keeps pulling questionable crap, Deacon knows there are steps he can take. Megan says that indeed, he can go to court and establish legal paternity. Deacon goes on to say that he's not trying to get custody, or even trying to be a third parent. But if Maddie wants to see Deacon, Teddy can't stop her. Megan understands Deacon's anger, but asks if he's really ready to be a permanent part of Maddie's life. Deacon looks like he's thinking it over.
Meanwhile, Maddie is the most upset of all about all this. She goes into Rayna's room ands says that this was supposed to be a great day but it turned out awful. Rayna is sorry about it all, especially when Maddie sang so beautifully. Maddie is bummed because when she's with Deacon, Teddy gets so upset. And when she's with Teddy, there's always a faint smell of pork blood. In any case, Maddie hates all of it and thinks that she shouldn't see either of them any more. Rayna says that would be a real shame, mostly because then she wouldn't get to have rekindled eye sex with Deacon anymore. She says that they both love Maddie so much, and Maddie thinks that if they loved her they wouldn't act that way. Rayna tells Maddie that basically people suck, but that doesn't meant that they don't love you. Maddie isn't buying it.
Back in St. Louis, Zoey's just had a workout, and when Gunnar comes to see her sweaty self she notes that if they really are a thing, they have to tell Scarlett. You know, because she feels so bad about it all. Zoey thinks that it would be best if she told Scarlett solo. This makes Gunnar want to bone Zoey, just like everything does.
We then cut to Juliette walking offstage after her duet with Will, and saying to Layla, "And that is how it's done." Layla, whose face is covered in tears, storms off. Glen just shakes his toupee-ridden head and Juliette's questionable defense is, "Come on, she started it." Will, meanwhile, assures Brent that he had no idea that Juliette was going to come on stage. Brent knows, and notes that it's difficult to juggle a diva and diva in training. Will agrees that it's impossible, then says he never knows which version of Brent he's going to get -- he's either all business or sympathetic friend. Brent says that he's both, and Will gets a funny look before saying that he's going to go see how his girlfriend's doing.
After her double-workout, Zoey goes to see Scarlett. She wants to talk about the Gunnar thing, but is interrupted by Scarlett's own problems. You know, like how she feels so awkward and friendless on the tour. But now she doesn't feel like she really belongs with the Bluebird gang either. She makes herself very wee, and Zoey tells her that she felt exactly the same way when she moved to Nashville. But then she started banging Scarlett's ex and things got a lot better. Scarlett may be crying herself to sleep every night now, but Zoey assures her that things will get better. Though honestly, they'll probably get a little worse first. Scarlett doesn't know this yet, though, and gives Zoey a big hug and a testament to their enduring friendship.
Will then hits the hotel bar and sees Juliette at a table in the corner. He's all ready to ignore her until she gives him shit for it, and he notes that he's learned it's best not to piss off a powerful woman, and certainly not two of them. Juliette wonders what everyone sees in Layla, and why they think she's so perfect and sweet. Will adds, "Manipulative," and Juliette asks what he's doing with her. Before he answers, she theorizes that the answer lies in trending on Twitter. Will doesn't actually care about a hash tag, but he does want to kill it as a country singer, and if Layla helps him get there, then sure she can be his beard. All this despite the fact that he doesn't even like her! Will says that maybe someday, if he's lucky, he'll find someone who makes him feel like the best version of himself. Juliette seems to take this concept to heart.
Then we're at Lamar's trial where character witnesses are taking the stand. Tandy is not among them, and Rayna texts to ask if she's coming. As the judge is about to make her ruling, Rayna spontaneously stands up to say that she will testify. On the stand, she says that she can't speak to Lamar's business dealings, but she can say with certainty that he's not a flight risk, given how much he values his family and wants to be with them. Rayna says that she and Lamar have disagreed about a lot over the years, but she's never questioned his dedication to his family or the city. In the end, Rayna made a nice gesture and all, but Lamar's request for house arrest is denied.
Meanwhile, Juliette is on her private jet. She dials Avery and gets his voice mail, and says that she's coming back to Nashville for the music festival and wanted to see if he's going to be around. REALLY though I think she secretly wanted to confess feelings or something. She looks…complicated. Though honestly, she rarely looks any other way.
We see Avery look at the voice mail coming in, while Scarlett brings him some coffee for the road. She thanks him for coming to see her, and he wonders where Zoey is since they have to get going. Scarlett knows that Zoey takes forever getting ready, so goes to find her. And then, d'oh! Scarlett heads to the sixth floor (wearing the ugliest doily of a dress that I have ever seen) and catches Gunnar and Zoey kissing. She gets the, "DID YOU SLEEP WITH THAT WOMAN" face and storms off. Not even a remark about sloppy seconds!
At the Jaymes manse, Rayna has convened Teddy and Deacon to finally whip it out, see who's bigger, and settle their issues for good. Instead they bicker, and she's forced to tell them that Maddie doesn't want to see either one of them anymore, but she personally thinks that would be not only a mistake but a loss. Rayna spent her whole life estranged from her father, and isn't going to let the cycle continue. She's not sure how they're going to work it out, but says that Maddie loves both Teddy and Deacon and so everyone needs to man up. Teddy looks over at Deacon, who gives a subtle nod.
Some time later, Tandy shows up at the house and apologizes to Rayna for not showing up at court. She pours herself a big glass of wine as Rayna says it was all pretty awful. Tandy argues that the judge probably wouldn't have agreed to house arrest even if she had appeared. Rayna wonders what happened between Lamar and Tandy, and Tandy just says that she didn't know Lamar as well as she thought she did, and needs to keep her distance from him for a while.
Meanwhile, Lamar's one true friend, Smithers, is visiting him in jail. And then Lamar freaking quotes PROVERBS, because he's SO godly. Anyway, the quote has to do with anyone who lives without blame walking safely. Smithers wonders what happens with those who are to blame, and Lamar says that they best be careful. I thought he was too frail from prison life to be menacing anymore?
Speaking of menacing, we cut to Teddy's office where he's making a call to someone at the festival asking them to pull Deacon's name from the list of performers. What a dirty rat!
Juliette, meanwhile, is reminding Charlie how impressed she was by his love toward Olivia at their anniversary party. He doesn't want to hear it, but she insists on finishing. At the time, she wished that she could trade places with Olivia, but when he kissed her, it didn't mean anything…until he didn't let up. She is sure that Charlie doesn't love her. He likes the challenge of her, and the rush, but love is wanting someone to be the best version of themselves. And he doesn't do that for her. Juliette tells him to get back together with Olivia, and it will be like none of this ever happened. Charlie shows no gumption whatsoever as he says, "Well if that's the way you want it." Fight for your lady, you dink! I guess this all goes to prove that Juliette is right. She says that it's a good thing they figured this out before they told the world about it.
Then we're at Will's place, where Layla is spending the night. She of course wants to bone him, and he of course is not interested. She doesn't help matters by asking what he thinks of Juliette. He says she's all right, and Layla says that she's a bitch. Will heads to the shower, and Layla uses her alone time to dial up TMZ. Yes, she has them on speed dial. And yes, she's calling to anonymously tell them the two words responsible for Charlie and Olivia's split: Juliette Barnes.
week: Mid-season finale! Juliette faces home wrecking backlash, Rayna confronts Jeff about his plans to screw her over, there's more Deacon and Teddy drama, and SOMEONE. WILL. DIE.