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The Music City Music Festival has arrived! Juliette is feeling good about her headlining turn until she realizes that the tabloids have gotten wind of her affair with Charlie and reporters have shown up to ask how it feels to be such a skanky ho-bag. She insists to Glen and others that it's a nasty rumor, and becomes obsessed with finding out who leaked it to the tabloids, quickly (and correctly) theorizing that Layla is to blame. When she takes the stage at the festival, she sees that someone in the audience has scrawled "HOMEWRECKer" on a giant sign in what looks like, well, pork blood. She freaks out on stage, and though Avery gets her back on track she is mightily upset that her fans have turned on her. Later, Avery tells her that she's not a bad person, and that though she'll have to face the press she doesn't have to "play the game." And so she officially gives a "no comment" on the situation, then shows up at Avery's apartment to share the realization that she's in love with him. More about THAT in a moment. Jeff, meanwhile, tells Layla that if she is to blame for starting the salacious rumors about one of Edgehill's biggest stars, her contract is in serious jeopardy.
Scarlett, meanwhile, is giving Zoey and Gunnar some really first-class silent treatment. She tries not to even look at them, which seems fair. Despite his reluctance to get involved, Deacon tells Scarlett that a friend of 20 years really means something. She agrees to finally talk to Zoey, but then just gets all judgey and says that being a good girl suited her better. Zoey thinks it over, but eventually is basically like "Fuck that noise" and decides to keep on dating Gunnar. Scarlett tells Avery that this whole thing is not about latent feelings for Gunnar, but about the fact that they did all this behind her back. She's glad that Avery has never lied to her, and though technically that's still true things get a little awkward when Juliette shows up to his door to confess her love, sees Scarlett, and leaves without saying the words (but also without really having to).
Gunnar and Deacon bond over the fact that they've been screwed at the festival, with Deacon's appearance being mysteriously canceled and Gunnar's big shot from Jeff equating to an 11 a.m. set on the port-a-potty stage. Deacon gets really crafty and arranges for them to do a show together just outside of the festival borders, in a parking lot owned by his friend. Deacon's official stance about the Scarlett situation is, "We'll talk about that later. As in never." When Teddy tries to shut down the guerrilla performance, Deacon is all, "Private property, bitches!" He was really on fire in this episode. Maddie wants to see Deacon play and Peggy tells her she can't, which leads to some "You're not my mother" realness. She eventually does go with Rayna, who gets that little light in her eyes while watching Deacon's turn as a frontman. When their talk after the show is interrupted by a call from Megan, Rayna looks like she's having FEELINGS, but whether it's because she's still in love with him OR because she wants to sign him to her label, I can't tell. If it's the latter, she may have some competition from an industry guy in the audience. Hooray for Deacon for finally having a good day!
Speaking of Rayna, she gets the word from Luke that Jeff is still planning to put out her new album in a "From the Ashes" format, and gets mightily upset. She shows up at his house while he's naked in the pool with a lady, and he tells her that he either needs to release the album or get a check for $20 million. Tandy offers Rayna a $3 million investment and some business advice, and eventually figures out that if Rayna basically liquidates all of her assets she can get the money. This is not necessarily a great idea, however, and Luke doesn't get what her problem is or the concept of artistic integrity. Jeff hands Rayna a folder of market research and tells her that he's trying to do her a favor, since her album won't sell. She doesn't even read it before deciding to go for it, and promises Jeff a $20 million check on Monday. Has she not learned anything about waiting until she has the money in hand before making such statements? When Luke learns about this, he's basically like, "See ya around!" Ugh. Can Liam just come back already?
So at this point in the recaplet, you're probably wondering who dies. The answer is: I don't know! There are two possible options. So, Brent has learned that the guys Will beat up in Houston were the homophobe harassers, and does a little shimmying during Will's set at the festival that apparently is irresistible. They sleep together, which only intensifies Will's raging case of internalized homophobia. Near the end of the episode Layla tries to call Will, and we see that he's standing on the railroad tracks with a train coming in. And I mean: no. Just no. On the more hopeful side, at the festival's end Teddy is approached by a random dude who has a gun and has most likely been sent by Lamar to assassinate him. Teddy manages to wrestle the gun away from the guy, but it goes off during the struggle and shoots Peggy! In the most ironic twist of all, she's not even bloody.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously: Will took a keen interest in Brent's new boyfriend, and a keen right hook at some homophobe harassers in Houston. Deacon was thrilled to get a spot in the Music City Music Festival, and was unaware that Teddy pulled his name from the list of performers. Zoey decided she had to tell Scarlett that she and Gunnar are together, but then didn't have to when Scarlett saw them kissing. Awkward! Meanwhile, Rayna had all kinds of problems with label head honcho Jeff Fordham, and Layla leaked the news that Juliette broke up renowned celebrity couple Charlivia.
We begin with preparations well under way for the festival. Juliette, Teddy and a city councilwoman are having their photo taken and exchanging pleasantries. When the councilwoman leaves, Teddy takes Juliette's hand and sincerely thanks her, since if she hadn't agreed to come on board they wouldn't have connected with Charlie Wentworth, and the festival wouldn't have happened. Juliette says it's her pleasure, though when she turns and walks away she gives a weird grimace to Glen. Maybe that's just a facial tic? She seems to have it a lot.
That grimace turns to a smile when Juliette walks outside and sees Avery, who's there to drop off his guitars for their show the night. Why he'd need to drop off guitars in advance I don't know, but then again I am not the lead guitarist for the headliner of the Music City Music Festival. Juliette thanks him for playing with her after she gave her current player Brian time off to catch up on sleep or something. Whatever pitiful excuse she made for getting him there, Avery is not complaining. He notes that he tried calling her a few times and got her voice mail, and is wondering if everything's okay. She says it is, but even if that's true at the moment it won't be for long. A bunch of reporters run up to her asking questions about being to blame for the Charlivia split, and it is the first (but not the last OR the bloodiest-looking!) time that we encounter the word "home wrecker" during this episode. Juliette is shuffled into a waiting car, and Teddy wanders out only to have a microphone stuck in his face and a reporter asking, "Any thoughts on the fact that the face of your festival is a tramp?" Teddy apparently has no thoughts, at least that he'd like to share at the moment.
Then we're at Rayna's house, where she and Luke are admiring the artwork for their single and talking about their upcoming radio tour. Luke is all for early morning radio spots if it means he gets to spend time with her. He adds, "I like this working with my girlfriend thing." Rayna gets flirty as she says she's not sure if her kids are ready for her to have a boyfriend. Jeff asks if she, in fact, is ready to have a boyfriend, and she just laughs. For the moment, at least, he's just fine being her dirty little secret. And speaking of dirty little secrets, Luke spent the morning golfing with Jeff (to which Rayna says, "Oh god, did you lose a bet?") and Jeff mentioned marketing strategy for her album launch. What album launch, you may ask? Yes, the album launch that Jeff told Rayna he wouldn't do. Luke has the district impression that Jeff will release "Rayna Jaymes is Not Dead, Vol. 1" right on the heels of the single. Whatever promises that Jeff has made to Luke, Rayna hopes Luke has collected on, because she's going to go over to Edgehill and kill him. The whole contract buyout has become a little like the Cumberland Deal to me -- just wah wah wah, and can we get to some people making out already?
Oh boy, then Scarlett carries her guitar and old-timey suitcase (seriously, girl, just get a roller bag) from a cab to Deacon's house. Zoey is there, basically begging Scarlett to talk to her. She says she was going to tell her about Gunnar in St. Louis, but given Scarlett's all-encompassing sadness at being on a hugely successful tour, she didn't want to make things worse. Not only does Scarlett not speak to Zoey, she won't even look at her. Well, that's pretty mature. At least she should be able to get a somber banjo number out of this experience.
Then we're at Will's place, where Layla is trying on shirts for him and asking what he thinks. He's too busy gazing at Brent's photo on his phone to really care. Knowing that he's not paying attention, Layla loses the shirt and shows her bra, and STILL has to yell to get him to look at her. She wonders what's going on, and he says he doesn't care much to talk about clothes…he'd rather talk without them. Then he bangs her, super authentically, because of how much he digs chicks.
Deacon shows up to register at the Music City Music Festival, and gets a warm greeting from the volunteer who notes that she saw his name on the list just the other day and is thrilled to see him out and playing. She can't find his packet and assumes it must have been "misplaced," so she calls the office. Gunnar walks up while she's on the phone, and gives Deacon a warm handshake. While Gunnar takes his packet and mentions that Jeff Fordham pulled some strings to get him there, the volunteer says that Deacon isn't on the list -- something having to do with high-up last minute changes. She offers to call around, but a sulky Deacon thinks he knows what happens. Then Gunnar wonders where exactly the "Zone 8" where he's performing is located. Deacon kind of laughs, and we cut to the two of them standing by what must affectionately be called the "Port-a-Potty Stage." Gunnar is not thrilled, but Deacon says that at least he has a spot. Then Gunnar explains that he gave away one of his favorite songs in return for this "opportunity" to play in front of "a bunch of label execs." He doubts that those label execs will be down at the Port-a-Potty stage at 11 in the morning. Deacon welcomes him to the club of the rejected, and they both lament the fact that they're just looking for a break. But then Deacon has one of his brilliant ideas, and suggests that the two of them partner up. Inside of the festival fences, the bigwigs can tell them where and if they'll play. But outside? Nobody can tell them a damn thing.
We're back at Deacon's house, where Scarlett points out to Avery the 42 unanswered calls she's gotten from Zoey and the 14 from Gunnar, who is apparently three times less sorry about things. She wonders if Avery knew anything about this, and he says nobody said anything about it to him. He wonders why she cares so much, and asks if it's because it involves Gunnar, surmising that she broke up with him, he moved on, and now she's pissed. Scarlett says that's not what it's about at all, and quasi-apologizes for complaining for the whole 12 hours she's been home. Avery finds this a convenient time to tell her that he's going to have to miss her set at the festival because he'll be sound checking with Juliette. She seems fine with that though, and they agree to have a late-night date night after they're both through playing. They are cute and snuggly and stuff, but feelings are complicated.
Meanwhile, Glen is going through all the tabloid media venues that have reported on the Juliette/Charlivia scandal. She's livid, and says it's a rumor and it's not like a sex tape is coming to light. That's because it was destroyed in the garbage disposal. She notes that she doesn't have to comment on every absurd story about her, and Glen points out that this is not just an absurd story. It may be "just" "a" "rumor," but Charlivia are an idolized couple and Juliette is, well… her. He says that even though country music might like a cheating song, the audience has never much liked the cheater -- even an alleged one. He doesn't think they can ignore this story. Juliette asks how long it will take him to find out who started this rumor, and wants him on the case full-time. Her plan is to give the tabloids another target to shoot at when she finally talks to them -- a target with a heavy bang and ever-so-slight lisp, perhaps.
Rayna storms her way to Jeff's backyard pool, where he's skinny-dipping with some young blonde lady like this is Wild Things. He wonders what she's doing there, and is probably not thrilled with the Rayna-Jaymes-fan housekeeper who let her in. Rayna is, of course, there to talk about the album and Jeff's impending screwing over of her, and Jeff is like, "Make an appointment at the office." Apparently she's tried that tactic all day and gotten the runaround. Jeff walks out of the pool in his full, naked glory so that they can have a conversation. Despite herself, Rayna can't help but take a peek downward, but it's unclear if she's impressed or not. Jeff says that he ran the numbers, and the Luke/Rayna single won't make his quarter. So after the single is launched, they're going to release an album anchored by the single and featuring the best tracks that she and Liam did together. She argues that he can't drop tracks from the album, and he notes that people don't care about albums. But Rayna does, and tells Jeff that he just can't hack up her creation just to exploit her near-death-experience. Jeff, who is at this point in a robe, reminds her that the masters don't belong to her. The bottom line is, he needs to release the album or get a check for $20 million. As she looks stunned he says, "What? No sassy comeback this time?" Okay, girl that was a good burn.
After the opening credits, it's time for expository hour with Rayna and Tandy! They sit in Rayna's house where Tandy makes tea and listens to complaints about Jeff Fordham, who cares nothing for art and everything for tragedies that facilitate record sales. But Tandy reminds Rayna that she's still under contract with him. But Rayna reminds Tandy that if she can hand him a check for $20 million, she'll own Highway 65, as well as her album. She does, of course, need more artists since it's just her and Scarlett, and is going to use Teddy's festival to scout for talent. But mostly, Rayna needs money. She has some cash flow after the tour with Juliette, but it won't be enough. As it turns out, Tandy is thinking of getting back into the business world, and though she's no Lamar, she's willing to invest $3 million for a corner office at Highway 65. And while she may know nothing about the music business, she does know something about business-business. Rayna digs this, and will look forward to working with Tandy…if they can get $17 million more dollars. She looks around and wonders what her house is worth. Tandy shakes her head furiously and tells Rayna that people go bankrupt by gambling everything they have is risky startups. The first rule of business is not to risk everything you have. The second rule of business is not to rat your boss/father out to the feds. Whoops!
Gunnar shows up at Deacon's place for plotting and scheming, and is relieved to learn that Scarlett's not around. Deacon's guerrilla performance plan is to have a show late, after the headliner on the Riverfront Stage is done. Gunnar wonders if all this is legal, and Deacon's answer is, "Not completely." He says that if Gunnar is happy with his 11:00 AM slot at Toilet Town he's welcome to take it. But if he's willing to work around the letter of the law a bit…there could be great rewards. Gunnar wonders why Deacon is even involving him. The answer is that even though Deacon is not so familiar with "Tweetering," he knows that Gunnar is and that it's a good way to draw a crowd. He says that he has some A&R buddies who he can get to come down, and will even open for Gunnar. Gunnar notes that Deacon could be playing for Rayna or Juliette or anybody, but Deacon says that he can't with his busted hand, and besides he's tired of being on the side. He wants to be out front for a little bit.
Just as these two are having a nice moment, Scarlett comes home and ruins everything. She asks how Gunnar thinks it would possibly be a good idea for him to come to their house. Deacon makes a hasty exit as Gunnar says that he and Zoey are both sorry, but Scarlett can't take this personally because it's got nothing to do with her. Scarlett says that her ex is sleeping with her best friend, which is indeed a thing to take personally. Gunnar says that this isn't "Let's Gang Up on Scarlett" hour. He LIKES Zoey. He REALLY LIKES her. Unsurprisingly, this does not make Scarlett feel any better and she tells him to get out.
We then see Teddy telling some festival people to double security wherever Juliette is going to be so that she can lay low. Rayna and the girls run up, and while Daphne and Maddie head off to see Layla Grant, Rayna commends Teddy for doing a good job. As he laments the fact that his scandalous headliner is going to pull focus, Rayna jokes that she could have warned him about that. Then stupid Peggy comes rushing on with a sickeningly cute, "Ready to go Mr. Mayor?" She and Rayna fake smile at each other for a minute before Peggy rounds up the girls to stand on stage with Teddy during his press conference. The initial questions are about Juliette, of course, but Teddy deflects by saying how happy he is to be there with his family. This garners some total side-eye from Rayna, who then walks away.
While Layla poses for fans, Brent tells Will that legal was able to deal with the guys from the brawl in Houston who were threatening to press charges. He also saw pictures of them, and knows that they were the homophobe harassers. This gives Will an opening to ask how things are going with Brent and Craig, and Brent says that they're not. Giving a long look at Will he says, "He wasn't my type." Oh BRENT. You are out and proud enough to know that this is not a good idea, friend. Brent asks how things are going with Layla, and Will says that they're great and that Layla is, "My type across the board." Brent then has to fake a smile as Layla grabs Will for photos and calls him her boyfriend. Tragedy! (Sing it out loud like the Bee Gees song!)
Juliette -- who has snuck into some sort of indoor backstage kind of area at the festival -- continues to be a total pill about her situation to Glen, and then asks him to leave when Charlie Wentworth approaches. She wants to know that it wasn't Charlie who leaked the story in some weirdo attempt to get her back. He says that it was not, since she ended things and he respects that. He also doesn't think it was Olivia, who would be mortified to be less than perfect in the eyes of the press. Juliette then spies Layla across the room, and suddenly has a few ideas of who the leak might be. She heads over, grabs her by the arm, and directly asks if she was the one who "lied" to the tabloids about the affair. Layla wonders why she'd think that, and Juliette tells her to give her innocent routine a rest. Layla says that she's only 19, so it's not an act. She does think that it must be hard for Juliette, who has been doing this for so long and must be paranoid about having made so many enemies. Layla walks away, and Juliette looks like she would very much like to cut a bitch.
Gunnar continues to be the world's most awkward human as he meets Deacon in a parking lot, and says he got his message and doesn't want to fight him. Only Gunnar would actually lose a fight to a dude twice his age with a busted hand. Deacon does not know WTF he's talking about, and says that unless Gunnar cheated on Scarlett (which Gunnar says he did not), they've got a show to do. He adds, "We can talk about that later. As in never." Gunnar is surprised that he would chose this moment to not weigh in, adding, "Giving out free advice is…kind of your thing." Deacon, in turn, gives out the free advice to not crap where you eat. So…where does Gunnar eat, exactly? I'm guessing not at the Port-a-Potty Stage? Gunnar still wonders if Deacon can talk to Scarlett…not for him, but for Zoey. Deacon just wants to stay out of it and get on with his barely legal concert. He says that the parking lot where they're standing belongs to an old friend of his, who shut it down so they can use it. Gunnar points out that it's kind of missing a stage, and Deacon says he'll handle his end of things if Gunnar does the same. He then heads off to see Scarlett play, and recommends that Gunnar not join him. That's some more free advice!
Luke sneaks up on Rayna, which both scares her and makes her laugh, for some reason. He says he wasn't sure if she would talk to him, being that he's fully dressed and not near a swimming pool. Yes, Luke's apparent BFF Jeff has been talking to him, and is concerned that Rayna might be sabotaging herself. Rayna wonders who exactly is worried, and Luke admits that it might in fact be him. But Rayna says that this is something she's wanted to do for a long time, and is going to buy herself out of her contract come hell or high water. Luke wonders why, given how great labels are. After all, they take care of all the business crap so stars can make music, travel around the world, and get paid. Rayna looks slightly perturbed as she says that it's more than just money. Luke wonders if it is, then says he's "kidding." He also wonders what she's going to do when she buys herself out, and if building a label with one unknown artist is in fact the best strategy. Rayna knows that she needs more artists, and reminds Luke that his BFF Jeff poached Will from her. Luke points out that Jeff is not his BFF, he is just a businessman. But Rayna doesn't care to do business like Jeff does. Luke says that it's her career and not his, but asks if he can help to invest and get her started. Rayna (who I guess already got the free advice not to shit where she eats) says that might be a little complicated. Then Scarlett shows up for a hug before she goes on stage. Luke gratuitously says that she IS pretty special, just to remind us that even when she's being a total hag to the friends who wronged her, she garners the admiration of the rest of the world. Remember that great day when she almost got booed offstage by a sensible crowd? Ah, memories.
Juliette, meanwhile, harasses Glen about whether he's figured out the source of the leak. Unfortunately, nobody's talking, not even for the usual incentives. She hisses that it had to be that little two-faced twit Layla, and Jeff overhears. He calls it a pretty big accusation, and asks if she has evidence to support it. She admits that she doesn't yet, but she will. Jeff tells her not to mess up the good thing she's got going, asking where she'd be if her fans turned on her. Juliette says that her fans have stood by her through more than a made-up sex scandal, and thanks him for the pep talk. She adds, "time you visit me a few hours before I take the stage to sell albums that benefit your company, you might want to go with, 'Break a leg'." (Hayden Panettiere really is flawless.) Jeff tells her to handle this carefully, or the tabloids will eat her alive. She says she's well aware, since they've been snacking on her for her entire career.
As Scarlett exits the stage, Zoey is there waiting to talk to her. It's all to no avail though, as Scarlett walks right past her to hug Deacon. As Scarlett continues to ignore her, Zoey finally walks away. Deacon says he doesn't want to get in the middle of this tween-like soap opera, but being best friends with a person for twenty years has to mean something. As Scarlett starts to cry, Deacon points out that she has some fans approaching. She puts on a fake smile as he heads off.
Will then takes the stage -- the main one, not by the port-a-potties. Peggy and the girls are in special box seats up front, having quite a time. As Will launches into "What if I Was Willing" and Layla bops on the side of the stage, Maddie looks at her phone and notes to Peggy that Deacon is going to play. The Tweetering campaign about the guerrilla performance has commenced! Maddie asks if they can go, and Peggy says that Teddy wouldn't appreciate that since this is his big weekend. She adds, "I know you don't want to hurt his feelings," and Maddie says that Teddy and Deacon made up after their fight. She really wants to go, but Peggy says no. She adds that the family is complicated, and Maddie wonders what she means. Peggy knows that Maddie knows what she means, but I don't know if Maddie knew that Peggy knew that she knew what she meant, if you know what I mean. Peggy says that the complications don't matter if they all just look out for one another's feelings, and Maddie drops a "You're not my mother." Just then Teddy shows up to ask if y'all are having a good time. In case you were unsure, Maddie is NOT having a good time. Peggy tells Teddy that Deacon is playing tonight, which comes as a surprise to Mr. Mayor. All of this drama pales, however, to what happens in Will's head when he sees Brent get up and dance in the audience. He looks at Brent, looks tortured, then looks at Brent while looking tortured. And then looks tortured some more. Meanwhile, Layla bops along in her poofy skirt.
Speaking of drama, Scarlett has finally agreed to talk to Zoey. She tells Zoey that she thought she'd always be the person who would have her back. And not the person who was ON her back, is the implication. Zoey admits that she and Gunnar handled the situation poorly, but says that this isn't just a fling. They have feelings. She reminds Scarlett that they also promised one another to not let anything come between them -- including time, distance, or a boy. Scarlett says that she knows Zoey said she changed when she came to town, and maybe she was stupid to expect Zoey to come and be her best friend, even though she's the only part of Scarlett's childhood that she wants to remember. Me me me me me me me. Zoey says that they'll always be friends, and Scarlett says that she'd be a terrible friend if she didn't tell Zoey that being a good girl suited her a whole lot better, and hurt less people. You know, I was on Scarlett's side in this thing for a hot minute, but now I think that Zoey should just straight punch her in the throat. God.
Jeff approaches Rayna, apologizing for their half-naked encounter the evening and for coming off harsher than he had intended to. He admits that he was an ass, and says that she deserves to know why he wants to make changes to her album. He has a folder full of market research, and says that the tracks he wants to lose aren't registering with her audience and there's no hit single to launch the whole thing. "The album is not going to sell", he says, adding that "numbers don't lie". Rayna tells him that the difference between them is that he thinks music is all about the numbers. She wonders if he's even listened to the album, and says she doesn't give much credence to his quote-unquote "research." He tells her to read it, adding that he's not the bad guy. And you know, I don't think she ever actually reads what's in the folder. Because, business-schmisiness and stuff.
We're back in the parking lot, where a truck is delivering a stage. Police cars are also there, and Teddy emerges from one to say that they're shutting Deacon down. Deacon wonders what, exactly, they're shutting down. Teddy says that he can't put on a show just because he feels like it, and that he doesn’t have the proper permits. But, it turns out, that the guy who owns this private property says that Deacon CAN in fact put on a show because he feels like it. That's a fortunate thing, since he just mysteriously lost his spot at Teddy's festival. He says that Teddy can arrest him if he wants to, since he'd be happy to share with everyone what a hospitable mayor the city has. And…I feel like somehow the Burlesque-esque concept of "air rights" will eventually come into play as part of Deacon emerging victorious from this battle. Teddy says that he'll have officers stationed there, and if there's one complaint or incident he's holding Deacon personally responsible. Deacon watches the police cars roll out with the look of a man who does not give two shits.
Teddy is then backstage at the festival, where Charlie approaches him and apologizes if the tabloid rumors are causing any trouble. Teddy says he's sure they're all just vicious lies, and "no blood, no foul." Oh, the irony! (#porkblood) Juliette, still in a foul mood, prepares to take the stage. There are mostly cheers when she emerges, though a few cutting remarks make their way through. She launches into "Trouble Is," and it's a few lines in when some folks in about the thirteenth row hoist up a giant sign/sheet/something with "HOMEWRECKer" written in what looks to be -- I shit you not -- pork blood. Whatever idiots wrote this sign apparently thought "home wreck" was a word until someone more literate corrected them. The "er" is a total afterthought. Wait…was this all Peggy's doing??!? Is she sabotaging the Music City Music Festival so that Teddy will love her MORE somehow? I wouldn't put it past her.
As the chorus launches, Juliette starts to freak out. She turns around, no longer singing, and Teddy turns to Glen and says that this is a disaster. Charlie, meanwhile, is a bit better at holding his shit together and tells security to go take down the pork blood sign. Meanwhile, Juliette sort of stumbles back to Avery and puts the microphone in his face. Thank goodness he knows all of her lyrics, and takes over the chorus while looking in her eyes until she starts to sing again. He motions to the front of the stage and they walk up together, singing in harmony. She looks at him and tunes out the crowd, and starts to get her performance legs under her again.
We then cut to Tandy, who is telling Rayna that per her request she called the bank and had them lock her into a low interest rate, but things will still be tight. If she mortgages the house and liquidates all her stocks, she'll get just north of $15 million. That plus Tandy's buy-in and everything she made on tour with Juliette will get her to $20 million. Rayna waves around the unread envelope of market research and says she's realized she'd be leveraging everything for this. She asks Tandy if she'd do it, and Tandy says "no" with certainty. But then again, she went to business school and says she probably wouldn't have bet on Rayna having the career that she's already had. But, she adds, she's not the one who's betting. Well, technically she's betting $3 million.
While Rayna mulls that over, Maddie and Daphne emerge from the Ferris wheel. Rayna clearly wants to go home, but Maddie says that she really wants to see Deacon perform tonight, but Peggy said no because…she trails off, but the implication is, "Because she's a bitch." Rayna is confused, given that she thought Deacon was playing tomorrow. Maddie says there must have been a change in plans because it's happening…soon. Could you IMAGINE if Rayna said no to this?
Meanwhile, Juliette is violently wiping off her makeup in her dressing room as Glen says, "That was so unfair." She wants the name of the leak more than ever now, and screams at him when he doesn't have one. On his way out he runs into Avery and just says, "…I wouldn't." But Avery is brave, and as he enters Juliette says that if he tries to tell her that was nothing to get upset over, she'll literally rip his face off. She literally means literally. Avery closes the door and says he thought it was terrible, but she kept going and they came out the other side. Juliette cries as she says her fans turned on her, and she can't avoid the press for much longer. She's screwed. All she needed was a name to put the blame on. Juliette explains that she ended things with Charlie and thought that nobody would ever have to know. Avery asks if she loved Charlie, and she says it wasn't about that. In fact, it wasn't about anything but her being dumb…and wrong. She wonders if Avery thinks she's a terrible person. He doesn't. He grabs her hand and says that she might have to go out there and face the press, but that doesn't mean that she has to play their game. Juliette, face still covered in tears, smiles a little.
Zoey then approaches Gunnar in the guerrilla parking lot, telling him that Scarlett just broke up with her. I mean, there might be some debate about who ACTUALLY broke up with whom, and when. Gunnar says that Scarlett will come around, but Zoey thinks that she won't as long as they're together. He adds that he understands if she needs some time to figure it all out, but Zoey doesn't know what she needs right now. She tells Gunnar that she can't do this, and walks away.
We then cut to various articles of clothing on the floor, and pan up a rumpled bed to find an awkwardly post-coital Brent and Will. They're not talking to or looking at one another, and Will has lost none of his tortured face of the scene. Brent gets a message and starts to dress, saying he has to go, while Will continues to look tortured. It was at this point that I started to wonder whether Will was indeed the person who would die during this episode, and THEN I started to wonder if the show's writers and producers were out of their minds.
Meanwhile, Juliette finally talks to the press. She says that she, the mayor, and Charles Wentworth have been working tirelessly on the festival for months, and that's what the reporters should be talking about. She and her people have no comment about anything else. One reporter asks her to just tell them if it's true. Juliette says that she's done handing out headlines, and that her private life is just that -- private, and hers. She says to Glen that this wasn't what they discussed, but "you can't make lemonade out of no comment." She knows that this is going to be hell, but Glen says that they'll get through it, together.
Layla then sees Jeff at the festival, where he says that he was sad to miss Will's set, but he's dealing with a few things. She then says that it's such a shame what's happened with Juliette, and that trouble seems to follow her around everywhere. Jeff wonders what she'd know about that, and Layla says she only knows what she's read. She then takes it about three steps to far when she says that between them, she thinks Juliette deserves what she's getting. Jeff asks if she had anything to do with the story becoming public, and Layla acts shocked that he'd think such a thing. He tells her that Juliette isn't perfect, but he has years worth of albums and singles from her that are very important to Edgehill. If he finds out that Layla and anything to do with the story coming out, her contract is in serious jeopardy. He comes AGAIN with a good burn as he says that there will be another runner up on American Hitmaker year. The library is ALWAYS open for Jeff Fordham!
Then we're at the parking lot stage, where Deacon is singing and playing slide guitar with his band, including Gunnar. Rayna, Tandy and the girls are indeed there, and Rayna gets a big smile watching Deacon. Zoey is there in the audience looking conflicted. Scarlett sits on a truck bed off to the side. Avery approaches, appearing kind of nervous. Scarlett tells him that she's not made that Zoey and Gunnar are together, she's mad that they did it (literally did it) behind her back. Even with everything Scarlett and Avery went through, she says, he never lied to her. Um…is she forgetting the "Did you sleep with that woman?" era? That wasn't exactly the most honest display. Scarlett reiterates that he's the only one who's honest with her, while he looks awfully guilty. And then they leave.
Peggy, meanwhile, wraps her arms around Teddy and tells him not to let Deacon get under his skin. Deacon may have put a parking lot show on, but Teddy organized a whole festival. She's proud of him and says that they should look forward and not back, given that they've got something wonderful. A half-filled container of pork blood in the back of the fridge? Teddy says that he loves Peggy and kisses her. It was at this point that I wondered which of them would die, because there's no way all that hopefulness about the future can lead to anything good on this show.
After Deacon's show, Rayna approaches him and says it was like going back in time. She wonders if he was supposed to play tomorrow, and he cryptically says he's where he's supposed to be. Rayna tells him that he made a real good front man, and he says he learned from the best, and finally ran out of good reasons not to try it himself. Rayna, who loves a cliché in this episode, says nothing ventured, nothing gained. Then there is some silent eye sexing, which is interrupted by a call from stupid Megan. He walks off to take the call, and Rayna looks sort of troubled/thoughtful.
Apparently inspired by her talk with Deacon, Rayna approaches Jeff and tells him that she'll have a check for $20 million first thing Monday morning. She's buying herself, her album, and Highway 65 from Edgehill. He wonders how far she had to go to find a backer, and she tells him she's backing herself. He thinks it's a mistake, but she has made millions before and is confident that she can do it again. TWENTY million, though? Well, I guess we'll see. If she goes through hard times and has to stop getting manicures and flawless hair, I am going to stop watching. Luke approaches, realizing that Rayna has actually done it. His commentary on this is, simply, "Wow. Bold move." She says thanks, but it wasn't exactly the type of comment that really was meant as a compliment. Luke says it isn't a can of worms that he'd want to open, and also assumes this means that she won't be promoting the single with him. She grabs his hand -- with fondness! -- and says she probably won't. He says that it's a shame, since he was looking forward to being out there with her. He withdraws his hand from hers, says he has to say goodbye to some more folks, and leaves her with a kiss on the hand and says, "I'll see you when I see you?" She's all like, "…Yeah," and he basically can't get out of there fast enough. Good thing they're not officially boyfriend-girlfriend or that would have been REALLY awkward. And I can't entirely tell whether he was in a Will-style faux-mance with her, or just doesn't want to go up against Jeff. Either way, though, he's totally a tool. I'm sorry that I ever doubted this fact!
Gunnar performs, giving long glances at Zoey in the audience as he sings about not being able to get it right. One of Deacon's A&R buddies approaches him in the audience. Deacon talks about how good Gunnar is, but the dude isn't interested in that -- he wants to talk about Deacon's budding solo career. Deacon smiles as he says they can do that.
We then cut to Avery and Scarlett returning home and boning. At one point she has to lift her scraggly weave off of her neck so that he can kiss it and/or unzip her dress. That thing must provide all sorts of hijinks during romantic encounters.
We're then back with Juliette, who is joined by Charlie. He says that the video of her remarks to the press went viral pretty quickly, and he thought she'd just deny the affair. She apologizes if that threw a wrench in his reunion with Olivia, but says that she just couldn't stand up there and lie anymore, especially after her encounter with life coach/romantic interest Avery. Charlie isn't mad at her -- he's going ahead with the divorce, since Olivia makes him miserable. And that's no way to live, is it? Juliette agrees that it's not, and Charlie thanks her -- he wouldn't be making chances in his life if she hadn't opened him to new possibilities and made him see the world differently. He's sorry he couldn't do that for her, but hopes she finds somebody who can. She hopes the same thing, and I suspect has a certain little someone in mind.
After his performance, Gunnar signs a few autographs and is then approached by Zoey. She says that Scarlett has been her best friend forever, but if she's REALLY a friend she'd be happy for Zoey's happiness with Gunnar. (I'm not sure that's entirely true, but let's suspend our disbelief for the moment.) Zoey thinks that Scarlett made a mistake in breaking up with Gunnar, and she's not going to make the same mistake. They kiss with the lights of the city behind them, and somewhere in the distance Scarlett angrily stuffs her cheeks full of hamster pellets.
Layla is then at Will's place, looking for him. But he's not there. Why, you may ask? Oh, it's because he's standing tearfully on the train tracks. With a train coming at him! Noooooooo!
Speaking of crazy trains, Juliette shows up at Avery's door. Before he can get a word in, she says that the last few months have been crazy, and she's made mistakes. But when Charlie told her that he loved her, she realized that all she wanted was to be a person who gets to say I love you and really mean it. Avery stands there with what looks to be tears in his eyes, looking very nervous. He's either been looking nervous A LOT lately, or that's just his face. In any case, Juliette says, "So…" and is obviously about to make a big declaration, when Scarlett pops out of another room wearing Avery's shirt and nothing else. Juliette sees her, apologizes, and says she just came to thank Avery. She turns and leaves, crying. Avery calls after her but she keeps going, and then he looks back at Scarlett. There is what you might call some tension in the room.
Then we're back at the festival grounds, where Teddy and Peggy thank Rayna for letting the girls (who have gone home with Tandy) spend the day with them at the festival even though it was her week. She wants to talk to Teddy for a second, to tell him about her Edgehill buyout given the potential financial implications. He says it's risky, but she's always been a risk taker so she might as well go for it. She thanks him, and notes that he and Peggy seem happy. He says they are, and she guesses that everything works out the way it's supposed to, with a little help from pork blood. Rayna gets in her car and Teddy starts to walk away. He is greeted by a random dude, but his sixth sense tells him that random dude is trying to assassinate him. The guy pulls a gun, but Teddy is able to wrestle his arm to the side. The gun goes off, and though Teddy and Rayna are fine, Peggy has perhaps not fared so well. She's motionless on the ground, and doesn't even NEED the pork blood to accentuate the situation. Happy holidays to us?
On January 15: Peggy has been shot, and maybe is dead? But, also, no one has seen Will. Juliette gets paint thrown on her by whore-haters, and Kelly Clarkson wants to record one of Scarlett and Gunnar's songs.
Potes isn't exactly objective about this, but she thinks her new album makes an excellent holiday gift! You can listen/download/buy at traciepotochnik.bandcamp.com.