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Liam is back! But it's all for naught, since he has to witness Rayna canoodling with Luke and then work with Scarlett. He's crabby when Scarlett won't divulge personal details, then he reads her diary. Yes, Scarlett brings her diary to a recording session. It's all covered with Lisa Frank stickers. In any case, Liam's plan works and Scarlett digs deep and writes about her mentally ill mother. When she's exhausted after staying up all night, Liam offers her a pill that he takes for "jet lag." And this is how it all happened with Judy Garland! So look for Scarlett's drug addiction in the near future.
Meanwhile, Luke may be vaguely grody, but he DOES have a lot of money. He makes a customized Rayna Jaymes Nascar car, just because he can. And because he's now all about promoting her label. While on the Nascar grounds, Rayna runs into a Sam Walton-esque dude and chats him up about distribution of her new record. This is something she should have done about a year ago, but she remains unfazed. She invites him to be her special guest at Juliette's induction into the Grand Ole Opry. This event is supposed to be one where Juliette reads an apology (scripted by Edgehill) to her fans and the country for her un-American activities. Instead, she goes off script and refuses to be anyone other than who she is in the mother church of country music. She sings a defiant song about not putting dirt on her grave just yet, and then basically drops the mic. The audience reaction is tepid, while Jeff's is not. He practically gnashes his teeth, and then drops Juliette from the label. She notes that to lose your top two artists six months into a new job isn't exactly stellar performance. Rayna is supportive, telling Juliette that her stunt wasn't too smart, but it was brave.
No other label wants Juliette (we haven't gotten to the question of Highway 65 just yet), and so she sends Glen on vacation and actually feels a bit relieved to take a break from being The Great and Terrible Juliette Barnes. She makes pink macaroni, puts it in a casserole dish and takes it to Avery's place to declare her love. They kiss and have implied size-appropriate sexytimes, and all is right with the world for a moment. Meanwhile, the Sam Walton guy thinks he might be able to find shelf space for Rayna, because whatever Walmart proxy he owns is getting out of the Juliette Barnes business. It looks like Rayna makes a deal with him, to the grave disappointment of Maddie. But nay! She stands on the right side of personal and artistic integrity, which means that signing Juliette must be imminent. Luke thinks she's ballsy. He's also pretty ballsy by promoting her new record at a Nascar-related concert, which sends Jeff into fits. Jeff orders Brent to do all he can to sabotage Rayna's release, while Luke thinks that he might like to sign with Highway 65 himself.
Meanwhile, Deacon learns that Belcourt Buddy has given him a $20,000 recording contract in hopes that he'll wrangle in his famous friends to do a duets album. He's not thrilled about it, and Avery life coaches him to the decision that he'll make a "Live at the Bluebird" album instead -- on vinyl, because he's so behind the curve that he's ahead of it.
In stories of political intrigue, Teddy shares his theory about Lamar with his friend from the feds, while Tandy hides out in a motel in Biloxi. It turns out that she's run off and is in violation of her plea agreement, which is a big problem. Eventually she's arrested, but then informs the feds that she's NOT testifying. What's more, all of the incriminating evidence she gave them on Lamar was stolen, so it's inadmissible in court. So everyone goes free! This is less a result of filial loyalty than of Tandy's fear that Lamar is actually going to kill her. Needless to say, Teddy is not pleased.
Finally, with tour dates being cancelled, Will and Layla hang out in Nashville, which is all very confusing to Gunnar. Layla wants to write with Gunnar and turns out to be a bit of a blank, which leads to her and Will quasi-bonding over what it's like to disappoint your parents. Gunnar, meanwhile, wants Will to come out already and shave the beard.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously on Nashville: Tandy knew all of Lamar's dirty little secrets, and wasn't shy about sharing them with the feds. Teddy theorized to Megan that Lamar ordered the hit on him, while Deacon got a (low-paid) deal with Belcourt Records. Rayna had a come to Jesus with Scarlett, telling her that it takes more than talent to make it in the music business. And after angry mobs with pitchforks and torches showed up at every Juliette Barnes show (well, at least the ones that weren't cancelled), Jeff ordered her to apologize. Juliette in turn showed up at Avery's door…and asked him to write a song with her. A song of apology? Yeah, I didn't think so either.
We open the episode with Luke "Two" Wheeler banging on some drums, and Rayna is impressed. She wonders what he's doing with a guitar, and he says that you can't serenade the ladies with a drum. But he just did! He and Rayna start making out, and it's confusing as usual. Liam comes in at this opportune moment, looking like we feel (which is puzzled and vaguely disgusted). Luke introduces himself all friendly-like, and Liam congratulates him on "Ball and Chain." Liam then says that he's apparently not the only guy that Rayna can make beautiful music with, and Rayna looks rather uncomfortable. Luke, however, is unfazed and looks forward to hearing what Liam will do with Scarlett. He does pull Rayna toward him while he's talking up Scarlett, which leads me to wonder why these two don't just pull it out and measure. Looking at Liam with his extra-shaggy hair also leads me to wonder why Rayna isn't doing the logical thing and boning him instead of Luke -- a question I am bound to ask in perpetuity.
Anyhoo, Liam has finished mixing "This Time," the song that Rayna wrote with Deacon, and agrees that it's the single. This means that their album is done, and now all Rayna has to do is launch it against every major label in town. Scarlett then comes bumbling in to ruin everything, as she does, and Rayna tells her not to let Liam scare her. We're reminded that the first time Rayna met Liam, and he slammed a door in her face. But then they had an all night tequila rager and the world was right. Luke hustles Rayna out so they're not late to their engagement, and she tells Scarlett to have fun and Liam to be nice. And the only thing more awkward than having Luke and Rayna there with Scarlett and Liam, apparently, is having Luke and Rayna leave Scarlett and Liam alone.
Meanwhile, Belcourt Buddy suggests to Deacon that, if he wants to make noise in the current marketplace, he should make a duets album with all of his famous musical friends. Deacon really strikes you as the kind of guy who's comfortable asking favors, doesn't he? He is not thrilled at this idea, and Belcourt Buddy says that he's not some beggar in the streets…he's a legend in the sheets! Or something. Anyway, singing with Deacon would be an honor and not a favor, and Belcourt Buddy thinks that he'll be turning folks away. Deacon says he can't do it, but Belcourt Buddy says it will get his name out there and maybe even on the radio. He asks Deacon if he wants to break out or not. Deacon is perturbed.
Meanwhile Gunnar, who is at home in his boxer-briefs, is surprised to see Will walk out of his bedroom. It turns out that Will was sent home from his press tour, since all anyone wanted to talk about was Juliette's latest scandal, and the three dates have been canceled. Gunnar, who is distractingly hilarious in just his skivvies and a Henley, wonders if the rest of the tour will be canceled. Will doesn't know, and notes that this shows how judgmental everyone can be. Gunnar tells him not to worry, since he's the future of Edgehill and they won't keep him on the sidelines for long. Then Layla comes bopping out of Will's room, to Gunnar's further surprise. She congratulates him on "Ball and Chain," and Will notes that she'll be staying with them until they get things sorted out about the tour. Layla thinks this is evidence that Will is the best boyfriend, but Gunnar is not so sure. To make matters worse, Layla wants to "get into songwriting," and suggests that she and Gunnar try writing together. She has a lot of free time and is willing to work around his schedule, and/or hold out until he runs out of excuses. After she exits the room, Gunnar gives Will a "WTF" look, and Will bows his head in shame.
Scarlett talks to Liam about songs to record. "Crazy Tonight" got the biggest response on tour and seems to be a likely single, but "Looking for a Place to Shine" is special to her since she sang it at the Opry. Liam asks Scarlett where she's from. The answer is Natchez, Mississippi. He wonders how she got "here," and she has to confirm that he means Nashville, at which he points out that Nashville is, in fact, where they are right now. Working with Scarlett is somewhat akin to community service, I think. Liam quickly deduces that she followed a boy. Scarlett is reluctant to engage in this conversation, saying that she thought Liam wanted to talk about music. Liam, however, wants to know about the boy. Scarlett doesn't want to talk about it, and so Liam tells her to bring the charts tomorrow and they'll lay something down. And he could give two shits as to which song it is.
Things are going better for Rayna, since Luke has a big surprise for her. He covers her eyes as he walks her into a building, saying that he's been thinking about marketing and how she wants something big to let people know that Rayna Jaymes is back. And so he's got a NASCAR car with Rayna's mug painted onto it. It turns out he's part owner of the team (NASCAR has teams?) and got the other partners to agree to race it in an upcoming Atlanta event. That will equal millions of viewers watching on TV, and tons of press coverage, and Luke also is giving a private concert to sponsors after the race at which he thinks Rayna should announce her release date. I guess we can all have our own opinions about Luke's innate toolishness, but the dude IS rich. Rayna seems thrilled about the whole situation, which maybe means that she doesn't deserve someone as cool as Liam, who wouldn't be caught dead within a million feat of anything smelling of NASCAR.
In other matters that would viscerally appall Liam, Rayna spots "Sam Boone" owner of "Boone's Superstores." He's one of the sponsors of the race, and Luke suggests that Rayna talk to him. She introduces herself, needlessly since "Boone" (can we just call him Sam Walton, and his chain of stores Walmart?) is a big fan. She says the feeling is mutual, since she recently started a small business and the first thing she did was read his book. She's so inspired by how he took a tiny storefront in Oklahoma and turned it into a monster that has ruined America (and annihilated small businesses such as the one she, herself, has just started), and has a lot to learn from him about how, for example, to exploit her workers for profit. "Boone" is happy to share his expertise, and so Rayna invites him to be her guest tomorrow night at the Opry. He's in, as long as she'll be his guest at the NASCAR race. It's a deal, and when Rayna returns to Luke he notes that even with all of his euphemistic "horsepower," he's getting upstaged by a 70-year old man with suspenders, miles-long scrolls of human rights violations, and three chins. However, "Boone's Superstores" is basically the only place you can still buy CDs, and since Rayna doesn't have a big corporation behind her anymore she has to figure out how to get her own damn album on the shelves. Luke is like, "You're so sexy when you talk distribution. And also, sure, I'm totally down for a threesome with you and Boone."
Then we cut to Juliette at a microphone, apologizing for her recent behavior. She attributes it to craziness related to her mother's death, and then we get a view from behind and realize that she's at the empty Ryman, reading from a teleprompter as part of her rehearsal. She reads, in a very flat tone, that she'll promise to do everything in her power to get her life back on track. After saying, "Forgive me," she confirms with Jeff that she should give a nod to the band to launch into "Dreams." As Juliette trades a look with Avery, Jeff says to Glen, "At last the filly is broken." How has nobody actually punched him in the face yet? It's only a matter of time, right?
We then take a visit to Teddy in his office, where a happy photo of him, Peggy and the kids sits on his desk. Add a little artwork to that and it could be an ad for Boone's Club Pork Blood! His federal agent friend Dash is taking a break from prosecuting Lamar's trial to visit, and Teddy tells him that he's convinced Lamar was behind the shooting. He has no proof, but thinks it makes perfect sense given that Lamar likely thought Teddy was the feds' star witness. Well, that will hold up in court. Teddy knows that it's Tandy who is testifying against Lamar, though Dash won't confirm this directly. Whoever the witness is, says Dash, Teddy should be glad that someone had the guts to go up against Lamar…especially since has no proof to under-gird his theory. He's sorry about Peggy, but thinks that Teddy should be glad that Lamar is going to jail for something. He leaves, and Teddy doesn't seem glad about that at all.
Speaking of Tandy, she's on the phone with Daphne talking about how she's heard that they're spending time with Luke. Daphne is a fan, just like she's a fan of everything. Maddie grabs the phone and asks Tandy to come home soon, then hands the phone to Rayna. Rayna's choosing what she's going to wear tonight for Juliette's induction to the Opry. She says it's a big night, since she and Luke are going public as a couple. She's feeling good about it, she says, neglecting to ask Tandy anything about how SHE is doing. The answer is…probably not so great, given that while on the phone with Rayna she gets a TEXT (I shit you not) from the U.S. Attorney's Office (I shit you not) saying, "Turn yourself in now!" (I shit you not.) This show really gives me all sorts of confidence in our justice system. Tandy makes like she has to go get a mud bath at her spa retreat in Napa, but really she's at a fleabag motel in Biloxi. And the U.S. Attorney's Office has been texting her for days to let her know that she's in violation of her plea agreement and must testify in two days. Maybe they should try tweeting her instead?
Oh! And then we're at South Circle music, where Gunnar has that publishing deal that I totally forgot about. Remember when he dated that nice assistant? In any case, instead of reliving the halcyon days when he and Scarlett would write delicate ballads together and stare doe-eyed into one another's' faces, Gunnar is now there with Layla. She's never written, and also doesn't have any ideas for things that she wants to write about. Gunnar pushes her, and she says that maybe they could write something upbeat. He clarifies that he's talking about what she'd like to say in the song, and she's basically like, "I don't know…fun?" Gunnar gives the example of Taylor Swift, who has fun, upbeat songs that are drawn from personal experience. Layla counters that not everyone's love life is as dramatic as Taylor Swift's. And she, with her perfectly functional, honest relationship, is just as romantically boring as they come. Gunnar tells her that having a great boyfriend doesn't make for a great song, and Layla tells him that he doesn't have to be such a jerk. He points out that he's actually being a SONGWRITER, and then Layla rushes out in a huff. It's not Gunnar's fault that you don't have any ideas in your brain!
Juliette then fights through a crowd to get inside the Ryman, and we see an unintentionally snarky sign that reads, "Congratulations Juliette Barnes!" Luke and Rayna are having a better time, with reporters asking about how they met and their first date and stuff. Someone eventually asks about Lamar's impounding trial, which starts Monday. Rayna deflects, and she and Luke move on. Backstage, Deacon visits Juliette and greets her with a big hug. Megan isn't there, since she's working on a big important case that he doesn't know details about (but we do). He wouldn't miss Juliette's Opry induction, and she thanks him for always being in her corner. Deacon tells her that lots of people love her, including him, and also he wants her to record a duet with him for his new album. She's thrilled that he's recording an album, but tells him that folks tend to burn the things that she sings on, so for his own good she's going to say no. Deacon says that he doesn't care about that crap, and Juliette tells him that's why she loves him. She's actually doing him a solid here. There's another knock on Juliette's door, and it's Maddie! Deacon's face lights up when he sees her and it's soooooo cute, and Maddie tells him that Juliette knows about her real paternity. Deacon awkwardly says that now things aren't awkward. And speaking of not awkward things, I am mightily disappointed that we didn't get to see Deacon reacting to the now public Ruke/Layna.
Meanwhile, Daphne wants to go find "Brad." We'll get to him in a minute. Rayna is waiting for Mr. "Boone," and so Daphne enlists Luke's help. Good thing Teddy's so busy trying to nail Lamar that he hasn't realized that yet another father figure is winning the affections of his daughters. Rayna, who is wearing quite a fetching jacket, welcomes Mr. "Boone," and whisks him away to meet some famous friends.
Juliette does Maddie's makeup, and says that one day she'll be inducted into the Opry, too. After all, not only is she insanely talented but she's country royalty. Maddie thinks it's unfair what people are saying about Juliette, but Juliette says it's the price of fame. Still, Maddie argues that they're bullies, and bullies shouldn't win. I keep hoping that Juliette will have an "It Gets Better" redemption arc, but so far she seems to be stuck in an "It Gets Worse" rabbit hole. They're interrupted by Avery who, after Maddie leaves, says, "You don't have to do this." And given that Avery helped Juliette co-write the song she's about to sing, I think he means she doesn't have to give the finger to her religious crackpots, her label, and fans of country music everywhere. In response, Juliette says, "Yes I do." And really, she does.
We cut to Scarlett singing, "Crazy Tonight," in the studio. Liam sits behind the soundboard and looks like he wants to slit his own throat. He storms out, stops the band, and asks if she's serious about wanting him to produce this. He dismisses the band but yells at Scarlett to stay, and she gets sad bunny face (as opposed to her other dominant expression: rabid chipmunk face). Liam asks what the hell her whiskey-slammin' dirty-dancin' song is about, since he highly doubts that she's the whiskey-slammin' dirty-dancin' kind of girl. He wonders if the song is about who she wishes she was, and Scarlett says that it isn't, but it's just a song that makes people happy. And that is the one thing that Liam McGinnis will not abide! He tells Scarlett that they're done. Scarlett asks what he wants from her, and Liam says that he wants to know her. He wonders how he's supposed to produce an album that introduces her to the world if he has no idea who she is. She is a magical woodland creature who is also half fairy. What else do you need to know? And THEN Liam says it's okay if she won't tell him -- he'll figure it out. As he says this, he grabs her diary (her DIARY, which she brought to a RECORDING SESSION, which doesn't even have a LOCK or KEEP OUT written anywhere on it) and locks himself in the producer's room. Scarlett goes full rabid chipmunk and pounds on the door, to no avail.
When Liam emerges, he kindly doesn't mention the pages that have variations of, "Mrs. Scarlett Scott" and "Mrs. Scarlett Barkley" and "Ms. Scarlett Jaymes-Wheeler" and stick figure drawings of Zoey with her eyes scratched out, and instead asks her about "Black Roses." Scarlett rabid chipmunks that she can't believe Rayna would want her to work with someone like Liam, and he is all, "You mean someone who's actually willing to tell you the truth? Someone who doesn't go all mushy every time you bat your eyelashes?" Touche! I bet Liam also would have hated her terrible cover of "Ring of Fire." Liam did his research and found that the prevailing opinions of Scarlett are that she's nice. And in his experience, inside every nice person there is a rabid chipmunk waiting to get out. Scarlett grabs her journal, and Liam tells her that she's insanely talented and probably way more interesting than she lets on. He wonders why she'd keep the most intriguing parts of herself hidden, and asks if she wants to be a singer or an artist. This seems to break Scarlett down a little bit, and then Liam reads a few lyrics aloud and asks if it's about a boy. Sad bunny Scarlett says, "My mother."
Then we're back at the Opry, where Brad Paisley walks with Juliette and asks if she's nervous. And…I guess it's gentlemanly of him to come on this show after his wife was killed off of the show? In any case, Juliette says she's as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Brad says everything from here will be downhill, since the Opry induction is the highest honor she'll ever receive in her career. Juliette points out that he sucks at pep talks, but Brad says that she's getting a lifetime membership in a club where there's always an audience to listen and love her. And given the fire code, nobody can burn her CDs on the premises. Juliette isn't so sure that there will always be an audience to love her, and Brad says that he's been misquoted, misunderstood, and lied about more times than he cares to remember. He's still there, and so is Juliette. And nothing that Juliette has done has been halfway as bad as "Accidental Racist." There is hope for Juliette yet!
Daphne runs up to Rayna, who's still trying to charm "Boone," and asks if she can go into the wings with Maddie to watch Juliette's induction. Rayna asks "Boone" if he'd like to join, and he says that he's not much of a Juliette Barnes fan but they should go ahead. Rayna sends Daphne with Luke (again!) and instead asks "Boone" if he'd like to go see the Johnny and June exhibit. He's into that not because he's cool, but because he's just old.
Then we're on stage, where Brad officially welcomes Juliette to the Opry family to tepid applause. Juliette thanks Opry guys Steve Buchanan and Pete Fisher, and says she's truly honored. She also thanks Glen for sticking by her all these years and being the closest thing she has to family. From the wings, he blows her a kiss. Jeff is standing there beside Glen, and mutters, "Just read the script already." First of all, that script sucked. Second of all, try being a competent businessman like ONE time. Maybe he needs to read "Boone's" book. Juliette continues that she wants to thank the short list of people who have come to her defense recently, and Jeff practically gnashes his teeth at the realization that she has no intention of saying any of the words on the teleprompter. She continues that people don't seem to approve much of her lately, so much so that Edgehill asked her to come out on this very stage and basically apologize for being born. She adds that they wrote her a nice speech that she's obviously not reading. But Juliette's not going to stand in the Mother Church of Country Music and pretend to be something that she's not. So to all of those out there who want her to beg for forgiveness, or who burn her records, or cancel her concerts, or put her career in the ground…this one's for you. Avery starts playing a guitar riff, and Juliette sings a very defiant and pretty awesome song about not throwing dirt on her grave just yet. Rayna watches backstage and gets a little smile, and when Jeff asks Glen if he knew about this he says, "No, I didn't. If I had, I'd have made sure she called you out by name and told you to shove that teleprompter up your ass." Glen! That is a truly delightful moment.
Despite the superiority of this song and performance AND Juliette's balls, the audience is decidedly not digging it. She ends to tepid applause, then gets silent stares backstage en route to her dressing room. There's a knock at the door. It's Rayna, who says (very much in the fashion of early season one episodes), "…Well that wasn't very smart." But wait! She's not done. Her face softens as she says, "But it sure was brave. Good for you." Aw, I love it when these two are friend-ish, despite the fact that once upon a time Juliette was not so much throwing dirt on Rayna's grave as hiring multiple dump trucks. It's going to be so enjoyable when Juliette signs to Highway 65.
And then it's time for Jeff to pay a visit to Juliette. He tells her that he's always had her best interests at heart, but she fought him. At first he thought it was part of her process, but now realizes that she's just plain stupid. What's more, the label is dropping her, effective immediately. Juliette picks up her Opry induction trophy and tells him that "just plain stupid" is losing two of your top-grossing artists in less than six months on the job, and pinning all of your hopes and dreams on a karaoke singer who came in second place at a talent show. And then comes the real notable quotable of the episode: "I may have just burned the house down, but I made damn sure you were in it when I lit the match. I'll see you in the unemployment line." That girl just read him TO FILTH! Jeff just stands there and watches her walk out. It is this kind of quality scene that we must expect from an episode named after a Dolly Parton song.
The morning, Deacon yells to see if Scarlett wants eggs. It turns out she didn't sleep in her room, so he calls her and finds out that she's still in the studio. Deacon seems concerned that she's been working all night with Liam, and says to call him if she needs anything. Scarlett sits down with Liam, who's at the piano. He asks about a certain lyric, and Scarlett says that her mother became too unpredictable -- up one minute and down the -- and Scarlett thought it was her fault that her mother was so sad. She'd try to be quiet and lay low, so she wouldn't set her mother off. Eventually, though, her mother would get taken off to a "horse farm," which was essentially a psychiatric ward with therapy animals that calmed her down. There's a line where Scarlett tries to convince herself that she's not under her mother's spell, to no avail. She asks Liam if he can get a piano player in so they can get the song down now. And…are we supposed to like Scarlett more after learning that her mother was mentally ill? Is that supposed to explain something? All I know is that if she and Liam hook up I will DIE. DEAD. And don't try to be funny and send black roses to my funeral or I will haunt you for eternity.
Then we're at the NASCAR race, where "Boone" tells Rayna that she's a real class act. The younger generation could take a lesson from her, he says, before asking if she could imagine Loretta Lynn or Barbara Mandrell making a speech the likes of Juliette's. And Loretta would TOTALLY tell you to shove it. Rayna deflects again, and turns the subject to her new label. "Boone" knows that she's after shelf space, and Rayna says she'd love to make a deal. He tells her his third rule is not to mix business with pleasure, but he'll introduce her to the VP who handles that department. There's always more product than shelf space, which is why deals are normally made a year in advance. He'll put them in touch, so they can make a deal for year. Rayna, who I don't think even Googled "starting your own record label" before selling all of her stocks and buying herself out, looks chagrined.
Back at Gunnar's, Will wonders what happened with Layla. She reported that Gunnar humiliated her, but Gunnar says he was just trying to peel back some layers. And there were no layers. Gunnar also wants to know what Will is doing with Layla, given that in terms of attraction he's strictly dickly. This is the same crap that put him on train tracks, like, a week ago. Will says that it's complicated, and Gunnar tells him to uncomplicate it before someone gets hurt. And I don't think he's talking about Layla, unless he believes that it's wrong to play with the emotions of someone who is kind of a dumb-ass. This whole scene has made me realize how refreshing it is to have a Zoey-free episode!
Meanwhile, Teddy is meeting with Megan, who asks what Lamar's motive for putting a hit on him would be. Teddy admits the mess that he was in with the Cumberland deal, and says that he exchanged immunity for information about Lamar. Megan asks if he's the secret star witness for the prosecution. "His information wasn't that good", he says, but he's convinced that Lamar believes it was. Lamar put the feds on Teddy's trail from the beginning, knows that he talked to them, and would infer from the fact that Teddy isn't in jail that he talked to them. Megan kind of changes the subject by asking if Teddy is seeing a grief counselor, and noting that revenge on Lamar won't bring Peggy back. Therapy is good and all, but Teddy will take the revenge, thanks.
With the NASCAR race over, it's concert time. Luke brings Rayna on stage so she can announce that her new album will drop on May 1. Jeff watches from the audience and rolls his eyes. I don't think Rayna realizes he's there, though, and she launches into her new single, "This Time." Luke does kind of a cute dorky dad dance, and "Boone" looks like he might spontaneously drop dead from the excitement. As Rayna sings, Jeff calls Brent and tells him to move a major release to May 1. He wants to block every inch of shelf space -- if it isn't Edgehill, it doesn't get into the stores. Can he block the whole internet, too? Jeff's "Mwah ha ha ha!" is in the same key as the song, so it just blends in.
We cut back to Scarlett, who has fallen asleep on the couch in the studio. Liam wakes her up to say that they're ready, and only have the studio for another 40 minutes. She wants to lay something down, even though her re-scraggled weave apparently wants to make a run for it and has chosen the right back quadrant of her head as its preferred route. Scarlett asks for coffee, and Liam wonders if she's really up for this. She's sure that she doesn't want to lose the moment, and so Liam hands her a bottle of prescription pills that he takes for jet lag. He says it's nothing -- like the equivalent of a few cups of coffee. And then he tells her that she can keep the bottle, and only to take half of one if her nerves are bad. And I wouldn't necessarily have called that Scarlett was going to have a Jessie Spano moment, and yet I'm not really surprised by it either. She swallows down the pill as music of doom plays. A close-up shot reminds us that prescription medicine should only be taken under the guidance of a physician. The more you know!
Then a bunch of FBI agents totally come and arrest Tandy. As they drag her into custody, she says that she had to go into hiding, otherwise Lamar would have her killed. All true, but the FBI is not interested in her insignificant woes. They've got a case to prosecute!
In other tragedies, Will returns to his room to find Layla crying. She spent all day trying to write a song to prove Gunnar wrong, but has realized that, in fact, she's kind of a dumb-ass. She has nothing to say, and has realized she's spent her whole life being the kind of person her parents want her to be. They wanted her to be a pageant-winning Harvard-going country singer, and now all she can think of to say is what they'd want to hear. Oh, boo hoo. If they're trying to make Layla sympathetic, it's going to take more than, "My parents had really high expectations!" Will says, Harvard and pageants excepted, he knows what it's like to want be what your parents expect, and how hard it is when you fall short. Layla commends Will for having the guts to break free and live the life that he wanted, which, HA. He says that sooner or later everyone will find their way, but quite wisely doesn't choose this moment to come out to her. Maybe he's turning a corner, though? Or maybe he's going to have to be dragged out of the closet by TMZ.
Jeff, meanwhile, is grilling Luke about why his NASCAR show turned into a Rayna Jaymes promotional concert. Duh, because they're boning. And then, despite the fact that he's currently wearing a trucker hat, it appears that maybe we've given Luke a smidge less credit than he deserves. He says he's heard that the label lost Juliette, and it seems like Edgehill is having a hard time keeping its artists happy. He adds, "I hope that streak doesn't continue, Jeff." He's pretty enjoyable when he uses his innate dickery for good! There's then a cameo by NASCAR racer Austin Dillon, which is probably exciting to someone. "Boone" approaches Rayna, who is with Maddie, and says that perhaps they can do some business after all. She's thrilled, until he reveals that there IS going to be shelf space because "Boone's Superstores" is out of the Juliette Barnes business. They're no longer going to carry her records because of rule number six: protect your brand. And their brand sucks. He gives her his card and says to call and work out the details, and when he leaves Maddie gives her mom the most pointed teenager look of judgment. Well deserved, though she might not think so when Rayna refuses this deal and they have to pawn all of Maddie's guitars to pay rent on their studio apartment. This scenario is yet another reason for Rayna to keep Luke around, I guess.
And then! Juliette is totally making pink macaroni as Glen calls around and tries to get her another record deal, to no avail. She hangs up his phone and tells him to have some pride. The bottom line is that no label will touch her -- she's too high of a risk and too expensive. More venues are canceling, and basically they're in free fall. Juliette tells Glen that it's time for him to take a nice, long vacation -- on her. She's super calm, and says she's a little relieved because she's tired of fighting, and it's no fun being Juliette Barnes anymore. Starting over sounds good to her, and there's no better way than with a belly full of macaroni, ketchup and cream cheese. Actually, there probably is a better way.
At the Bluebird, Avery chats with Deacon as he waits for someone named Erica, to talk about getting his old spot back. He wants to be able to try out some new material, and Avery deduces that he took the record deal. Deacon in turn deduces that Avery and Scarlett did some chatting before they broke up. It's so awkward when people know things about each other. Avery notes that Deacon doesn't look very excited about the deal, and Deacon says it's lousy -- he gets $20,000 and has to bring in a bunch of superstars to sing on his album. He doesn't know why he took it in the first place. Avery asks Deacon why he didn't take his shot back in the day when he had some heat. Deacon says he was playing guitar for Rayna and writing hit songs, and just didn't feel like he needed to be famous. Avery then asks, "…Do you need it now?" And we can totally see an "a-ha moment" sweep across Deacon's face. I swear that in two episodes Avery is going to be leading workshops at Kripalu.
We're then with Tandy, in custody of the feds. She tells Dash that she's not testifying, but he says he's got a material witness order that says she is. (Let's hope it's not in the form of a Snapchat!) If she doesn't testify, says Dash, she'll lose all immunity. That means jail time, and Dash has enough evidence to convict both her and Lamar. OR DOES HE? Tandy's lawyer says that the documents that Tandy provided were obtained illegally, because she left Wyatt Industries a week before transferring them to a nefarious flash drive. Stolen evidence, apparently, is inadmissible. Dash points out that paperwork from Wyatt industries shows her being terminated after she took the documents, and Tandy says that though it may have taken them a week to process the paperwork, she verbally resigned prior to that. And we DID see her tell off Lamar at some point before she took the documents, I think. The lawyer hands over a motion to suppress the flash drive and all other evidence obtained as a result of those files. Tandy apologizes, but says that she'd rather see Lamar walk the streets than spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder. And I mean… she DOES realize that he could still kill her, right? The Wyatt/Jaymes sisters need to start thinking things through a bit more before making big.
Jeff approaches Rayna after the NASCAR concert, congratulating her for dancing on Juliette's grave (and shelf space) before her body is even cold. Now she's thinking like a label head, he says. Rayna agrees, then stomps off while looking fierce in a white leather jacket. And while I sometimes take objection to Connie Britton's pants and blouses, the jackets have been on point lately.
Then it's time for a musical montage! It's set to Scarlett recording "Black Roses," which starts off in a lower register and is quite moody. She still has a little eye-crossing during the "I'm not under your spell" crescendo, but this time it's borne of pain. As she sings, we see Luke playing with Rayna's kids as she shakes hands with "Boone," Will spooning Layla and looking tortured per usual, Tandy walking free and…well, looking over her shoulder before scurrying off.
After a break, Layla apologizes to Gunnar and admits that she's not sure what she has to say. He tells her that she's young, and probably just hasn't thought about it. She wonders how to start, and he suggests writing down thoughts, feelings and questions in some sort of journal -- just like one of the best songwriters he knows. Get a lock on it, though, if you're going to carry it around with you everywhere! Speaking of Scarlett, she's home with Deacon and wonders if his label is going to go for his new proposal of, "Deacon Claybourne: Live at the Bluebird" pressed on vinyl. If Belcourt doesn't, I think I know a label that will! Deacon isn't trying to be cool by pressing it on vinyl, and says he's so far behind the curve that he's ahead of it. He then looks at Scarlett's sad bunny face and asks if Liam is a good match for her. She thinks he's amazing, though Deacon notes that he's been working her a little hard. But she feels in charge for once, and says that the album is going to be about who she actually is. They do a coffee cheers to their collective musical renaissance, and Scarlett looks awfully tired.
We then cut to Luke and Rayna, and learn that she turned down the distribution deal with "Boone." Luke this this is (impressively, I think) ballsy, and Rayna invokes the "protect your brand" rule. She wants Highway 65 to be a refuge for artists, and not lame like "Boone's Superstores." Juliette may be a pain in the ass, but Rayna won't take part in some corporate jackass trying to squelch her voice. Luke kisses Rayna and says he's starting to think that he signed with the wrong label. The girls come down, and Luke says he's there to help with the Monday morning car pool. Yes, he's got the Rayna Jaymes racing car. Daphne is thrilled, while Maddie emphatically tells Rayna that nobody is taking her to school in that. And as Rayna herself has said…haven't these girls been through enough?
Teddy then gets a call from Megan, who tells him to turn on the TV. As you might have expected, it's news that all charges against Lamar have been dropped. As Megan says that Teddy's right about Lamar being untouchable, we see a blood vessel in Teddy's face burst before our eyes.
Then we're back in the studio with Scarlett and her diary…and the bottle of pills that Liam gave her. She pops another into her mouth as music of doom plays, and we get a long, lingering shot of the pill bottle sitting atop her bag. She is going to be SO insufferable as a pill head.
In happier news, Juliette shows up at Avery's apartment yet again! This time, she has a casserole dish of pink macaroni in tow. So, let's just hope that the way to Avery's heart is not, in fact, through his stomach. She tells him that he convinced her that she'd be okay if everything disappeared. Now that it has, however, she's realized there's one thing she needs. Then she gets REAL close to him and says, "…You." And apparently that pink macaroni will have to wait for twenty minutes.
week: Juliette has turned into a clingy girlfriend, Deacon catches Megan holding Teddy's hand, and Rayna confronts Lamar about how he tried to kill the father of her children.
If Potes ever finds her face on a NASCAR car, she will spontaneously combust. Tweet her @traciepotes or email potesypotes@gmail.com.