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Lamar is getting out of prison! Celebrate good times! Or don't, as the case may be. While Rayna and the girls plan to throw a party for him, Tandy gets really twitchy and tries to uninvite herself. She's forced to see Lamar momentarily and he notices that she can't look him in the eye. To make matters worse, Teddy visits Rayna and not only tells her that he's responsible for Peggy's death, but spills the beans about Tandy being a federal informant. Rayna thus confronts Tandy, who further tells her that Lamar probably killed their mom and gives her a folder of evidence from the private investigator. Rayna thus confronts Lamar, who says that while he did follow their mother when she left him, he didn't run her off the road. But he also didn't call an ambulance when her car crashed. And then she asks if he tried to kill the father of her children, and he doesn't deny it to her satisfaction. Rayna thus decides to take a break from her family. Apparently it's going to be permanent in one direction, as Lamar visits Teddy's office to ask why he's poisoning Rayna against him, learns that Tandy was the informant and then has another heart attack. He moans for help, and Teddy just stands there and looks at him. Yeesh. Teddy is likely feeling particularly on edge since Megan recused herself from the Stoffel case (due to Deacon walking in on them holding hands) and she has somehow become his one and only friend.
Deacon, meanwhile, has asked Avery to engineer his Live at the Bluebird album (while Juliette hides quite awkwardly in Avery's bedroom). After he freaks out about seeing Megan with Teddy he calls her a tragedy junkie, and decides to cut a killer love song opener from his set. Then Avery life-coaches him back to sense, Megan assures him that she's left the Teddy-adjacent case and also that she loves him, and the recording is a success.
Juliette, who has nothing to do while hiding out in Avery's house other than order him all new furniture that he hates and discover foreign film, turns out to be very bad (and annoying if you're her boyfriend) at laying low. Avery life-coaches her that just because you close your eyes doesn't mean you're invisible, and so she shows up at Deacon's Bluebird show. Deacon gives his blessing to Juliette and Avery as a couple, and she decides it's time to go back to the studio with Avery as her engineer.
Scarlett is also at Deacon's show, and everyone notices that she's unusually pleasant. It's because she's a pillhead now. And if her drug addiction has this much positive effect on her personality, I say keep at it! She's even nice to Zoey, which arouses high suspicion. She has just come from shooting Rayna's video, at which Bucky and the director agree that her energy is "off the charts." Scarlett on drugs is her best self! Just say yes!
And then there's Will. It's his album that will be coming out on May 1 against Rayna's, and apparently he's just now going into the studio with no songs other than the one that Gunnar wrote. Brent sends over demos, which he hates, and then pays a visit to him in the studio at which Will gets another chance to be mean. Gunnar tells Will that he's not fooling anyone by acting needlessly harsh to Brent, so Will tells Jeff that he and Brent aren't "connecting." (Except those two times, I guess.) Jeff, who adds "vaguely homophobic" to his list of unredeeming qualities, tells Brent that he makes the talent uncomfortable and then fires him. He's going to handle Will himself. Brent shows up at Will's place to basically say, "Good luck with that," and peace out. Will then plays a sensitive ballad that Gunnar wrote for him, which is amazing but not enough "pray the gay away" for his taste. He insists that Gunnar will be the only one who will hear him sing it. In other news, Zoey is now also a singer too, I guess. Just what we needed!
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously: Will set a new standard in self-loathing; Deacon planned to record a live album at the Bluebird; Liam casually turned Scarlett into a pill head; Tandy was the star witness in Lamar's trial, but after realizing he'd probably try to kill her, recanted her testimony; and Juliette and Avery finally admitted their feelings for one another without interruption. Huzzah!
We begin under the covers, where Juliette and Avery's sleeping and/or sexy-timing is interrupted by yet another call from Emily and an urgent text from Juliette's publicist. The urgent text begins, "Country music titans express outrage..." at which point Juliette wants to hear no more. The world has made a sport of hating her, and now she's going off the grid. Avery seems a little disconcerted that his apartment is considered "off the grid," but because he's the new, improved Zen Avery that we all love, he's going with it. There's a knock at the door, which Juliette begs Avery not to answer. He ignores her pleas, and opens the door to find Deacon. Avery's apartment has an open floor plan, which is awkward since Juliette is trying to hide. Deacon has come to ask Avery if he'll engineer the Live at the Bluebird EP. Avery, of course, would love to. Deacon says he has a shoestring budget, then sits down on the couch because obviously he wants to stay a while and talk about this. And apparently he hates phones, or loves awkward situations. Juliette crouches on the floor under a cover as Avery says they can record the whole thing on analog, and suggests that they meet up later for a dry run. As Deacon is leaving, he asks if Avery has been in touch with Juliette. Avery says she's all right but lying low (literally), and Deacon remarks that she stirred up a hornet's nest with the Opry performance and is a "hard-headed little thing". Once Deacon's out, Juliette surfaces for air. And, I mean…it's not like he's never seen her naked before.
Then we're on set at Rayna's new music video. It involves her in a red lace mock-turtleneck dress, and couples in black and white dancing, and overall it is fairly terrible. Connie Britton looks like she is being forced to sway her hips from side to side under threat of the most tortuous torture. The director seems happy enough, though. And then Tandy's there! It's a surprise, and she says she wanted to see how the shoot was going. It's going expensively. But Tandy agrees that it's the first single on the label and needs to make a big splash. Rayna and the girls all missed Tandy a bunch, and Tandy says that the "spa" was really nice. At least when she wasn't getting threatening texts from the U.S. Attorney's Office! Luke, meanwhile, is on tour for another week, which Rayna says is probably a blessing since Lamar is getting released. And introducing your boyfriend to your dad just as he's getting released from jail is awkward, I guess. Rayna still doesn't understand what happened with Lamar's release, but optimistically attempts to think that maybe he's actually innocent. She will be disabused of that notion before long! The girls are planning a welcome home party for Lamar that afternoon, and Tandy tries to beg off, saying she has meetings. For her job with Rayna, I guess? What meetings? Rayna refuses to allow excuses, saying that she doesn't know what's happening with the two of them, but their father is getting out of prison and they're going to be a family. Not a happy family, but a family nonetheless!
Meanwhile, Will is listening to demos sent over by Edgehill. He tells Gunnar (who is eating cereal, which I'm gathering he does a lot, though this time not in his underwear) that his album drops May 1… against Rayna's. Gunnar says it's a compliment that the label thinks he can take on Rayna, but Will isn't happy with the demos. And having a song as great as "What If I Was Willing" makes the others pale in comparison. As it happens, Gunnar has another song that he wrote with Will in mind, which he wrote after the whole "Brent thing." Will takes the lyrics, which begin, "I've always been broken underneath my smile…If I'm being honest I didn't stand a chance." As Gunnar notes that a ballad would round out the album, Will looks upset. He says he's not broken (wrong!) and this isn't his brand (but it should be!). Zoey then walks in with hair straightened and full makeup, saying she's just going to run errands. Gunnar wonders if he's crazy or if that's weird, and Will says yes to both. Well, at least Will doesn't seem like he'll stay mad at Gunnar's attempts to nudge him out of the closet.
At Deacon's house, he goes on about how things are falling into place perfectly for his live EP, but Megan is preoccupied by her iPad. She can't believe that Lamar is walking free, though Deacon is unsurprised. He then gets turned on by her legalese and she tears herself from the screen to kiss him before heading to work. She promises that she'll be at the live EP recording on time, and enthusiastically cheering him from the front row. She passes Scarlett on her way out. Apparently, Scarlett is just coming in, and recorded three more tracks with Liam that features her best vocals ever. Somewhere in the recording process her weave has re-scraggled itself, which I interpret as foreshadowing. Scarlett is planning to be at the Bluebird for Deacon's EP recording, saying she only has Rayna's video shoot tomorrow. Deacon tells her to make sure she gets some rest, and she says she can't since she's got songs pouring out of her. Deacon looks vaguely concerned. And Scarlett's intervention is going to be SO boring. Ugh.
Then we're with Zoey, whose big secret "errand" is actually an audition to be a backup singer. When her name is called, the woman running the audition asks for her head shot and demo. Zoey, who has apparently never heard of Google, looks surprised and says she doesn't have those. The woman asks if she's ever worked as a backup singer before, which she has not. The woman then says, "Well, honey, come back when you've got your tools ready." This is a perfectly professional response! If Zoey had spent less time straightening her hair and more time, say, asking someone at the legendary music club where she works what you should prepare when going on a backup singer audition, she might have had a better chance.
At Lamar's house, Rayna and the girls are decorating. Rayna tells Tandy to prepare for Lamar's impending frailty. He has been locked up in jail, after all, and had a heart attack just before that. I still think he's not looking bad, considering that he's one thousand years old. The girls get excited to see Lamar rolling up, and he emerges from a car looking a little worse for the wear. He hugs the girls, and then Rayna, and then Tandy. Tandy is totally weird, especially when Lamar says he hasn't seen hide or hair of her recently. She says she's been busy, then begs off, saying she has a million things to do. Lamar gives her a suspicious look, and Rayna also tries to give her grief, since she said she'd stay. Tandy tells Rayna that she can't, then scurries off. Well that's not suspicious at all!
And then we are treated to Maddie and Daphne singing a lovely song for Lamar. And Rayna joins in on a third harmony! It's really sweet and sounds wonderful, and Lamar says it's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen or heard. And the girls have made him cookies too! They run off to get them, which gives Lamar opportunity to mention to Rayna that Tandy never once looked him in the eye today. Rayna theorizes that it's going to take a little time for all of them to heal. I sure hope Lamar doesn't drop dead before they get a chance! I mean, tick tock.
Back at Avery's, Juliette seems upset that he's leaving. But Avery has things to do to get ready for Deacon's show! She tries to convince him to stay by saying that she made toast, which he points out looks to be plain bread with blobs of butter in the middle. She had to microwave it, because he doesn't have a toaster. When that culinary appeal doesn't work, she gets flirty and says she'll watch "that weird sci-fi movie" with him. He replies, "That's Fellini, not sci-fi." It's all the same in the trailer park, I think. That attempt fails too, and Juliette pouts as Avery walks out the door.
Layla has bought groceries for Gunnar and Will's place, and they're unpacking as Zoey returns home. Will is heading off to the studio, where Gunnar will be joining him. And Layla has the exciting news that American Hitmakers is flying her to L.A. tomorrow to debut her single on their top ten show. She practically begs for a kiss from Will, and Zoey looks despondent as Gunnar tells her he's heading off to music row before going to the studio. Yes, everyone has exciting musical things going on except for you. Deal with it! Maybe try signing up for a college course!
At the Bluebird, Avery's setting up for Deacon's show when Emily comes to him in a panic, asking if he knows where Juliette is. He says he hasn't seen her, and Emily is suspicious. Still, he spills no beans.
Teddy, meanwhile, has walked into Rayna's house, all tweaked out per usual. With nary a hello, he drops the news that Lamar is responsible for Peggy's death since he was trying to assassinate Teddy. This is because he thought that Teddy was the prosecution's star witness. And it was all for nothing, since Teddy didn't know enough about Lamar's business to tip off the feds. And in case you were wondering, Teddy is totally talking like a crazy person. He goes on to say, "But she did." Rayna is confused and says this all sounds nuts, and Teddy tells her to ask Tandy why she didn't testify on Lamar's behalf, and what he's capable of…because she knows better than anybody. Rayna has a look on her face like she's putting two and two together.
We're then in the studio, where Gunnar and Will are jamming to a recording of "What If I Was Willing." Will wants to take another pass at the bridge, and as the engineer goes to check his mic, Brent walks in to check on the session. Jeff sent him over to get Will's thoughts on the demos, since they have to start locking down tracks on the album. And…it seems like maybe not the best business move to set an imminent release date for an album that has only one song. In any case, Will isn't feeling any of the songs in the batch. Brent says that some of those songs are great, but Will tells him to keep looking. Brent agrees to send over more songs, then walks out. The whole time, of course, Will is all weird and tortured about talking to Brent, and Gunnar tells him that he's kidding himself if he thinks he has "this thing" under control. He adds that anyone within a ten foot radius can tell there's something going on with Will and Brent. Will looks displeased, to say the least. I think he's wondering if he can deadbolt his closet door.
As Juliette's mind is being blown by Fellini DVDs, there is a knock at Avery's door. It's Emily, who yells that she knows Juliette is there. She wonders why Juliette has been ignoring her, and Juliette says she's quitting everything. Emily guesses that Juliette knows country radio is dropping her from their playlists, and Juliette covers her ears. She doesn't know, and doesn't want to know. She's willing to give Emily a great reference, but Emily doesn't want another job. Juliette gets a scheming look in her eye and says that she does have something that Emily can help her with.
Meanwhile, Rayna catches Tandy at home and notes that she had to leave Lamar's party in such a hurry because she was getting a haircut. Rayna has to admit it does look nice, though there is a twinge of judgment in her countenance. Tandy has gotten some business-y things in order (we know she's serious because we can see a pie chart on one of the papers spread out on Rayna's kitchen counter), but Rayna has other business to attend to. She reveals that Teddy came by in quite a state, and had some "real strange things" to say about Tandy -- like that Tandy is responsible for Lamar's prosecution. And you would think that after so many years of working for Lamar Tandy would have a better game face. She tells Rayna that the feds had already set their sights on Lamar, she just provided a little information. Rayna wonders if they had something on her, but Tandy says that she wanted him punished, since -- Bombshell #3! -- he's responsible for their mother's death. He ran her off the road, and wasn't in Louisville like he claimed. Rayna wonders how Tandy knows, and Tandy says she found out right before Lamar was arrested, and was forbidden from telling Rayna anything. Rayna throws her phone on the counter (don't take it out on the phone, TV people!) and storms off after saying that everyone in her family is a damn liar. I mean, she has a point.
Jeff then shows up at Will's session, apparently at Will's request. Will has summoned him there to say, "I don't think me and Brent are connecting." If I recall, you actually connected just fine after the Music City Music Festival. Jeff (much too quickly, if you ask me) asks if Brent was inappropriate in any way, and Will says that Brent makes him uncomfortable. This is TRUE, just not for the reasons that he's intimating. On top of that, says Will, he's picking all the wrong demos. Will wonders if there's someone else who can be on his team. Jeff says that Will is a massive part of Edgehill's future, and he'll not only look after Will personally but take care of Brent. Both of these things are highly ominous!
Meanwhile, Tandy walks into Rayna's bathroom while she's washing her face (try knocking!) and says she's going to move back to her house. Rayna seems coldly fine with that. But Tandy has something else: it's the report from the private investigator that she hired to look into Lamar's death. She tells Rayna that she's not lying now, and walks out. We then cut to Teddy, who's in Megan's office, talking about how surreal it is that Lamar is probably at home drinking his third scotch. I visualize Megan's office as being something akin to Lucy's booth, where she changes a sign and she goes from being a lawyer to a psychiatrist. Megan says that she doesn't think this is over yet, then comes around the other side of her desk to say that federal investigators contacted her about the Stoffel case. They think there's some validity to Teddy's theory that Lamar is involved. Teddy wonders how they're going to prove that he ordered a hit. He says that Peggy deserves better (never mind that she really doesn't) and Megan grabs his hand as she tells him not to lose hope.
At this moment Deacon enters with two coffees and a smile -- until he sees Teddy and Megan holding hands, that is. He wonders what the hell is going on -- a valid question if I've ever heard one. Teddy tells Deacon to calm down (!!!!!!) and says that they're friends. Teddy leaves, and Deacon might as well have "WTF" tattooed to his forehead. Deacon wonders what they were talking about, and Megan tells him that it's privileged information. He shoots back, "The kind that requires y'all to hold hands?" He's doing great on cross-examination so far! Megan says that Teddy is upset about Peggy's death, and is a part of the big case that she's been working on. Upon the news that Teddy is at the heart of the case that has caused Megan to work such long hours, Deacon gets really rage-y. Matters are not helped when Megan says that she understands what Teddy is going through. Deacon asks if she's some sort of tragedy junkie (yes), and if she's with him because he's a hot-headed alchie that she seduced to help fulfill her savior complex (yes). Megan wonders what he's talking about. What Deacon is talking about is Megan latching onto people who have problems so she can feel better about herself. Megan tells Deacon to leave. She's not wrong there, either.
Avery then walks through the door of his apartment and gets a strange look. Juliette is standing there in an apron with freshly ordered food. Avery wonders what happened to his furniture, since the couch, bed, coffee table and floofy pillows are all different. It turns out he liked his old couch just fine. Also, he understands Juliette's instinct to hide out, but says she can't be afraid of the haters. Juliette claims that she isn't afraid, and says that all she has left is Avery. And all Avery has left is his life coaching degree. He tells her that she's the only one who can change the conversation, and sure as hell can't do that holed up in his redecorated apartment. Juliette tells him that there is no conversation and walks away.
We cut to Rayna, going through Tandy's folder of evidence against Lamar. She looks REALLY sad.
With that, Jeff and Brent meet for coffee. Jeff says that, given that Edgehill has just lost two of their top-grossing artists (he doesn't mention that he's directly responsible for both losses), they have to do what they can to keep their artists happy and launch the generation. Brent agrees, and asks what Jeff needs from him. Jeff in turn says that he needs to cut Brent loose since "the talent is not comfortable around you." Brent can't even believe it, and says he's been nothing but professional. Jeff assures him that he'll receive a good severance after signing a non-disclosure form, but Brent is still agog. He's been working for Jeff for five years, and left his life in L.A. to come and work for this boob, and this is what he gets. Jeff says he has to protect his artists. Just like he protected Juliette with all of his great PR advice?
Meanwhile, Scarlett is sound asleep on the couch as a calendar reminder goes off, saying, "Rayna's music video in fifteen minutes." Well, that can't be good.
We then cut to Megan, telling Teddy that one of her partners is taking over the Stoffel case. She's recused herself because it's unprofessional -- Deacon is connected to Maddie, and thus, the Wyatt family. She thought she could demand it, but the demands of the case (e.g. that she has found her perfect boring soul mate in Teddy) have become too much for her. Teddy wants Megan to know that she's the only person he can talk to about all this. Get a therapist, dude! Megan tells him that maybe one day he'll find another friend. Hmm... doubtful.
Brent then pays a visit to Gunnar and Will's apartment, to announce that Jeff has just fired him since "he's not a good fit." Layla thinks this is crazy, and tries to enlist Will to call Jeff. Brent tells her that he's fine, and to knock 'em dead in L.A. Gunnar says he's sorry to hear the news and leaves Brent to confront Will. Brent says that Will got what he wanted and Will claims not to know what he means. But Brent, unlike Will, isn't totally stupid. He says he's really good at his job, and will be more than okay. Will, on the other hand, just lost his biggest ally at Edgehill. Will says he'll have to look out for himself from now on and Brent gives an ominous, "Good luck with that." It can't be good to have Jeff take a personal interest in him. Brent leaves, and Gunnar can't believe that Will had Brent fired. Will says he didn't mean to…he just didn't want Jeff around him anymore. He points out Gunnar's earlier mentioning that anyone could tell there was a problem. Gunnar in turn points out that ONE GUY isn't a problem, adding, "Dude, you tried to kiss me!" Ah, and if only he had succeeded. Will says that he knows things have been strange lately, but it's over. He knows what he wants, and isn't going to let anybody get in his way. I'm sure that's going to pan out great, just like it has in the past.
Meanwhile, Scarlett is looking super-scraggled and vacant as she gets her makeup done for Rayna's video shoot. Bucky asks if she's okay, and she says she's just working really late nights on the album. She asks the makeup team to give her a minute, and asks if she's holding Rayna up. Rayna is at home, and it's just Scarlett's part in the video today. When Bucky leaves, Scarlett reaches into her bag and pops another one of Liam's magic pills. Apparently that is one deep bottle.
And then there's more foreign film viewing on Avery's new couch, and when Juliette isn't able to distinguish Italian from French, he decides it's time to go set up for Deacon's show. He suggests that Juliette come with him, and she gives a sharp no thanks. Avery tells her that she's going to go stir crazy, but she says she has all of his artsy-fartsy films that she doesn't understand to get through. And then Avery kisses Juliette, says he'll miss her, and life coaches her that just because she closes her eyes, it doesn't mean she's invisible. I think he got his therapy degree from the same place as Jillian Michaels.
Lamar sits outside on a bench in front of his house as Rayna walks up the walk. He greets her with a friendly hello, and she responds with, "Did you kill my mother?" Way to exchange pleasantries! Once inside, Lamar explains, kind of. He says that he and Virginia were fighting about Watty, and she came down with her bags packed. He thought she'd go halfway down the driveway and turn around, but she didn't. This time, she meant it. Lamar chokes up as he says he had to go after her, and beg her to come back to him. He loved her too much to lose her. Virginia must have seen him following in her rear view mirror and sped up, and so did Lamar. She was going so fast that she lost control (probably because she was afraid that he was going to kill her, since that is a thing that he does). Lamar saw her crash, but didn't get help or do anything. He says that he tried, but she had gone over an embankment and when he got there, there was nothing he could do -- she was already gone. And then, Rayna confirms, he just went to Louisville and lied about it. Lamar (who seems genuine, but who knows) says that he panicked, and left her there alone on the side of the road. He's crying, kind of, and Rayna gets tears in her eyes as well.
Meanwhile, Zoey lays silent on the couch until Gunnar asks what's wrong with her. She admits that she's frustrated, since everyone she knows is doing awesome things. And she isn't. A year ago she got out of Natchez because she didn't want to be the girl who never left, but now she's wondering if sitting around like a dope in Nashville is any better. He tries to give her points for being his girlfriend, which she isn't buying. Then he tells her that she's not just a waitress -- she's working at one of country music's most revered venues and has "a front row seat." This isn't what she wants, though, and Gunnar says that when she decides it's time for something new, he'll be there.
At the Bluebird, Deacon tells the band that they're striking the first song from the set. Avery hears and wonders what's wrong with the opener. Deacon says he isn't feeling it, and STILL isn't feeling (perhaps even more) when Avery points out that it's a killer love song. Avery takes a tough love approach (Week 6 in his life coach correspondence course) with Deacon, saying that he's staking a lot on this EP and should either fix what's bothering him or get over it before they start recording. Deacon seems to find this persuasive.
At the video shoot, Scarlett's magic pills have indeed worked magic. The director says that her energy is "off the charts" and Bucky agrees that she's great. She should totally stay on those pills for the rest of her life! They make her so competent and much less mopey!
And then Juliette enters the Bluebird, passing through a few scandalized looks on her way. Avery kisses her and Juliette warns him against it, saying that nobody knows what they'll throw at her . But Avery is going to kiss her whenever he wants, and Juliette tells him that she does, in fact, hate being invisible. Then Scarlett comes in and is totally friendly to the both of them! They recognize it as weird and suspect. Things get even freakier when Scarlett is nice to Zoey and even compliments her hair. Druggie Scarlett is the best Scarlett of all!
Megan then enters, in response to a nice message from Deacon. They apologize to each other, and Megan admits that though she does like to save people, that's not why she loves Deacon. LOVE? Gah. Don't even get me started. And where are Rayna and Maddie? Well, I guess Rayna is confronting every member of her family and stuff, and Maddie doesn't have a ride otherwise. Anyway, Megan says that she recused herself from the Stoffel case, and won't be hanging around Teddy so much. Deacon takes the stage, and tells the audience that most of them know about his rough patches. During one of his more recent dark times, an angel appeared. And that's who his no longer cut opening song is for. Yes, it's Megan. And I guess Deacon's hand is okay now? Apparently cutting his cast off with a hand saw was a good move? Scarlett stares wide-eyed at the song, because she's high as a dragonfly. Also, this song is totally secretly about Rayna.
Speaking of, Lamar is telling Rayna that he did a lot of things wrong, but was always acting out of love for her mother. Rayna isn't sure what she believes anymore. He's lied about this for so long, as did Tandy. Lamar wonders if this is what Tandy's problem with him has been. Well, yes and no. Lamar says that he feels the guilt of his involvement in Virginia's death every day, and that maybe it's a blessing that this is out in the open now. Maybe they can get past it and find some peace. He says it's all he wants. What Rayna wants is the truth, on one particular matter: was Lamar involved in Peggy's death? He asks why she'd think that, and she asks if he thought Teddy was involved in his prosecution. Lamar says he has no doubt about that, and so Rayna asks if he hired Stoffel to shoot at Teddy. Lamar says that he didn't hire anyone to do anything -- he was in jail. She wonders if Smithers did it for him, and Lamar says that Stoffel had his own reasons for hating Teddy. Rayna shouts at Lamar, asking if he did it. He doesn't deny it to her satisfaction, and Rayna again asks if he tried to murder the father of her children. Lamar just looks at her, and she says she doesn't want him near her or her children. As far as she's concerned, both of her parents are dead. See kids, crime does not pay! Lamar looks like he's reminiscing about what a good time jail was.
We then get the treat of Will singing the ballad that Gunnar wrote for him, which I think is called, "Is That Who I Am?" Gunnar sneaks in and listens, then tells Will that it's perfect for him. Will says that Gunnar is the only one who will ever hear him sing it and storms off. To the bathroom I guess? Anyway, Will's instincts are TERRIBLE.
Meanwhile, Megan hugs Deacon after his show and tells him that he was so, so good. She goes to freshen up, and Juliette comes to congratulate him on an amazing show. They're both glad that she subverted her self-imposed house arrest, and Deacon tells her that you never want to stay too long at a pity party. He adds that she's been given a voice, and if she keeps saying what she believes she's going to be fine. Avery then congratulates Deacon on killing it, saying that it sounded like pure, bottled Bluebird. Deacon then looks at Juliette and Avery and kind of asks if they're a thing. He likes it! Juliette then decides she wants to get into the studio with Avery as her producer. He agrees, as long as he can get his furniture back.
Scarlett is once again pleasant to Zoey, causing Zoey to ask if she's okay. Scarlett says she's busy as hell with recording, writing, and doing press, and will be back on tour soon. She adds that life is kind of perfect, and tells Zoey to give her best to Gunnar. Scarlett on drugs is her best self! Never go to rehab!
Scarlett's words were apparently enough to give Zoey a kick in the pants, though not the kind that would make her get her professional ducks in a row and show up to an audition with head shots and a demo. Instead, she marches into the same audition, tells the lady who blew her off that she doesn't have a demo or any professional experience, but she does have a recording of her church solo, and she can sing. She can really sing! Like the Sally Field of Nashville! Also, I think this show sets up unreasonable expectations about the ease with which you can get a publishing deal/record contract/backup singing gig in the music city.
The girls return home, wondering where Aunt Tandy is. Rayna tells them that she left, and adds that she and Aunt Tandy and Grandpa are going to have to take a little time apart from each other. The girls are so used to being part of a fucked up family that they just hug Rayna knowingly.
Then Lamar visits Teddy, wondering why he's so hell bent on destroying him and feeding lies to Rayna, the feds, and anyone else who will listen. Teddy goes on about how Lamar was always surrounded by people who would do his bidding, and never thought that the one who betrayed him was right under his nose. Lamar wonders if Teddy is telling more lies, and Teddy goes on about how Lamar was betrayed by his own flesh and blood. Lamar gets even MORE ashen, if such a thing is possible, and says, "Not Tandy." Teddy drones on about Peggy's body being cold in the ground and revenge and blah blah blah, but Lamar isn't hearing it because he's totally having another heart attack. He slumps down on Teddy's desk and mutters "Help me!" Teddy in turn watches as Lamar collapses to the floor, not making any move to his phone. Awkward!
time: Music! Heart pounding drama! Lamar is dead! Liam kisses Scarlett! Everyone is freaking out! And Rayna says that all the lying has to stop.
Potes will take some of Scarlett's happy pills, thanks. Tweet her @traciepotes, email potesypotes@gmail.com, or check out www.traciepotochnik.com for all things musical.