“Nashville sure is piling on the illegitimate child theme. The parallel universes of both Avery-Juliette and Gunnar- Kiley with Deacon-Rayna-Maddie are unmistakable.  Normally I might roll my eyes, but I love the way both Avery and Gunnar are staunchly and unapologetically voicing their right to know and play a role in their children’s lives, on their own terms… If only Rayna had had a family with a solid moral compass to support her through her life decisions 15 years ago.  If only Deacon wasn’t an addict… if only…”- Ellie G.

About This Blog

Lately I had the pleasure of having some great discussions about Nashville with Ellie G. She always has something interesting and insightful to say, and when it comes to Nashville there’s always a lot to say. This week she agreed to weight in on some of the more pressing matters in this week Nashville’s episode and chose to focus on the (many) family dramas. Now, you can all enjoy her thoughts and insights!

Family has always been a central theme running through the complicated story lines of Nashville.  Blended, extended families are not unusual, but add celebrity, the music industry, and a huge amount of dysfunction and well, you’ve got some juicy material. So much so in fact that sometimes it seems that Nashville is more than a TV show; it’s also an advance class in human psychology.

This week was no different.

‘Episode 3.05 ‘Happy Road’ : Does  Rayna Jaymes remember She’s The Queen?’

Let’s start with the ‘Royal’ family:  The King and Queen of country have hit some big bumps along the road to blending their families.  Last episode it became clear that fancy jets and toys were no longer satisfying their growing children, who are going through the most vulnerable period of their lives.  This week, Maddie made a cry for help through her poor, but oh so typically teenager, decision to host an un-chaperoned party chez Rayna. It was interesting that it took so long for Rayna and Teddy to figure out they needed extra help with the kids, though Aunt Tandy probably used to be the one to pull through for them. Now that she’s gone, looks like a nanny is on the way. Possible future love interest for Teddy?

Teddy Passes the Buck:  Though it definitely wasn’t fair for Teddy to have to bear the brunt of Rayna’s crazy and ever changing schedule,  once he accepted that responsibility, the responsibility was HIS, whether it was convenient or not.  It was a relief that neither Rayna or Teddy  wanted to interrupt Rayna’s tour and send the message that mom’s careers have to suffer for their families (Yep, Rayna’s got her mojo back, go Rayna!), but it was still surprising that Rayna let Teddy off the hook so easily for that evening’s debacle. Perhaps the reason for it is that on some level, Rayna knows the chaos everyone is experiencing is at least in part due to her crazy decision to marry Luke.

Teddy’s fall from Grace:  Unfortunately for Teddy, that wasn’t the worst part of the episode for him. For someone whose cred seemed to be rising early this season, he sure took a dive last night. He’s turned out to be one of the neediest characters on the show. Despite being the Mayor (on top of being Rayna Jaymes’ ex-husband and getting Deacon’s girlfriend to sleep with him last season), he still feels inadequate.  How hard can it be for the handsome Mayor of Nashville to get a date? And if it’s that hard, what gives? Which begs the question:  What did Rayna see in him 15 years ago, anyway?

All Roads Lead Back to…   Oh yeah, an escape route from Deacon Claybourne.

Nashville 3.01 ‘That’s Me Without You’: When Destiny Comes Knocking

Well, sorry, Rayna, but you can’t escape Deacon, no matter how kick-ass you’re becoming as a feminist music industry mogul, because he’s Maddie’s father, so he’s family, too.  And yes, he’s going to show up for his daughter when she’s in trouble.

Can’t say enough about the touching father – daughter scenes with Esten and Stella.  The thing about Deacon– he’s a sensitive one.  So, on the one hand, he probably feels guilty for his daughter’s pain, but on the other, he also understands it.  In my book, Deacon scored a few points in this episode, too, because though he sounded petulant with Teddy and Luke about it not being his choice to be away on tour, he was actually right.  How ironic is it, that among all the experienced parents in play, Deacon was the only one who had the foresight to know Maddie was going to need her family’s support at this time and shouldn’t be left alone.  Is he the only one paying attention?

Hot Potato – Baby?   And speaking of Maddie, Nashville sure is piling on the illegitimate child theme. The parallel universes of both Avery-Juliette and Gunnar- Kiley with Deacon-Rayna-Maddie are unmistakable.  Normally I might roll my eyes, but I love the way both Avery and Gunnar are staunchly and unapologetically voicing their right to know and play a role in their children’s lives, on their own terms. And we can thank Juliette’s own family– represented by Glenn and Emily, for encouraging her to make the responsible decision to tell Avery about their baby. (Though we give full credit for the awesome text delivery to Juliette! So Classic! )  If only Rayna had a family with a solid moral compass to support her through her life decisions 15 years ago.  If only Deacon wasn’t an addict… if only…

Does Pam bring us Closer to Deyna?   Though she’s a little hard around the edges, Pam turns out to be just the medicine Deacon needs.  Pam has a very pretty voice, loves music, and tells Deacon like it is: that he needs to change his attitude and drop that classic Deacon-style resentment and self-pity (come on, we’re all tired of that, aren’t we?).  It’s a great opportunity for him to be on Luke Wheeler’s tour, if he’d only strut his stuff and blow everyone’s socks off (Keith Urban, watch out).  Thank the heavens above that Deacon is inspired by someone and something other than Rayna Jaymes.

That level of codependence just isn’t healthy for any relationship.

And there you have it: Family really does matter, on Nashville.