'Nashville' Season 4 Premiere Recap: Three Men and a Baby
Spoiler alert! A lot went down on the Season 4 premiere of Nashville, “Can’t Let Go.” Here’s how we called it:
Avery and Cadence moved in with Gunnar and Will. Yes, the baby is named Cadence. That aside, this is the best move the show has made since getting rid of Peggy and Lamar and incarcerating Teddy. Avery, who’d spent the last month with his parents, declined their generous offer to help set him and Cadence up there and returned to Music City — where he’s going to be roommates with Gunnar and Will. Their Three Men and a Baby act should provide the levity this show needs if we’re forced to watch Juliette continue to spiral and neglect her family. Plus, if Gunnar’s not fulfilled by his sterile new working relationship with Scarlett, he can moonlight as a trio with these two. At the very least, Cadence should get some excellent lullabies sung to her.
Speaking of Scarlett, she’s moved in with her doctor boyfriend and, even though she shared a hot kiss with Gunnar, decided to tell said boyfriend that she loves him. The boyfriend, whose name I can’t be bothered to learn, is safe and nice in real life, but boring for a TV show. Worse: Scarlett refused to record with Gunnar, choosing instead to lay down her tracks separately. Apparently it yielded Gunnar’s best session ever, but it seems like she’s sabotaging both their professional livelihoods.
Deacon lived. OF COURSE HE DID. Shame on ABC for even pretending there was a chance he wouldn’t. He’s spent the last month at his sister’s bedside, but it looks like Beverly is going to make it, too. Does that mean we’ll see more of her? Hope not. But it’ll be good to have Deacon sober and happy again. So what will be his new drama now…
Related: ‘Nashville’ Season 4: Hayden Panettiere and Dee Johnson Preview Juliette’s Arc
Rayna’s girls are getting a storyline that’s not them singing. It makes perfect sense that the girls would have different loyalties — Maddie still has dad Deacon, while Daphne feels like her father is absent even though Deacon is there and loves her as well. But let’s not spend too much time on the girls unless they have mics in their hands, okay?
Rayna learned her label is a joke. Thank Juliette, who tore Rayna down when Rayna made the incredibly kind gesture of flying across the country to see Juliette after Juliette called her sobbing on a hotel room bathroom floor. Juliette pretended like she hadn’t phoned her and informed her that everyone sees Highway 65 as a failed vanity project. With the money she got from Luke buying out Juliette’s contract, Rayna can invest in a new artist. Look for True Blood’s Riley Smith to play a dis-banded rocker who wants to go country.
Juliette remains in denial. It’s gonna be frustrating to watch Juliette drink with her new best friend (whose name I’m also choosing not to learn), go clubbing with her new entourage, and duet with Steven Tyler on “Crazy” when we know what she’s ignoring. On the other hand, since it’s still difficult to fully embrace Layla, we’re good with her taking her down a peg and tossing her glass of champagne in Layla’s direction as Layla leaves the room. That was a Cookie moment.
Will went from one beard to another. Taking Luke’s advice to lay low literally, he hasn’t gone out with his boyfriend — or shaved — in a month. When they finally did go out, a woman Will had slept with made a scene at a restaurant. Then Will wasn’t exactly feeling the gay club his boyfriend took him to. He needs to find where he feels comfortable, which is with Avery and Gunnar. If Will can’t be the next Luke Wheeler now, he should change the narrative: and him forming a trio with his straight male roommates would be a great story. Just saying.
Nashville airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC.
