Nashville Creator Callie Khouri and Charles Esten on a 'Mind-Bending' Birthday Bash – Plus Videos!
It’s Deacon’s birthday, but you’re getting the presents: Scoop on this week’s Nashville episode — courtesy of creator Callie Khouri and the birthday boy himself, Charles Esten – and video sneak peeks!
Read on (and watch) to find out whether this Wednesday’s outing (ABC, 10/9c) will make you want to celebrate, too.
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FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING | After his recent ups and downs with Rayna, a surprise party “is the last thing he needed – or thought he needed – right about now,” Esten says. But when Juliette Barnes gets an idea in her head, that idea usually becomes a reality. The bash she throws him is “the first birthday party he’s ever had,” Khouri adds.
YES, RAYNA ATTENDS | Ms. James is present for her soulmate’s big evening – despite the less-than-friendly way they left things outside the hotel after he saw her with Liam. Khouri calls their interaction “bittersweet,” but “she comes through for him.”
Interludes like the one they share at the fiesta, Esten says, are the times that Rayna and Deacon work best. “I think Connie [Britton]‘s of the same opinion. I just love those scenes where we can just be there for each other. And we do get some of that here.” Not to mention, “There was no way [Rayna] wasn’t going to be a part of [the night], especially since Juliette Barnes is throwing the party,” Khouri says with a laugh. Press PLAY on the video below to watch Rayna serenade him…
… and to see the pair make nice. Then read on.
SO DO A WHOLE BUNCH OF BIG NAMES | The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, Vince Gill, Pam Tillis, Kip Moore and Kate York are on hand to fete the guitarist. “It’s a little mind-bending to walk in and see these great stars, and they’re there to celebrate Deacon,” Esten says, laughing. But why wouldn’t they be? After all, as Khouri notes, “Deacon has a lot of friends from many years in the business.”
DEACON DOESN’T PERFORM… | “Everybody plays for Deacon but Deacon,” Esten says. “But knowing musicians in Nashville, that would be a rarity. He’d find a way on stage… If there’s a guitar in a room and a microphone, it’s hard to keep any of these people off the stage.”
… BUT SCARLETT AND GUNNAR DO | When the duo take to the stage, it’s the first time Uncle Deacon hears his niece perform with her songwriting partner. “That was nice to be able to play that moment, because they’ve been doing so much while he’s been on the road,” Esten says. “I was able just to sit there and truly react to it, which is great.”
POOR JOLENE | Juliette’s mom, newly out of rehab, “definitely is put in a situation that challenges all of her work on her sobriety. It’s an incredibly important night for Juliette because she’s throwing this party and there’s a lot of important people there. It’s something she’s really invested herself in. And she’s once again in that situation where her mom blows it – or comes very close to blowing it,” Khouri previews.
Adds Esten: “We talk a lot about addictions and that dark side – it’s always just waiting there in the wings. There’s a point right when she starts to think she’s got it licked; of course, that’s the point when you’re the most vulnerable.” However, Juliette’s reaction to her mom’s travails just might surprise you.
MEANWHILE, WHAT’S TEDDY UP TO? | Elsewhere in the episode, Rayna’s possibly-soon-to-be-ex wastes no time and brings Peggy onto his mayoral staff, a move he marks with a press conference. Of course, this is exactly what the brunette has been waiting for. ”I think Peggy always felt like Teddy was supposed to be hers, even though she’s gone on with her life,” Khouri says. ”I think she’s got a serious love thing for him.” Add to that Teddy’s frustration at always being Rayna’s runner-up, and he gets to a point where he thinks “he should just go where somebody’s standing there going, ‘Here I am.’”
Will you tune in to watch Deacon grow another year sexier older? Sound off in the comments!
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