Nashville Season 5 Episode 11: Fire and Rain Recap

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The cast continues to mourn Rayna in this episode. Zach channels his emotions into his concerns for Highway 65, and goes overboard. Maddie has another moment of fame. Scarlett drops a bombshell.

Scarlett is still staying with Deacon and the girls, taking care of them in their grief. The girls are still too wiped out to go to school. Bucky finds a tour for The Exes to open on, but they need to start in two weeks. Scarlett’s not sure she’ll be ready to leave Deacon and the girls on their own by then.

At a Highway 65 business meeting, Zach brings up the release of Rayna’s last album. Deacon doesn’t think it should ever be released, since it’s unfinished. Zach feels that the fans and Rayna would want it released.

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Nashville Season 5 Episode 10: I’ll Fly Away Recap

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Like Will, I never know what to say at these moments. Bless Scarlett’s heart for absolving us of our need to say the perfect thing.

We are at Rayna’s graveside. Even Nashville is crying for Rayna, and has released a flock of birds in tribute.

Teddy sighting! Tandy sighting! Will sighting! Clay is at the funeral to support Maddie. Bucky! Emily! Glenn! Holy sh*t, Watty White!!

Everyone goes back to Rayna and Deacon’s house for a teary reception after the funeral. Deacon comes home in a daze and goes straight up to their bedroom without hearing a word anyone says to him.

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Nashville Season 5 Episode 9: If Tomorrow Never Comes Recap

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Okay, as the narrator says at the beginning of Jane the Virgin every week, let’s do this thing! If Jane and her telenovela narrator can get through their tough times, so can we! Everybody grab the hand of the person next to you, your favorite beverage for hydration, and a box of tissues.

Last episode, Rayna was held hostage, in a very triggery scene, which she escaped thanks to her own quick thinking. But, then a truck collided with the police car she was riding home in, smashing directly into the side of the car that Rayna was sitting in, as she was talking to Deacon on the phone. We join her again as she’s being rushed into the hospital with serious injuries. She’s in bad shape.

When Deacon arrives, a nurse tells him that Rayna has a shattered pelvis and hip, but is on morphine, so she’s resting comfortably. HA! From my experience, even morphine isn’t going to make that kind of trauma “comfortable,” but whatever. TV medicine. Rayna doesn’t appear to have blood in her brain, and their top ortho is coming in to do Rayna’s surgery.

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Nashville Season 5 Episode 8: Stand Beside Me Recap

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It’s morning at the James-Claybourne residence and Daphne is making breakfast for everyone. “No sign of fire anywhere?” Rayna notes, showing us where Daphne inherited her snark talent from.

The security team is back, because Rayna’s stalker, Hockney, has bailed himself out of jail. Everyone will have a bodyguard from now on. Maddie gets upset because this will interfere with her date at Clay’s bar gig on Saturday. Someone needs to make Maddie a scrapbook of people killed and seriously injured by their stalkers, starting with the ones who were attacked in crowded public places. Maybe John Lennon could be on the first page.

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Nashville Season 5 Music Videos: Episodes 1-8

Nashville has been releasing songs from each episode as music videos, but they usually put the videos up later than I post my recaps, so I haven’t been including them there. Unfortunately, these are just the parts of each song shown in the episode, not the full songs. Maybe if they get enough hits it will encourage CMT to make full videos the way Crazy Ex-Girlfriend does, and to put up all of the songs. (Hallie’s songs and the church choir’s music are missing, for example.) Ad revenue is ad revenue, after all. The network makes money when you watch any of Nashville’s videos on CMT’s YouTube channel.

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The Future of Nashville: Will Rayna Survive and What Does That Mean Going Forward?

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This is a meta post following Nashville episode 5×08 Stand Beside Me. Spoilers ahead, including for future episodes.

The rumors have been swirling for months that Connie Britton would be leaving Nashville midseason this year, roughly around episode 10. They began last summer, but then Connie seemed to put the rumors to rest by going on Ellen DeGeneres’ show in early January and saying that she was on Nashville for the “duration”. The duration of what, she didn’t specify. The video of Connie’s appearance on Ellen is at the bottom of the post.

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Nashville Season 5 Episode 7: Hurricane Recap

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Rayna spends this week spreading her agitation around, as dredging up her past increases her anxiety levels. Deacon is her rock and target. Scarlett and Gunnar aren’t as solid in their relationship, so Scarlett’s insecurities and issues are enough to drive a deeper wedge between them. She, as always, finds a way to blame this on Gunnar. Maddie and Daphne continue to repair their bond and raise themselves.

The episode begins with Deacon writing on his own. Rayna arrives home and asks what the song is about. Deacon tells her it’s about their first kiss, coming off stage at the Exit Inn. Rayna tells him that no, their first kiss was in his car after a party. He was with Samantha Beasley/Beeswax after the Exit Inn show. Rayna is admirably calm and keeps her sense of humor. Deacon realizes that he was, indeed, writing about the wrong kiss. Let’s keep that song in reserve as a deep cut.

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Nashville Season 5 Episode 6: A Little Bit Stronger Recap

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I have not been adequately keeping up with Nashville casting news. Until this episode, I had no idea that Rhiannon Giddens, who plays Hallie, is a Grammy winner, and that the group she played with in the episode, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, is her real life music group. I also totally missed it when CMT announced in September that they’d hired an out transgender actress for the first time. Nashville is becoming much more diverse lately. It makes Scarlett’s extremely triggery storyline a little easier to take.

Deacon and Rayna are spooked by the stalker who approached her at Highway 65 last week. Personally, I find Zach’s attitude about Scarlett and Damien way creepier, but I am not a celebrity. Last week’s guy seemed totally harmless, like he just wants to share the love. Anyway, Rayna and Deacon have hired a professional security firm with former soldiers who mean serious business. Do not take a wrong turn down Rayna’s street if you know what’s good for you.

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Nashville Season 5 Episode 5: Love Hurts Recap

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This week, we’re all super excited about shooting Gunnar and Scarlett’s music video with the famous, A-List director, until things take a nightmare turn for Scarlett. Like the title says, love hurts, and so does shooting music videos, at least if you’re a woman being directed by Damien George.

But first, Rayna, Zach and Damien have a self-congratulatory love fest on the way into the mansion where the video is being shot. Inside, Scarlett is unhappy with the dress she’s wearing for the video. She feels it’s too revealing. Let’s recall that her one condition for the video was that she didn’t have to show too much skin. Damien looks at the dress and explains that her character is wild, with no filter. Scarlett doesn’t understand what that has to do with the dress. Damien explains that it speaks to the character, and tells the costume mistress to remove more of the dress.

We’ve established with this scene that Damien is going to ignore Scarlett’s concerns, that he feels women should express their emotions through their sexuality, and that women can only express their sexuality through nudity. Scarlett’s character is going to get inside Gunnar’s character’s head and become an obsession for him, but Gunnar is fully clothed in a loose tuxedo, including a bow tie. Men are capable of expressing emotions and sexual desire without nudity.

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Nashville Season 5 Episode 4: Leap of Faith Recap

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This week, Juliette rushes her recovery while people push her to take pain pills, Rayna finds a new investor, and Will and Kevin’s relationship falls apart. The leaps of faith are subtle. Avery gives Juliette another chance. Juliette learns to trust her physical therapist, Avery, and God. Rayna takes a chance with a new co-owner/investor of Highway 65 who wants to have input on how the company is run.

Juliette is having a physical therapy session on her bed. She’s having difficulty stretching as far as she could because she didn’t take a pain pill before her session. Avery and the physical therapist are frustrated with her. Juliette is frustrated with her slow progress. She brings up a device that she saw online that would allow her to try walking now. The therapist tells her that she’s not ready for it. Juliette doesn’t want to take no for an answer.

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