“Nashville” makes its fourth season debut on Wednesday, Sept. 23. And fans are eager to see what happened after several cliffhangers in the third season finale. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait much longer.
The season premiere, titled "Can't Let Go," takes place a month after the events in the finale. The time jump was a great way to show us where everyone ended up after all the drama last season.
For starters, in the finale it looked like someone was flatlining at the hospital during the Deacon-Beverly liver transplant surgery – and the doctor had come to Rayna with bad news. So what happened? All I can say is the tension builds in the beginning of the premiere as we don’t see either Deacon or Beverly. Rayna looks drained and alone. But eventually we find out what happened. It’s emotional for the characters involved.
After singing a new song together the night of the surgery, Scarlett and Gunnar looked like they were about to kiss in the finale, despite the fact she was dating Dr. Caleb Rand and had agreed to move in with him. In the premiere, we learn Scarlett has been avoiding Gunnar and trying to brush whatever happened or almost happened between them under the rug. But Gunnar isn’t about to let it go. We see some great scenes between these two as they fight to figure out what they each want. I loved seeing Clare Bowen play Scarlett’s vulnerability so perfectly; you could see the inner struggle in her eyes. To make matters more complicated, Caleb and Scarlett are getting along well and clearly care about one another.
After Will’s big media announcement that he was gay, we find him dealing with the aftermath of the declaration. It may have been a harder choice than he realized to step forward. And so far he isn’t dealing with all the attention very well.
Layla is still on tour with Juliette, but, as usual, the two aren’t getting along. In fact, one or both of them is about to explode. Layla is also still dating Jeff. Although we don’t see Jeff in this episode, his character is tightly woven into the stories. He is not out of the picture.
Neither is Teddy. We also never see him but the consequences of his arrest are affecting his daughters. Little Daphne is having a hard time. She may just become the new rebellious Maddie.
Music lovers, watch out for Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler guest starring in this episode. The duet he sings with Juliette was fantastic. Hayden Panettiere looked like a natural on stage with him, commanding the performance as if she was indeed a longtime pop star! I was very impressed. It was fun to see them together.
No doubt about it, I thought this was a great start to the new season. It made me really excited about season four. I love where the characters began and the hints of drama to come. The episode made nice use of the different plots and stories. And of course, the music was great, too. I especially loved a song Scarlett and Gunnar sang together. It seemed to personally reference their relationship.
All I can say is bring on season four! We are ready, aren’t we? I already like the direction the show is headed. Don’t miss the “Nashville” premiere Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 10/9c on ABC.
What do you think will happen on the season premiere of "Nashville?" Do you have any predictions for the rest of the season? Join our discussion in the comments below.