Hello readers and welcome to this week’s preview. The good news is that “The Night Before (Life Goes On)” continues the trend of enjoyable episodes. Most of the things that happen, or don’t happen, are things viewers have been wanting to see for a while. I actually have very little to complain when it comes to our series regulars and storylines. My ranting will mostly be limited to my review when I can reveal more. So as a disclaimer, some of my commentary may be short and vague, but I promise a full debrief after the episode airs.
The synopsis reveals Juliette continues to be plagued by her injuries while Avery gets a taste of independence. These are sort of two separate storylines that somewhat become intertwined solely due to the characters they center around. Avery finally goes on tour, which is something I doubted would happen. It was a long time coming, but he’s finally putting himself first. Juliette, on the other hand, is still struggling, in more ways than one. Javery spends most of the episode doing their own thing and has limited screen time together. I know some fans may complain, but it’s actually healthy for them to be on their own, spending time apart and pursuing their own interests. Ever since the plane crash, Avery has put Juliette before everything else. If he had continued down this path, they would have ended up in the same situation as before. While it may be difficult for them to be apart for a while, it will make them stronger in the long run. For those of you wondering, Juliette is mostly tolerable this episode. She has things she’s working through, but there are no crazy levels of paranoia or insane theories that make absolutely no sense. So let’s give a round of applause to Juliette for receiving the award of the most improved character.
Next up we have Scarlett and Gunnar who shoot a national commercial. This is a continuation of Alyssa’s idea for brand partnerships, but things go slightly less smoothly for Scunnar than they did for Will. While the idea initially sounded good on paper, things fall apart when they shoot the commercial. From what I’ve seen, Scarlett should just stay away from filming of any sort. First, we had that disastrous music video shoot that led to the god-awful pairing of Scarlett and Damien that no one except the EPs seemed to understand. Then we have this commercial where Scarlett ends up crying, again, as seen in the promo. While Gunnar is featured a little more in this episode, he still takes a backseat to the Scarlett Show, coming soon to a theater near you. I really wish, as I’ve said before, that Gunnar would be given something to do other than be Scarlett’s stand-in boyfriend. All we’ve really seen from Gunnar since the show returned was him deciding he wanted to try again with Scarlett. He has since played a supporting role, and he should be able to share the screen with his blonde co-star. It just seems to me like the show’s male half of the shippable couples are relegated to the sidelines time and time again.
Now we have Deacon who plays a benefit for charity. I can confirm that this is the first time audiences will hear Deacon perform in season 5B. I know fans, myself included, were upset when we didn’t get to hear Deacon sing during his first would-be performance since Rayna died at the Bluebird. Despite playing at the benefit, Deacon still has some challenges to face this episode. This wouldn’t be a drama if things went smoothly for our favorite characters, now would it? It still breaks my heart to see Deacon in pain. Charles Esten continues to kill every episode he’s in, and reaffirms my belief that Deacon is the one constant on this show since Rayna died. Deacon has two great scenes opposite other characters this episode, one of which is a pairing we rarely see, but desperately need more of. The other is pretty predictable, but both actors really give it everything. There may be some tears from fans, but they are in the best way possible, if that makes sense.
What’s not featured in the synopsis but was teased a little in this week’s promo was a storyline involving Daphne. It appears to be the PG-rate version of the quintessential wild teen party trope. From what I can tell, this storyline is filler at best. It does nothing really to move the plot along one way or another. I actually would have preferred for some of the other storylines to get more screen time. By default, Daphne gets the award for most irritating character. It was somewhat of a tossup between her and Scarlett, but since “I think this [plot]line’s mostly filler,” Daphne won by a hair. That’s not to say she’s annoying; in fact, this is the first storyline of Daphne’s I think ever that didn’t make me want to claw my eyes out. The situation is something realistic that happens to some/most teenagers. I mean, besides, all of us befriending homeless teens and inviting them to live in our mansion. I just feel like this story arc could have been saved or pushed to a different episode, so the audience can get to see the storylines they want.
So don’t forget to watch the newest episode of Nashville when it airs Thursday, July 13 at 9 on CMT.
So as your weekly parting gift, I will share some of my favorite quotes from the episode:
"Your furniture's impossible to put together."
"Yes, it's ugly. Sunflowers are dorky."
"You're gonna be a good dad."
"She could be doing calculus in two weeks." / "I hope not."
"You in town for work?" / "Sort of." / "That's cryptic. CIA?" / "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."
"It's times like these that I wished I still smoked. Or had a gun."
Hit the comments below to let me know what you think. Do you think Javery should do their own thing for a while? Why are the male counterparts of Javery and Scunnar continually relegated to the sidelines? What do you think of the wild teen party trope?
