Here’s the recap & discussion post for Nashville Season 2, Episode 15, “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like My Daddy Anymore,” with bonus music & video links!
Welcome back to ‘Nashville’! We are in studio with Rayna, Liam, and Scarlett, listening to a mix of Scarlett’s “Black Roses.” Rayna loves it, so she leaves Liam and Scarlett to work on her album. As he’s walking her out, Liam asks Rayna if she’s OK, and mentions he saw that her father has been released. Rayna tells him she’s glad to be focusing on work right now. Liam says he’s here to help if she needs him, which probably means sex, and Rayna tells him he’s being the biggest help by working to make Scarlett’s album great (which probably also means…). He asks how things are with Luke and Rayna chuckles and says they’re “good.”
To DOWNLOAD “Black Roses,” written by Lucy Schwartz and performed by Clare Bowen, click HERE.
BONUS: Check out “Nashville: On The Record” for “Black Roses,” featuring Clare Bowen, Lucy Schwartz, and Nashville music supervisors Frankie Pine and Dawn Soler.
Check out an acoustic performance of “Black Roses” by songwriter Lucy Schwartz
Meanwhile, Juliette is listening to Avery’s mix of “Don’t Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet” and bowled over. She grouses about nobody ever hearing it, and Avery comforts her telling her she still has people in her corner, like Ken Inman, music critic for the New York Times. He watched her Opry performance online and deemed it a sign she’s got a deeper spring and is worthy of consideration as a serious artist. Juliette informs Avery he’s the only person in Nashville who reads the New York Times. Heh. But Juliette and Avery start making out to celebrate.
Over at Deacon’s, he’s calling around trying to find a possible backing band for a low paying gig about an hour out of town. Megan commiserates, and asks why he’s bothering with the gig when he sold out the Bluebird and is playing there again the next night. Deacon says he’s not in the position to be turning down gigs.
Juliette and Avery are still…um…celebrating when Manager Glenn walks in on them. Awkwardness and hilarity ensue when Juliette reassures Avery that Manager Glenn’s seen worse. Anyway, bigshot producer Howie V read the New York Times article on Juliette and wants to fly her out to LA to talk about “Don’t Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet.” Juliette is excited for Avery to join them. Glenn says this meeting is just for Juliette and Glenn. Avery doesn’t mind, and says he still has work. So, Juliette and Glenn are off on Howie V’s private jet.
Rayna’s running Highway 65 business at her home when a trenchcoat wearing Teddy walks in and says he’s been trying to reach Rayna all morning. Rayna says she was waiting for a quiet moment and couldn’t find one that crazy morning. Teddy explains that Lamar died in his office, that he stormed in accusing Teddy of testifying against him. Teddy claims he tried to calm Lamar down (yea, that’s not true) but then before he knew it, Lamar was clutching his chest. Teddy tells Rayna he called for help (really?) but by the time the paramedics came, it was too late. As he finishes telling Rayna, Maddie and Daphne walk up and ask if everything’s OK. They all sit down together and Teddy delivers the bad news off camera. Maddie and Daphne are struggling to understand how Lamar could have been so weak and so stressed when he was so happy with them just yesterday. Rayna is thinking about her last conversation with Lamar, when she told him he was dead to her. She half heartedly tells the girls that Lamar’s with their grandmother now.
In LA, Howie V is a combination of new age/LA cliches and used car salesman, as he flatters Juliette about how great a position she’s in right now and what a goddess she is. He wants to record a version of “Don’t Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet.” Glenn has a subdued reaction to Howie V’s pitch but Juliette is in.
Over at Gunnar’s, Gunnar, Zoe, and Avery are jamming on “I Ain’t Leaving Without Your Love” and harmonizing great together. This seems to be a song of Avery’s? Deacon walks in and compliments them on how great they sound. He’s been trying to reach Avery and Gunnar, to see if either of them could back him on guitar at his gig tonight. Avery says he’d been honored to play. Gunnar offers to play drums. Deacon says that’d be great but he doesn’t have a bass player. Avery says he’ll find one for Deacon. Zoe offers to sing backup, and Gunnar goes dim bulb, asking her if she’s sure because this is a real gig. Deacon all but rolls his eyes at Gunnar and says he just heard Zoe sing, and she’s in.
NOTE: “I Ain’t Leaving Without Your Love” is cowritten by Cary Barlowe, Justin Davis, & Sarah Zimmerman, and performed by Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio, and Chaley Rose.
Rayna is making phone calls to postpone things due to “a family emergency” when Tandy walks in. Tandy is surprised but happy that Rayna called. She doesn’t know yet. Rayna tells her that Lamar has died, and Tandy is devastated. Rayna is pretty cold as she sees Tandy crumble, reminding Tandy that their father was a murderer, as Tandy found out.
Teddy takes a moment to steel himself before going out for his press conference to announce Lamar’s death. He focuses on Lamar’s accomplishments and his importance to his granddaughters and daughters. It’s a sobering, command performance, once Megan watches with empathy and concern.
Liam and Scarlett are drinking together and Liam’s telling the sad tale of his lonely, jet-setting life. He spends so much time producing other people’s music, his own music’s stuck. But he also thinks he’s purposely avoiding his own music, because of what he’d have to deal with emotionally to create it. This whole confessional thing from Liam, truth, come-on, or both? We all know where it’s headed, this being Nashville and all.
Teddy is pensive in his dark office, when Megan walks in. These two actually have chemistry. Megan compliments him on his speech, and Teddy says he’s trying to be a good dad, trying not to let the resentment and anger become toxic like Megan had warned him it could. Megan is touched that he listened. Teddy thanks her for being there for him when no one else was, and Megan talks about grief having a way of bubbling up at unexpected times. Teddy says he should get back to work as they exchange meaningful, longing glances at each other.
Out in LA, Glenn is marveling at the full orchestra set up for Juliette’s recording session, saying it’s everything they’ve worked so hard for. We see Juliette cut “Don’t Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet” with an orchestral rock sound. Everyone seems to be into it, but you can kind of see Manager Glenn retreating a little bit.
Liam and Scarlett are walking in the rain, after Liam’s showed her his lyrics. Scarlett encourages him to do his own music, and of course, Liam goes in for a kiss. Scarlett says it’s not a very good idea, smiles, and walks off.
Deacon, Zoe, Gunnar, and Avery are ready for their 10:30 PM introduction at their gig, only it turns out they’ve been bumped to midnight because the venue was able to score The Wild Feathers for this show. Deacon is angry and ready to walk out because not a lot of people are going to stick around for the midnight show. But Avery, Zoe, and Gunnar talk him off the ledge and say they’ll play with him whenever he goes on.
Rayna is home, on the phone with Luke (who’s in Australia) and telling him he doesn’t need to come back for this. He has sent flowers though. Manager Bucky walks in with lasagna and gives Rayna his condolences. He says he went through this when he lost his mother – when you lose a parent, you lose a part of yourself. Rayna agrees, kind of sarcastically.
Sure enough, the venue’s emptied out a lot by the time Deacon and his band make it on stage, but they start performing “Like New,” and get the attention of the half of the crowd that’s left.
To DOWNLOAD “Like New,” cowritten by Justin Davis, Jonathan Singleton, and Sarah Zimmerman and performed by Charles Esten, click HERE.
Back in LA, Manager Glenn tells Juliette about Lamar’s death, and a shocked Juliette says she’s going to text Rayna and find out when the funeral is. Manager Glenn says the funeral plans are up in the air but it’s going to be a small, private affair, and they may not even have time due to everything going on around here anyway. They’re joined by Howie V, and when Manager Glenn says he has talked to his friends in Nashville about the new recording development, Howie V elbows in with news he’s sent their mix over to the 3 major labels out in LA. He thinks Juliette should relaunch her career by moving out to LA and stripping the last of the country twang out of her voice. He’s excited about presenting this as Juliette rebounding from her breakup with country music. He wants to do a pre-photo shoot to send over to his friend at Rolling Stone to get Juliette a cover story there. Basically, he’s doing everything Manager Glenn would normally do, and you can tell Manager Glenn feels like he’s being pushed out.
Deacon finishes up what was a successful gig whose crowd seemed to get bigger as the night went on. The venue manager wants him back as a headliner. Deacon is game but then sees all the texts from Maddie about Lamar. He calls Rayna after speaking off camera to Maddie. They agree he should be at the funeral. Their conversation is friendly, but it’s obvious Rayna’s still numb to everything that’s happened. She doesn’t want to discuss her feelings with Deacon, and ends the conversation abruptly when he tries to talk to her about how she’s doing.
Juliette is doing a ridiculous photo shoot on the set of a graveyard, where she’s dressed up some Gothic ghostly creature. She and Manager Glenn wonder if it’s too out there. Howie V thinks this is the way to make a statement, and tries to send Manager Glenn off on a coffee run.
Tandy drops by Rayna’s after picking up some of Lamar’s things. Rayna is still focused on Lamar’s wrongs. Tandy says she was mad too but she wanted their father punished, not dead. Surely Rayna feels something, Tandy asks, rhetorically. Rayna says she feels a lot of things, and Lamar’s death hasn’t changed any of that.
Megan is doing her makeup over at Deacon’s when Scarlett drops by. They chat, and Megan mentions that Deacon’s playing the Bluebird, that he got his old Thursday slot back. Scarlett had no idea.
Back on set in LA. Manager Glenn tells a teary-eyed Juliette that he doesn’t belong there, and that he has to get out of the way to let her be a superstar. Juliette doesn’t want him to quit, but Manager Glenn is firm that they’ve had a great run together, he will always have her best interest at heart, and it’s time for him to go. He tells her that Lamar’s funeral is the next day, and her private jet is waiting if she can make it.
At the Bluebird, Deacon leads a moment of prayer for Rayna James and her daughters, and then introduces Gunnar, Zoe, and Avery. He thanks them for reminding him what music’s about, and turns over the stage to them for a performance. Scarlett is outside watching this unfold, and leaves before entering. As Gunnar, Zoe, and Avery perform “I Ain’t Leaving Without Your Love,” Juliette walks in (back from LA!) and beams seeing Avery up there. When she tells Deacon how great they are, Deacon teases her about really meaning how great Avery is. He encourages her not to lose Avery. She asks him how Rayna’s doing, and he says she’s fronting like she’s OK but he’s worried. Juliette agrees that he should be.
Juliette plays Avery the new mix of “Don’t Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet.” He thinks it sounds epic and that she should be really happy. She says she would be if Manager Glenn weren’t such a buzzkill. Avery asks if she wants to talk about that, but she wants to talk about how great he sounded up on stage. Avery says it was about playing with friend who get him and his music, that it makes all the difference. You can see the wheels turning in Juliette’s head.
Deacon visits Rayna, and tells her he doesn’t like to be hung up on. Deacon tries to tell Rayna that he understands how complicated things were with Lamar, that he’s been there to see it. After a cutting comment about how Deacon hasn’t been there in a long time, Rayna finally tells him that the last conversation she had with Lamar, she told him he was dead to her and she meant it. She reveals to Deacon that Lamar had a role in her mother’s death, and other horrible things that she doesn’t share with him. Tandy knew well before Rayna did, and Rayna still holds a grudge that Tandy lied. Deacon tries to get Rayna to see that sometimes people do the wrong things for the right reasons, but Rayna isn’t having it.
A tortured Teddy is pacing in his office, which is still dark. Megan, responding to a text from him, drops by to visit. Teddy confesses to her that he provoked Lamar by revealing Tandy’s involvement in his prosecution, and that he stood there while Lamar was dying. Still wiggle room here to characterize Teddy’s hesitation as momentary, but the point is, he feels responsible for Lamar’s death and the guilt is starting to overcome him. Megan later slides into bed with Deacon. Deacon wants to talk, and Megan is apprehensive about what’s going to happen. Deacon tells her he went to see Rayna, and talks about how she’s so angry, he’s worried. He wants to attend Lamar’s funeral, and Megan thinks that’s a good idea, that it’s good to be there for people in need. She doesn’t share her own complicated feelings about Teddy.
Lamar’s funeral has already started when Juliette joins the crowd. Rayna is stoic. Tandy and the girls are teary-eyed, and Teddy and Deacon are hiding behind sunglasses. They say their final goodbyes to Lamar.
Gunnar and Zoe arrive at the Bluebird, where (manager?) Erica wants to see them. Appears that Zoe impressed everybody last night and now Gunnar has to write songs for her too. Zoe says Avery’s no slouch in the song department and says Juliette was a regular fangirl. “Still not talking about it,” says Avery, prompting Zoe to respond, “Damn it!” You know, this group friendship thing is fun. They agree they’re going to do the band thing together.
Juliette returns home after the funeral. Howie V has texted her pictures from her shoot, and you can tell Juliette isn’t too excited about them.
Liam arrives at studio, where Scarlett spent the night. Liam asks if she’s OK, and she’s not. Liam asks if she’s worried about what didn’t happen last night, but Scarlett tells him about the scene at the Bluebird and how hurt she felt about it. She says without their music, she has nothing. Liam assures her they’re fine, and that he’s in her corner. So Scarlett kisses him. Liam says they shouldn’t do that. Probably not, agrees, Scarlett, but there they go anyway.
Juliette summons Manager Glenn to her place, and informs him that he is not quitting, not when things are just getting interesting. She talks about how he’s been the only person who’s always accepted her decision to be herself. He tries to talk to her about the huge opportunity she’s passing up with Howie V, and she says Ken Inman didn’t write an article about the orchestral rock version of “Don’t Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet.” Avery’s version of the song is the one she wants people to hear, and she’s also not that anxious to leave country music. A teary-eyed Manager Glenn hugs her, and Juliette reciprocates. Aw, Glenn. You set her free, and she came back to you! He is family.
Rayna is in Lamar’s office, and when she pours herself a drink in his glass against the backdrop of family photos, she finally loses it. Tandy and Teddy walk in on a scene of Rayna destroying everything in sight before she finally kneels against Lamar’s desk and cries that the lying has to stop. Tandy is moved but relieved to see Rayna finally reacting, while Teddy looks on concerned. And that’s a wrap for this week!
