Slightly different approach to the recap this week, because I have to rely exclusively on my notes after a single viewing instead of supplementing them with a morning-after review of the show on Watch ABC. HMPH!
The episode starts with various elaborate set-ups to get all of our principals except Scarlett/Gunnar/Avery/Zoe to the annual Belle Meade Polo Match, a place where fancy hats, big money, and horses meet. Deacon winds up there because his new girlfriend, the incredibly well-adjusted Megan Van Oy, would like some company for her law firm-mandated appearance. Juliette is flattered by the sudden appearance of an invitation (via Manager Glenn) because she didn’t think high society would take kindly to a nouveau riche former trailer park girl like herself. Tandy convinces Rayna to go to the match to try to raise capital to buy out her contract with Edgehill now that Lamar’s assets are frozen. That’s after an interview with Robin Roberts (cross promotion FTW!) where Rayna addresses her difficult year and tries to redirect attention to the positives in her life: her girls, her music, and her new label Highway 65. She talks up Scarlett, and later tells Scarlett that she and Manager Bucky have set up a Bluebird showcase where Scarlett will perform for critics and tastemakers.
Meanwhile, Gunnar & Avery are still bonding over music – Avery apparently produced a fresh demo for Gunnar in Juliette’s studio, and wants to bring Zoe in on that demo too after how well she complemented “Be My Girl.” Gunnar is still tangled up in the awkwardness that is having slept with his ex-girlfriend’s best friend and isn’t so sure. Later, when they meet up at the Bluebird for a secret conversation, Zoe says it was a one-time mistake and she can’t believe she broke the “girl code” by sleeping with her best friend’s ex before her best friend had officially moved on with somebody else.
Mayor Teddy is giving a press conference about his upcoming Music City Music Festival. He also fields questions about his ties to Lamar Wyatt, promising the campaign money was completely clean and reminding the press that he cut all city ties with Wyatt Industries when he became mayor. He can’t comment on an ongoing investigation, which does nothing to contradict the possibility that he’s been secretly cooperating with the Feds despite not having been shown doing that. He also answers a question about his upcoming marriage to Peggy Kentor months after denying any involvement with her. Teddy’s all politician-smooth with his answer, and confirms he’ll be marrying Peggy in a small ceremony the following week. How there’s no tabloid talk mentioned about the possibility of this rush job being due to a pregnancy, I don’t know. Of course, there isn’t a real pregnancy right now but that’s besides the point. Except that it’s not besides the point…yeah, I’m not going to be able to untangle this one.
Rayna and Tandy arrive at the Belle Mead Polo Match, and Rayna is grousing about having to do this after avoiding this scene her whole life. But she schmoozes with some wealthy society ladies as gamely as she can. Enter Juliette, who is immediately greeted by a fan…and by Charlie Wentworth, the wealthy media tycoon by heritage and the married guy she recently slept with after performing at a 5th anniversary party for him and his wife. He’s there in play in the match. Juliette is unhappy to see him, and even more unhappy after their tense conversation reveals he’s the one who arranged for her invitation. Just in time, Charlie’s wife Olivia greets Juliette, and drags her away to hang out for the day.
A nervous Scarlett visits Avery, hoping he can settle her anxiety and the pressure she feels to impress at the showcase. He talks about working within the constraints of a big-time label deal and how he’d do things differently if he had another chance. When Scarlett asks him if he can really be happy tending to a bar, he tells her he’s pretty excited about getting more involved on the producer side and working on his music. And then they really relieve her anxiety by sleeping together.
Back at Belle Mead, Mayor Teddy is making the rounds and greets Charlie Wentworth, where they discuss the strong performance of several local radio stations owned by the Wentworths. Teddy mentions his upcoming music festival, and Charlie Wentworth offers to come aboard as a sponsor. He pulls Juliette over and suggests making Juliette the young fresh face of the festival. Teddy and Juliette agree to have their people work something out.
After some hemming and hawing about the polo match not being his scene, Deacon surprises Megan by attending. She had teased him that she would bring somebody else as her date, but of course she didn’t. They later have an awkward run-in with Rayna, but as Deacon later discovers, Megan is so well-adjusted and secure that his history with Rayna and the fact that they have a child together doesn’t bother her. Which is great! Except it’s not likely to make for great drama, so you have to figure Megan’s days on the show are numbered.
Also at the polo match is Luke Wheeler, who it turns out is mostly there to prowl for time with Rayna. Like Rayna, Luke is a divorced parent and like Rayna, the polo match isn’t otherwise his scene.
Rayna’s fundraising efforts don’t seem to be going great, and we find out why when one of her investor targets chastises Tandy, Lamar’s CFO of 15 years, for even showing up and warning Rayna she’s not likely to find too many people eager to associate themselves with anybody tied to Lamar Wyatt any time soon. It seems like all this is setting up for Juliette to become an investor in Rayna’s new label, isn’t it?
Meanwhile Charlie continues to try to insinuate himself into Juliette’s space and life. Juliette tries to brush him off, saying he was born into privilege and fits into this scene while she doesn’t, he has the perfect life while she doesn’t, and so on and so forth. In order to convince her he’s actually just one of the guys and has worked every day of his life, he has her come and join a little jam session in the stables, where Juliette sings an acoustic version of “Hypnotizing.”
To DOWNLOAD the acoustic version of “Hypnotizing,” cowritten by Cary Barlowe, Steve Robson, and Caitlyn Smith and performed by Hayden Panettiere, click HERE.
BONUS: Here’s the fully-produced version of Hayden Panettiere’s version of “Hypnotizing,” from Season 1 of Nashville:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP-lZTX021E
Charlie continues to make headway with Juliette when he tells her his marriage is less than ideal, and Juliette later overhears an argument between Olivia and Charlie that ends with Olivia slapping Charlie and telling him she’s leaving town in their private jet. When Rayna spots Charlie and Juliette having a friendly conversation on their way back from the stables, she warns Juliette against messing with a married man, because the female fans of country music tend not to like that. Juliette is offended, and tells Rayna she can forget having Scarlett join her tour (hm, somehow I think Juliette would be more likely not to do this out of consideration for Deacon, but anyway….). The undue defensiveness extends to Tandy when Rayna wants to make sure Tandy’s hands are clean when it comes to Lamar’s shady dealings.
Over at the Bluebird, 4 hours before her show, Scarlett blurts out to Zoe that she slept with Avery. Zoe tries to be a friend to Scarlett and asks if she thinks if it means anything, whether it was just because she was stressed, and so on. You get the sense she’s asking for herself as much as trying to help Scarlett. Zoe’s still mum about her own Gunnar episode though. Only a matter of time before that explodes. I’m thinking right before it looks like Scarlett and Gunnar might reconcile (so, that’s a couple twists away)? When she talks with Avery later, he tells her he’s learned from his mistakes with Scarlett and would be a much better boyfriend to Scarlett if she gave him another chance.
Meanwhile Juliette goes to see Charlie at the Hermitage Hotel, and this is not going to end well. She suggests to Charlie that they work together for 6 weeks in Nashville on the upcoming Music Festival campaign. He agrees, and invites her up to his room for a “meeting.” Unbeknownst to them, Olivia walks in on their bedroom “meeting,” and sees what they’re doing.
That same evening, Rayna introduces Scarlett to several critics, including Brian Mansfield of USA Today! Gunnar, Zoe, and Avery all show up in support of Scarlett, and so does Luke Wheeler. Scarlett performs “Every Time I Fall In Love,” as we cut to scenes of love/lust-making between Deacon & Megan and Juliette & Charlie, as well as a scene where Zoe recants to Gunnar on the “this can never happen again,” and they make out in a hallway. Scarlett gets a great reception, and in between meetings with tastemakers, tells Avery she’s not sure what happened between them. Avery says he’s hoping she still thinks there’s something there but they agree to take some time to figure things out. “It’s not like [she’s] leaving for tour tomorrow,” they say, which means Scarlett will pretty much be leaving for tour tomorrow.
In fact, Luke walks Rayna out, and Rayna leans on him to take Scarlett out on tour. He agrees based on Scarlett’s talent, but also kisses Rayna, telling her he wouldn’t mind seeing her out there too. Rayna doesn’t discourage him, which should make for some fun with Liam when he returns from Europe!
To DOWNLOAD “Every Time I Fall In Love,” cowritten by Al Anderson, Sarah Buxton, and Ken Johnson and performed by Clare Bowen, click HERE.
BONUS: Check out Nashville: On The Record, featuring Sarah Buxton, Clare Bowen, Buddy Miller, Dee Johnson, and Callie Khouri discussing “Every Time I Fall In Love”:
Check out Sarah Buxton’s acoustic performance of “Every Time I Fall In Love”:
This song was previously featured on The Farm’s July 2012 debut album for Warner Nashville. Here’s a live performance of the song:
And here’s another Sarah Buxton live performance of the song:
