‘Nashville’ Season 3, Episode 12 – Recap & Discussion Post!

Welcome back to Nashville, where we learn that Luke in on a mini-tour of impromptu small venue shows that are helping him to win the PR war, while the gossip mill is abuzz about Rayna being heartbroken/in rehab/trysting with Deacon in the absence of public appearances by her. Meanwhile Deacon is at an AA meeting, where he reveals his cancer. He puts on a brave faith, asserting his faith and even cracking a joke about not wanting a liver from any of the people there.

Gunnar tries to get in touch with Micah again, but Micah is still not interested, and it turns out that he is acting up in his new home and school environment. Micah’s grandmother is concerned too, because not even they can get through to him. Gunnar resolves to go see him.

Back at Rayna’s, Maddie is upset to learn that Deacon has cancelled yet another guitar lesson. She can’t understand why he’s shutting her out, and grouses about Rayna’s issues with Deacon always affecting her. She’s not wrong, and really, all these adults on the show who neglect the kids when they have their own issues to handle but we’re supposed to like them anyway? Meh.

In our comic relief storyline for the week, Manager Glenn walks in on Juliette attempting to do some yoga. Juliette is excited to restart her career, but Manager Glenn reports that little is going on right now, except a diaper endorsement offer. Juliette is frustrated, and decides she needs to get back into the studio to finish her album. Manager Glenn is not so sure, but Juliette orders him to book the studio.

Over at Edgehill Republic offices, Jeff Fordham’s eager but overmatched assistant Angie (whom Jeff calls Amy) delivers his breakfast and informs him that Henry Betten, Chairman of the Board Of Directors, left a message. Jeff lays into his assistant for not being there to take the call, even though the call came at 6a. Jeff tells her to forward calls to herself during off-hour times so that she can answer at any time. Angie has more unpleasing news: Luke is going to pull “Good Woman” off his album (for obvious reasons) and wants to delay its release until he can find a replacement. Jeff is not happy because he’s due to present Q1 projections to the board soon. Angie says Luke is reeling but Jeff has no sympathy, saying these “cowboys” are “worse than teenage girls,” who he wants to target with the next Taylor Swift, a young female act. Angie says Jeff has Layla Grant, who’s all of 20, but that’s not what Jeff means by young. Considering the “previously” scenes, we’re heading back to the Jeff signing Maddie & Daphne by blackmailing Teddy storyline this episode.

Contrast Jeff’s bad mood and attitude with Rayna’s courtesy and respect when she arrives at Highway 65 offices, and thanks the assistant bringing her coffee by name. That assistant is glad to see her doing so well, which gets a look from Rayna. When she meets with Manager Bucky, he suggests that in light of rumors starting to take hold, she do a public performance somewhere. He says Steve Wynn called with an offer of a Vegas residency, but Rayna says Vegas is the last thing she needs right now. Manager Bucky suggests LP Field (because that could realistically be cobbled together quickly) for some big “girl power” show, and Rayna rolls her eyes and counters with a proposal for an unannounced show at the Bluebird. Bucky’s fine with that.

Now we head to Deacon’s, where Scarlett is frantically cleaning stuff, and Deacon calls her out on the sure signs that she’s nervous and/or worked up about something. We all know what that might be, and Deacon learns what it is too when Scarlett’s mother and his sister Beverly arrives. Her smiles are as over-wide and smothering as they ever were. Scarlett sends her to her own bedroom, which she’s made up specially with the lavender sachets that Beverly loves so much.

Juliette is in studio, struggling to record “One By One,” cowritten in real life by Nicole and Josh Johnson. She is struggling with phrasing, and she also notes that having a baby pushing up against her diaphragm and her bladder isn’t the easiest either. Producer Avery is supportive and assures her that they can wait until the baby’s in a better position.

Back at Highway 65, Rayna has just finished her anonymous Bluebird Cafe booking when Sadie walks in. They hug and catch up, with Sadie telling her that she spent the holidays cooped up with the flu. Although she admits that her ex-husband showed up, she leaves out the part about him punching her. Sadie admits feeling squirelly, and Rayna invites her to the Bluebird that night, where Pam Tillis will also play. Sadie is excited to be there, and they make plans to hang out and have drinks afterwards.

With Beverly setting up in Scarlett’s bedroom, Deacon quietly lays into Scarlett for taking the matter of finding a donor into her own hands. He wants to tell who he wants to tell about his condition, and he doesn’t believe Beverly would help him even if she were a match. But as he is arguing, his speech is hampered, and he can’t get the words out. Scarlett has him sit down, and yells for her mother.

Mayor Teddy arrives at the new recording studio set up at Langhorne Academy via Edgehill Republic’s funding, and Maddie & Daphne are recording “Heart On Fire,” cowritten by Sarah Buxton, Blair Daly, and Kate York there. He smiles with pride, but the smile fades quickly when he sees Jeff Fordham also there, complimenting the girls and also suggesting that Maddie take the last verse solo. Teddy quickly interrupts the coaching session, and he and Jeff have a passive-aggresive exchange about their reasons for being there. Maddie & Daphne thank Jeff and excuse themselves, leaving Teddy and Jeff to have themselves a chat. Credit to Teddy for his skepticism here, but we all know where this is headed.

To DOWNLOAD “Heart On Fire,” cowritten by Sarah Buxton, Blair Daly, and Kate York and performed by Lennon and Maisy Stella, click HERE!

Meanwhile, Gunnar’s arrived back in his hometown, where Micah is sitting out on a front lawn. He’s been suspended from school, and Gunnar tries to talk to him about why he got into the fight that resulted in the suspension. Turns out Micah has decided that he’s a bad kid, just like his biological father.

Deacon has taken medication to get his seizure under control, and the episode requires them to tell Beverly what’s going on. When she realizes she was “lured” there by Scarlett’s stated desire to be a family again and make things right, she is not a happy camper and refuses to help. Scarlett tries to talk to her, and Beverly sneers about how Deacon’s done nothing for her, especially not over the past 20 years. Scarlett reminds Beverly that she (Scarlett) has done so much for Beverly, expecting nothing in return. She begs Beverly to at least take the test, to do it for her if not for Deacon.

Jeff tells Teddy that he is ready to sign Maddie to a deal, that she’s ready and he believes she’s be a superstar. Teddy thinks their family has enough starpower, that Rayna will never go for this, and that Maddie & Daphne are the Conrad sisters. But Jeff dismisses Rayna as on her way out, tells Teddy that only one parent’s consent is needed, and plays Maddie’s solo vocal as proof that she is great on her own.

Back over in Texas, Gunnar is enjoying a meal with the Brenners (Micah’s grandparents) while Micah skulks off without putting his dirty dishes in the sink as he’s supposed to. Gunnar and the Brenners have a conversation about what they’ve told Micah about Jason, and Gunnar protests that their blunt version of Jason’s story is too much for a kid to take in. Grandpa Brenner says Micah’s been lied to enough. Gunnar says that Jason had redeeming qualities, ones that the Brenners didn’t see.

Scarlett’s powers of persuasion are enough to get Beverly to the hospital for testing, though Beverly’s not exactly enthusiastic about it. She all but verbally balks when the doctor tells her they would take 2/3 of her liver, despite his reassurances that her liver would regenerate. Scarlett promises that after her week at the hospital, her mother can stay with them and that she (Scarlett) will take care of her.

Rayna arrives at the Bluebird with Sadie in tow, and the great Pam Tillis is already there. They greet each other and have a little chat, followed by Sadie gushing about the history of the place. That sparks Deacon-Rayna flashbacks for Rayna, set to an earlier Rayna/Deacon duet, “No One Will Ever Love You,” cowritten by Steve McEwan and John Paul White. She suddenly realizes she’s not up for performing at the Bluebird that night, and leaves Sadie to notice the old Rayna-Deacon picture in her line of sight. Sadie is quick to join a tearful Rayna in her truck, and Rayna admits there’s too much history at the Bluebird with Deacon. At Rayna’s request, Sadie agrees to cover for Rayna to Pam Tillis.

Over at Deacon’s, Deacon brings Beverly some hot cocoa, and after a barb, Beverly muses about a time in their lives when she and Deacon were actually friends. Beverly says that there have been mistakes made, but this is a chance to put that all behind them and reconnect. Deacon says he would like that. Beverly asks if he’s told his daughter yet. Deacon says he hasn’t, that he’s hoping to get some good news to soften the blow. Beverly snarks that maybe that good news is his sister giving him a big chunk of her liver, and they share a laugh about it.

Teddy and Daphne return from her game, which was a rousing success that Maddie isn’t too interested in hearing about. Teddy tries to talk to her about the music program at her school, and Maddie is in frustrated sulky teenager mode as she complains about being held back by all 3 of her parents. Teddy says her mother’s been down that road and even if he’s not as concerned about Maddie’s age as Rayna is, he has to respect her experience. Maddie isn’t interested in continuing the conversation, but you see the wheels in Teddy’s head turning.

Gunnar and Micah have gone for a walk. How Gunnar persuaded Micah to go for a walk is not shown. Gunnar explains to Micah that Jason had his good side. They’re in an alley behind a music venue, and Gunnar tells Micah that Jason used to take him there so they could listen to music, since they were too young to get in. Jason taught himself to play guitar there, and Gunnar says that he has a music career today because Jason then taught him to play guitar. Micah doesn’t buy that Jason was a good person, but Gunnar explains that he was a good person who made bad choices. Why? Because unlike Micah, Jason didn’t have anybody looking out for him. Gunnar reminds Micah that he has his grandparents and he has his uncle even as Micah interjects that he doesn’t have his mother. Micah notes that his grandparents want him to see a therapist. Gunnar tells him he thinks it’s a good idea, and that Jason probably would have too. Micah is won over, and now wants to know how they spent their time in the alley.

Rayna returns home and Maddie is in the kitchen with a Deacon-laced barb waiting. Rayna isn’t in the state to talk though, and as Maddie gradually picks up how genuinely upset her mother is, she tries to encourage her mother to talk to her. Rayna says it’s been a trying time and she doesn’t want to drag Maddie through it.

Beverly and Deacon are in the kitchen making dinner, singing “Friend Of Mine,” cowritten by Johnny Hanson and Lucy Schwartz, when Scarlett walks in. It was their grandmother’s song, and we are treated to a really pretty performance of the tune as the three harmonize together. Gorgeous stuff here. The moment is interrupted when Beverly gets a call from the lab about her test results. She reports that she’s not a match, though we don’t hear the audio on the other side.

To DOWNLOAD “Friend Of Mine,” cowritten by Johnny Hanson and Lucy Schwartz and performed by Clare Bowen, Charles Esten and Dana Wheeler, click HERE!

Back at Rayna’s, Maddie & Rayna are finally talking, and it’s the best, most genuine conversation we’ve seen from them in a long, long time. Maddie apologizes for making Rayna cry, and Rayna says it wasn’t her. They talk about Deacon. Maddie is also crying as she tells Rayna how mad she is at Deacon right now. Rayna explains that even sober alcoholics need to escape sometimes, and speculates that Deacon is avoiding Maddie because of Rayna. Rayna tells Maddie that this doesn’t mean they have to stop making music, and asks Maddie to write a song with her.

Jeff is intently listening to Edgehill’s upcoming releases when Assistant Angie approaches and asks if he needs anything. He’s ready to trash all of them because although they may be “great albums” as Angie says, he needs hits. Sales as down 70%, and Jeff is extra-stressed out because he was supposed a million units in this first week of the year but won’t with Luke Wheeler’s album is pushed back. He doesn’t need a band or an artist, he says, but a star who will sell tons of records to kids, and he needs that star by the time Henry Betten gets there next week. His agitation rising, Jeff yells at his assistant to get out, and trashes his desk.

Avery wakes up in the middle of the night to find that Juliette is not there. She has driven over to L&M Recording Studios to try to finish her vocals for her album, but it’s just not there for her. She’s just angsting over nothing in her life being her own right now, and worrying that her voice won’t come back. Avery is all supportive, and assures Juliette that after the baby comes, she’ll have even more to say, and that the studio, her voice, and everything else will be there for her when she’s ready. Except her sea salt caramels, which he attempts to take away, except Juliette makes sure he knows what will happen to him if he tries. Aw cuteness.

Micah is back to his old, attitude-free self and anxious to get back to school. It’s also time for Gunnar to return to Nashville. Micah wants to know when he’ll see him again. Gunnar isn’t sure but hopes it’ll be soon. He gives Micah an Iphone 6 because product placement, asking for the Brenners’s approval after Micah’s already gushing about the gift. But the Brenners are fine with it, and Micah can use the Iphone to call Gunnar. After Micah leaves for school, Grandma Brenner presents Gunnar with an old box of memorabilia that Kylie kept to mark her relationship with Gunnar.

Maddie and Rayna have finished their song, and Rayna compliments Maddie on how far she’s come. Maddie makes her case for pursuing her music full-time now, but Rayna still wants her to wait. Maddie points out that she has a much better support system at 15 than Rayna did at 16. Rayna is saved by Manager Bucky’s appearance. He asks about her not going through with the Bluebird show last night. Rayna says she wasn’t quite ready and needed to work on some new material.

Back at Deacon’s, Beverly is packing up. So soon? Scarlett reveals that she talked to Dr. Rand and he revealed that in fact Beverly was still in the running to be a liver donor for Deacon. Scarlett tells off Beverly for her unwillingness to save Deacon, but Deacon walks in and stops her. Scarlett leaves the room, and Deacon asks if it’s because Beverly’s scared or because she doesn’t want to. Beverly reveals that she still feels used, and that she doesn’t think it’s fair that she’s expected to uproot her life and do this when Deacon’s condition is the result of his own choices. Deacon accepts that. And with that, Beverly leaves.

Rayna is all set to go at the Bluebird. Manager Bucky is there, and takes a call from Sadie Stone, who bails out of attending that night’s show, claiming a possible flu relapse. But as she cleans up her makeup, we see that she’s not fully healed from Peter’s assault. So, she was up for seeing Rayna the day before but not today? I don’t understand how the writers mean to present this. Obviously an abuse survivor will have up & down days, but these scenes felt too much like a throw-in.

Rayna starts her Bluebird set by saying this is a new beginning, and she introduces a new song that she wrote with Maddie. She invites both Maddie & Daphne up there to perform with her, and expresses her gratitude and love for them, and they launch into “Real Life,” cowritten by Trey Bruce, Derek Cannavo, and Maren Morris.

Check out cowriter Maren Morris’s version of the song here:

As they perform, we see Deacon at another AA meeting, confessing that while he knows he can fight his cancer, he’s not sure he can beat it. He admits that he is terrified of not being there for the people he cares so much about. We also see Scarlett at home sobbing on a couch and Gunnar going through Kylie’s box of memories and stumbling on a photo of Kylie, Jason and him as kids. Then we see Teddy meeting with Jeff at Jeff’s urgent request. Turns out Jeff sent over a contract with an offer to sign Maddie that Teddy thinks is a great offer, but that he has to turn down on the grounds of Rayna’s head exploding if he doesn’t, and also believing Maddie needs another year. At this point, Jeff stops being nice and starts getting blackmail-y. Jeff threatens both Teddy’s share of custody of the girls and his mayor’s title by telling him he’ll reveal his dalliance with an escort. And so, the storyline everybody saw coming is finally materializing. How will it go? Next week’s promos suggest Rayna gets involved after Teddy caves. So the next round of Rayna versus Jeff may be upon us, and that should be fun! Join us for that, won’t you?

If you’re wondering about the song we hear over the promo for next week’s episode, it’s called “Salt/Sugar,” and it’s cowritten by Andrew Dixon and Jaida Dreyer. Here’s Dreyer’s version of the song:

About Deb B 432 Articles
Also known as Windmills, I cover country music news and live televised country events, in addition to recapping ABC's 'Nashville.' Additionally, I occasionally do long-form chart analysis that has been cited by Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The Guardian, The New Republic, NPR, and more.