October 23, 2013

Nashville returns tonight with an episode called “Don’t Open That Door.” The show is finally back to what they do best: acoustic country alternative.

There's a benefit concert at the Grand Old Opry, and Edgehill's new acts have been invited to perform. Sleazy Jeff Fordham demands that his new artists sell themselves as hot and sexy -- because it's all he knows how to sell. He is not about The Art.

  • Big news: Juliette won CMA's Female Artist of the Year, and she's basking in the glow.
  • The U.S. Attorney tells Tandy she can't tell Rayna anything about the case against Lamar, or he'll indict her as a co-conspirator. Would be nice if she knew, because Rayna's about to hit Lamar up for $20 million to buy her way out of her Edgehill contract.
  • Lamar approaches Mayor Teddy to see if they can't mend fences and do some business (wink wink) together. Teddy retorts that he was elected to clean up the town, and that means he wants nothing to do with Lamar.
  • Rayna tells Tandy she's been invited to introduce Juliette at the Opry. "She just wants to be you when she grows up," Tandy snipes. No duh.
  • Miss Scarlett is being coached by a publicist on how to talk to the press, but Layla undermines her by ripping up her notes. "Just be yourself!" she says. You mean a deer caught in the headlights?
  • Avery and Gunnar have invited Zoey to sing with them, and they sound really good. Finally, something that isn't the mainstream country sound! Woo hoo! It's a song called "Don't You Want To Be My Girl."
  • Juliette drops by to see Deacon. He thanks her for referring the doctor who's treating his hand. "Any chance you'd consider going back on the road with me?" she says. Deacon responds, "I said the doctor was great, not my hand." Juliette remarks it's a shame the accident ruined two great careers. Deacon wants to know what she means; she tells him about the rumor that Rayna can't sing. Deacon looks stunned.
  • Will is thrilled to play at the Opry, and thanks Sleazy Jeff. SJ says his assistant pulled for him, and Will looks at the assistant with gay love in his eyes.
  • The lovely Scarlett becomes a frozen Bambi when a reporter asks about why Deacon was drinking the night of the accident. Jeff is furious, and sends her home.
  • Meanwhile, Deacon walks into Rayna's house and demands: "Can you sing?" Rayna says she's working with the therapist... "Can you sing?" "I don't know." Deacon tells her he can't play and he's done with music. A tearful Rayna says, "You take some time to know who you are without a guitar. But don't you say you're done with music."
  • Meanwhile, at the Opry, Layla is all flirtatious with Gay Will. As soon as they're alone, he lets her have it: "You play innocent all you want. I know you did something to mess with Scarlett out there." He's right! Way to be a pal, Will.
  • Zooey and Gunnar are hanging out, and she asks him when he wrote the new song she likes. "I wrote it for you," he says soulfully, and the two of them begin swapping spit and stripping each other's clothes off. Scarlett doesn't even know that Zoey is performing with Scarlett's two exes, let alone doing the nasty -- but I think she'd be more hurt by the fact that they're singing with Zoey.
  • On stage at the benefit, Rayna invites Juliette to become the newest member of the Opry. Juliette is genuinely overcome, and they hug. But Rayna gets trapped by Luke, the emcee, who insists she sing for the audience. Can she? Does she sing again? Oh, come on. Of course she does!
  • Backstage, Juliette is feeling really good, although she's grumbling to her manager. "Did you know Rayna could sing? Her timing just killed my moment." And then she overhears Luke berating Rayna for inviting "that little flash in the pan" to become a member of the Opry. Oh dear.
  • Lamar is arrested. Reporters swarm the Opry, wanting to interview Rayna about her dad.
  • Meanwhile, Scarlett and Will are jamming on the piano in the living room. "This is what I should be doing: Writing songs and playing them in your living room," she tells Deacon. Deacon smiles and says she knows better. "I saw your face when you played at the Opry, that connection with the audience. You'll miss it. I miss it."
  • Juliette is still brooding. She shows up at the Bluebird to apologize to Avery, and asks if he'll come out on tour. He says no, he's going to stay and work on his own music. Juliette hands him the key to her home studio and tells him to feel free to use it.
  • And the show ends with Lamar telling Tandy he knows it was Teddy who sold him out -- and he's going to make him pay.

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