Round Two: Nashville

Nashville: Season 1, Episode 2 “I Can’t Help It” (B+)

This show did a terrific job of maintaining its momentum going into week two, cementing the severity of the rivalry between Rayna and Juliette as they continue further along their collision course. Deacon is their crucial connector, and Rayna is going to even less happy to find out that he’s going skinny dipping with Juliette as she was to find out that Juliette tried to poach her for her tour. The scene in the bar was evocative of a classic scene from the 1975 film “Nashville,” where Keith Carradine announces that his song is in honor of a special lady, prompting multiple smiles from the audience. Juliette sure was furious to see Rayna stroll up there and ease into a performance with Deacon, and I suspect she’ll be out for blood now. Rayna and Deacon’s relationship is clearly complicated also, as her reluctance to discuss the particulars of its start and finish with the men vetting Teddy and his family for dirt. Teddy burning papers after they speculated about his guilt was a bit overdramatic, but it’s sure to produce some interesting revelations later. Rayna going to see Coleman indicates that this really is one small big city, and the campaign is going to be far from easy. On the less famous side, it’s obvious that Scarlett and Gunnar belong together, and I don’t think that Avery is long for this show’s world, just waiting to be cast out when he can’t show enough approval for his very talented girlfriend.