Nashville - Season 1 Finale - Recap: Whiskey Lullaby
Credit: ABC
Recap and review of Nashville - Season 1 Finale - I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive:
Nashville has gone through a lot of ups and downs in its first season. For every fascinating foray into the background of the country music business, there were at least two other stories that didn't seem to matter. Now that we've seen a full season, and even with tonight's prosecution/pregnancy cliffhanger, I'm still not sure what the whole political side of the show contributed to anything. Teddy's (Eric Close) bid for Mayor could have been interesting stuff, ditto his affair with ex-partner-in-embezzlement Peggy (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) and his power struggle against father-in-law Lamar Wyatt (Powers Boothe). Yet neither of those things really came to pass. Between all the talk of baseball stadiums and Federal Investigations, it's like the entire plotline forgot to actually be interesting. This means that a significant chunk of the episode is spent on something about which we were never given sufficient cause to care. And, as a result, time is taken away from stuff that is vastly more interesting, such as the tragic downward spiral of Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten). With all that having been said, "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" is ultimately a pretty solid season finale, filled with moments that bring some characters full circle, while placing others back at square one. The episode has some compelling themes beneath the surface, such as the inconsequential nature of fame within the context of personal crises. Season one of Nashville has, in many ways, been obsessed with the concept of fame. Yet none of that matters once the proverbial s*** hits the fan. In a world where fame often comes first, it was fascinating to see it treated as a such an afterthought here. While this season finale didn't dig nearly as deep as it could have, it still proved to be a compelling way to close out the first season, while providing intrigue going into the second.
Credit: ABC
So the secret is out: Maddie (Lennon Stella) confronts Deacon and reveals to him that he's her father. After largely ignoring Rayna during their performance at the CMAs (alongside Brad Paisley, because why not?), Deacon confronts Rayna. She breaks down and reveals the truth, confirming that he's Maddie's biological father. This leads to an argument where Rayna basically reiterates her point from midseason, that she couldn't bring herself to wait for Deacon because she had no way of knowing that the fifth trip to rehab would be the charm. She loved Deacon, but she also loved Teddy, and so she married him and allowed him to claim Maddie as his daughter in order to give the young girl stability. But Deacon still wants to know why he was lied to for 13 years, and Rayna doesn't really have an answer. Thus begins the darkest part of the episode, as Deacon completely falls off the wagon, going on a bender in which he gets stupefyingly drunk while ignoring the phone calls of worried family and friends. He then confronts Teddy the next morning, jumping him outside the courthouse and accusing him of stealing Maddie away from him. Guards break up the fight, and Teddy rightly claims that Deacon was in no shape to be a father to anyone. He then declares that Maddie deserves better than Deacon, adding that Rayna deserves better too. Deacon is allowed back up, and he storms off to go buy more liquor to keep the buzz going. Strangely enough, it's Gunnar (Sam Palladio), looking to ask Deacon about advice on Scarlett (Clare Bowen), who discovers that Deacon has fallen off the wagon. He calls Scarlett, who gets a hold of Coleman (Robert Wisdom), and the trio burst into Deacon's house to stop him from tearing the entire place apart. But things only get darker.
Credit: ABC
It's a credit to Charles Esten that, within the span of a few moments with Drunk Deacon, we can see just why Rayna felt obligated to make the choice to leave him all those years ago. He's violent and beyond the reach of reason, as he spews venom and anyone who tries to help him. Deacon tries to take a swing at Coleman and misses, collapsing to the floor. He then rails against Gunnar, telling Scarlett that this boy is "broken" and he's not good enough for her. Scarlett is in hysterics, just bawling her eyes out and pleading with her uncle to stop hurting Coleman, whom he's got pinned up against the wall by the neck. When Coleman forces Deacon to see what he's doing to Scarlett, to look at just how much he's hurting her, it's one of the more raw, emotional moments of the episode, and one of Esten's best moments of the entire series, as Deacon crumbles into apologies and barely-restrained tears. Coleman stands watch with Deacon through the day and into the night, until he's sobered back up.
Credit: ABC
Once awake, Deacon realizes that he's poured 13 years of sobriety down the drain. Ashamed, he asks Coleman to find him an AA meeting for the next morning so he can receive a new "Welcome" chip to begin the process all over again. He then assures Coleman that he no longer needs to babysit him. Coleman feels confident that Deacon has seen the error of his ways, and, by allowing Charles Esten to play Deacon as clear-headed once again, the viewer likely shares Coleman's confidence. Yet Deacon is nowhere near enlightenment. After promising Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) that he'll attend a memorial service for her mother at the Bluebird that night, we see Deacon wash down a couple aspirin...with a swig from a bottle of whiskey. It's in service of building to the episode's climax, which we'll get to in a bit. But I feel it necessary to remark upon the fact that while Deacon's downward spiral was among the most compelling aspects of the episode, I feel like there was a better story to tell between Deacon and Maddie. They're the ones who, for better or worse, have been lied to, and I would have liked to have gotten that story in which biological father-daughter confront their new relationship and what it means, perhaps bonding/commiserating over how they've been wronged. That said, I can understand that, from a storyline standpoint, the characters aren't really there yet. Deacon, in particular, seems to have trouble with acceptance, though Maddie ultimately comes around to her mother's dishonesty, mending fences with Rayna after a heart-to-heart about the necessities of keeping Maddie's true parentage a secret (and reassuring that she's loved every bit as much as her younger sister, Daphne). It's emotionally resonant storytelling, even if I felt there was a better story they could have told.
Credit: ABC
Juliette's storyline is also emotionally resonant, perhaps more so than Deacon and Rayna's. She's in the anger stage of grief, and she lashes out against her handlers while backstage at the CMA Awards. Much like Charles Esten, Hayden Panettiere delivers some of her best work of the series here, particularly when she angrily shouts that she should be celebrating the end of her mother's drama, only to then realize what she's said and tearfully (and with a raspy, weathered voice) declare, "I didn't mean that." After all the hubbub about winning the CMA Award, neither Rayna nor Juliette ultimately seem to care about it all that much, as both stars leave the show before their category is announced. Rayna is off to deal with the Deacon situation, yet Juliette leaves for an entirely different reason. In a scene that's either heartbreaking or creepy, depending on what your stance is on monologuing to dead bodies, Juliette talks to the open casket, sharing one final moment with her late mother, Jolene (Sylvia Jefferies). Juliette talks about their past and how she no longer has anyone in this world, and it's heartbreaking stuff, despite the fact that the show seemed incapable of deciding on whether or not it wanted us to sympathize with Juliette or hate her altogether.
Credit: ABC
Here, we're firmly in the "sympathize" camp, as Juliette receives a goodbye letter from Jolene in the mail, posted before she overdosed, in which she reveals that she killed Dante to protect her and to lift the veil of scandal from over her head (although one would imagine having one's mother commit a murder-suicide would be a worse headline than the bad press one would get from having a sex tape released). The police turn over the ruined SD card, claiming to have been unable to retrieve any data, and Juliette has an entirely new appreciation for her mother's sacrifice. It's no wonder that she ultimately doesn't seem to care when her manager, Glenn (Ed Amatrudo), delivers her the CMA Award that morning: she won for Female Vocalist of the Year. But it's every bit as hollow to her as fame is ephemeral, and so Juliette simply places the trophy on her mantle and goes on with her life. Juliette buries her mother in a private ceremony, and this produces one of the best Rayna-Juliette scenes of the series, as they bond over both having lost mothers far too soon. In particular, Juliette's anecdote about having come from dirt, only to now put her mother back into it, is eerily poignant. With the goodbyes having been said, Juliette sings a song in her mother's memory at the Bluebird. It's a beautifully filmed montage that darkens the scenery behind Juliette and cutting in images of the other characters in the story as the season comes to a close. It's a remarkably effective scene in portraying the depth of Juliette's grief, and it brings her story with Jolene full-circle, as she puts her demons to rest. It helps that "Nothing In This World" may be the best Juliette Barnes song yet.
Credit: ABC
Also putting his demons to rest is Gunnar, who goes to the producer and reveals that his entire outlaw persona is a lie. He confesses the truth about having stolen Jason's songs, though the producer doesn't think this is a big deal. It's just a part of the business. However, Gunnar has no interest in playing the badass anymore, and so he gives up on one promising start for another, as he struggles to win Scarlett back -- especially once it becomes apparent that things might be back on between her and Avery (Jonathan Jackson). Gunnar learns from Will (Chris Carmack) that the exes have been speaking, and that she's gone to see Avery play a show at a nearby bar. He goes to the show only to witness Scarlett singing onstage with Avery. In particular, it's a song Avery wrote for her while they were still dating, called "The Moon Is High," and as Gunnar downs his beer and pouts, it's apparent that the Gunnar/Scarlett dynamic has shifted over to Scarlett/Avery. This concern highlights Gunnar's portion of the episode, as does Will's continued struggle with his sexual identity, which we get some brief development on (apparently, he's continued bedding women in order to keep up his reputation as a ladies' man).
Credit: ABC
This represents the weaker portion of the episode, alongside the political stuff with Lamar and Tandy (Judith Hoag), who quits Wyatt Industries when he promotes some new guy ahead of her. This prompts the feds to approach Tandy about aiding them in their investigation into Wyatt's illicit activities with regards to company finances. Teddy had earlier told his lawyer that Lamar likely leaked the story of his embezzlement to the feds after he was certain he would be untouchable, yet the feds are more determined than ever to find something to bust Lamar for. What this means for Teddy remains to be seen, but things aren't as bad for him as they could have been, since Peggy refused to roll on him when offered immunity for her testimony. Teddy is shocked that Peggy didn't take the chance to save herself, and asks why, at which point Peggy reveals to Teddy that she's pregnant with his child. So Peggy isn't going anywhere, it seems, though I desperately hope this federal investigation doesn't consume an entire second season's worth of episodes. I'm just not confident that the creative team can script a compelling political angle.
Credit: ABC
What they can script is cliffhangers, and they end the season on a hell of a tease. Not only does Gunnar propose to Scarlett, but things also escalate between Rayna and Deacon. When she spots him at the Bluebird, Rayna corners Deacon in his car. She realizes he's been drinking and refuses to let him to drive. And so she takes the wheel and drives him home, but her attentions are frequently diverted by the intense argument they're having (which we can't hear, though we can probably infer quite a bit -- needless to say, Deacon is a hot mess, and he continues to drink from his whiskey bottle throughout). As things get more heated, Rayna has a harder time paying attention to the road, causing her to overlook an oncoming vehicle. She swerves to avoid a collision, causing Deacon's car to flip and rotate several times before settling in a ditch, bent and broken. A car crash is the epitome of cliche TV cliffhangers, yet it's totally effective here because this is exactly the kind of show Nashville is, and should be. It's a soap, first and foremost, and the sooner it embraces that soap opera quality, the better the show will become. In its earlier episodes, it seemed the series had ambitions towards prestige status, yet that fell by the wayside as the plots became increasingly salacious and convoluted, leaving little recourse but to embrace the melodrama. And it works here, as not only does this car crash present the possibility that one of them (most likely Deacon, because I can't imagine a scenario where this show exists without Rayna) could die, but it also inevitably changes the dynamic between Rayna and Deacon if neither one does. Deacon will never forgive himself, and it's doubtful Rayna would ever trust him again, let alone allow him to be around Maddie. That could make for some excellent character drama, going forward.
Credit: ABC
The first season of Nashville has seen highs and lows, but the cast, crew and writers were able to right the ship before the end, and it shows here. "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" is a fitting closer to a season of a show that, while perhaps failing to reach its full potential, is still compulsively watchable, compelling television.