Nashville - Recap: It's Yours

Credit: ABC

It's a through line that connects the different aspects of the episode, some of which work better than others. The main plotline involves Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) sending a text to Avery (Jonathan Jackson) in which she reveals she's pregnant. After all the weeks of build-up, it's kind of a silly way for Avery to finally be clued in, but it leads to some decent tension in the episode, as Juliette has to deal with the consequences of her impulsiveness -- not only from the secret getting out to Avery, but from her decision to continue to keep it a secret from the public at large. Granted, she might have people like Zoey (Chaley Rose) and Noah (Derek Hough) who know her secret and are willing to do what they can to help her keep it, but not everyone in her life is going to be as accommodating.

Credit: ABC

Case in point, Avery nearly spills the secret to the world when he shows up on the set of the Patsy Cline movie and demands to know if what the text message said was true. Juliette refuses to see him, requiring Glenn (Ed Amatrudo) to step in, although I'm not exactly sure what she expected would happen when she sent the text. It's one thing to be mad at your ex for implying you're nothing, but it's another matter altogether when your way of getting back at him is to reveal he has a kid on the way -- and doing so in a text message. All in all, it's bad times for Juliette, between the unpleasantness with Avery, and the havoc the pregnancy is wreaking on her body. While onstage during a performance, she realizes she can't breathe, and leaves the stage. Zoey seizes the moment and finally steps out into the spotlight, finishing the song for Juliette and coming across as a star in the process, to Juliette's apparent irritation. Of course, Juliette doesn't really have long to feel jealous, since she ends up collapsing backstage. Here's hoping the hospital staff is discreet, or Juliette might find that her secret won't stay a secret for long.

Credit: ABC

Consequences also abound for Will (Chris Carmack), who offends his trainer/friend-with-benefits when he asks him to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The trainer thought they were having a real relationship, but this is another case where I'm not sure what the guy actually expected, since Will is not only married but very clearly in the closet, and unwilling to step out of it. Deacon (Charles Esten) tries to help Will out by offering to listen, but Will doesn't want to let him in on his secret, even though Deacon not only seems trustworthy but also non-judgmental. That said, I don't really blame Will, considering what he has to lose. He's not only risking his own career, but his wife's as well, which is considerable pressure since he already feels guilty enough about what he's putting through privately. For her part, Layla (Aubrey Peeples) is still trying to get her comeback off the ground, but much of that potential success depends on Will remaining a viable artist for Jeff (Oliver Hudson), and the show suggests that Will likely won't maintain his current level of success if he's an openly gay man, sadly. So he does what he can to keep his secret just that.

Yet, Will can't change the way he is, so he inevitably finds himself out on the street, cruising for a man to be with. And he finds one...except it turns out to be a setup. He gets jumped by the man and his friends, who escalate a mugging into an outright hate crime. Will is left battered and bloody, and feeling justified in remaining as secretive about his sexuality as he has been. It's a tragic story, and one of the most poignant of the episode, since Will is trying as hard as possible to minimize whatever damage his sexuality may cause to his career and the people around him.

As for Rayna (Connie Britton), she's facing a crossroads in her personal and professional life, as she realizes that her girls are beginning to resent her for never being home, Daphne (Maisie Stella) in particular. Worse for Rayna, Teddy (Eric Close) is playing the cool dad, taking Maddie (Lennon Stella) to get highlights and Daphne to get her ears pierced. Rayna is heartbroken that she's missing out on all these moments, and takes her frustrations out on Teddy. But even she seems to recognize that her anger is misplaced. In choosing this career path, and starting a family while continuing in that career, she's reaping the consequences of a life in show business. To maintain her career, she simply can't be there for every big moment. It's a heartbreaker, for sure, but it's one of the realities of the business, and Luke (Will Chase) tries to assure her that these are the sacrifices every superstar has to make. But Rayna doesn't seem so sure she wants to make these sorts of sacrifices anymore, and that's a rich plot to explore. Rayna is the type of person who will put family first, but she's also someone who loves her line of work. For her, providing a comfortable lifestyle for her kids is putting them first. But she's now reaching a point where it might not be worth it to Rayna for things to continue the way they are. This pull between her personal and professional life is among the most compelling developments of the episode.

Credit: ABC

In fact, it's kind of a shame that some of the other storylines of the episode didn't manage to feel as consequential, even though one of those storylines features a MASSIVE bombshell: Gunnar (Sam Palladio) has a kid, a little boy named Micah whom his first love, Kiley (Alexa PenaVega), has been hiding from him for the past nine years. It comes out at the end of the episode after hints have been dropped throughout, and yet it doesn't feel as momentous as it should. Maybe because it feels to similar to what Avery is going through? I'm not sure, but it just didn't resonate with me. Nor did the story in which Scarlett (Clare Bowen) meets a kindly homeless man who helps her with her writer's block in exchange for a sandwich. It's cute, but doesn't feel of a piece with the rest of the episode. But these were really the only two misfires in what was otherwise a solid episode. "Road Happy" is exactly what I've come to expect from Nashville -- soap opera sensibilities mixed with occasional poignancy and resonance. And, occasionally, some really great music. "Road Happy" was light on the music, but it mostly made up for it everywhere else.