Nashville Review: When There's a Fire in Your Heart

If the last couple episodes of Nashville have proven anything, it’s that it really does need Juliette Barnes. The episodes she missed lacked a certain spark because she, more than any other character, embodies the spirit of the show: a little manic and overdramatic, but capable of quietly heartbreaking moments as well. Juliette’s return is at least part of the reason why I think last night’s episode and the one before that were among the strongest of the season.

Juliette and Avery had a couple of sweet, refreshingly mature conversations here, rebuilding their friendship and hopefully paving the way for an eventual reunion. Avery’s advice about Glenn proved how well he knows Juliette and can relate to what Glenn’s feeling, which led to that lovely reunion between manager and former client at the end of the hour.

I’ve always felt like Glenn and Juliette’s relationship is underrated, so I was happy to seem them reunite. On paper, Juliette’s Opry performance could have been seen as self-serving, but she was clearly genuine in her feelings, especially when she called Glenn “the man I’ve always thought of as a father.” Plus, she did try to have a one-on-one conversation with him first, so I can’t really blame her for hoping that a big, but sincere gesture would do the trick instead. She showed a lot of maturity in that scene afterward as well; I would have reacted the same way that Glenn did when she begged him to be a part of her life. Layla’s not going to be happy about this turn of events, particularly when she’s already feeling squeezed out by Juliette’s relationship with Avery.

Granted, she may not need to worry about sharing her manager, as she certainly took matters into her own hands with her tour. With Daphne convincing Maddie to buy her something in exchange for her silence, she and Layla could teach a class on the art of subtle blackmailing. That bit of coercion isn’t even the worst of Luke’s problems either; now he has to find another opener to fill in for Riff. Side note, but this show has led me to believe that tours are put together more hastily than they probably are. He set Riff up awhile ago (not that it made a difference), but he chose Layla the day before the tour started? Plan ahead, man!

I’m curious to see if it’ll be someone we know who gets that empty slot. Rayna and Juliette both have Riff’s star power, while someone like Will doesn’t, but Luke’s history with both ladies seems way too tumultuous for him to ask either of them. Honestly, with Rayna and Juliette both wanting to perform, I’d rather see a reboot of the Red Lips White Lies tour than Rayna’s random ten-date jaunt. Crazier things have happened!

Maddie’s another one seeking the limelight in this episode, and she finds it in pretty much the worse place possible: an underground bar. To be fair, it’s not even her idea, as Cash, the world’s worst role model, arranges it. I’ve said before that there’s something weird about a twenty-something hanging out with a teenager, but then I thought about how great Juliette and Maddie’s friendship was. Despite all of her poor personal choices, Juliette was never anything but a good influence on Maddie. Like Cash, she let her go onstage without her parents’ permission, an ill-advised move for sure, but at least one that took place in a family-friendly venue where she kept an eye on Maddie the whole time. Ju would not have waited for Deacon to step in when that guy got handsy, just saying. She would have taken him down herself, and that’s not even a “she’s sixteen” thing, it’s just a “don’t touch my friend” thing.

I feel like they’ve done a variation of the Autumn Chase personality transplant a zillion times on this show, where the person who seems cool and chill ends up being a complete jerk. They’re doing it with Riff right now, actually. At this point, I’d be more surprised if a new character was exactly who they seemed they were.

I was beyond happy to see Kevin again, and he and Will had that nice, bittersweet scene that gave their relationship some closure. I liked that line about how the person you learn from isn’t necessarily the one you should be with. Much as I like them together, Kevin was Will’s first real love, and that’s not the same thing as a soulmate.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Let me know in the comments!