Nashville

Watching last week and this I kept saying to myself that the guy playing Deacon Clayborne looked familiar and where had I seen him before? It's Chip Esten from Whose Line Is It Anyway! Good Lord! My next question is: When did he get so hot?!! He was this scrawny, geeky guy who could make up songs with Wayne Brady on the spot--now he's buffed out and is most definitely getting better looking with age. Yowza!

The song that Deacon and Rayna did at the end was great. I'm going to have to find that one on iTunes.

He was on The Office a few years ago, and he looked pretty good. He and Connie Britton work very well together, which is a big part of making that show work.

Never thought a show about country singers would be my bag, but I'm enjoying this. It's a good ensemble, and just entertaining to watch!

When there is a love triangle and 2/3 are married, I usually don't root for the other guy but Rayna's husband is so blah I want Rayna to dump him and go off and write beautiful music with Deacon. The political part of the show bores me--the last thing I want is to suffer through ANOTHER election.

Honestly, I wasn't really seeing all the critical acclaim after the pilot episode, but after this week I do see the potential. Hayden is very good and fluctuates well between vixen and vulnerable. I think it's been said to death, but I think Connie Britton is OWNING this role. She really brings the sense of history behind every word she says, and that is crucial with a character like Rayna. The only weak spot for me is this mayoral election storyline so far. It feels like a tacked on way to include her husband and dad who are also the least interesting characters. As much as I like Powers Boothe, he can get really mustache twirly.

I truly think Connie Britton makes the show. Everyone else is fine, even good, but she has this THING where she just radiates warmth and likability and heart and soul. And for her character to be rootable, I think you need all those qualities from someone who exudes them as innately as she does. It anchors the show. Perfect casting.

truecrystal wrote: As much as I like Powers Boothe, he can get really mustache twirly.

I fully expect a shouting matching to end with Rayna screaming about how he shot her beloved horse, fed it to the family dog, and then ran over the dog. Everyone else has layers or are getting there, I wish the family patriarch could have some too.

I like all the history they've managed to impart without having a lot of info dump (translation: I am shipping Rayna and Deacon HARD).

The creator (who also wrote Thelma & Louise!) did an interesting interview at Salon, where she said she wouldn't have done the show without Connie Britton.

I'm enjoying this show, but the guy who plays Tami Taylor's dad says every line like it's being fed to him by Satan. He's so over the top evil that it's distracting.

That waitress has the prettiest singing voice. I loved her song in the pilot.

choubetcha wrote:I like all the history they've managed to impart without having a lot of info dump (translation: I am shipping Rayna and Deacon HARD).

So am I, and I usually don't tend to ship "extramarital affair". lol They have awesome chemistry, and I agree, I'm impressed how they were able to get us to root for them without going "THIS IS A SPEECH OF EXPOSITION AND YOU BETTER PAY ATTENTION."

I've been cleaning off the dvr all weekend and finally got to this show. I'm liking it okay, but I kind of wonder how much juice there is in it soap wise, I feel like it's still in search of a personality, because it's trying to do A LOT of things, and all the things are kind of humming along at a nice solid 7 and 1/2. Is it a show about the music business, and art over commerce? Is a show about family and romance? Or is it a show about political shenanigans? I actually like all three parts (and Powers Booth is reminding me of my Granny so he's doing something right in the evil manipulative PITA family member area), but I hope they can make all those shows interconnect into a more cohesive whole.

I did like how Rayna explained she can't let Deacon go because her love for him is inextricably linked to her love for music, so that was a step in the right direction. But then you have Scarlett/Gunnar, who seem like the cast's best "singers" and who are supposed to represent that pure country spirit and raw talent that Nashville shines into diamonds, but as characters their kind of just there, while poor Jonathon Jackson doesn't have much story but has made more of impression character wise. And SO weird but in the pilot I was convinced Gunnar was gay and in love with Deacon. Which I think would be hilarious since they could rename the show Everyone Loves Deacon.

And that makes sense because Chip Esten is hot like FYAH and to me is like a taller, better looking, less douchey version of Michael Fassbender.

Oh and on the soapy note we're supposed to wonder if Rayna's eldest girl is Deacon's right? Rayna's daddy is a bastard, but CB's reaction shot seemed to confirm it at least for me. But maybe it's just his bastard assumptions bout her.

And that makes sense because Chip Esten is hot like FYAH and to me is like a taller, better looking, less douchey version of Michael Fassbender.

And to me he's like a shorter, better looking, less douchey version of Jim Carrey. But still very very HOT.

But you reminded me about Scarlett/Gunnar which is to say that I completely forget about them until they show up. And I agree that the only thing popping about that story is Jonathan Jackson's part in it. I think I'm in the minority too because although I like the emotions in their duets, her voice is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Actually, her speaking voice annoys too but that might be because she's struggling with the accent so she sounds a bit marble-mouthed.

maxell131313 wrote:Watching last week and this I kept saying to myself that the guy playing Deacon Clayborne looked familiar and where had I seen him before? It's Chip Esten from Whose Line Is It Anyway! Good Lord! My next question is: When did he get so hot?!! He was this scrawny, geeky guy who could make up songs with Wayne Brady on the spot--now he's buffed out and is most definitely getting better looking with age. Yowza!

I just realized who he was yesterday when I couldn't take it any longer and had to look him up to see where I knew him from. Couldn't believe it was the same guy. I only knew him from comedy stuff, so seeing him in a dramatic role threw me. Personally, I thought he was hot back in the Whose Line days, but I agree that he's getting better looking with age.

Even though I don't know beans about country music, overall I'm enjoying the show so far. Only problem is that I keep getting characters mixed up, especially the men. Apparently I'm not alone.

Only problem is that I keep getting characters mixed up, especially the men. Apparently I'm not alone.

I have the same issue, 4 episodes in and I'm still thinking of them as the guy from Without a Trace, the guy from General Hospital, and those other two.

I think this show is just okay...maybe my expectations were too high based on all the reviews I read of it ahead of time. But, I'm worried because the last two episodes seem to be a decline in quality. The problem is that I found Juliette to be a much more likable character than Rayna, but her whole shoplifting thing annoyed me. I need to like at least one of the main characters to really enjoy a show.

I feel like the balance on this show has gotten all out of whack already. There needs to be about 100% less of mayoral intrigue plot, and a good amount more of Rayna interacting with anyone but Teddy. I like Juliette a lot and I like her and Deacon's relationship but I feel like I get it, so let's see some more of them with other characters. I would love to see Rayna and Juliette have a conversation. I do hope that's where we're going with the mom's addiction storyline. If we never get Rayna talking to Juliette about what it was like putting Deacon in rehab, I will be so annoyed.

The latest episode was the closest to hitting the mark to the nighttime soap I want to watch than any other this season. I really like the dynamic between Rayna and Juliette and I like that they're both so so right and so so wrong with their opinions of each other. The mayoral storyline is still deadly dull and tacked on, but I don't hate it nearly as much as I hate Gunnar/Scarlett. They manage to both bore me to death and make me so angry because damn they are stupidly annoying. JUST DO IT ALREADY GOD! And stop acting like 8th graders!

In last night's episode, at first when "Mom's Rehab" popped up on Juliette's phone I thought that was the actual name of the place, like "Jim's Bar-B-Que" or "Lucy's Beauty Shop". I laughed and laughed and had to rewind the DVR so I could listen to the dialog again.

That was hilarious. I think Teddy and Powers Boothe need to be written out of the show (sorry to both of them) because Connie Britton would be more interesting single, and the political stuff is a snore. The show lights up when she and Hayden P are music-duelling or duetting. I don't buy ANY chemistry between Rayna and her husband. She and Deacon have it in spades, but to me it'd be more interesting if they were both single and facing other roadblocks, rather than Rayna's boring passionless marriage.

HOWEVER: Did anyone else catch a vibe with Tandy, when she talked about hand-picking Teddy for Rayna because he'd make a good husband? Made me wonder if Tandy, years ago, had a thing for Teddy and then had to give him up to Rayna (on Powers' orders, perhaps).

Deacon... hot like fire. The brooding thing really does something for me.

I'm glad to have that show back. It's definitely my favourite soapy, guilty pleasure. When they keep the mayoral plot to a minimum like tonight, it's a much better show. It was pretty fast-paced. I thought it was a good episode all around.

I am with you! I thought it was the best episode since the first or second. While I actually prefer Avery over Gunnar as a character, I thought it was awesome when Scarlet sang with his old band. Your ex-girlfriend and ex-bandmates getting together and singing your songs for a packed crowd who doesn't seem to miss you at all is the ultimate kiss-off. And I enjoyed all of Juliette's angsting.

One thing about this show, I do not understand the timeline at all. Deacon was with the reporter 14 years ago? Wasn't Rayna the love of his life 14 years ago? Maybe this was during the cooling-off, pre-rehab period where she started dating Teddy? If only these were real people and I could just look up their wikipedia pages!

I got that vibe too, Heather, and I hope it's for real because right now her only purpose is to stand wordlessly in a room with Powers Boothe and Connie Britton until they're done arguing, say "Rayna" once, and then follow her father out the door.

Damn! It's been over a year since the last post in this thread. Okay, I'll go for it.

I normally hate Scarlett's voice, but I got chills when she was singing "Black Roses" (or whatever it's called) to her mother. And what a piece of work her mother is. Oy vey.

Yeah, last night was the first time I haven't absolutely hated Scarlett (though I usually don't have a problem with her singing). I guess now we know why she's such a weak, limpid character. I am kind of wondering if this was the plan all along or if they came up with the storyline because of the audience's reaction to her character. But her mom was a real piece of work, so I did feel sorry for her.

I really liked the last scene with Deacon and Rayna. They were both so right, and I'm glad it's finally all cards on the table. I'm interested to see where they go from here.

The way that Deacon was (a drunk) and the way that his sister is, makes me wonder what kind of house they grew up in. Have they ever touched on that? I missed a lot of the first season.

And while last year I had little to no use for Juliette or Avery, I love them both this season. I love their romance and the troubles they're having and honestly, Juliette is SUCH an entertaining character, I can't imagine this show without her.

When Scarlett's mom was talking about "being on tour with my brother", I was all "... who? Oh, Deacon, right." I, too, would like to get some insight into what their homelife was like growing up.

UGH! Juliette, NOOOO!

Once again, Hayden broke my heart in this episode. She is so damn good.

Poor Will. I figured that "... there's no cameras in the bedroom, right?" thing would come back to haunt him.

I really like the character of Will, but I hate his storyline. I think part of it is that I hate Layla so much. I don't know if it's the actress or the writing, but I feel like we're supposed to sympathize with her character (as it's a very sympathetic situation that she's in) but I can't stand a single second that she's on my screen. If she's around to make Scarlett more palatable, well then job kinda done.

Only kinda done, because I wanted to smack Gunnar for telling her to stick around. I want her to leave so badly. And I can't help but think that the writers really don't understand how much her character is disliked by the audience if they tease us with her leaving only to keep her around. It's cruel.

The Rayna storyline was pretty predictable. I did love how during the proposal Teddy, Deacon, Maddie and Daphne were all grim-faced. Not a single person amongst those who love her best (with the exception of Luke) were happy about it. I do think that she has to face up to the fact that it's always going to be Deacon for her in one way or another. Even if it's in a Dawson/Joey 'you're my soul mate, but not the one I'm going to be with' kind of way.

And Juliette - oh Juliette. I can't believe that in a show that stars Connie Britton and Chip (I'm sorry, Charles) Esten, it's all come down to Hayden Panettiere for me. But those scenes with Rayna were such great scenes and I love the almost sisterly vibe that those two have. And them taking down Jeff was so beautiful. I hate him and his smirky face. (But really, well done Oliver Hudson because that's exactly how we're supposed to feel.) And then those two scenes with Avery. Broken heart all over the place. That girl is really her own worst enemy but now we really know why. And even though it didn't end with the two of them together, they weren't exactly apart either which is good because they really are the 'ship I'm most invested in, even more than Deacon and Rayna at this point.