On Thursday night’s Nashville midseason premiere: heartache, heartbreak, and heart damage were the order of the day.  Through the hour episode, the Nashville men took front and center stage through their emotional songs and their dramatic turns.  

Courtesy/CMT

We pick up right after Will (Chris Carmack) is rushed to the hospital after collapsing during The Chew performance in New York.  Gunnar (Sam Palladio) and Alannah (Rainee Blake) learn from the doctor that their friend and bandmate is suffering from none other than a heart infection. The physician says, “Are any of you aware that he was using needles, injecting steroids?” Avery (Jonathan Jackson), and Alannah are stunned while Gunnar reveals that he knew about Will injecting himself once.  When Avery and Gunnar go visit Will in his hospital room, Gunnar is mad because he thinks it is “stupid” that Will did this to himself.

Will, as usual, sloughs it off and apologizes. But things don’t look good for Will. The doctor tells the country star to take it easy, and that he might need surgery, because there is something going on in his mitral valve in his heart. Will receives bad news; that he can’t play concerts or perform anytime soon.

When the news spreads through Nashville that Will has survived this heart scare, none other than Zach (Cameron Scoggins), Will’s ex, surprises him when Will is at home resting.  Zach gets a clue that Will’s steroid use may have something to do with the good-looking trainer, Mark, who he flaunted in front of his face when the two of them broke up.  As the two of them kind of flirt with each other, Zach mentions that Mark and him broke up, leaving a possible window of hope that Zach and Will might get back together again.  

Scarlett (Clare Bowen), who sees that Will is feeling sorry for himself, gives him a notebook and a pen and tells him to try to write a song about his feelings, even though Will protests that he is a showman, not a songwriter. But of course, in true Nashville fashion, Will comes up with an emotional song by the end of the episode, sung and played to perfection by Carmack.

As for Avery, is there anything cuter than Avery with his young daughter Cadence, while MIA mother Juliette (Hayden Panetierre) has once again put him in a position where he’s raising this child all by himself?  Meanwhile Alannah, who has slept with Gunnar, is very attracted to Avery. 

One night, after it appears that she hit the sack with Gunnar, she goes over to Avery’s to hang out for some drinking … dancing … and talking.  It is apparent that Avery enjoys her company, and she is clearly into him. Nothing happens between them.  They both fall asleep separately in the living room, and the next morning Avery thanks her for her support. 

However, a tabloid photo surfaces on Gunnar’s phone that says there’s a woman sneaking out of Avery’s house. When he sees that it is none other than Alannah, Gunnar is livid! He heads over to a rehearsal begging for a fight. They don’t have a fight, but instead, Gunnar gets hit in the nose by the band member’s guitar. The way it looks to us, maybe, just maybe, Gunnar and Will, who have been good friends, even though Gunnar hasn’t slept with a guy that maybe, just maybe, they could end up together?  After all, Gunnar and Will did kiss that one time.  Is this just wishful thinking, or could Nashville go down this road before its series finale?

As for Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten), who has been the epicenter of the show, since Connie Britton has departed, he has gotten himself caught in the middle and involved with Jessie (Kaitlin Doubleday) and her ex, Brad (Jeff Nordling). Brad is suing Jessie for full custody of their son. Deacon’s past of alcohol abuse and and fights don’t look good for them, and it’s tearing this possible new love affair apart.  Later, Jessie and Deacon profess they don’t want to lose each other.

Courtesy/CMT

However, the most poignant moment of the show happened when Maddie (Lennon Stella), who knocked back some booze during Jonah’s birthday week, showed up back at Deacon and Rayna’s home.  She’s defiant, and she wants to move out.  Deacon notices that she’s drinking water, looking dehydrated like she’s hungover from alcohol. 

He confronts her and says, “What the heck were you thinking?” She screams that she’s an adult, and she’s 18.  He says, “Not in this house you’re not!” She fires back, “Maybe I should move out!” As they’re both crying, and they begin to calm down. Deacon is fearful that he could pass the addiction gene of alcohol onto his daughter.  He reflects on how he lost so many years with Rayna, and so many years with his daughter, and that he doesn’t want Maddie to make the same mistakes as he did.

At the end of the episode, seeing how her sister, Daphne (Maisy Stella) is broken up over the fact that she doesn’t want Maddie to move out, she ends up in bed hanging out with her dad and her sister, and they hug it out now she’s going to stay, and not leave the nest.

So, what did you think about midseason premiere of Nashville?  Did it have a lot of heart? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

After ‘Nashies’ hung on to their favorite primetime soap opera through its cancellation by ABC, its series star departing the series, and the news that CMT has made it official that this sixth and final season would be its last, viewers will learn how it will all end for some of their favorite characters as the final eight episodes begin to air starting tomorrow on Thursday June 7th at 8PMEST.  The series finale airs this summer on Friday, July 26.

Creator Callie Khouri speaks on the latest developments, and what’s next for the characters she created in a new video teaser launched this week from the cable network.

For General Hospital fans, they have watched multi-Daytime Emmy winner Jonathan Jackson (Ex-Lucky) as Avery Barclay.  Avery has been the main love interest for Juliette Barnes, played by Hayden Panettiere.  As the season heads towards its finale, Avery seems to have taken a liking to Alannah, while Juliette is immersed and trying to get the goods on the cult she finds herself in.  Will she make it back to Avery before he falls head over heels for someone else?

Will Lexington (Chris Carmack) suffered a medical disaster after overdoing his steroid use.  What will be the consequences of his actions?  Deacon’s father comes into the equation and old wounds will surface and we will learn more about why Deacon (Charles Esten) is the way he is.

In an interview with TV Insider, Charles Esten side-stepped the question if Rayna James (Britton) would be seen somehow in flashbacks, as a ghost, or something else?  All he would coyly say is: . “Of course, fans want to know.  I wanted to know too before the scripts came out, and now I do, and you soon will. How good was that?”

Watch the latest teaser for the final episodes of Nashville below!  Then let us know: what you think will happen to Deacon, Juliette, and Avery?  And, now that Nashville has concluded, do you hope Jonathan Jackson comes back to GH to reprise his role as Lucky Spencer? Comment below.

Nashies! We are soon going to have to say goodbye to the Music City drama, but before we do the back-half of Nashville’s sixth and final season is on its way beginning on Thursday, June 7th, (9PMEST/8PMCST) and concluding with the series finale on July 26th only on CMT!

The just released new video teaser features: Chris Carmack, Hayden Panettiere, and Charles Esten, and more talking about what is to come, and why the show has been so enduring to its legions of fans from its ABC incarnation to its final home on the cable network.

In story what to look for: Deacon rips into his father, Gunnar catches Avery (Jonathan Jackson) and Alannah together, Scarlett ends up in a dangerous situation when her war vet friend, Sean is alone at his horse farm complete with a gun, while Juliette works to bring down Darius’ cult she got sucked into. Juliette yelps in the teaser: “You control people by fear and intimidation.” Will she succeed?

Watch the Nashville teaser after the jump! Then let us know if you think the back-half of its final season will provide a pay-off to fans who have stuck with the show for six season via the comment section below! (more…)