Nashville: “Where He Leads Me” (Episode 1.08)
Photo courtesy of Jon Lemay, ABC
Nashville has been described as a primetime soap opera from time to time, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The natural intensity oozing from all of the characters has been one of the high points of any freshman series this year, and it’s working. With the fall finale, the show turned it up a notch and hit in a lot of the right places. However, I felt it was a little too “ABC Sunday-night drama” for me. You know, Desperate Housewives-y.
“Where He Leads Me” consists of a lot of twists and turns, most of them involving love in some way or another. Now, that’s fine, but it’s how it’s presented. First off, Teddy’s extra-marital affair, which doesn’t exist, takes centerstage and Rayna turns from the confident women we’ve grown to love to a, well, a desperate housewife just trying to make sure her man isn’t a cheater. Teddy finally admits that he embezzled millions back in the day, but he paid it all back so it’s OK. That’s when Rayna returns from being mushy to a woman hellbent on making things right. She scolds her husband like he’s a child before coming to rescue him and proving she’s the rock-solid foundation in their marriage. Hopefully this is the beginning of the end of Teddy’s spotlight, because I’m still not a fan of the plot.
While I can’t get behind that story, I am a complete fan of Scarlett and love that she’s getting the props she deserves. She’s invited to try out for a band to be a lead singer, her and Gunnar’s song gets an option and she gets a passionate kiss. However, it’s from Gunnar, who breaks up with his girlfriend and then reveals to his songwriting partner that he loves her. Everything is complicated for Scarlett, but things are looking up.