Nashville Review: I Cross the Line

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How far would YOU go to succeed?

"You're Gonna Change (or I'm Gonna Leave)" gave us an inside look at three different musicians at three very different points in their careers, facing that question in one way or another.

What I like most about Avery cheating on Scarlett to get ahead is that it might break the two of them apart enough to give the former his own arc. Following his girlfriend around, and helping her with - or getting in the way of - her success just isn't enough to make Avery an interesting character.

Juliette Dates For a New Image

Turning him into the d-bag who gets dumped because he even thought about cheating with a prospective manager was a smart move. It gives him some depth. You could tell he kept going back and forth in his mind on how far he thought he could go, even to the point of a quick make out sesh before running back home to his girlfriend.

You have to give props to Scarlett for getting out of dodge simply because Avery was considering hooking up with Marilyn as an option. She didn't need to know whether anything actually happened or not. Someone who will even think about doing something like is not the right guy for her.  

I'm sure it isn't over between the two of them. But for now, it should make things between Scarlett and Gunnar even more awkward!

Unlike Avery, Rayna Jaymes has long since made it. She's an icon. She doesn't need to make sacrifices for her career, right? Apparently not.

For some reason. she loved the sound that this rock 'n roll producer creates, so after hilariously getting shot down because she's a "mom" with an "SUV," Rayna got him to talk through shear confidence and aggression. Well, that and letting him know she had listened to one of his rare live sessions.

The major sacrifice for Rayna, though, came after that. She stayed up all night drinking and making music with Mr. Rock 'n Roll. The result was apparently fantastic, as Rayna seemingly creates winning tracks while black out drunk on whiskey, but I'm worried about what it might mean to the future of her family life.

Teddy seemed fine about her coming home hammered at two in the morning, but he has plenty of stuff on his mind. Will it start to wear on him if it continues? And what will it do to her relationship with her kids? How far will she go to keep her career relevant?

Finally, there is Juliette. She's not trying to make it, she's not holding on to past success, she's just a current country star. Unfortunately for her, the decisions she makes are what cause her problems.

Stealing caused her publicist to make Juliette do everything she can to get back in the good graces of America. If that means showing up at a charity event at the zoo so be it. If that means dating a "choir boy" quarterback for the Titans, so be it.

Juliette reluctantly agreed to do what her publicist wanted in order to get her image back to a place that the public doesn't hate her anymore.

But when she started to hit it off with fake Jake Locker, using the knowledge of football she gained from her daddy being the defensive coordinator in Remember the Titans, Juliette just got herself into more trouble. The paparazzi got the best of Mr. Nice Guy, and it was time for Juliette to pay up.

Did she pay off the photographer simply to keep her fake relationship as squeaky clean as it began, and stay country music's favorite young singer? Probably not. This seemed more like it was doing something for a boy that she liked.

Now that they're going to "stay in" together, as all NFL quarterbacks do on the weekends, maybe Juliette has found something - or someone - to ground her. Will that prevent her from getting into trouble? Maybe. Will it be less interesting? Again...maybe.

I'm still not all that engaged with the political story, but if it's going to turn into everyone playing dirty - and people lying to each other all the time - maybe things will start to get interesting. Teddy lying to Rayna about not knowing her dad was involved with Coleman getting arrested is certainly a good start.

It was another quality episode of Nashville, even if it did have a severe lack of Deacon Claybourne, but what did you all think of "You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)?" Are you still digging the vibe? Are you interested in the politics? And what's the worst you would do to become - or stay - a star?

Note: The episode titles have all been Hank Williams song titles up to and including "You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave)."

You're Gonna Change (or I'm Gonna Leave) Review

Editor Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.6 / 5.0 (101 Votes)

Dan Forcella is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow him on Twitter.

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