Primetime ‘Nashville’: Lovesick Blues

Divas onstage.

Lovesick Blues—episode 107

Whether the fur is flying or they are just tolerating each other—Nashville is at its best when Juliette and Rayna share the screen. On Wednesday night’s episode (11/28), the dueling divas were forced to perform a duet at the EdgeHill Republic Records 25th anniversary concert. Claws came out when they couldn’t agree on what song to sing, so they teamed up to write one. The result was a sassy uptempo, ironically called “Wrong Song,” and actually penned by Marv Green, Sonya Isaacs, and Jimmy Yeary. Juliette and Rayna’s performance of the song at the end of the episode was a high point of the season thus far, with the mulit-Platinum upstart and the respected superstar strutting around the Ryman stage in sizzling hot dresses. Seeing Buddy Miller as band leader was an added bonus.

The episode offered plenty of juicy, plot-propelling bombshells. Trying to get over Avery, Scarlett hit the honky-tonks with Gunnar and his girlfriend. A few tequila shots later she was jamming onstage with The Cadillac Black singing “Ring of Fire,” and Gunnar’s romantic feelings for his co-writer were obvious. But she bolted from the bar and took a cab to her ex Avery’s house, just in time to walk in on him and his manager Marilyn—who was topless.

The cougar-manager is equally adept at making moves on the business front as she is in the bedroom. She landed Avery a big, headling gig at the Tequila Cowboy on Broadway and introduced him to Atlanta-based label head Dominic (Wyclef Jean).

It’s no-more-Mr.-nice-guy for Coleman after he was arrested for drugs during a traffic stop orchestrated by Lamar, so he is threatening to leak damaging photos of Teddy if he doesn’t drop out of the mayoral race. But Lamar has plenty more tricks up his Brooks Brothers sleeve to keep his son-in-law in the race.

In less shocking show moments, the romance heated up between Juliette and her football player beau Sean, and Deacon played sad songs at Bluebird, including the David Rawlings, Gillian Welch and David Lee Murphy tune “Papa Writes to Johnny.”

Actors Clare Bowen (“Scarlett”) and Sam Palladio (“Gunnar”) made their Grand Ole Opry debut Sat., Nov. 17 at the historic Ryman Auditorium. They sang “Fade Into You” and “If I Didn’t Know Better,” which will be featured on the soundtrack for “Nashville” to be released by Big Machine Records on Dec. 11. Photo: Joel Dennis, Hollo Photographics