Juliette Barnes knows how to make power moves as well as any music industry mogul, as she demonstrated in last night’s episode of ABC’s Nashville. While in Houston to open her tour, Barnes is underwhelmed when local radio station DJ Bobby Delmont states on-air that opening act Layla Grant is a better performer than headliner Barnes. Later at a business event, Barnes is less than affectionate to Delmont, who turns his sights on Layla. Delmont further humilitates superstar Barnes by instigating a press boycott during the concert, leaving the press box nearly empty.
Barnes vents her frustration to media mogul Charlie Wentworth, who also happens to be in Houston on business; she reveals that Delmont is known in the industry as Santa Claus, because young aspiring female performers learn to sit on his lap and flirt with him in order to get their songs played. This fact doesn’t sit well with Wentworth, and a short time later, Barnes learns that Delmont has been fired. When she learns that the Houston station is under the Wentworth media umbrella and that Charlie was behind the firing, she orders Wentworth to rehire Delmont, claiming that she doesn’t want Wentworth to fight her battles for her.
Barnes then meets with Delmont, letting him know that she was the one who had him fired and then rehired. She warns him against taking advantage of young aspiring female performers in the future, and demands twice the airplay as Grant receives.
Rayna Jaymes is dealing with daughter Maddie’s angst about her father Teddy marrying Peggy. Jaymes turns to Luke Wheeler for advice; Wheeler has also been through a divorce. The pair also seal the deal for Jaymes’ Highway 65 artist Scarlett O’Connor to become an opening act on his tour. After seeing her father looking happy at the wedding, Maddie drags her younger sister onstage to perform a song at the wedding reception, dedicating it to her father. The sweet moment is brief for Maddie, however; she later calls Rayna to come get her, interrupting the superstar’s fling with Wheeler.
Meanwhile, Deacon Claybourne is still grappling with how to live without being able to play guitar. He gets coaching from O’Connor’s current flame Avery Barkley, who accompanies him to an open mic night at Shotgun Sally’s, the first place Claybourne ever performed onstage. Unfortunately, the place is now a comedy club. He later finally returns to the stage with Barkley backing him up. He performs the soulful “You’re The Kind of Trouble” (written by Shannon Wright, Adam Wright and Paul Kennerley).
The scene is a uneven sequence in the episode’s plot, as Deacon suddenly sees Rayna and Maddie in the audience in front of him; in the last scene that featured Rayna and Maddie, the mother and daughter had been getting ready to watch a movie at home. Regardless, Maddie and Deacon are able to begin to connect after Deacon’s performance.
Meanwhile, Gunnar makes a power move of his own when Edgehill president Jeff Fordham calls to meet with him about having Will record Gunnar’s song. The only problem is that while Fordham wants the song for Will, Gunnar wants a record deal and slips Fordham his demo tape. The move works–Fordham calls him later to say he has potential as an artist. Fordham promises to pair Gunnar with a mentor, give him a showcase performance at the Music City Festival and put him on tour.
Just one problem with that little plan–the tour happens to be the same tour that his ex-girlfriend, Scarlett O’Connor is on. And it seems they are sharing the same tour bus.