Nashville (2012–2018): Season 3, Episode 21 - Is the Better Part Over - full transcript

Previously on "Nashville"...

- I'm going to tweet this. Oh, sweetie.
- No.

It's important to
control your public image.

Where's my baby brother?!

Hi, Beverly.

I got liver cancer.

He needs a liver transplant.

The answer is no.

I'm hopin' that's gonna change your mind.

They're coming for you, Teddy.

The last thing I wanna do
is see you lose everything.



- I'm free?
- I just need you to do somethin' for me.

This is Juliette Barnes,

and I want y'all to know that I'm back.

What's the "Register" say?

"Juliette Barnes hasn't skipped a beat.

Explosive, energetic, back in a big way."

We hit another 10 cities like this,

it's gonna start lookin' a
hell of a lot like a tour.

We'll hit New York, we'll hit L.A.

You think maybe we can
all get a little sleep

before you conquer the world?

- Yes.
- Please?

Yes! I'm sorry.

It just feels so good gettin'
my career back on track.



Mm-hmm.

Doin' it with my husband.

And your baby?

Good little traveler that she is.

Mm-hmm.

You happy?

Yeah. It's starting to
feel more like my old self.

You know what else I kinda feel like?

What?

Becomin' a member of a certain club.

Care to join?

Hey, Beverly.

I know it's been three
days and I know you're...

doin' some thinkin',

but I was hopin' to maybe talk to you.

I'm available if you
wanna talk about anything.

All right, thanks. Bye.

They're here.

Uh, just give me a minute, okay?

Yeah. I'll be right there.

- The offer just came in from Big Machine.
- So that's four?

I'm pretty sure we'll
get one from here, too.

I mean, Rayna's signed
Scarlett once already.

I mean, she was originally
interested in us as a duo.

Well, then, she gets
what she's always wanted.

- And she's practically family to you, right?
- Yeah.

Is it just me or are you
not making eye contact?

- Hey, y'all.
- Hey.

- How are you?
- So good to see you.

- How you doin'?
- Hangin' in there. How you doin'?

- Okay.
- Good.

- Hey, Gunnar.
- Miss Jaymes, always a pleasure.

- Lovely to see you.
- You, too.

Noel, great job with Sadie.

Terrific work so far with The Exes.

Yeah. The Exes.

What was it? Two years ago?

Since I first thought y'all were great.

And we got to work together for a while,

and I think that the time you
took off was really important,

and I think the music
is just better than ever.

And I know I'm not the only one.

How many offers you guys got?

- Four.
- Wow.

Well deserved, but I believe
that this is the right place

for you two, and... and I've
known that for a long time.

This is the place where you're gonna have

the artistic freedom that you want,

the integrity that you want,

- no 360 deal.
- No 360 is unheard of for baby artists.

Well, it's the same deal Scarlett had.

I mean, Rayna doesn't need to take a bite

out of touring and merch.

It's hard enough to make a living

in music these days, right?

That's amazing. Thank you, guys.

I believe very strongly
this is the place for you,

for both of you.

Why don't we talk a little
bit about where you guys

see The Exes goin' and how
we can help you get there?

Coercion, embezzlement, solicitation.

We are looking at 3 to
10 years, maybe more.

I can't go to jail, Dash.

If you're willin' to cooperate with us,

then you won't have to.

How well do you know state
senator Richard Stern?

Only in passing.

He's been on our radar for a while.

We were building a case
against him for his dealings

with Wyatt Industries, but when Lamar died,

so did our hopes of prosecuting Stern.

I still don't see where I fit in.

We need an inside man wearing a wire.

You offer to pick up where
his deals with Lamar left off.

You work with the senator,

- while you work for us.
- A wire?

I'm offering you a way out, Teddy.

No sentence, no scandal.

Now, from where I sit,
that's gettin' off easy.

I barely know him.

How am I supposed to get
into business with him?

I'd imagine the same way
you managed to embezzle

half a million dollars
from the city of Nashville.

Luke's got me doing 10 different
events the next couple of days,

but it'll be good for my
album when the time comes.

Did you hear that?

It was the sound of vacation dying.

I had a really great
time being away with you.

Yeah, so did I.

But... we're back now in the real world.

And in public, I know.

We'll make up for it in private. Later.

And the hottest ticket in Europe right now

has got to be Jade St. John's tour.

That's right.

Meghan Trainor has joined as her opener

since reality show starlet
Layla Grant was abruptly

dropped from the bill.

Yeah, no word as to
why, but rumor has it...

I can't believe I was so drunk,

I don't even remember
tweeting that picture.

I'm such an idiot.

No argument here.

Hey, you're supposed to make me feel better

in a time of crisis.

And whose fault is that, huh?

Mine. Okay? It's my fault.

I was the one who wanted to work with Jade,

you said she'd fire me, and then she did.

- Are you happy now?
- Happy?

Happy? You're my only
client, Layla, so no, I'm not.

But...

I may be able to get you out of this hole

that you've dug for yourself.

You'll call Jade and apologize for me?

Always the wrong instinct. No.

By calling her out.

You're gonna be the Taylor
Swift to her Katy Perry.

Meaning what?

Meaning Twitter got you into this mess...

and now it's gonna get you out of it.

- Baby's changed.
- Thanks. I'm sorry.

Yeah.

We're on final approach.

Good, as soon as we land,

we gotta start plannin' this next show.

Rayna wants to see you.

She wants to discuss this
rogue concert strategy of yours.

Asked if she could get a
couple minutes of your time.

Bitch gets five minutes, tops.

Is it me, or is her fuse a
little shorter than usual?

She's just tired.

- That was the best meeting so far.
- Hands down.

Rayna's offering great
numbers, full creative control.

Let's... let's make it official
before she changes her mind.

I don't think we should stop lookin' yet.

Uh, did you miss the part where Rayna said

we didn't have to sign a 360 deal?

No one else is gonna offer that, Scarlett.

But why you didn't tell us before that

that was your old deal?

We don't know if we're not
gonna get the non-360 deal

with anybody else if we
don't meet with them. No.

How many of your bands just starting out

- have a "no 360" deal?
- Actually, that...

It's not about other bands.

It's about The Exes, of which I'm half.

- My vote counts.
- Yeah, I'm the other half and so does mine.

- I say we choose Highway 65.
- Okay, maybe we should just...

Okay, if we can't agree, we keep lookin'.

Okay, well, if we can't
keep lookin', we just stop.

Oh, fine, yeah,

'cause who needs an awesome
record deal these days?

Oh, wait, we do!

♪ Girl, you thought I was
gone when you left me ♪

♪ but it's gonna be hard to forget me ♪

♪ keep tellin' yourself
that it's over ♪

♪ the only over I'll be
is over your shoulder ♪

♪ I ain't gonna fade away
with the tail lights ♪

♪ down with the moon,
baby, up with the sunrise ♪

♪ any song, any scene,
any old side street ♪

♪ when you think you're
rid of me then I'll be ♪

♪ on any sunny summer
white sand beach ♪

♪ any bed when you
just can't fall asleep ♪

♪ anywhere the road
you're on might lead ♪

♪ baby, I'm on it ♪

How y'all doin'? Thank you, thank you.

Whoo!

Y'all, listen, if I'm not careful,

I'm gonna end up being his openin' act.

Y'all give it up again

for the very talented Mr. Will Lexington.

Thank you, Luke, and thank you.

- Great job, Will.
- Good job, guys.

Thank y'all for joining us today.

Uh, Wheelin' Dealin' Records
has been a dream of mine

since... well, uh, since
my old label went belly up.

But, uh, seriously...

- Dad.
- Hello, son.

Hey, sweet girl. Got your message.

I'm real sorry you and Daphne

can't be at the show tonight, too,

but I am glad you're
having fun in California.

Give your aunt Tandy a big hug from me.

I love you.

... A musician's musician, as they say.

A real legend here in our town.

Yeah, that man didn't
just write country songs,

he lived 'em.

Apparently, a liver
transplant fell through,

and the word is, without
one, his cancer is terminal.

But he's still feeling
well enough to play tonight

at the Bluebird Cafe,
though it could well be

one of the last appearances he ever makes.

It is just so sad, isn't it?

Deacon Claybourne,
wherever you are out there,

our prayers are with you, buddy.

Amen.

Hey, what's goin' on?

It seems like the phones are
just ringin' off the hook.

News just broke about Deacon's cancer.

How?

I have no idea. Maybe somebody
at the hospital leaked it.

Um, this just came to you from Natchez.

Thanks.

Juliette's here.

The queen has summoned, and here I am.

How can I help you?

I wanted to talk to you
about rooftop concerts.

Which I've been paying for myself.

Well, actually, Highway 65 has gotten fines

and complaints from every city.

That is not true.

We have not gotten a fine from Chicago.

And everything else, I will cover.

Just tell me what I owe you,
and I will write you a check.

Problem solved.

That's actually not...

that wasn't the point that
we were trying to make.

The point is that now the world
knows I'm not one of those stars

that's just gonna retire
because I had a baby.

Taking care of yourself isn't retiring.

The point is that I'm
back, okay? In a big way.

And I've been doing everything myself.

And I don't feel like
I've gotten any support

from this label whatsoever.

I can't...

You can't... What? You can't
give me what you promised or...

I can't do this right now.

Okay, professional.

She has a lot going on in
her personal life right now.

You know what? So do I.

And I am still workin' my
cute little ass off, okay?

I am drummin' up my own
publicity that's great, Juliette.

But, you know, none of that means anything

- unless you have an album to put behind it.
- Okay, fine.

You can tell Rayna that I will
have a finished album to her

in two days.

And you can also tell her royal highness

that she better not walk
out on me when I deliver it.

What are you doin' here?

Well, I was in town on business.

Saw you were playin', thought I'd stop by.

- Really? After all these years...
- Who we got here?

Oh, yeah, this is, uh, this is my father.

Friends call me Bill. I'm a
big fan of yours, Mr. Wheeler.

Oh, no, call me Luke.

Uh, your son tell you

he's the first artist I signed to my label?

No, he did not.

Well, this one's goin' places, trust me.

I always knew he would.

Hey, I tell you what. I'm
throwin' a party tonight

for all the big radio programmers.

Why don't you join us if you can?

Well, I don't wanna impose.

No, you wouldn't be at all.

- It was pleasure to meet you, Bill.
- You bet.

I'll see you for sure tonight.

- Well, he seems like a nice guy, doesn't he?
- I think you should leave.

I mean, I... I don't know
what you're doing here.

- What you think...
- Son, please, just hear me out.

I've come a long way.

Oh, hey.

Heard the news. Been tryin' to call you.

I turned off my cell phone.
Took the landline off the hook.

You wanna cancel the Bluebird tonight?

No.

Not the mood was hopin' to play to, but...

I gotta face the music sometime.

You still do a couple songs with me?

- Yeah.
- All right.

You wanna talk about it?

No.

I'd rather talk about
you and your label search.

How'd that meeting with Highway 65 go?

It was good. Real good.
Uh, Rayna's great. I just...

I don't wanna rush anything.

Everything all right with you and Gunnar?

It's hard bein' in a duo and
you just cannot get along.

Yeah, well, you don't gotta marry him.

Just gotta sing with him.

He talked to me! Micah talked to me.

What? That... that's great. How'd it go?

Well, I mean, he was really
mad at first, but we talked,

and we cried and... I'm gonna go see him.

Really? Your folks said that's okay?

Yeah, I mean, they're
still really angry, too,

but at least they agreed to
open the door when I get there.

- That's amazing.
- Yeah.

Sorry.

Noel, hey.

We really need to talk.

Yeah, look, man,

I... I am so sorry about
what happened this morning.

I don't know what Scarlett's problem is.

I don't think it's her
problem. It's a band problem.

This is the third incarnation
of it in less than six months.

Well, yeah, that's...
that's only because...

I don't care about the reasons why.

All I care about is saving what I have

because that's the band
with offers on the table.

So either this band works,
or I'm gonna have to move on.

People won't like me for that.

What are you talkin' about?
They're gonna love you for it.

You're gonna have a million
followers by the end of the day.

Don't you want that?

I feel bad. Okay?

- I don't wanna bash Jade. She's my friend.
- No.

She's not. She's a diva,

- who fired you for no cause.
- Give it back.

Do you want me to save
your career or not? Hmm?

Go ahead. Take a seat, Albert.

Keep having me over here like this,

and I'll start thinkin'
we're more than acquaintances.

I need you to facilitate
an introduction for me

with, uh, Senator Stern.

Isn't that something your
secretary could arrange?

I'd like to keep it off the books, uh,

given the subject matter.

And what subject might that be?

I understand the senator and Lamar

had a business arrangement.

With your help, I'd like to
pick up where they left off...

for a piece of the pie, of course.

You and me might just be friends after all.

Deacon?

You left me on the side
of the road with nothin'.

I know that.

I was 17 years old.

I know that, too,

and I felt awful about it
since the day it happened.

- How's Mom?
- She's fine.

Praying for you to find your way.

Seems her prayers have been answered.

You know, when I see you now,

the C.M.A.s, that reality show,

performing with Luke Wheeler,
married to that nice girl,

even if it didn't work out,
you've done good. Real good.

I need to go get ready.

Okay.

Take care of yourself, son.

Hey, you should come tonight.

I mean, you did come all this way.

♪ our love like the moon ♪

♪ risin' too fast ♪

♪ and fadin' too soon ♪

What's goin' on?

♪ This life will soon be gone ♪

Why'd you get sick?!

♪ If we hold on ♪

♪ There are kingdoms to keep us apart ♪

Baby, you said it yourself.
We gotta stay positive.

- We just gotta live in the...
- I'm trying to stay positive,

and I'm failing.

I didn't go to New York the other day.

Where'd you go?

Natchez, Mississippi.

Oh, Ray...

I know, you and Scarlett have already tried

talking to Beverly. I just... I don't know.

I don't know why I thought
that she would listen to me.

You know I wrote out a
check for a million dollars.

She sent it back all torn up into pieces.

Come on, sit down. Come on.

I just keep tryin' to fix it

and then I keep tryin' to
fix all those years, you know?

It's just every time
I've looked in my future,

you've always been in it.

I don't know what I'm gonna do without you.

Hey, have you seen my headphones?

You heard about Deacon?
He has terminal cancer.

It's not terminal.

I know it's bad, but he's managing it.

So you already knew?

- How come you didn't say anything to me?
- I did.

I said something to you
in Chicago... Or somethin'.

I'm pretty sure I'd remember that one.

He's gonna be fine.

You know, he's playin'
the Bluebird tonight.

I was thinkin' we should
go and support him.

Oh, I can't. I have to work.
Have you seen my headphones?

Babe, I have not seen your headphones.

I can't believe you're
bein' so casual about this.

I'm sorry. I'm not being casual about it.

Rayna demanded that I have
an album finished in two days.

Wait, what?

Who the hell does that?

She's awful, okay, I know.

I've got a few rough
tracks I have to listen to

and see if I even like 'em.

Why don't you go represent
both of us at the Bluebird?

And I'll stay here and
work and keep the baby.

You sure?

Yeah.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

Okay.

Here you go.

Oh, baby. Say hi to Deacon for me.

I got this.

Hi, great to see you guys.

I saved you a table right up front.

Oh, hey, guys. You're here.

Kiley, this is Scarlett and her friend.

Hi. This is Dr. Caleb Rand.

- How do you do?
- I do fine, thanks.

So nice to finally meet
the famous Scarlett.

I've heard so much about you.

I'm sorry to hear about your uncle.

Oh, it's okay. He's still alive.

Just on the transplant list.

He's taking care of himself,

he's got this really strong support system.

I'm sorry, Scarlett,

what were you saying before he cut you off?

- Oh, I'm sorry. Did I cut you off?
- No, you didn't. It's fine.

So this is the famous Bluebird.
You and Gunnar met here, right?

Yeah, we did.

So, uh, how did you and Kiley meet?

Uh, we were, uh...

Well, we grew up together.

So these are programmers, huh?

Oh, yeah.

You gotta wine and dine the people

that put you on the radio.

Oh, hell, I'm in the wrong business.

Hey, Bill, good to see you again.

Hope you brought your "A" game.

You gonna be talking to
a lot of people tonight.

Oh, I'm ready.

Your son is the future of country music.

- Hey.
- Hey, Kev.

Hey. Uh, right, Kevin, hey.

Uh, this is my dad.
Dad, this is Kevin Bicks.

He's, uh, he's a co-worker of mine.

Co-worker? You two wrote
an entire album together.

Kevin is one of the best
songwriters in the business.

Well, I just didn't know
my dad was gonna be familiar

- with the music business lingo.
- Hey, Luke, they're ready for you.

- Excuse me. - I think "songwriter's"
pretty self-explanatory.

Nice to meet you, Mr. Lexington.

You, too, Kevin.

♪ Open up a bottle ♪

♪ pour it in a glass ♪

♪ I can make it disappear
if I drink real fast ♪

Hello?

Uh, did I misdial? I thought
this was Layla's number.

Yeah, well, she's decided that all business

goes through me, so anything
you gotta say, say it.

- ♪ To hide all my... ♪
- Okay, well,

she's tweeting some pretty
incendiary things about

Jade St. John right now and
Huffpo just picked it up.

They're calling it,
"Twitter war, country style."

Oh, oh, no, that's that's no good.

Well, I'm glad you agree.

It's not the kind of publicity
Highway 65 really goes for.

- I need a few minutes.
- Oh, totally. No, I get this.

Look, I'm gonna talk to Layla,

tell her to back off. These young artists,

they just don't know where to
draw the line sometimes, huh?

Thanks. I appreciate that.

Yeah.

Who was that?

Bucky was just calling
to say how happy he is

about all the attention

you're getting from these tweets.

And you just made the front
page of "The Huffington Post."

- Really?
- Mm-hmm.

Uh, he wasn't mad at all?

There's no such thing as
bad publicity, remember?

You wanna stop being weird
toward Kiley, for, like,

I don't know, five minutes?

You've been rude to
Caleb since he sat down.

Me? He's the one who just...

Look, we're bandmates,

which means we should be a team, okay?

There's no reason for all this fighting,

especially with five offers on the table.

- Come on. That's great.
- Five offers so far.

Scarlett, why do we
wanna keep taking meetings

when we've clearly got
the best deal in town?

Stop.

So do you know what the
story is between those two?

Oh, it's pretty obvious
there is a story, huh?

Look, I wanna sign with Highway 65.

- Noel wants us to sign with Highway 65.
- Okay, when did Noel say that?

Did you have a meetin'
without me or something?

No, he called 'cause he's concerned

your weird feelings are causing problems.

My weird... you know, to clarify,

I don't have any weird feelings.

If there's any weird
feelings flying around,

they would be yours.

Got some serious lapses in judgment lately.

I've had lapses in judgment?

You're the one who's
suddenly all... all fancy,

going around pretending
to be something you're not.

Thank you.

- Hello?
- Hey, Scar, it's me.

Hi.

I don't think I'm gonna make it tonight.

- Uh, what's goin' on?
- Nothin', I promise.

It's just with, you know, the news breakin'

and everybody... knowin', I just...

don't wanna have to deal with all that.

You just said it was
better to face the music

and get it all out.

I know what I said. This is
what I'm sayin' now. Okay?

- Okay.
- Thank you, 'cause I got a favor, too.

A lot of people are
gonna be expectin' a show.

I was wonderin' if maybe you
and Gunnar could fill in for me?

Hey, Scarlett.

Need to talk to you.

- Uh, I think we have talked enough.
- He's not coming.

- Who's not?
- Deacon.

- So who's playin'?
- The Exes.

Hey, man, you, uh...

Hell, we had a 6-year
lock as reigning champions

in the father-son skeet
shooting competition

in our hometown.

Well, y'all both oughta
come out to the ranch

make sure you still got it.

Well, looks like everyone
could use a refill.

- Mm.
- Yeah?

- Same thing?
- You bet.

What is all this?

He caught me off guard.

I had to introduce you as somethin'.

This isn't about the co-worker thing.

It's about the fact that
your father's here at all.

He just showed up at the event.

What was I supposed to
do? Spit in his face?

Mm.

He said he was sorry.

Yeah, well, did he say he changed his mind?

Will, the man told you that he wished

you'd never been born,
that you're disgusting.

We wrote a song about how
he threw you away like trash.

Well, I don't wanna talk about this here.

Thank you.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

We, uh, we know that you
came out tonight to see

my uncle Deacon Claybourne,

but, uh, he had a few
things that were last-minute

he really had to take care of.

I know, I know.

I'm sorry, uh, but my partner
and I are gonna do our very best

to make him proud, if
that's all right with you.

Yeah!

♪ spinning my wheels
for too many miles ♪

♪ spending my love like
it's going out of style ♪

♪ baby, if you want me ♪

♪ why don't you show me? ♪

♪ This ain't no way to live ♪

♪ something's gotta give ♪

♪ or something's gonna break ♪

♪ I don't know how
much more I can take ♪

♪ something's gotta go ♪

♪ or nothing's gonna change ♪

♪ if it ain't me guess
I'll be the one to blame ♪

♪ something's gotta give ♪

♪ mmm ♪

You'd never believe they wanted to

kill each other this morning, huh?

Sounds about right.

Yeah, they're... they're
a train wreck offstage,

but, damn, they make
good music when it counts.

- Hey.
- Hey.

Hey, don't you have a show to do?

No, I called it off.

Why?

You know, before this all got out,

I was actually pretty excited.

You know, a night to think
about something other than

bein' sick, but...

now that everybody knows...

They're talkin' about me
like I'm already a ghost.

You're not a ghost.

Feel like one.

Oh, baby.

I want so badly to believe
there's gonna be some kind of

hail mary pass here, you know?

But...

I don't.

I don't either.

But...

You're still here...

with me.

- Hey. Come on, we have a show.
- "We"?

How long do you expect me to do this?

Till we get what we need.

This is first contact.

All we're tryin' to do is
establish a relationship.

Now, you can ask questions
if it feels right,

but the goal here is not to spook him.

I prefer to just get him talking,

get this over with.

Any advice?

That mic tape's not the
strongest, so don't sweat.

♪ I... I... I ♪

♪ I'm know I'm free ♪

♪ but still my hands are tied ♪

- ♪ behind my back it's like a Mississippi flood ♪
- Juliette! Juliette!

Hi.

What are you doing? The baby's screaming.

Yeah, I read somewhere that
you're supposed to let 'em

cry it out, and she'll fall
asleep in a few minutes.

Thank you for comin'.

Oh, wait, you're leaving?

Yes, that's why I asked you to come.

I have to go to the studio.

... Special night here at Bluebird...

Emily?

I just got here, and I
don't think the baby's

been fed or changed in hours.

And Juliette just left for the studio.

- What? She said she was gonna stay with the baby.
- Well, she didn't.

Avery, I think something's wrong with her.

We have to do something.

I'm coming.

- Thank y'all so much. Thank you.
- Hey, Deacon!

Ladies and gentlemen,

please allow me to welcome to the stage,

Mr. Deacon Claybourne.

And Ms. Rayna Jaymes.

Yeah!

One more time for The Exes!

Well, I'm sure we missed somethin'
pretty special with those two.

Hey, y'all.

Oh, thank you very much.

Well, I can't tell ya,
uh, what it feels like

to see so many, uh,

familiar and carin' faces out there.

You're about the best extended family

a guy could have at a time like this.

Music, I think it's safe
to say, has been there, uh,

for all of us, um, through hard times.

This is a song that, uh,

well, we wrote this one
a long time ago, huh?

We thought it'd be a good one for tonight.

♪ you haunt me when I fall asleep ♪

♪ you're in every breath I breathe ♪

♪ still hear your
footsteps down the hall ♪

♪ and I keep tryin' to pretend ♪

♪ this ache for you is gonna end ♪

♪ but I know better than that now ♪

♪ so, baby, please ♪

♪ tell me, why don't we ♪

♪ take this time we've wasted ♪

♪ and don't hold back, let's face it ♪

♪ I need you ♪

♪ and, baby, you need me ♪

Oh, go away, Gunnar. I don't
wanna fight with you no more.

Good, I don't wanna fight
either, okay? I'm sorry.

You are half of the band and if...

if you wanna keep taking
meetings, I'm fine with that.

No, you're right about Highway 65.

We're not gonna get a
better deal than that.

Does that mean you... you do wanna sign?

I don't know.

I already signed there once.

Rayna believe in me,
she invested money in me,

and I... blew it up.

I'm not gonna do that
to her again. I won't.

She needs artists she can count on.

- She can count on us.
- Really?

Last three days, we've
barely spoken to each other.

When we have, it's been
to yell at each other.

- We're a mess.
- No, Scarlett, we're not a mess.

Okay, we're great together,

at least, as far as the music's concerned.

The fact is, I don't like Caleb.

All right, you don't like Kiley.

So maybe the key to
this is we just focus on

what we're good at, which is the music.

Personal lives are off-limits.

I'm willing to give it a try if you are.

Business partners only?

♪ Let's face it, I need you ♪

♪ and baby, you need me ♪

♪ we're all we've been missin' ♪

♪ if we could just stop resistin' ♪

♪ and give in to
what's supposed to be ♪

♪ I'll surrender to you ♪

♪ if you surrender to me ♪

♪ I'll surrender to you ♪

♪ if you surrender ♪

♪ to me ♪

♪ ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

Can't tell you how much
I've prayed for this reunion.

Me, too.

Tonight was better than
anything I could've imagined.

I'm glad you were here for it.

I love you, son.

You doin' okay, hon?

- Um, I'll have another one.
- Sure thing.

Mayor Conrad.

Senator, thank you for meeting me.

Please.

Jade... "some people just
don't know when to stop."

Layla... "think I'll pass
on all the smoke, L.E.D.s,

and auto-tune." Ouch.

Does Jade really use auto-tune?

No, but who cares?

Wow, I have to hand it to you.

This morning, I thought my career was over,

and now I have a new song recorded,

and almost a million
Twitter followers, so...

Which... brings me to this.

What is this?

A contract.

I can't take the chance of
getting cut from the team.

You mean, you need to make sure

that I won't leave you like Jade did.

Look, Layla, this isn't all about me, okay?

If we're gonna do this,
we both need protection.

"In perpetuity for the life
of the career of the artist"?

Yeah, look, if I'm going to work my ass off

building you into a superstar,

I mean, it seems fair
that we both win, right?

Even if I fire you?

Look, I built you up from nothing once,

and I'm the one here doing it again.

No one's gonna take care
of you the way that I have,

the way that I will.

Or I can walk away right now,

and you can go back to wallowing in this...

this dingy-ass apartment,

watching the news talk about someone else.

Hey.

You were amazing today.

Avery?

What's the emergency?

The hell is goin' on?
Why is my doctor here?

We need to talk.

When I came in tonight,

the baby clearly hadn't been fed or changed

in I don't know how long.

And while your fiery
personality is usually an asset,

lately, you've just
been rude and irrational.

You yelled at Bucky,

promised him an album in two days.

Honey, that's just not possible.

I don't think I've ever heard you

call our daughter by her name.

Is that it?

Is that why y'all called me here...

to rattle off a list of complaints?

I think you might be suffering
from postpartum depression.

If you are, you're not alone.

This happens to lots of women.

- Are you kiddin' me?
- Juliette, please, just... just listen.

No, that's enough! I've
been out on the road

absolutely killin' myself
to relaunch my career!

A career, which I might point out,

supports all of you.

And I've been getting
absolutely no help with it.

Rayna isn't helping me and apparently,

neither are any of you!

There are elements of postpartum

- that drive people to hyperfocus...
- No, hyperfocus on this...

get out of my house! Now!

He can help you, okay?

- We're all here to help you.
- Do you know what?

You can stay here and just
have your little intervention.

You can holds hands and sing "Kumbaya,"

and I'm gonna go to the
studio and prove to y'all

how wrong you are about me.

- Great show tonight.
- Appreciate it.

Excuse me, Rayna, you got a minute?

Yeah, of course.

Um, if your offer is still good,

uh, we would like to officially accept.

For real?

- Yes, ma'am.
- Mm-hmm.

That's awesome!

Oh...

I am thrilled.

Did y'all just make this official?

Yes.

- Gunnar, way to go, man.
- Good stuff.

- Congratulations.
- You're in the big leagues now.

I'm so proud of you.

Yeah, look, I might be partial here,

in fact, I know that I am...

this is a great decision you guys made.

It's important to have
someone solid in your corner.

Well, look at 'em. They're
off to a great start.

They got each other.

To The Exes.

To The Exes. Yeah.

- Cheers.
- Cheers, y'all. Whoo.

Much like you did with Wyatt Industries,

we... we both know that
handling certain matters

without bureaucracy or red
tape can be mutually beneficial.

Always wondered what Lamar saw in you

when he tapped you for
mayor, but I get it now.

- You recognize opportunity. I like that.
- Good.

Well, I look forward to working with you,

like you worked with him.

Of course I never really
dealt with Lamar directly.

I really worked with his daughter.

Should I say your former sister-in-law?

Tandy? Really?

But I hear she started a whole
new life in California now.

Yep.

So glad Deacon came.

Even with the news getting
out and all, he was...

Somethin' botherin' you?

I was watching you and Gunnar all night.

So I just gotta ask,

do you still have feelings for him?

If you were watching us all night,

you might've noticed we
were fightin' all night.

Well, that's kinda the point.

It just seems like there's
a lot of passion still there.

And you clearly don't
like Gunnar's girlfriend.

Okay, I do have some feelings for Gunnar.

But, uh, they would be
frustration, disappointment,

and sometimes, with the way he behaves,

I even hate him a little bit.

You don't have anything to worry about.

You wanna celebrate with a drink?

I don't think I got any champagne,

but maybe a beer.

What's the deal with you and Scarlett?

Um... well, we dated. We... broke up.

The usual.

The shade she was throwin'
me tonight made it seem like

it was more than just the usual.

She knows about how I grew up.

Hell, she even met Jason
when he came to Nashville.

She was there for me when he was murdered.

When you came to town,

when you left town,

Scarlett listened.

And now I am just causing
you trouble by stayin'.

No, no, that's not true.

You didn't need to know
all that stuff about Jason.

All it did was mess things
up with you and Scarlett.

Ruin any good memory
you had of your brother.

No, I'm glad you told me the truth.

Yeah, the Jason I thought
I knew... he's gone.

But you gave me back our history.

You gave me us.

We weren't a lie.

What we had was real.

What we had was good.

Good night.

Last couple days away with you were great.

I don't want my dad
showin' up to ruin all that.

I don't either.

I'm just worried.

Yeah, well, I... you
gotta understand somethin'.

My father told me he loved me tonight.

Now, he never once said
that when I was a kid.

I always knew he did until...

Well, he didn't.

But to hear him say it out loud...

It doesn't mean anything.

How... how could you say that?

He doesn't know the real you.

He just knows the Will Lexington
who's a rising country star,

the Will Lexington who's straight now.

- Nah, you don't understand.
- No, I do.

It's just...

it's... it's really hard to watch you

re-engage with someone who
I know treated you terribly.

I think, um...

I'm gonna go home tonight.

- Good to see y'all. Have a good night. I'll see you.
- Night.

Oh.

What's up, Jimmy?

We got a big problem.

Where'd these come from?

Tabloid reporter I know.

They're runnin' the story next week.

Accordin' to them, Will Lexington is gay.

- Hey.
- Hey.

Who are these babies?

I have no idea.

God, the number of times
you've saved me since then.

We saved each other, darlin'.

There's a song in there somewhere.

You rescue me, I'll rescue you.

No matter what life puts us through.

You better watch yourself.

I'm gonna make you write an album with me.

I can think of worst ways of
spending my time than that.

Beverly.

What are you doin' here?

I wanna do it.

I wanna help you live.