Juliette’s guilt pushes her to make a bold move
Its the season finale, friends!
I dont blame you if youre nervous after the harsh blow the midseason finale served us.
Lets find out if the remaining cast members fare any better.
Credit: Jake Niles Getter/CMT
We kick off the episode on an unlikely pairing: Deacon and Brad, Jessies evil ex.
(Hes over the age of 14, so this isnt okay.)
Oh, and he wants to buy Highway 65 if Zacherberg leaves.
Okay, fine, Ill give him props for coming up with a good nickname.
Deacon is all class in times of crisis.
Unfortunately, Zach isnt messing around.
Before long, hes cut the power from the HW65 offices and cleaned out the bank accounts.
Then Kacey Musgraves shows up (!
), and they all sit around singing, worries temporarily forgotten.
Deacon just says, I never realized how small you were.
), so she naturally calls Avery and lets him know how miserable she is.
Mostly, Juliette is stressed because she has to attend a party for American Music Award nominees alongside Maddie.
Turns out, she had good reason to dread it.
At the event, Deacon is suspicious as to why Maddie and Juliette are still not talking.
Boy, is he mad.
He tells her theyre supposed to be family.
(Recap continues on page 2)
Apparently Zach isnt the only one who doesnt like to lose.
Brad, still intent on getting his hands on Highway 65, meets with Zach and Alyssa.
Oh, but Brad is not stupid.
He proposes a multi-platform media company, asking why they should only get half of the tour money.
Why notownthe tour, the content, and every exploitation of every artists brand?
Heck, why not own a data pipe?
He adds that he thinks they can do better than CMT (a nice little inside joke).
In response, both Alyssa and Zach raise their eyebrows likeOoooh, yes, great evil plan.
Back at HW65s new HQ, theyre dancing and singing to deal with the stress of possibly being jobless.
Scarletts having a rare old time twirling around when Gunnar comes in.
They go for walk, and he tells her hes ready to talk.
Its a little harsh, sure, but its also a long time coming.
Its an unnecessary dig.
And thats not the end of it.
Finally, Gunnar!!
It seems Gunnars been listening to that girl on Averys tour.
Scarlett cries as she sings.
In possibly the weirdest scene in this episode, Deacon encounters Alyssa as hes heading into the Bluebird.
Shes smoking outside and tells Deacon he can still make amends.
She tells him hes living in a fantasy and doesnt know whats good for him.
Then she laughs at him and KISSES (?!)
Does anyone understand Alyssa?
I, for one, am mystified.
Her explanation, when Deacon hastily breaks away from her, is that he looks like he needed it.
Its just her way; she sees the pain in people when she shouldnt.
Its exhausting, really.
She is the most confused character ever.
Okay, lets get to the good part: Daphne goes to a pool party.
Anyway, Juliette and Avery are on the phone again, and Juliette is upset.
At least this time she has good reason to be.
Shes devastated by what shes done and thinks theres some real evil inside of her.
Avery still doesnt know she stole the song and assumes shes upset about the label.
Later, Zach gets a call from said journalist, Mackenzie Rhodes.
The she reels off some quotes from other sources about how terrible and inefficient he is as a boss.
Zach is truly flummoxed and dismayed and threatens to sue Mackenzie if she prints a word of it.
Shes with Jules, who asked her to make the call to Zach solely to spook him.
All of this was originally reported by Mackenzie Rhodes.
Avery is ready to head back to Nashville immediately.
Fangirl tries to dissuade him, but hes adamant and heads out to drive home in the storm.
Surely we cant have another weather-related travel disaster in the season finale?
When Deacon catches up to Zach, Zach is crying.
Zach reiterates that he doesnt lose, but wise old Deacon doesnt think thats what this is about.
He thinks Zach is lonely.
In fact, hes the loneliest person Deacon has ever met.
Zach was happy to be part of a family here, and he doesnt want that to end.
Zach tries to pretend thats too ridiculous an offer to accept, but he accepts it nonetheless.
Good on Avery for not falling for that floozy on tour.
Deacon asks Maddie how she feels, and she replies that she feels free.
(Head hereto see what showrunner Marshall Herskovitz had to say to EW about the finale.)
In the meantime, be wary of eager billionaires and flirty girls on tour oh, and car wrecks.
