'Nashville' Review - 1.05 Move It On Over

        On the newest episode of ABC's Nashville, Rayna considers moving on after Deacon starts to set boundaries in their relationship; Juliette struggles with her mom's addictions and Deacon offers a helping hand - leading to difficult memories from his past; Teddy worries that his mayoral campaign will be derailed if his past with Peggy and financial troubles are exposed; and Scarlett feels the pressure to pick her path with either Avery or Gunnar.

        All of the main plots in this episode were very distinct and very separated from one another. Each story had its own repertoire of cast members without too much cross-over - Rayna and her commercial and her dabbling into solo songwriting, Deacon and Juliette helping her mom get into rehab, and the angst within the Avery-Scarlett-Gunnar-Haley love rectangle. The show is still very much finding its voice and what narrative structure works for it. I think as soon as the show figures out how to bring more of its main characters together in a compelling way I will enjoy the plot movements more.
        For some odd reason, the adult cast and their stories feel much more well-rounded and intriguingly compelling. The exploits between Rayna, Teddy, Deacon and Juliette feel so fresh and unlike anything I have ever seen before. But that love only extends into the family and country music business sides of their stories. I loved seeing Juliette and Deacon coming together with their shared experiences with drug addiction. The emotional aspects of that story has allowed Juliette to become more human and real. That slap to the face was a powerful moment and yet it was necessary in order for her mother to finally give in to going to rehab. Deacon's performance at the Bluebird plus the fight outside felt like a huge plot contrivance to show that Rayna has given up on him. Strangely, Rayna actually took a backseat to the drama going on with all the other characters. She did have a nice, small story of finding her own solo voice and I'm interested to see where that story goes even though it had such a simple introduction.
        Conversely, I do enjoy aspects of the Gunnar-Scarlett-Avery love/business story but it just feels less interesting and too like other love triangles we have seen on other series. That concluding scene between Scarlett and Avery was very powerful and I am proud of what kinds of emotional depth they were able to hit with the Scarlett character. Although, I am very unclear of where their relationship currently stands.
        Coleman Carlisle has been the least used and least relevant character on this series. Throughout the first few episodes, he was subjected and limited to being just the other candidate in the race for Nashville mayor. The show hadn't really explored his connections to all the other characters on the series. An episode or so again, the show wisely revealed that he was also Deacon's sponsor. That was only a brief moment but it did receive some payoff in this episode as the two of them were able to have a true heartfelt conversation. I just wish there was a bit more.

So what did everyone think of the episode? Would you love to see more cast interaction and overlap?  How soon until the exploits of Teddy, Peggy and Lamar are exposed? Share your thoughts in the comments.