An article from CMT noted that last week's episode of Nashville put all of our favorite relationships (along with some new ones) to the test, and this week continues to put those same relationships through the wringer. The Christian Post also teased that Daphne's finally going to voice her real feelings about Deacon dating Jessie after biting her tongue (but not really hiding her disdain) for so long. So, let's get down to it:

Daphne gets some feelings off her chest

Daphne begs Maddie to go to the "stupid art walk" with them because she doesn't want to be with Jake...and Deacon and Jessie.

Unfortunately, she can't because of Jonah. She tells Daphne she'll be fine, but it doesn't look like our girl will be. That night, Daphne makes a snarky comment towards Jessie, and while she suggests that they change course for the night, Deacon jumps to her defense and suggests that they keep doing what they're doing. Naturally, Daphne's not happy. Deacon asks Daphne if they can talk, but she lies about getting ready to shower. She has a little shrine consisting of pictures and clothes of her mother's, and the center of it all is the necklace that Daphne puts on to still feel close to her dearly departed mom.

Deacon and Jessie meet for dinner and talk about Daphne's behavior towards her.

Jessie insists it's teen angst and she understands why she would resent her, and that Deacon should let it go. He has other plans, however, but they agree to focus on their date instead. Deacon finally catches Daphne and tells her that he's not happy with her treating Jessie disrespectfully. Deacon wants Daphne to like Jessie.

She says that he has Jessie and Maddie has Jonah. She doesn't want to be dragged along like a little kid. He tries to tell her that isn't the case, but she's not trying to hear it. Maddie and Daphne talk over lunch about Jessie, and Maddie notices Daphne wearing Rayna's necklace, but she quickly changes the subject.

Deacon tells Jessie that they should all have a dinner together, and she believes that it's a terrible idea (it kind of is, Deacon), but she agrees to do it.

Of course, Jessie's ex-husband Brad comes to bother the duo, but they quickly get away from him to enjoy the concert. It's the last enjoyable thing featuring these two because they have the world's most awkward dinner. Jessie mentions her love of frogs, so Daphne decides to get graphic about the time she and Jake dissected one. She storms off after Deacon calls her out, and Jessie offers to talk to her herself.

I'm surprised Daphne was willing to even hear her out, but she does. Jessie talked about how fear drove her to make a bunch of terrible decisions in life, and that while she no longer does that, she's still afraid. She admires Daphne and wants to get to know her better, but knows fears that she'll let everyone down, Daphne included.

The conversation gets emotional as Jessie tells Daphne that she's not trying to replace Rayna, and would never try to. She also isn't trying to take Deacon from him either. Jessie just wants to be Daphne's friend. Daphne apologizes to Jessie for her behavior, but Jessie tells her not to worry. It's a very fulfilling moment as Daphne had been cold (understandably so) towards Jessie all season, and now they've finally had their breakthrough.

The band has some growing pains

Will's looking for his "vitamins" (aka his hormone injections) while Avery downplays how annoyed he is about Juliette going to Bolivia despite his reservations. Our lovable cowboy is irritable, and Avery believes he's upset because of the band's feedback focusing mostly on Alannah but is that really at the heart of what's going on?

The group practices, and it's another catchy song. We've got Will and Alannah singing in a duette (which is fitting), and so far they're doing okay...until Alannah gets in his personal space. Will stops with the singing because he's not "feeling it." It seems like he's still going to need a little time to adjust to their new bandmate, although they do look good together when playing!

Our band plays a night gig (with Deacon, and more importantly Scarlett) in attendance.

Brad, Jessie's ex, is immediately drawn to Alannah's energy and charisma. Is he looking for a new prospect? It's looking like it. Also worthy of note, Scarlett quickly leaves when she notices how "cozy" Gunnar and Alannah get on stage. Guess she's not really over him yet. Brad introduces himself to Alannah and he tells her that someone as talented as her can do so much better than a boy band. Gunnar asks Will if his feelings about Alannah have changed after their last performance, and he responds by telling Gunnar he doesn't know "which one of us will regret this girl more." Foreshadowing?

Scarlett tries getting to know Sean

Scarlett's working and spots Sean talking to a woman with a baby. The woman seems very upset and ends up driving off.

She also promises the girls at the ranch that she'll sing for them (after they point out that they know her from The Exes), but only if they finish their assignment. Scarlett's boss explains that Sean was talking to his wife Angela, but she's unsure how long their marriage will last due to him suffering from severe PTSD. Later on, she looks up information on PTSD before doing a Facebook search of Sean and discovers him singing. Later on, she looks up information on PTSD before doing a Facebook search of Sean and discovers him singing. The next day, Scarlett sings for the girls as promised, and tries to get Sean to join them, but he turns them down.

Later that night, Scarlett spots Sean on the street as he interacts with a homeless man.

She catches up to him, and he questions why he's following her around. He's very drunk and misinterprets Scarlett's eagerness to help as pity. No, Sean. That's just how Scarlett is. He compliments her beautiful singing voice, and the two discuss music and how much it meant to Sean. He tries to get her to leave, and she just throws his pity line back in his face. It's a cute moment as Scarlett has finally begun to successfully reach out to Sean.

Of course, it doesn't last long when some inadvertent overstepping has Sean revealing that the man who performed with him had signed up for the army after high school, and he watched his jaw get blown off.

Scarlett apologizes profusely as Sean's ready to leave, and she suggests that he stays on the couch while she gives him space and goes to her room. One step forward, ten steps back. The next day, Scarlett explains to her boss (Dale, I believe?) what happened, and she reveals to Scarlett that Sean is now singing again. That's the power of our girl!

How Gunnar got his groove back

Gunnar and Alannah have met up for coffee, and she talks about finding "Beneath Still Waters" (episode title reference! I believe that's a first). They're making small talk and Gunnar wants her to be a bigger part of the band. She doesn't seem too enthused, but Gunnar keeps pressing her. She tells him she wants to be a singer/songwriter and that he should come over tomorrow night to "listen to her songs" (because that's what the kids are calling it these days).

Will teases Gunnar about his not-a-date date with Alannah and tells him to be cautious and to remember what happened when he last got with a bandmate (i.e. Scarlett). Later that night, Alannah plays Gunnar a song that he's absolutely blown away by. They then get a little personal and talk about her family over drinks. Her mom loved country music but her dad hated it, and he eventually abandoned her. Even then, her mother was still strong and raised her by herself. Gunnar's clearly smitten, but tries (and fails) to play it off. But before things can get hot and heavy, Gunnar makes his exit. Yay!

Gunnar is making sane and smart choices...until he completely backtracks to Alannah's apartment. *sighs* Oh, Gunnar. He arrives and explains he just got out of a relationship, but Alannah isn't interested in commitment, just fun. They definitely have that as they fall back on the bed.

The next morning, Gunnar voices his concerns that he shouldn't have done this, and Alannah tells him to relax and stop being so serious. It's clear she wants something that's no strings attached but is he up for something like this? I guess we'll see. After an awkward moment during practice, the boys immediately conclude that Gunnar is sleeping with Alannah. They scold him for his choice, but Gunnar tells them it's casual.

Like us, the boys know that Gunnar isn't capable of keeping it casual. Alannah returns and is clearly uncomfortable when she realizes the guys were talking about her behind her back. All seems well by the end of their gig that night though, as Alannah tells Gunnar she'll see him on Monday. Their next rehearsal is on Monday, but I'm pretty sure she was talking about "something else".

Tonight's episode of Nashville provided quite a few gratifying moments and plenty of character development for our favorite and new characters. Check out next week's episode Thursday night at nine on CMT.
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