Longtime “Nashville” fans were rewarded this week with the start of several satisfying conclusions coming together in the beloved music drama set in Music City, and even got the added blessing of seeing the one and only singer-songwriter legend Steve Earle appear in July 19’s “I Don't Want to Lose You Yet.” The 15th episode of Season 6 makes it painfully clear that “Nashville” is coming to its last verse, but to the credit of the talented ensemble cast and showrunners, fans have a lot to savor in terms of how the series is wrapping up. The episode is rich with tender moments and coming to terms with hard truths, and this will be one that most faithful fans will want to save for a rewind.
Blinders off and new beginnings
Now that Maddie (Lennon Stella) knows the truth about the man she was about to tour Europe with, she can focus on her own family and music again. In an early scene, Daphne (Maisy Stella) brings coffee to her sister in bed, made extra sweet with vanilla ice cream. Maddie is still deflecting calls from Jonah (Nic Luken), but there are also calls from Twig (Dylan Arnold) who is trying to make amends for his part in covering for his best friend. It takes a while for her to take his calls, but she knows how abused he was by Jonah. She implores him to see what a “fake person” he has been so devoted to, and tells him that all he thinks he will be giving up will gain him a better future and his own sense of confidence.
Daphne has her first interview all on her own with her rising talent competition success, and Maddie is there as her cheering section.
Daphne is still keeping her grandfather Gideon’s (Ronny Cox) drinking secret. With their fragile new relationship, she is afraid to disclose anything to her dad. She takes her own flashlight into granddad’s room to look for bottles and other evidence and promises not to tell her father after helping Gideon clean up a broken glass.
It is only a matter of time until Deacon knows.
In the meantime, the family can focus on music. Sean (Jake Etheridge) calls Scarlett (Clare Bowen) to come to meet him and tells her that the horse ranch will have to close because the mortgage can't be met. He proposes that they hold a benefit, and Scarlett agrees to sing. She lets Deacon and Gideon know, and everyone decides to turn out for the charitable soiree.
Scarlett and Gunnar (Sam Palladio) have a heartfelt exchange when she asks him to join the cause, and he admits that he and Alannah (Rainee Blake) were “a thing, then not a thing, but never that big a thing,” and she talks about Sean’s continuing struggle with PTSD. She has another encounter with Sean's wife (Kathryn Kelly) who suggests that Scarlett might be better for her husband than she is. Scarlett reminds her that she is the woman with a history and Sean’s child, and she has fought to keep a home for the family. She tells her that her only aim was to help.
Taking a new turn
Gunnar and Will (Chris Carmack) offer another scene to love when Will playfully suggests that they should have been “like Fleetwood Mac.
They all slept together and it turned out great!” History speaks otherwise, but the music was still great. Will surprises Gunnar with a ticket to see an exclusive show with Steve Earle. The real-life country singer-songwriter hero takes time with Gunnar after the show, suggesting that he get away from being just himself for a while, telling him to “take your head off and put it on the shelf” for a bit, and to throw the pieces in the air and let them land where they will. The advice inspires Gunnar to literally “go electric” with his Telecaster guitar and write a rocking song to spring on the crowd at the benefit.
Avery thought Juliette was overreacting when she was alarmed by Cadence’s fever some days before, but when it hits 104, mom and dad both go into overdrive and rush their daughter to the hospital.
She is diagnosed with pneumonia and dehydration, but her prognosis is good. Another moment for fans to cherish arrives when the two muzzle at Cadence’s bedside and Avery says, “When you smile at me like that, all the pain just disappears.
Juliette made the official announcement earlier in the day that she was leaving the music business, determined to take on the fight against the Church of Coherent Philosophy. She tells Avery that she bought a farm outside Nashville, the perfect place for a little girl to grow up. She tells Glenn (Ed Armatrudo) to schedule a press conference outside the church headquarters, and this time, Rosa (Mia Maestro) and her son will be there. Juliette confides to Hallie (Rhiannon Giddens) that she is pregnant, but Avery still does not know about the baby on the way.
Maddie and Twig go back and forth again, as he thinks “I'll have nothing,” without Jonah, and she retorts, “What do you have now?” When he realizes one night that he has become nothing but a “baggage boy” for Jonah, he makes his break for good. He tells Maddie the next day, and she plants a real kiss on him.
Scarlett and Sean sing at the benefit, and naturally, they are a big hit. After the show, Sean begs to stay with Scarlett, but she reminds him that his wife and son are waiting in the car and that this is his chance to have a life with his family. They part with a kiss, as Scarlett whispers: “Go…”
Deacon and his dad bond over music during the show, but when Gideon leaves to go off on his own for a while instead of home, his son knows the score.
Daphne is caught in a terrible predicament while Deacon searches dad's truck, knowing all the hiding spots for an alcoholic. He finds the bottle, and tells his dad yet again that he doesn't want him around the girls or his house, and demands that his daughters go with him as the credits roll.