Nashville 1x01 - 1x03
Short version: I'm really, really enjoying this show.
12_12_12 observed that the pilot was predictable at points; I agreed, but noted that it set up the possibility for unpredictability in the future. It's clearly going to be a complicated show, which of course I love. And already, by 1x03, some of the characters who were introduced as familiar stereotypes are being revealed as having layers.
I loved Rayna James pretty much instantly -- partly because she's played by Connie Britton, but also because she is smart and stubborn and flawed and (unsurprisingly) something of a diva but also appealingly self-aware. She's a woman who's made difficult choices and is dealing with the consequences as best she can, which is pretty much a bulletproof kink for me, character-wise.
But Rayna was a gimme, really, because -- I mean, Connie Britton! That deck was stacked. So in some ways I'm actually more impressed with Juliette Barnes. I disliked her almost instantly, and then the show turned around and made me sympathize with her without necessarily disliking her any less -- and then in the second episode it gave me some things to genuinely like about her. I loved the reveal that she doesn't actually like being a sparkly prefab princess making country-pop for tweens, that she wants to make more serious music, that she wants to not just record good songs but write good songs, and -- this is my favorite part -- that she is actually good at songwriting. I love this development in and of itself, but I also love it because it sheds a really different light on her relationship with Rayna. In the pilot, she seemed contemptuous of Rayna; in retrospect, she seems jealous of Rayna because Rayna has had the career that Juliette wants -- and in 1x03, we find out that she's also envious of Rayna for having had her career handed to her on a silver platter, which... isn't entirely inaccurate, even if it's not the whole story. Deacon's mixed up in that jealousy too, but I love that there's a component to their antagonism that is not about fighting over a man. It opens up all sorts of interesting possibilities for where the story goes next.
I like the minor characters, too, especially Scarlett and Gunnar. Scarlett teasing Gunnar about his inability to pull off fringe: it's funny because it's true! I was 'shipping them in a sort of passive, low-key way, because they really do have chemistry when they sing (and I am a sucker for the unrequited crush trope), but then 1x03 delighted me by making Avery, who I'd found neither interesting nor appealing, much more likeable and supportive. It makes sense that he'd be jealous of Scarlett, but this ep made clear that he really does care about her -- even if he also uses attending her studio session as a chance to introduce himself to Watty.
But Rayna and Juliette are the heart of the show and the core of its appeal, and I am really looking forward to seeing what they get up to.
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