‘Nashville’ Recap: Steel Wheels

Warning: This recap for the “Little Bit Stronger” episode of Nashville contains spoilers.

Nashville’s new showrunners, Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, have made a point of moving the series forward, not backward, as the fifth season unfolds. But they set aside time in Thursday’s sixth episode, “A Little Bit Stronger,” to tie up a bit of old business in a neat bow: Luke Wheeler got his exit interview. Introduced in Season 2 as yet another roadblock to Rayna and Deacon’s off-again, on-again romance, Luke (played by Will Chase) served his purpose so effectively that the previous regime made him a regular presence, keeping him around even after his original function had been fulfilled and he and Rayna headed to Splitsville. Once that storyline was wrapped up, though, Luke was a character in search of a point, relegated to sharing scenes with shoehorned-in guest stars like Christina Aguilera. During Season 4, he practically existed in his own pocket universe, rarely interacting with anyone of dramatic import besides Will Chase.

So it wasn’t a huge shock that Herskovitz and Zwick opted to set Luke free to explore the frontier beyond Nashville. But enough goodwill still exists for Chase that they gave him a going-away present — a chance to sing one more song, and then pass Wheelin’ Dealin’ Records along to the new power company being built by Rayna and Zach Welles. (That stands in marked contrast to deeply unpopular between-seasons ejectee Layla Grant, who has basically become the Poochie of the show.) Admitting that he was never any good at being a businessman, Luke happily signed over his vanity label and its razor-thin artist catalogue — which consists of Juliette, Will, and … Will’s biceps? — to his former fiancée and vowed to dedicate his life to working his farm, writing songs, and, presumably, finding the odd moment to Skype with his bratty son, Colt, currently serving overseas in the military. Happy retirement, cowboy! Enjoy those Tennessee sunsets from your home on the range.

Best Storyline: Juliette’s embrace of her spiritual side started awkwardly, but in this episode it finally flowered into something potentially new and exciting for a character who was in danger of falling into a predictable cycle of dishing out — or absorbing — personal pain. The scene she shared with Rayna in which she confessed her desire to record a gospel album was both one of the quietest, and one of the most dramatic, moments they’ve had together since the series began. This could still end very badly and very mawkishly, but for now I’m choosing to place a bit more faith in the the writers and an up-to-the-challenge Hayden Panettiere.

Worst Storyline: Maybe it’s because Damien George is a poor man’s idea of David Fincher. Maybe it’s because the music video he’s making looks like a Sheena Easton reject from the ‘80s. Maybe it’s because there’s a creepy Stockholm syndrome element in the way Scarlett lets him off the hook for pushing her so far on set. Either way, this initially promising storyline came to a merciful end when Damien called “cut” on the final shot of the Exes’ first stab at infiltrating the post-MTV marketplace. It’ll become a viral phenomenon, all right … as an example of how not to make your music video debut.

Related: Catch Up on Nashville With Our Recaps

Maddie Watch: Heartbreak makes a singer grow stronger. That’s the lesson Maddie can take away from her roller-coaster experience dating an older guy. Not that we’re expecting (or hoping) for her and Clayton’s love story to end in the near future. On the contrary, he’s been really great for Maddie, and not just as a love interest. He’s also challenged her to look beyond her bubble and listen to other life experiences, to say nothing of different musical stylings. If nothing else, she’ll come away from this relationship with enough material for a double album.

Best Bit of #RealTalk: Nashville has largely avoided dealing with race in any substantive capacity, which made it shocking — in a good way — when Maddie asked her mom directly if her lukewarm feelings about Clayton were due to the color of his skin. And Rayna’s response was equally honest and invigorating: “I don’t care if he’s green, blue, or purple — if he was your age, I’d say, ‘You go, girl!’”

Most Promising New Character: Daphne and Flynn sitting in a tree! T-E-X-T-I-N-G! The youngest James daughter is being wooed by a middle-school suitor, and he appears to have a pretty good head on his shoulders. For example, when Rayna’s stalker shows up on school grounds with a letter to pass along to Daphne, Flynn stays by her side, and then they both flee to warn grown-ups.

Related: Nashville Stars Charles Esten and Hayden Panettiere Talk Juliette’s Recovery and Deacon’s Sex Scenes

Standout Song: Avery’s rediscovery of his roots as a performer has been a long time coming. So it was a thrill to see him trade a recording console for a microphone and cut loose on “Won’t Back Me Down.” And that one-off gig may turn into more if he takes up that bacon-chomping manager, Billy, on his offer of representation.

Nashville airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on CMT.