Nashville: ‘New Strings’ Recap & Review

Last night, Nashville came back to TV for its sixth season after going through a roller coaster of changes. First, it got canceled after its fourth season on ABC. Then, CMT picked up the show only for it to get canceled again, which they announced back in November. Nonetheless, here’s a full recap and review of the season six premiere episode of Nashville.

Full Recap

In its first episode back, Maddie performs at a New Years’ party in LA. But Scarlett tags along as Maddie’s chaperone as Maddie meets Jonah Ford, a teen heartthrob. Everyone’s going crazy for the young actor, including Daphne, and it seems the show’s setting him as Maddie’s newest love interest. However, he seems pretty entitled, which is expected because he’s a pretty big deal. So, we’ll see if there’s more to Jonah than just his swagger.

Meanwhile, Juliette kicks off her next tour by addressing an unhappy audience member. But he’s not the only one. The crowd starts calling her a fake and a backstabber (because she stole Maddie’s song last season). But instead of continuing the show, she asks for love and basically has a public meltdown. So, she and Avery decide to take a vacation and that’s where they meet Darius, a mysterious motivational speaker. Glen calls him a cult leader but Juliette watches his speech on TV and ends up resonating with it. Later, Darius reaches out to her and tells her she needs to confront her pain before she’s able to overcome it. Only then will she be able to regain the control she feels she’s lost.

Deacon and Gunnar’s Story

Deacon’s story is pretty straightforward and expected. He’s past his grieving stage and starting to feel a little lonely. Everyone starts taking notice and tries to get him back out into the dating world. Given that he had a pretty strong connection with Jessie last season (and the fact she’s returning in next week’s episode), they’ll probably get together sometime this season.

As for Gunnar, he’s nervous about his new solo career. He’s only ever had a career with Scarlett so he’s worried about whether people will like his music or not. After getting some help from Will, he ends up dying his hair bleach blonde.

Final Thoughts

The writers seem to be continuing the overall theme of identity. Especially with Juliette, Gunnar, Scarlett, and Deacon. Gunnar and Scarlett seem to be having the same issue: they don’t really know who they are without each other anymore. They weren’t just an on-again-off-again couple, they were music partners. The same goes for Deacon. Rayna was an anchor for him and his addiction problems and he needs to learn how to live and thrive without her. Not only that but he also has two children to take care of now and that’s going to be quite the adjustment considering Rayna’s always been the one to pick up the pieces in the past.

Asf or Juliette, she’s been through a wild ride through the years. So, it makes sense that she’s not only depressed but that she’s finally ready to admit it and tackle it head-on. And I couldn’t be more excited to see how all of that unfolds. Knowing Juliette, she’s definitely not going to take a more traditional route of talking to a therapist and figuring out some kind of medical regimen. Instead, she seems to be talking to this new guy, Darius, who’s still a complete mystery. If he really does end up being a cult leader, Juliette’s life will only get crazier.