Now that we have shaken off the monstrosity that was the season premiere, let’s bite into this rotten apple and hope to find a worm or two.

At the downtown Farmer’s Market, Scarlett and Deacon are shopping and when they see Gunnar (how convenient), Scrawny ducks away. What a shock. They still aren’t talking. I guess everyone who is a love interest is at the Farmer’s Market because they also run into Jessie. Scarlett thinks she and Deacon should go out. Later, Deacon nervously calls her and they agree that, because time has passed, maybe they are ready for a relationship.

Gunnar saw Skinny Boo Boo avoiding him at the market and tries not to obsess about it. Will is compensating his loneliness by hitting the gym all the time. They decide to play a gig together because they had such a good time playing on New Years Eve. At their gig, Avery shows up in time to see Will try to get Gunnar a date from the stage. Avery tells them he’s jealous because they were obviously having a blast during their show.

Avery wants Juliette to see a shrink for her depression, but Juliette wants to work with Darius instead. It seems Juliette is leery of psychiatrists and I think it’s probably because they make her see who she really is- and who wants that?

Scarlett is playing a show at what appears to be The Beverly (is that even still a thing on this show?) Afterwards, she is almost hyperventilating. She later tells Deacon it’s because she missed Gunnar’s presence. Look, Scrawny, you will not go marching back into his life until you at least let me see if I have a shot with him. On my first date with Gunnar, I am coloring his hair back to brunette. That homage to Gwen Stefani mop on his head needs to die.

Juliette is, once again, being kept waiting at The Movement for Coherent Philosophy office and that pisses her off. Darius isn’t there, so she gets a tour from one of his flunkies. Flunky explains that most members go to work or school during the day, but spend their evenings at the cult headquarters. Oh- and members are required to donate 30% of their income. When Juliette is invited to help them work on an affordable housing project outside the city, she hesitantly tags along.

So, Maddie’s denim skirt is so short, I can see all the way to Catoosie. Hey girl, if you want to rock that look, go for it, but there are decency laws in Nashville. Don’t ask me how I know. YOU DON’T KNOW ME! Anyway, she is confused because Jonah isn’t texting her enough or something. Can we talk about how glad I am this episode doesn’t have much Maddie?

At the housing work site, which is supposed to be a Habitat for Humanity-type charity, Juliette is given a staple gun and is asked to secure insulation to walls in a home under construction. When Juliette tries to back out, the flunky essentially tells her to get to work. What I wouldn’t give to be that flunky right now. Anyway, when Juliette knocks a hammer into her finger, she realizes that no one is going to treat her like a celebrity and does her usual attitude copping and threatens to leave.

At school, Daphne and her squeeze, Flynn, See Jessie’s kid, Jake, who is the class outcast. Daphne waves to him, but he doesn’t seem to care. Later, Jessie calls Deacon to cancel their dinner plans because Jake is having a meltdown. Maybe Jessie could take Jake to the shrink Juliette won’t see? Let’s fix at least one crazy on this show, okay?

Remember Nadine from last season? Ya know, the fan of Scarlett’s who shamed her for not living up to fan potential and seemed stalkery? Well, she is now pals with Scarlett, so that is why she shows up to Nadine’s high school for an art show. Nadine gets all weepy explaining how Scrawny’s music helped her through a tough time.

Juliette sticks it out and finishes her part of the build and even feels pride in her work. When she gets back to the cult headquarters, she calls Avery to tell him she is staying the night. When he seems to think she should come home, she tells him she feels better than she has in a long time. So, Juliette is strong enough to overcome crippling wounds from a plane crash only to be taken down by Scientology? Give me a break, CMT.

Jessie calls Deacon and says she actually cancelled their date because she was nervous. So, Deacon is his usual wonderful self and forgives her and they plan to have dinner that night. I would also be nervous about going out with Deacon Claybourne, but I would have to be dead to cancel, you freaking imbecile!

Daphne sees Jake sitting alone at lunch and she goes over to chat with him. They both begin to talk about how gross it would be if their parents had actually dated. It seems Deacon is afraid to tell Daphne he is going to go out with Jessie. He should be more afraid to tell me. Let’s hope I don’t cross paths with Jessie because I definitely have Daphne’s back.

Speaking of the man of my dreams, he is trying to get Sherpa Scarlett to attend a guitar pull with him at the Basement East. For those of you not in the music business, a guitar pull  is where several musicians sit around and take turns playing songs on their git-fiddles. It’s informal, so Deacon thinks it would be good for her.

Gunnar and Will go to see Avery for an intervention. Oh lort, if this is as corny as I think it will be, I am going to have to switch to drinking straight vodka. Seriously, they brought a lasso and everything to kidnap him. They get him to a hopping hotspot and explain that the three of them will be playing together for the evening.

On their date, Jessie tells Deacon she has basically given up music to focus on going to school to study psychology. Oh, okay, now I get it. She will be the one that eventually fixes Juliette. Nice try, CMT, but the element of surprise has never been your strong suit. Anyway, things are awkward between them because they can’t seem to find the rhythm they had when they first discovered they were attracted to one another. Jessie suggests they just be friends and Deacon agrees. For the record, Jessie is a complete dumbass.

At their gig, which appears to be at an American Legion lodge, the audience is full of young, pretty people. I don’t believe for a minute those hipsters get their jollies on a Saturday nights at the American Legion. While Gunnar is having a ball with his bros, we see Scarlett change her mind, back out, and leave the guitar pull.

Deacon takes Jessie home from their date and walks her to the sidewalk. As she turns and walks away, Deacon makes no indication he is leaving. She turns on her heels and into his lips. Lucky bitch.

Later that night, when Darius gets back to the cult headquarters, Juliette makes her way to his office. He explains that going back to her family and career is going back to people who are invested in her staying exactly the way she is. Now, that is some bull corn, but Juliette is now not only a narcissistic diva, but add gullible to the list. Look, CMT, Juliette is a lot of horrible things, but she is not a sucker. “It’s hard to break old habits in old environments,” Darius tells her.

Later, Scarlett is back at the Farmer’s Market and weird, she runs into Gunnar. I don’t know about you folks, but I definitely hang out at the Farmer’s Market regularly to see if Brooks & Dunn will happen to run into one another. Anyway, they start to chat and she tells him she is thinking of taking a small break from music. He tries to talk her out of it and it’s obvious they should be boinking instead of talking.

When Juliette finally gets back home to Avery and her kid, it’s obvious she is going to be moving in with the cult. Again, with the predictable plotlines, Nashville writers. You make it VERY difficult to want to tune in next week. But, I will. I am working on building my alcohol tolerance and this show is great motivation.

See also:

NASHVILLE recap: "Jump Then Fall" (Season 6 Episode 3)

NASHVILLE recap: "Second Chances" (Season 6 Episode 2)

NASHVILLE recap: "New Strings" (Season 6 Episode 1)