Beech Tree News Network

The first time I saw a preview for this new ABC show called Nashville, I thought “no way this lasts”.  I swore I wasn’t going to watch it.  Told myself I had no interest in it.  That said, when it premiered on October 10, 2012 at 9 pm, I was right in front of the tv.  What can I say? I was curious.  There is something about cheesy soap opera tv that draws certain people in.  I suppose it’s part of why I’m a wrestling fan.  I digress. 

Throughout Rayna’s marriage and divorces to Teddy, the almost-marriage to Luke Wheeler, the Deacon Clayborne saga(I’m a little embarrassed I know all of this), I was there for all the ABC drama.  After four seasons on ABC, a cancellation, an online fan outcry and a 2 season pick-up by CMT, the time has come to say adios.  When all is said and done, perhaps the most memorable moment will be (spoiler alert) Rayna dying. 

I thought, “well, the show focus will probably shift to Rayna’s daughter’s.  I figured it would go downhill quickly.  I was wrong on both counts.  Sure, they dealt with the daughters more than they did before.  They also did some Guiding Light-ish stuff.  The whole “Juliette held captive by the movement” thing was reminiscent of Reva on Guiding Light being kept in a dungeon.  Why do I know this?!

My great grandmother loved soap operas.  That’s how I know all of this.  That’s how I remember all of this.  Is it a gift? A curse? Who can say? When you watch something enough, even if you aren’t paying attention to it completely at first, you’ll pick something up about the show.  It’s called spaced repetition or repetition spacing.  It’s a learning technique that incorporates increasing intervals of time between subsequent reviews of previously learned material in order to exploit the psychological spacing effect.  See there? Soaps and wrestling, TV and movies are psychological. 

I guess that’s why I liked Nashville.  How will the show end? Probably happily, or as happily as it can.  I really doubt they’re going to have a cliffhanger in the series finale.  They’re called finales for a reason.  They’re final.  I imagine everything will be wrapped up nicely. 

There is one phrase that keeps popping into my head for Thursday’s finale.  It’s what Jim Ross said after the 1998 match between Undertaker and Mick Foley: Mercifully, it’s over.  Thank you, Nashville.  My CMT viewership just got subtracted by an hour after Thursday.