Fans Learn Who’s Stalking Rayna During ‘Nashville’ Episode 5
It was another jam-packed episode of CMT’s Nashville Thursday night (Jan. 26), full of emotional roller coasters, young love and a rude British director.
The show kicks off on the set of the Exes' music video for its new single and Scarlett (Clare Bowen) is clearly uncomfortable with the provocative nature of the shoot. She voices concerns about everything from her wardrobe options to the racy scenes from the get-go. After coming to blows with the director about feeling forced to go against her self-identity, she storms off the set.
Gunnar (Sam Palladio) eventually talks her back into finishing the shoot, but not after the condescending director demeans Scarlett’s strength and integrity as a person in order to pull the aggressive side out of her for an intimate scene in the video. All of this brings old issues and insecurities in their relationship to the surface, signaling potential trouble in paradise for the two stars.
In the interim, Rayna (Connie Britton) notices the memory box from her office is missing. She finds it in the desk drawer of new intern Randall, and, along with Bucky, confronts him about it. The pair also mentions the mysterious letter left at Rayna's doorstep, and Randall breaks down in tears, apologizing for the incident. However, he insists he didn’t send her the creepy letter and flowers from episode four. It turns out the country star’s gotten several more letters since we previously saw her, with each one sketchier than the last.
Nashville Stars Who Could Become Country Stars
Things become intense as Maddie (Maisy Stella) grows closer to her new love interest, Clayton. We learn that he’s a music history buff, telling Maddie about the backstories of prolific songwriters and entertainers he’s studied over the years as a musician. But after they share their first kiss, Clayton pulls away, saying it’s because Maddie is underage that he doesn’t want to move the relationship forward. When she meets up with him to play a new song that she wrote, he puts a stop to the relationship again, blaming their economic and cultural differences for his distance.
She comes to his rescue following an incident that leaves him beaten and in the hospital, where Clay tells Maddie that he’s bipolar and that going any further with him would mean trouble for her, a statement with which she angrily disagrees. But he overcomes his insecurities, showing up at her house the next day to introduce himself to Rayna and Deacon (Charles Esten), much to Maddie’s delight.
And we finally start getting some answers as to who Rayna’s stalker is when a crazy fan shows up at Highway 65 office rushing past the front desk with an envelope in hand, shouting about the letters he sent her as Bucky tries to force him outside, ending with a shot of a stunned Rayna.
Nashville airs every Thursday at 9PM EST on CMT.
Cast of Nashville Perform in New York City