Nashville 6×05 Review: “Where the Night Goes” Proves Moving On is Hard

This season of Nashville has definitely been progressing slowly while also peeling back it characters’ multiple layers. Where the Night Goes is the “moving on” episode for many of them, especially Juliette and Deacon. The last five episodes have put the two in positions where they’ve had to face their pasts. Now, they have to move on from them, and it’s easier said than done.

After the bombshell that was dropped in That’s My Story, Juliette is beginning to come to terms with why she is the way she is. Her suppressed memory of being sexually abused as a child has made her crave attention and acceptance her entire adulthood.

When asked who she would be if these horrific events hadn’t occurred, she clearly states she wouldn’t know. This leads Darius, the “cult’s” leader, to tell her that she can begin her story again. Of course, the only proper way for her to begin again, according to him, is doing service work in Bolivia.

Just when I thought Nashville was beginning to get to a happy place with its characters, the writers throw Juliette right back into an argument with Avery. Avery’s character, like I’ve said many times before, is a saint. Juliette believes she must go to Bolivia to “start her life” while Avery sits back astonished (and he’s not the only one).

Obviously hurt, he doesn’t understand why they keep coming back to the same argument. Juliette is looking for a purpose, and that’s understandable, but it’s infuriating as a viewer to watch her do the same thing over and over again. Juliette leaves her daughter with Avery a good two times every season to go explore herself. It’s time for the running away to stop but, because she up and leaves Avery in the middle of the night without a word, it proves she won’t.

As for Deacon, he has been a trooper this season as he begins to explore the world of dating after Rayna. Jessie has been good for him as she too is trying to move on from a relationship that was emotionally abusive.

Aside from their kids still not 100 percent approving of their relationship, the two have finally come to terms with their chemistry and are ready to take it to the next level. For Deacon, this is a major step in the right direction. He hasn’t been intimate with anyone since Rayna, and he seemed to be taking the shift in his and Jessie’s relationship really well. 

That is, until they are about to sleep together.

Deacon ends up breaking down and telling Jessie he can’t sleep with her at the moment. She’s understanding, but it’s such a raw scene. I am glad Nashville showed it. Deacon has only ever truly loved one woman, and she’s gone.

For any human, being intimate with another after you lose the love of your life is hard. It’s refreshing to see that his pain and confusion isn’t glossed over. The scene is so real, and they end up falling asleep on the floor of her living room after eating ice cream, talking about their childhoods.

For both Deacon and Juliette, moving on is hard. For Deacon, it’s moving on from someone else while Juliette is trying to move on from her past. I’m glad Deacon is finally making the strides; it’s just time for Juliette to catch up.