Synopsis:

Death changes lives forever as a mystery arises; Scarlett and Gunnar receive an offer from Kelly Clarkson; a video adversely affects Juliette's reputation; Rayna is under intense pressure to succeed.

(From ABC)
In the aftermath of the death of someone in their circle, lives are changed forever in the world of “Nashville,” and a new mystery arises. Kelly Clarkson guest stars as herself and makes Gunnar and Scarlett a once-in-a-lifetime offer. Juliette’s reputation takes another body blow as creative video editing seems to show her proclaiming there is no God, further fueling her detractors. Rayna’s bought herself out of Edgehill, but the the pressure to succeed is greater than ever, and Deacon struggles to write during his sobriety and relative stability and finds help from Maddie and Daphne.

(Recap From ABC)
With a heavy heart, Teddy gives a press conference declaring that his wife, Peggy, was shot and killed by someone who was targeting him. The suspect blamed the mayor for his chronic unemployment. He was found dead of an apparent suicide by the Nashville PD. Teddy’s not sure the shooter’s motive makes sense. He worries there may be an additional threat out there. He tells Rayna that he needs to keep his distance from the girls for their own safety. When he’s finally alone, Teddy breaks down in tears.

Things are awkward for Juliette with Avery, but she’s glad to have her assistant, Emily, back in her life. She’s still dealing with the fallout of the home-wrecker label she’s been given. Her engagement with a heckler leads to a video where an out-of-context statement gives the illusion that she said there is no God. The public outrage is amplified to the point where a protestor douses Juliette with black paint. Layla Grant can confirm that the quote was taken out of context. Juliette says she’ll owe her one if she helps her out. Layla comes through big time, but the outrage continues nonetheless.

Deacon is advised to tell his personal story with the songs that he writes. He struggles with this and takes it out on Megan. Deacon gets a call informing him that some producers want to hear his song in two days. He gets this news while sitting outside a liquor store. Deacon later apologizes to Megan for how he acted. He didn’t drink at that liquor store. He blames Megan for his inability to write. She makes him happy, and he’s not used to writing while feeling like this. It’ll take some adjustment.

Scarlett is told that Kelly Clarkson wants to record the song she wrote with Gunnar. This news comes in as Brent worries when Will doesn’t show up for a big radio interview. Gunnar finds his roomie camping out in the mountains. Will is in bad shape emotionally and mentally. He wanted to die, but couldn’t go through with it. Gunnar is angry. He makes Will promise to call on him if he ever feels so low. Gunnar gets the news that Kelly Clarkson wants his tune. Will couldn’t be happier for his pal. He seems to be in a much better state of mind, but he wants nothing to do with Brent.

Kelly Clarkson is impressed with Scarlett and Gunnar. She wants them to lock themselves away for a few days to write some tunes for her. Gunnar is thrilled, but Scarlett tells Kelly that she just can’t do it. She walks away from the opportunity of a lifetime. When she gets home, Scarlett confronts Avery about his feelings for Juliette. She believes the two of them got back together because it’s comfortable. This has Scarlett leaving and Avery calling Juliette. As for Gunnar, he’s in a much better place with Zoey as the two of them declare their love for each other.

Liam is back in town to help Rayna with her album now that she’s split from Edgehill. He’s not thrilled to hear she’s dating Luke Wheeler. He advises Rayna to not pay attention to the market research that suggests there’s not a good lead single on their album. This causes a rift between the two, but they are both soon back on the same page. They just need a new song. Rayna puts this problem on hold long enough to listen to a song Deacon wrote with Maddie. It’s a fine little number just like the ones she used to write with Deacon back in the day.