Deacon Claybourne is one of the best parts of Nashville, but that doesn’t mean that I’m convinced he’ll make it to see Season 4. His liver cancer diagnosis rocked the other characters, and it was pretty touch-and-go-there for a bit on whether or not Deacon would live on Nashville , much less survive long enough to get a liver. In the season’s penultimate episode, Deacon’s lovely (and I say that with the most sarcasm I can muster) sister, Beverly, decided that she would look deeply into her own heart and donate part of her liver to her big brother. Is she doing it for the right reasons? Absolutely not — Beverly was the one who probably leaked Deacon’s condition to the press and I’m sure she’s trying to get a record deal from Rayna out of all of this — but Deacon is getting a liver anyway, and the Season 3 finale will bring his surgery to our screen. But will Deacon die on the table?
I say that yes, Deacon will die on this current season of Nashville. Like I said, it’s not that I don’t love Charles Esten’s twinkly eyes and smooth country singing voice, but the time has come to send the character of Deacon Claybourne up into that big Grand Ole Opry in the sky. Here’s why.
Rayna & Deacon Have Exhausted Their Relationship
“Will-they-or-won’t-they” relationships get way less interesting after we find out that they will. Even though Rayna and Deacon had this whole unrequited love thing going on and eventually got back together after 20 years, what interesting plotline could we possibly have with the two of them? I’d rather watch Rayna pick up the pieces of her life and channel it all into Highway 65.
Deacon’s Death Would Give Maddie’s Story Some Much-Needed Gravity
Maddie only found out that Deacon was her father like, last year, so they didn’t get a lot of time together. As sad as that may be, I’ve always found Maddie’s character on the whiny side. I think there’s a lot of potential for this teen to go out and find herself, and Deacon’s death and its onslaught of feelings would be a beautiful catalyst to make Maddie a much meatier character.
Teddy Desperately Needs Something Else To Do
So Teddy’s all tangled up in this FBI scandal thing, right? Isn’t it like, the most boring story ever? Literally no one cares about this, so I vote that he gets a makeover (or at least his plotlines do), and I’m thinking that having to comfort and be there for his daughters and Rayna after Deacon croaks could be a lovely way to make Teddy Conrad a relevant character again.
Obviously, characters like Scarlett and Juliette would be devastated in the wake of Deacon’s death, but they’re both busy with other things. Scarlett is battling her impending stardom (she’s in the band The Exes now) and fighting her feelings for Gunnar, while Juliette is dealing with postpartum depression while also trying to relaunch her career.
Though I will miss him so, Deacon’s death would only help to drive Nashville further, injecting more life into the show.
Images: ABC/Mark Levine; Giphy (3)
