Rayna Jaymes: The Worldview Of Women Over 40 In The 2010’s, As Seen Through Her Character Arc On ‘Nashville’ – And How Its Complexity Is Ever So Evolving

My previous post about Sofia Carson’s character Alex Rose in the Netflix film ‘Life List’ was heavily about a woman’s journey of finding herself through her grief. We came up with the conclusion that it’s never, ever too late for a woman to find herself. It was a beautiful story that put an emphasis on a woman’s journey to knowing her worth while grieving her mother; and her mother made sure she was there even in death to guide her. I just wish it was made into a TV series rather than a movie, but I talk about it in my previous post, which you can certainly check out after you read this one.

Alex Rose’s mother was played by none other than Connie Britton. Britton has starred in numerous TV shows and movies, including ‘Friday Night Lights’, ‘24’, ‘Spin City’, ‘The West Wing’, ‘American Ultra’, ‘This Is Where I Leave You’, and ‘White Lotus’. Most notably, however, at least in my eyes, she starred in the musical television series ‘Nashville’ as Rayna Jaymes between 2012 and 2018. The series also starred Hayden Panettiere, Charles Esten, Clare Bowen, Eric Close, Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio, as well as Lennon and Maisy Stella.

This show introduced me to Connie Britton. I started watching ‘Nashville’ because I was initially a fan of Hayden Panettiere. I loved her work, especially in her supporting role as Audrey Davis in the 2004 Kate Hudson movie, ‘Raising Helen’. On the show, Panettiere played Juliette Barnes, a young bubblegum country pop star who had the determination and strive to be ‘the next big thing’ and replace Rayna, again, played by Connie Britton, as the top superstar of country music. Rayna’s fame was beginning to fade when we first met her. She was a 40 year old woman, and in the eyes of stardom, glamour, and fame, was already considered to be an ‘aging woman’.

Rayna’s personal life wasn’t going too great by that point either. She seemed to be bored in her marriage Teddy Conrad, played by Eric Close, who after a business failure, began living on his wife’s income. Together they had two children, Maddie Conrad, played by Lennon Stella, and Daphne Conrad, played by Maisy Stella. It was later revealed the Maddie was actually Deacon’s biological daughter. Teddy knew about it, and raised Maddie as his own. Deacon Claybourne, played by Charles Esten didn’t know about it, but was always there for Maddie from her very early days as her ‘uncle’. It was an absolute shock to him when Maddie came to his house and revealed to him that he was, in fact, her biological father. Nevertheless, the two formed a father-daughter bond together, and over time Maddie started calling him ‘Dad’. This was hard for Teddy to fathom, and became distant from Maddie in the process. Over time, he became completely estranged from her. Maddie, on the other hand, didn’t want to choose between her two dads. She wanted both of them in her life.

When we first meet both Rayna and Juliette, Rayna’s record label suggests that she be the opening act for the younger star. Juliette’s mother, Jolene, to whom Juliette is estranged because of her addiction, is a big fan of Rayna’s. The President of the record label, then suggests that the two of them should write a song together, and gives me them an ultimatum, saying that if they refused, they’d get penalized for it. Together they created ‘Wrong Song’, which became a hit. With more trials and tribulations, as well as abuse and threats coming from the president of her record label, Rayna decided to take matters into her own hands and starts her own label. It was a risky move, but it was a move that she was willing to take.

At this time, Teddy tells Rayna he wants a divorce, and what follows is her rekindling her romance with Deacon, who she’d been romantically involved with on an on-and-off basis since they were 16 years old. Their relationship initially ended due to Deacon’s ongoing alcoholism, and as Rayna found out she was pregnant with Maddie when he first went to rehab, Teddy vowed to be there for her and raise Maddie as his own. They also made an agreement that neither Deacon nor Maddie would ever find out. Despite resuming her relationship with Deacon following her separation from Teddy, Rayna still made a promise to Teddy to never reveal the truth.

As I mentioned before, Deacon did find out, and he found out through Maddie herself. Finding this out triggered Deacon’s drinking, and following a confrontation between the two, Deacon and Rayna were involved in a car accident as Rayna was prevented from stopping at a stop sign. While swerving around the oncoming traffic, the car flips several times and lands in a ditch. This car accident left Rayna in critical condition and in a medically induced coma. Deacon took responsibility for the accident and said he was the one driving the car. He plead guilty for driving after the influence, but Rayna revealed the truth when she woke up. During this time, through flashbacks, we find out that Deacon actually proposed to Rayna in their younger years. Deacon’s proposal to Rayna was followed by Maddie’s conception. The morning after, Rayna realized that Deacon had been drinking and didn’t realize he proposed in the first place. With that realization, Rayna gave back the ring and left him. She then found out that she was pregnant and had the intention of telling Deacon, but she saw him drunk, tearing up his cabin, and she was suggested to not to tell him of the pregnancy.

As time progressed, Rayna and Deacon repair their relationship and become friends again, but nothing of a romantic sort happens. Instead, Rayna gets involved with another country musician, Luke Wheeler, and the two get engaged during a public collaborative performance, in front of Deacon and Maddie. Deacon is visibly shocked, and Maddie, previously having high hopes for her parents to be together, is visibly disappointed and saddened. That same night, Deacon visits her telling her not to marry Luke because he now knows how to love her. He also proposes to her. Even though she initially accepted Luke’s proposal, Rayna now felt conflicted and at a loss. Eventually, however, she goes to Deacon and tells him that she chooses Luke because they have a clean slate and that he is the safe choice. Deacon responds that he is not the right choice.

At this point in time, Rayna works hard to thrive in her career as the owner of her own record label, Highway 65, as well as in her career as an artist. Her relationship with Luke, however, was suffering. Because of their extremely busy schedule, they barely got to see each other, and even went two months without of not seeing each other. The two later walk in on Maddie making out with Luke’s son, Colt. It was while she had a reporter for The Rolling Stone at her house to interview her. She’s afraid of what the reporter would write, so she gives the reporter the story of Deacon’s paternity. Rayna then gets the most CMA nominations with six, including some for which she is up against Luke; ‘Entertainer of the Year’, ‘Album’ and ‘Single’. When the CMA’s finally come around, Rayna immediately wins the first award of the night for ‘Single of the Year’, beating Luke. During her speech, she thanks Deacon who co-wrote it with her. Luke is not pleased. Rayna beats out Luke again for ‘Album of the Year’. So far, Luke has only won ‘Male Vocalist’ and then ‘Musical Event’ with Rayna.

Feeling frustrated, belittled and angry by his loss, Luke starts drinking to blow off steam. He complains to Rayna about her thanking Deacon, saying she came to the show with him, not Deacon, and that he was the reason her album went gold because he proposed to her the day it was released. As the show closes, Rayna sweeps her nominations and wins ‘Entertainer of the Year’. Luke then apologized for his behaviour that night, but by that point, the damage to their relationship had become apparent and likely not repairable. Rayna called off the wedding on the day of nuptials. Later that day, Rayna went on to see Deacon to tell him she loved him, and the two eventually get back together and build a life that involved them and the kids. They also finally get engaged to be married.

Their happiness is short-lived as just when they resumed their relationship. Deacon finds out he has liver cancer, which was caused by his drinking, but doesn’t want Rayna to know. He tells Scarlett, his niece, who’s also in the country music scene, that he’s the one that’s supposed to take care of Rayna, not the other way around. He avoids having to speak with her at all costs, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Following their performance at the Grand Ole Opry, Rayna confronts him and he finally tells her of his diagnosis. Distraught and in shock, Rayna slaps Deacon and breaks down in tears before they embrace in a hug. The news hits the kids hard as well, but especially Maddie.

Deacon’s sister, Beverly ends up being the only match as a donor. She refuses to be of any help when Rayna asks her. Rayna and Beverly don’t have a good history with each other because years ago Deacon chose to join Rayna’s band instead of making it big with Beverly, and Beverly has resented Rayna for that ever since. Beverly eventually agrees to be Deacon’s donor when Scarlett, who’s Beverly’s daughter, confronts Beverly and tells her that Deacon was the only person that was there for her when her mother should’ve, and if she won’t do it for him, then do it for her. The surgery ended up saving Deacon’s life, but put Beverly in a medically induced coma. Scarlett makes a difficult decision to take Beverly off of life support.

Through everything, Rayna still works on her own label and gets more artists signed to work for her. Her biggest client was Juliette, but after having had professional conflicts and mishaps, Rayna felt she had no choice but to let her go. With that, she needed to look for the next ‘big thing’ in an effort to save her record label. She ends up signing Markus Keen, a rock artist, which is completely out of her league. Nevertheless, Markus believes that she understands his vision and signs with her. While working together, he and Rayna butt heads as and Rayna don’t see eye-to-eye, so he storms off, saying this was a mistake. Markus eventually gets her version of his song. During this time, Deacon decides to buy into a bar with one of his friends, Frankie Grey, who was his AA sponsor. Rayna is initially unsure about Deacon’s new venture because he’s a recovering alcoholic, but supports him after all. Once Deacon gets his health back on track, he proposes to Rayna again, and they marry.

Maddie runs away from home to live with Frankie’s daughter Cash, and Cash insists to Maddie that she’s going to help her with her career. Maddie feels that her mother is standing in her way and wants to be emancipated so she can take control of her career. Rayna’s perspective doesn’t want Maddie to be like her, when she was younger and left home for a career, and therefore, wants to shield her from being exploited, but she also fears she is losing her. To get emancipated, Maddie lies under oath and tells the judge that Deacon is abusive towards her and still drinks despite claiming to everyone that he’s a recovering alcoholic. Deacon realizes that the only way the lawyer knew all of that is because Frankie told Cash, who then told the lawyer. Deacon confronts Frankie outside of their bar. The two get into a fight after Frankie sucker punches him. Just as Deacon bloodies Frankie’s nose, everyone from inside comes out to, and Frankie accuses Deacon of trying to kill him. This incident causes the judge to decide to grant Maddie’s emancipation. On the other side, Cash has Maddie to get away from Nashville so there will be no connections to Rayna, and Maddie signs with a shady label in New York. When an older record producer attempts to assault Maddie, Deacon bursts in and rescues her, Maddie then reconciles with her family.

As her family is a united front once again, Rayna sees herself struggle financially as Highway 65 hit some bumps in the road. She gets a business proposal that would help her in her business, but in return, it’d mean that she’d lose a 20% share of the label. She’s informed Luke, her former fiancé, has put Wheelin’ Dealin’ Records up for sale, and is proposed that Highway 65 should acquire it. She then gets inspired for her and Deacon to write their story for a concept album featuring the two of them. Rayna also has a stalker. One day when she walks into work, someone watches her as they listen to her music. A few days later Rayna discovers a mysterious package with no stamp at her door. It contains a letter and rose petals. More mysterious letters show up. It’s revealed that the man who wrote the letters, Carl Hockney, shows up at Highway 65, which alarms her. She gets a restraining order against Hockney and increases security at her house. One day, Hockney shows up at Daphne’s school. He taunts the Jaymes/Claybourne household by going as far as he can while still obeying the restraining order. This has turned the family’s world upside down. Deacon wants to confront him, but the police advise not to do that. They want him arrested but he hasn’t done anything for which he can be arrested. He eventually violates the restraining order by surprising Rayna at work. He holes up in her office where they talk, and when she tries to get free, he catches her and threatens her with a knife. After pleas from Rayna and the police, he lets her go and is arrested. Rayna is driven home by police, and as she’s on the phone with Deacon and tells him what happened, an oncoming car crashes into them, sending Rayna to the hospital.

Due to the crash, Rayna has a shattered pelvis and hip, and is in surgery for four hours. Lying in her hospital bed, Rayna sees her dead mother and talks to her. Her organs are failing, her condition worsens and her outcome isn’t too promising. She can’t hold on any longer, and dies with her family by her side. Maddie, however, wasn’t able to be by her mother’s side before her death. As she rushed to the hospital when she was informed of her hospitalization, Rayna passed before Maddie made it to be by her and her family’s side. Rayna’s death causes much tension between the family. Teddy and Tandy, Rayna’s sister, suggest that the girls should live with Teddy as Daphne is biologically his and Deacon has proven to be an unstable parent, which was based on the lies Maddie previously told under oath to get herself emancipated. Tandy also states that Deacon is not fully equipped to run Highway 65. Both Maddie and Daphne want to stay with Deacon. Teddy hadn’t been there for the girls for years by that point as he’d slowly got himself out of the picture when it was revealed to Maddie and Deacon that they were, in fact, father and daughter. Teddy couldn’t handle that Maddie was getting closer to Deacon and distanced himself from her, as well as from Daphne. By the time Teddy came back following their mother’s death, Daphne herself got closer to Deacon and saw him as a father figure. She’d even started calling him ‘Dad’. After seeing the three perform for Rayna in tribute, Teddy realizes that Rayna would’ve wanted Maddie and Daphne to stay with Deacon. 

Following Rayna’s death, Deacon takes over Highway 65 as an owner. He’s furious by the suggestion of releasing his and Rayna’s duet album, as Rayna had completed the majority of her studio recordings before her death. Eventually however, he later comes to see that the album is the perfect way to end Rayna’s career. He’s encouraged by Maddie and Daphnis’s eagerness to go into his home studio where he finds Bucky, Gunnar, Scarlett, Will, Avery, Juliette, Maddie and Daphne all singing along with Rayna’s recording of the track, ‘You’re Mine’, and he joins them, seeing it as their final song together. What followed thereafter was Deacon continuing to parent the girls and doing what was best for Highway 65. Through the label, he managed Maddie and Daphne’s respective careers. We also saw him find love after loss.

The character of Rayna Jaymes died in season 5 as Connie Britton wanted to leave the show. It was a creative choice that was made soon after the show moved from ABC to CMT after the fourth season. Show-runner Herskovitz  told Variety, ‘When CMT picked up the show, Connie came to [co-showrunner] Ed Zwick and myself and said that she felt inner conflict. She felt that creatively, she wanted to move on from the show, and she was very torn because she loved the show. She loved the people on the show and it was like a family, but after four years, she felt she needed a different challenge, which is something I really understand as an artist. When we did ‘Thirtysomething,’ we ended the show because we felt we needed to do something else. The network and studio wanted to continue, but we felt we were finished. So I really supported the idea that Connie felt she needed to move onto other challenges.’

I was extremely sad when Rayna passed away. I didn’t think the show would survive without her, but it did. It went on to have a sixth season before its cancellation in 2018. Nevertheless, the show lost its spark following Britton’s departure. It felt like the writers didn’t know with the rest of the characters following the lead’s death. Yes, we still Hayden Panettiere as a co-lead still, but it just wasn’t the same. This was a testament to the depth of Rayna Jayme’s contributions. The biggest parts of the show were Rayna’s music, her finally running Highway 65 Records, and especially her family. Panettiere was the co-lead as Juliette Barns, but her storylines always intertwined with Britton’s Rayna. The end of season 4 saw Juliette in a plane crash plane crash. The end didn’t make it clear whether she survived or not. The beginning of season 5 saw her survive, and she spent the majority of Rayna’s final episodes recovering from, Juliette was lost. It was clear the writers had little idea of what to do with her without their other big star, and Juliette had very little (if any) connection to the remaining characters, except her off-and-on-again husband Avery. In season 6, she joined a cult. As to why this particular storyline made sense, I’ll talk about in the next post. It’s safe to say that following Rayna’s death, Juliette’s star power was incredibly diminished. 

It became clear that ‘Nashville’ wasn’t the show that the fans originally fell in love with. It was like a completely different show entirely. I was initially invested in the show because it taught me so much about the music industry and everything that goes down behind the scenes, as well as the portrayal of an ‘aging woman’ being in the business while also navigating her life at home. Rayna was the glue not only in her family, but in the portrayal of the music industry and the business behind too. Rayna held everyone together, and was the key piece of the puzzle that continuously felt like it was missing throughout the final episodes. The one good plot following Rayna’s death was Deacon’s fractured relationship with his father due to his own drinking. His father comes back to Deacon’s life in hopes to reconcile, but he, unbeatably so, is hesitant as he’s unsure of his true intention. In the final scene of the series, Deacon invites his father to sing on stage with him. He asks him if he knows the words to the song they’re about to sing, to which his father says, ‘Son, I know all your songs.’ It was a great resolution. It was then that Deacon made the realization that his father did, in fact love him, and was, in fact, proud of him; and that it was his demons, much like his own that saw him lose so much time with his own daughter, that held him back from showing all that to him. It always gave him a new perspective on what his life and his relationship would’ve looked like had it been known that he was her father. It was a full circle moment. He was initially so angry at Rayna for hiding the truth from him about the paternity that it triggered his drinking, and this alone made him realize that it was the best decision she could’ve made for him and Maddie.

The last two seasons of the show was mostly a desperate attempt to survive. In reality, there was no need to continue on with show following the show’s fourth season. ABC canceled the show for a reason: ratings were terrible. The first episode of ‘Nashville’ pulled in 8.93 million viewers, and earned a 2.8 share. By the final episode on May 13th, even after being announced as the series finale, that number had been more than halved to 4.19 million viewers, and a 0.9 share. The ending of season 4 made perfect sense for a series finale. Even with the fact that Juliette’s fate following the plane crash was left unknown, it just made perfect sense. In fact, leaving Juliette’s fate open-ended would’ve made the perfect end. It would’ve been up to the viewers to decide whether she survived or not. And Rayna… Rayna would’ve lived, and she would’ve enjoyed her happiness and success – both personally and professionally. Those were the two greatest things she worked so hard for to achieve in her life while the world turned against her as soon as she turned 40.

Society’s view of women over 40 is only now starting to evolve. But ‘Nashville’ was a show that first made its mark in 2012. Those were the days of ageism and sexism. Watching Rayna’s story of her making her mark in the entertainment business when the world was turning against her was mesmerizing. She proved to the fictional world, as well the fans who watched the show, that life doesn’t end at 40, and that women over 40 don’t need to be replaced by 25 year olds to make room for ‘fresh’ new talent. Women over 40 can co-exist with 25 year old women too. THAT was the premise of the show, and that was why the fans fell in love with it.

Society’s view of women over 40 is complex and evolving since ‘Nashville’ first aired, influenced by factors like ageism, sexism, and changing social norms. While some perceive older women as less valuable or attractive just Rayna was perceived by producers and others who were involved in the behind-the-scenes, others recognize their wisdom, experience, and continued contributions. There’s a growing movement to celebrate aging and embrace ‘aging’ women, with marketing shifting from anti-aging to embracing grey hair and embracing older women as influencers. However, older women still face challenges like age-based discrimination in the workplace, much like Rayna did, and expectations to conform to gender stereotypes, just like Rayna did to prove everyone around her wrong. To break things down more thoroughly:

1. Shifting Perceptions: 

• From invisibility to recognition: In the past, women over 40 were often marginalized or seen as “invisible,” while now there’s a growing appreciation for their wisdom, experience, and contributions. 
• “Silver influencers”: Marketing is beginning to recognize the influence of older women, showcasing them as role models and highlighting their unique perspectives. 
• Embracing grey: There’s a shift in attitudes towards aging, with some individuals embracing gray hair and the natural aging process. 

2. Challenges and Inequalities: 

• Ageism and sexism: Women over 40 can face a double-whammy of ageism and sexism, being perceived as less valuable or attractive in both the workplace and in social contexts. 
• Workplace discrimination: Older women may encounter age-based discrimination in hiring, promotion, and retention, leading to job insecurity and reduced opportunities. 
• Gender stereotypes: Society still holds onto expectations about what women should do and look like, which can lead to older women feeling pressure to conform to unrealistic standards. 

3. Reclaiming Power and Authenticity: 

• Reclaiming autonomy: More and more older women are reclaiming their power and autonomy, challenging societal expectations and living authentically. 
• Positive role models: Older women are increasingly being featured as positive role models, showcasing their diverse experiences and contributions. 
• Advocating for change: Older women are also actively advocating for social and political change, challenging gender inequality and fighting for the rights of all women. 

4. The Importance of Diversity: 

• Intersectionality: The experiences of older women are further shaped by factors like race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. 
• Cross-generational understanding: It’s crucial to recognize the diversity of experiences and perspectives among women over 40 and foster cross-generational understanding. 

The fact of the matter is, the original premise of the series was that life at 40 doesn’t end for women despite society’s view of the matter. The premise was that women have to prove themselves to the world as they turn 40. Rayna’s world-view was that women COULD have it all, and she proved it. But as soon as she did, she died, and that was the greatest mistake ‘Nashville’ ever made.