Nashville series finale: Charles Esten hints at resolution to Gideon story

Moving into the Nashville series finale on CMT this week, it’s clear what one of the biggest stories related to Deacon is. We’re speaking here about what’s happened between him and his father Gideon, and some of the extensive hurt and pain that is present there. None of this should come as a surprise, given that these two characters have been through a lot of highs and lows together already — recently Gideon showed back up looking for another chance, something that is wrecked in part by some of Gideon’s own choices and his own struggle with alcoholism.

While some of Deacon’s anger is generated by the direct actions of his father, there’s another emotion coursing through him, as well — the fear of what he could become himself and that some of his father’s behavior patterns could, in turn, become patterns of his own. It’s something that concerns him and something that he does wrestle with. These are things that Charles Esten uses in his performance, and that is something he discusses a little bit more in a finale preview piece via TVLine:

“For me, the anger is so intense because of how hard [Deacon] held off not letting him back into [his] life, to keep the wound protected … Not only that, but it’s just a reminder of the frailty [that exists within Deacon due to his own sobriety] … It’s really satisfying to me that the arc finishes not just in the last episode, but maybe in the last line of the last scene of the last episode… If we’re talking about solving the Rubik’s cube of who he is and his deepest hurts, and trying to overcome them, I think we just did that.”

There is something about this arc in particular that causes Deacon to harken back to his own past, which may be why there is that spectral figure in the promo for the finale that looks very similar to Rayna James. Whether or not Connie Britton actually appears in the final episode remains to be seen, but it’s clear that she has a huge impact on this series even if she is not there in the flesh.

Where do you think the story for Deacon on Nashville is going to be ending up? Share some more of your thoughts right now in the attached comments!