'Nashville' characters face the music in cliffhanger finale

TV’s Nashville said farewell (for now) on Wednesday night, as the primetime drama aired its final episode on ABC — the network it’s called home for the last four seasons.

Filming wrapped more than a month ago, when the Nashville producers were still uncertain of the show’s future. Since the bad news came down, fans have wondered: would the show tie up loose ends in the story to make sure fans were left satisfied? Or would they boldly toss in new plot twists and cliffhangers, planning to resolve them when the show returned?

On Wednesday night, the show landed somewhere in between. The show's characters found peace and resolution, but not by taking the easy way out. Instead, they faced the music.

(SPOILER WARNING) 

Rayna revealed a painful chapter of her past to save her daughter. Juliette took responsibility for playing a role in Jeff's death. And on brighter notes, Will stood up to his adversaries, and Scarlett shared her true feelings with Gunnar.

But then, in the show's final moments, Juliette's plane went missing. This isn't the first time a Nashville star's life has been left in the balance at the end of a season — remember Deacon and Rayna's car crash on the season 1 finale?

Funnily enough, while that season 1 cliffhanger left fans on edge, this one might actually be a source of relief. It's certainly a vote of confidence from the show's producers that Nashville will find a new home. Lionsgate TV is assuring fans that the story isn't over.

"What a cliffhanger!" the company tweeted at the end of the episode. "But we won’t leave you hanging. There's more story to be told."

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