Showrunner Marshall Herskovitz shared some details about the cliffhanger of "Nashville" Season 5. Aside from that the official plot description and promo clip of the finale episode 9 "If Tomorrow Never Comes" has been provided. As well as last week's recap.

Showrunner Marshall Herskovitz talked about the cliffhanger of "Nashville" Season 5 during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Herskovitz explained that the scene was inspired by real life incidents and that the characters' own personal trauma on the show led to the stalker storyline.

Herskovitz said, "Rayna's father was basically a psychopath, Deacon's father was an alcoholic who beat him, Juliette's mother was a drug addict who was horrible - just on and on...  So for me, it presented an opportunity. This man who himself was traumatized was drawn to Rayna unconsciously because he understood she was a kindred spirit... It ends up being this amazing opportunity to have these two people in the most bizarre of circumstances actually connect."

As for the official plot synopsis of episode 9, Spoilers Guide notes, "After her life-changing experience, Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) scrambles to write one more song for the concept album with Deacon Claybourne (Charles Esten). Juliette Barnes' (Hayden Panettiere) leg starts to hurt inexplicably. Gunnar Scott (Sam Palladio) fights for Scarlett."

For a quick recap of last week's episode, The Hollywood Reporter, Rayna was forced to deal with her dangerously obsessive fan Carl Hockney (Linds Edwards) despite getting a restraining order against him. Carl managed to burst into her office with a knife in hand while she had her headphones on. Rayna ended up having a sincere conversation with him and told him about her past in an abusive household.

After being rescued, she reassured herself as well as Deacon that she was alright after everything that happened. However, the police car she was riding in was hit by a truck along the way.

The promo video, however, plays up last week's cliffhanger. Deacon and Maddie Conrad (Lennon Stella) both seem distraught while Rayna remains unconscious. "I love you, Rayna. Don't leave me," Deacon tells her. It certainly makes fans wonder if she will die.

"Nashville" Season 5 episode 9 is titled as "If Tomorrow Never Comes". The upcoming episode is scheduled to premiere on Thursday, February 23, 2017, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT first and exclusive on CMT.