Spring Refresher: What You Should Know About 'Hart of Dixie'

Hart of Dixie returns tonight after a (ridiculously) long hiatus with six new episodes remaining in its freshman season. But whether or not it’s back in the fall will depend on the ratings for the remaining episodes, which I’m sure the CW will be watching very closely as the network gears up to decide on their fall lineup. Whether you’ve never watched the show or you’ve been just as anxious for it to come back as I have been, here is a refresher on everything you need to know to be caught up with Bluebell and its residents.

Hart of Dixie returns tonight after a (ridiculously) long hiatus with six new episodes remaining in its freshman season. But whether or not it’s back in the fall will depend on the ratings for the remaining episodes, which I’m sure the CW will be watching very closely as the network gears up to decide on their fall lineup. Whether you’ve never watched the show or you’ve been just as anxious for it to come back as I have been, here is a refresher on everything you need to know to be caught up with Bluebell and its residents.

Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson) has wanted to be a heart surgeon her entire life just like her father, Dr. Ethan Hart. But after she completes her residency at a New York City hospital, she’s passed over for the fellowship she’d been working toward because she doesn’t have enough heart and never connects with her patients, sometimes not even bothering to learn their names. If that’s not bad enough, Zoe’s boyfriend dumps her and then she finds out that her mother had an affair with Dr. Harley Wilkes, who is Zoe’s real father. When Zoe tries to find Harley, she learns that he died recently and left his half of a family medical practice to Zoe. It’s the perfect way for her to learn how to interact with patients, but the catch is that she’s forced to move to Bluebell, a small town in Alabama that is a total culture shock for city girl Zoe.

Bluebell is steeped in old fashioned traditions and it’s the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else and their business and they’re not exactly welcoming to a newcomer who clearly doesn’t want to be there in the first place. Zoe has a rocky start with Dr. Brick Breeland (Tim Matheson), the co-owner of the practice she inherited from Harley. But Zoe was determined to make things work and she’s started to wear Brick’s rough exterior down and the two are not only coexisting, but they’ve had a few bonding moments where Brick has helped Zoe understand who Harley was and what it means to be a doctor in a small town.

Brick’s daughter, Lemon Breeland (Jaime King), also disliked Zoe from the start and continues to do so. Lemon has always been proud to be a southern belle and she didn’t appreciate the way Zoe disrespected their traditions and more than that, she didn’t like that Zoe had caught the eye of her fiancé, George Tucker (Scott Porter). George is a lawyer and he’d spent some time in New York City, something that he and Zoe bonded over. George and Lemon are preparing for their upcoming wedding, but George has no idea that while he was in New York, Lemon had an affair with Lavon Hayes (Cress Williams), Bluebell’s mayor and Zoe’s best friend in town.

Lavon is an ex-football player who has a (terrible) habit of referring to himself in the first person. But he also has a good heart and he’s hopelessly in love with Lemon. He was there for her when she found out that her mother had left, not to pursue her acting career like she’d claimed, but to start a family with another man. This was a big revelation and it went a long way to showing why Lemon was so determined to be the perfect belle and always be in control of everything. Lavon and Lemon clearly still have feelings for each other, but she also loves George and has every intention of marrying him. George has admitted that he’s having second thoughts and even though he’s still in the dark about Lavon and Lemon’s affair, he does know that Zoe has feelings for him, thanks to a cringe worthy toast that she gave in his honor.

While George is considered the town golden boy, Wade Kinsella (Wilson Bethel) is the bad boy with a heart of gold who likes to pretend he’s indifferent and only interested in having fun even though both Lavon and Lemon have pointed out that he deserves more than he thinks he does because he’s such a good guy. Wade is Zoe’s neighbor and the two went from bickering over a fuse box to making out and right back to bickering and that was just in the pilot. Wade has come through for Zoe more than once, but when it came time to admit that he had feelings for her, he chickened out and made a joke out of it instead of putting himself on the line emotionally.

When we last left Bluebell, George had just had a fight with his father, Harold, right before his father collapsed with chest pains. Harold’s heart condition was dire and he needed immediate surgery. Brick pointed out that Ethan Hart was the best surgeon and all he had to do was ask Zoe and she would call him. George didn’t want to take advantage, but Wade overheard their conversation and he asked Zoe to make the call on George’s behalf. Zoe did and after she gave George the news that her father would be there in the morning, the two held hands while Lemon and Wade looked on unhappily.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend that you give this show a chance. The characters are quirky, the plot is easy to follow and there’s a lot of chemistry between the cast members. Plus, there’s going to be a lot of excitement in the remaining episodes. What’s going to happen with Zoe and her dad? It’s not a question of if George will discover the truth about Lemon and Lavon, but when? Will Zoe realize Wade has real feelings for her? The only way to find out is to start tuning into the show and see what happens next.

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