‘Hart of Dixie’ Review: The Universe Hates Zoe (and Possibly Lavon)

Last night’s Hart of Dixie was one of the most fun episodes the show has done this season. “A Good Run of Bad Luck” found an awesome way to deal with Zoe’s heartbreak without leading to a depressing hour of her crying in bed, gave us the fallout of Lemon and George’s drunken night together and featured a super cute subplot for AnnaBeth and Brick.

Before we get into all the good stuff this episode had to offer, let’s talk about the downside: Wade and Vivian. I understand why the writers have gone in this direction. Like Zoe’s mature relationship with Joel, they want to show that Wade has grown and changed as well. It’s the only way Zoe and Wade can eventually find their way back to each other without their relationship blowing up for the second time.

But here’s the problem: The audience knows this is what’s happening so we’re not going to get invested in these temporary relationships. It doesn’t matter how hard Wade is trying to impress Vivian’s family or bond with Harley or any of that because we’re just impatiently waiting for this story to be over so we can get back to our regularly scheduled hour of Zoe and Wade. And considering there are only five more episodes left in season three and season four is far from guaranteed, we’re more than ready for the payoff.

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That’s enough about that – let’s get back to AnnaBeth. She was annoyed by a patient of Brick’s named Davis, who kept coming into the office with aliments that didn’t turn out to be anything. Brick wanted to send him to the hospital for tests, but AnnaBeth thought he was just a hypochondriac wasting their time. Davis didn’t show up for his tests so Brick sent AnnaBeth to personally fetch him and drive him there. She was not amused in the slightest and showed up on Davis’ door, only to learn that he’d been trying to find a way to ask her on a date.

How cute was that? Sure, it’s a little stalker-y, but this is Bluebell so I’m going to assume that he’s just shy and harmless. Brick knew all along and was just trying to give AnnaBeth a gentle push (how awesome is Brick when he’s in Daddy mode? He’s the absolute best). AnnaBeth helped Davis get around to the actual question part and he wanted to take her to a black tie benefit for his uncle’s reelection campaign. It turns out that his uncle is the mayor of Fillmore, aka Lavon’s enemy. Well this just got awkward, but I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out because it’s the kind of campy thing this show is good at creating.

Speaking of awkward, that was the theme of George and Lemon’s morning after. They were both still thinking about every detail of their hot hookup, but they also had no interest in letting it happen again because they don’t really like each other anymore. So they were determined to just go about their business and pretend nothing happened, which might have worked if they’d kept their night to themselves. But George told Zoe and Lemon told Lavon (who definitely did not want to hear about it). Again, that might have been the end of it, but then Zoe decided the universe was out to get her.

Zoe was in a sad state after her breakup and she told Lavon that she was convinced that she was cursed and so was he. Lavon didn’t really believe that and Zoe getting a psychic to reinforce her opinion just made her seem crazier to Lavon. But Zoe insisted they were curse buddies and the only way they could change their bad luck was to get Lemon and George back together. Lavon thought it was a terrible idea, but Zoe was confident they would thank her at their next wedding.

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What followed was a series of hilarious Zoe Schemes to get the two to admit they still wanted to be together. Zoe paid off a florist to send them each flowers and a dinner invitation from the other and then Zoe went to the restaurant to spy on them and forced Lavon to be there too. Things got off to a good start with George and Lemon as they reminisced about their younger days, but then the cracks in their façade started to come through as the things that annoyed them were brought to the surface. Zoe’s attempt at a hasty exit led to the plan being revealed and no one was very happy with her antics.

Those scenes were fun to watch and exactly the kind of thing I love week after week on this show and they led to some emotional moments afterward. First, Zoe admitted that she was the reason Joel was gone. She could have gone with him and they could have been together forever, but she belonged in Bluebell. She told Lavon she’d always wonder if she let the right person get away. Lavon admitted that he had the same fear. But both seemed resigned to their decisions, which is a good thing. Zoe loved Joel and she was happy, but he wasn’t enough for her. If he had been, she wouldn’t have thought twice about starting over somewhere else with him. Zoe’s heart is in Bluebell (and it’s Wade).

As for Lavon, as much as I loved his relationship with AnnaBeth, I don’t think he deserves another chance with her. I still respect him for ending things when he did as opposed to drawing it out, but I really don’t want to see him trying to get her back. I have a feeling it might be coming since her new boyfriend is connected to his enemy, but we’ll have to see how the story progresses. Either way, I appreciated the parallels between Lavon and Zoe in these scenes. Their friendship remains awesome.

Then there’s George and Lemon. They had to talk again and try and smooth out the awkward edges. George suggested that it would be best if he becomes a true silent partner and lets Lemon handle the day to day stuff. She seemed to hesitate a bit before agreeing, but George was once again distracted by mental images of their night together. It certainly seems like he’s a lot more interested in Ms. Breeland than he wants to admit. Lemon might not be at that place yet, but maybe that will change as the rest of the season progresses.

I said this last week and this episode confirmed it: I can and will get behind Lemon and George becoming a couple again. Things are different now because there are no secrets, they’ve both changed and they have no reason to hide their real selves from one another. This could be the happy ending that they both wanted and maybe it has been in front of them all along, but they just weren’t ready to see it yet.

Next week, one of Lemon’s best suitors is back. Peter returns to Bluebell and it looks like he wants to pick up where things left off and Lemon is not the only one who might be getting lucky. Zoe also has a potential suitor, but judging by the preview, this one will not be a long term relationship in the making.

Now it’s your turn. Did you enjoy the episode? Do you want to see Lemon and George make it work? Did you enjoy Wade’s antics with the Wilkes’ family or are you ready for Zoe and Wade Take 2? Does Lavon deserve another chance with AnnaBeth? Did you enjoy Davis’ introduction? Should Zoe and Brick turn their practice into a matchmaking service? Hit the comments and share your thoughts with us!