‘Hart of Dixie’ Season 4 Finale Review: Bluebell

In the closing scene of Hart of Dixie’s season (and most likely series) finale, new parents Wade and Zoe watched their fellow townspeople dancing and singing in the town square and mused whether or not all small towns were like their small town. The answer was of course ‘no’ because even Stars Hollow was not quite as wacky as Bluebell and that’s okay. It’s what made the town and this show so very special and why “Bluebell” was a perfect finale for this series.

There was a surprising amount of plot packed into the final hour and once again I have to give credit to the writers and producers of this show for going out of their way to make sure the characters and the audience got closure after four seasons. 10 episodes seemed like too few, but not only did they make it work, they made the episodes fun and meaningful and important. I’ve loved this show from day one, but I think these last 10 are going to always be my favorite.

So let’s hit the big stuff: Rose got accepted to Columbia and would be moving to New York. Zoe was so proud of her that she gave her some of her New York shoes and Rose thanked Zoe for being a mentor to her and helping her realize there was more to life than Bluebell. Meanwhile, Zoe was outraged and hurt that Brick hired another associate right up until the moment he held up the new practice sign showing that he’d made her a partner. Both of these relationships were so important to Zoe’s development over the series and it was lovely to see how far they’ve come in four seasons.

Elsewhere in town, Lemon surprised everyone by taking all the engagement party hiccups in stride while Lavon started to feel super guilty about starting their marriage off on a lie. Wade tried to talk Zoe into getting married, but she was adamant about not stealing Lemon’s thunder again. After the Fancy’s wait staff got sick, Brick asked Wade to keep Lemon distracted so we were treated to more great friendship scenes. Lemon and Wade have grown and changed more than anyone else on this show, both for the better, and their friendship is one of the best things the show’s given us. Lemon admitted that the reason she was so chill was because she was finally marrying the right man and Wade asked how she’d feel about them stealing some of her thunder and she was genuinely happy about the idea.

In a cute throwback to Zoe’s history, a lawyer from New York (played by The O.C.’s Autumn Reeser), who’d agreed to take over for George, was having a hard time adjusting to Bluebell life. And then she found herself in a love triangle with the new doctor from the practice and the new bartender Wade hired. Obviously The O.C. reunion was my favorite part about this little plot (Summer and Taylor!), but I also loved it because it’s a reminder that life in Bluebell will go on even if the series doesn’t. As Wade pointed out to a surprised Zoe, they weren’t the first love triangle in Bluebell and now we know for sure they won’t be the last.

Speaking of love…AnnaBeth was having a hard time adjusting to her long distanced relationship with George. She missed him more than she thought and he missed her too and not just because he’d spent his morning in Nashville playing mediator for the Truitt brothers and Meatball. George told her it wouldn’t be forever and she assumed that meant he’d come back to Bluebell, but then she realized it was because he expected her to move to Nashville, which he confirmed when he pointed out there were nursing schools there. AB felt like she’d rearranged enough of her life over men so she did not appreciate his lack of thoughtfulness and decided maybe they should just break up.

While that was happening, the guilt got to Lavon and he confessed the truth to Lemon. I’m guessing nearly everyone watching the show wanted to collectively slap him at that point. Yes, honesty is the best policy, but there are some secrets you take to your grave, Lavon. It would have been one thing if he hadn’t wanted to marry Lemon. But he did. They were on the same page and Zoe, Wade and George never would have told Lemon the truth so he should have just kept it to himself. Instead, he hurt her, which sucked, but it also led to a super fun bar scene with the Belles getting drunk and bashing men (they actually booed George when he arrived).

Lavon planned a great proposal for Lemon with the help of her family (and poor George, who’d been sent to collect the would-be-bride), but Zoe’s contractions turned out to be the real thing and not just Braxton Hicks so everyone headed to the hospital. As Zoe and Wade waited for the baby, she realized that she wanted to marry him immediately. Thankfully, they had a hospital room full of family to get everything into place. Lavon and Lemon were sent to get the minister and Lemon told him that she didn’t need the perfect proposal because they were going to have the perfect life together. So Lavon pulled the car over, got down on his knees on the side of the road and proposed. Just like the barn scene where they declared their love, this was absolutely the best way for the proposal to happen.

George and AB were also on the road in a search for rings and George wasn’t ready to let their relationship go because he loved her. AnnaBeth loved him too. What I loved about this moment is how fitting it was for them. George and AB have always been the more grounded characters in Bluebell and they’re used to batting cleanup and putting their own happiness aside for others and that’s one of the many reasons they’re actually perfect for each other. But watching them argue and rant their first ‘I love you’ felt right because they might be the most mature, but they’re still Bluebellians so they’re allowed to have some wackiness.

Everyone rushed back to Zoe’s hospital room, where Tansy had given her quite the hairstyle per her mother’s Skype orders, but the doctor said the baby was coming and there was no time for a wedding. Zoe refused to accept that and said she’d cross her legs if needed. So with Tom holding up the Skype screen, Zoe and Wade exchanged vows surrounded by their friends and family as her gurney was wheeled down the hospital corridor. Their words are too good for me to paraphrase:

Zoe: “You are the piece of me that’s always been missing. Through your eyes, I see myself in a whole new, different way. With you, I know true love.”

Wade: “You turned my damn world upside down. But you made me a better man. I’m so excited to be your husband, to be our little boy’s daddy.”

Me: 

Wade wanted to say more, but the baby was coming and Zoe told the minister (and the rabbi) that she needed the speed version so a few short seconds later, they were pronounced husband and wife and sealed it with a kiss as everyone cheered and cried around them. Later, Zoe and Wade showed off their new son, TBD Hart Kinsella. Since he was early, they still hadn’t agreed on a name. That’s when the Truitt brothers and Meatball showed up to tell George they’d worked together on a song and they wanted everyone to join in, which they did.

Everyone sang along to a version of “The Heart” as Zoe and Wade took the baby home from the hospital, AnnaBeth went to Nashville with George, Lemon and Lavon got married and the town continued to dance in the square. It was cheesy as hell, but it worked in a way that no other show would have been able to pull off (plus it was hilarious to watch them find new ways to cover up the fact that Rachel Bilson was still very pregnant). #LongLivetheHart

I laughed and cried through the entire finale and I wish I had more synonyms for perfect at this point, but it’s really the best word. I’m so happy for all the characters and I love the idea of Bluebell living on with new love triangles and Wade and Zoe as parents and George and AB making the long distance thing work and Lavon and Lemon settling into married life. Not to mention all of the other quirky characters doing their thing as life goes on in Bluebell.

On a personal note, Hart of Dixie was the first show I covered for TVSource and while it had its ups and downs (looking at you, season three), it brought me joy and laughter more often than not and for that, I am forever grateful. It was a pleasure to write about this series and if The CW gives it an unexpected reprieve, I’ll be here for season five (anxiously waiting to learn the name of Zoe and Wade’s baby). If not, we’ll always have Netflix.