HarHowdy, y’all! Finally, the beautiful and quirky citizens of Bluebell are back on our televisions now that Hart of Dixie is back from hiatus. And in the first episode back, “Heart to Hart” (Oh, such clever word play!), we finally get to meet Zoe’s non-bio dad, Dr. Ethan Hart. Are you excited? I am!

And this week I’m going to try something new and recap the episode as I watch it. It’s like you are watching with me! But I can’t try to make you go pour me a glass of wine or get me a slice of pie. So it’s a win/win. You aren’t being forced to do things for me and I’m less likely to eat pie. Okay, enough about the pie. I’m getting hungry. Let’s get to the episode.

As you may remember (but it’s understandable if you don’t since this show hasn’t been on in foooorever) George (Scott Porter) yelled his dad into a heart attack during his Man of the Year award ceremony because Lemon (Jamie King) convinced George that dad did not have his best intentions at heart. It was really bad and Brick (Tim Matheson)  told George to have Zoe (Rachel Bilson) call her Uber-Fantastic Cardiothoracic Surgeon dad (the Uber-Fantastic Gary Cole), but he wouldn’t put her in that position. Wade (Wilson Bethel) overheard, and he told Zoe, so she called. Then Zoe and George held hands and simultaneously broke Wade and Lemon’s hearts. Sad face.

Now Zoe is watching a little red dot on a computer screen that represents the plane her dad is on. Just watching it. Non stop. Because she wants him to come and fix George’s dad, and when that is done, she is going to give him the evil face and open a can of whoop-ass on him for shutting her out.

Lemon is now just waiting for Zoe to tell George the truth about her and Lavon (Cress Williams). Why? Because Zoe is out to ruin her. Seriously? Lemon has a bit of a narcissistic quality here, yeah? I mean, yes, Zoe doesn’t like her, but “out to ruin her” isn’t how I would put it.

And in other Bluebell news: it’s the Rammer Jammer’s 30th anniversary. The owner brings his niece Wanda – the new bar back – and announces a contest between Wade and Shelly for a new signature cocktail. The prize: naming the drink and $500. Neat.

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George and Lemon sit by Harold’s bedside, but he isn’t doing well, so they step out and Lemon makes some comment about how Zoe calling her dad isn’t that big of a deal. But George points out that it’s as big of a deal as her calling her mom for a favor, which, of course, Lemon didn’t realize because she’s been a bit self-obsessed recently. But George sure put her in her place. Yay George.

Outside, Zoe watches as her dad pulls up, mean look firmly planted on her face. Or, not so firmly as it turns out because Ethan comes out of his car with a smile and a hug and a “it’s good to see you” so it’s replaced with a “WTF?” sort of look. And then Ethan says that Zoe is going to assist on the surgery so the “WTF” look is replaced by a “SQUEE!” face. But don’t worry, she assures Addie that the fight is totally on, post-op.

During the surgery I can’t help but think “Oh my god, Summer Roberts is performing surgery!” but I’m quickly brought back to Bluebell as Zoe clears up a misunderstanding Ethan had – the man on the table is not the father of her boyfriend, but her just friend.

Over at the Rammer Jammer, I think Wade is as good at making cocktails as Chase on One Tree Hill. But it’s just Shelly screwing with him and his drinks. So Lavon offers to take the cocktail making to his house. Oh dear. These two lonely boys and endless booze? Let the shenanigans begin.

After the surgery, which was successful, Ethan and Zoe go to tell George, his mom and Lemon. There are lovely hugs from mom and George and awkward hugs from Lemon who then goes to call someone for an emergency meeting at her house. Then Ethan and Zoe go to talk outside. He says that he still wants a relationship with her. As colleagues. And that she should call him Ethan. Just what she wanted to hear…

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Lemon’s emergency meeting? Well, that was with one of her Belle friends (Cricket, I believe?) and she says that Zoe is about to do something awful and so they are going to take Zoe down once and for all. Really?! Really??!? UGH. Every time we get one step forward with Lemon being someone I can maybe understand, this happens.

The next morning, Addie is more than a little bit disappointed with Zoe for not fighting it out with Ethan. Zoe just wants to have something with her dad. But Addie, like the rest of us, realizes that it’s a bad idea.

Lemon big plan – become BFFs with Zoe. So she goes to George and apologizes, in what is clearly a half-hearted manner and gets George to invite Zoe and Ethan to dinner, even though he wonders if this is a game. Trust your gut, George!! Run away!!!

Zoe invites Ethan over and while he is there he finds the name change form. He acts like he doesn’t care which just upset Zoe, so she goes to cancel their plans by saying she doesn’t feel well. However when George interrupts and invites them over Zoe is magically feeling fine which Ethan sure notices has a lot to do with that mighty cute George. This says nothing about Ethan’s intuition and more about that fact that George and Zoe are about as subtle as a herd of elephants with their flirty eyes. Seriously you two. Stop it.

Lemon cooks a bunch of Jewish food for the Doctors Hart. Kugel, Brisket, etc. I’m now super hungry. Are you sure one of you can’t get me that pie? Lemon’s also decided to invite Zoe to the wedding to stop her from stopping it so Zoe can have George to herself. Oh Lemon.

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Hey! I almost forgot about the boys and their booze. Wade and Lavon are making and drinking cocktails, respectively. Lavon tries to turn it into a life lesson for Wade, but he just keeps pouring the booze. Does this storyline have a point besides these two being cute?

Lemon gets Brick on board with her shenanigan, kind of, by saying that one of his patients is leaving him for Zoe. But that is ruined when Brick leaves to deliver babies. And all that Jewish food seems a bit ridiculous when Zoe points out that Ethan isn’t Jewish… her mom is. And as if this dinner wasn’t going to be awkward enough, Ethan starts questioning George about his relationship with Zoe. Yikes. (Hey…. where is Magnolia? Did they lock her up again? I’ll have to ask Claudia Lee tomorrow when we talk. Yep, that’s a plug for a future article!)

Ethan then tells Zoe that they should go because it is inappropriate that she has feelings for a man that is unavailable and she’s going to get hurt. Zoe FINALLY calls him on the fact that now he’s acting like a dad. And that’s not fair since he abandoned her and made her the girl she is – unable to have a relationship. So yeah, she’s angry, he should go home. And she even asks Lemon for a tour to get away from the topic(she and George were not so subtly listening in the next room).

At the Rammer Jammer, Shelly wins the cocktail contest. Awww. Poor Wade. He even turns down over-eager Wanda. He’s still sad-face. Ohhh Zoe. Come cheer up Wade!!

Lemon tries to be nice to Zoe and invite her to the wedding. Zoe just laughs. She tells Lemon that she knows she is trying to be devious. She also tells Lemon that they both know she knows. And that made me think of this scene from Friends. Anywho… Zoe tells Lemon that she isn’t going to tell for two reasons: 1- Lavon is her BFF (yay!) and 2- she isn’t going to be the one to break George’s heart. But Lemon should tell.

So after that crazy evening, Zoe heads on down to the Rammer Jammer to chill with her bestie and have a signature cocktail. Lavon is drunk and he is adorable while drunk. Wade and Lavon comfort Zoe when she tells them about Ethan. Then she leaves and we find out that Wade didn’t win the contest on purpose. Why? Because he has goals, y’all. He isn’t just a pretty face. He wants to open up his own joint. And marry Zoe and have adorable babies. Okay, he didn’t say the last part. But he was thinking it.

Back at her apartment, Zoe finds Ethan waiting. People should lock their doors. He admits he screwed things up with her. And they have a nice WB show bonding moment. Yeah, yeah. It’s The CW. But come on, 90s nostalgia is in right now, so let’s all just admit this show really really wants to be on The WB. Zoe agrees not to change her name, and they hug. Awwww. Tears!

George apologizes to Lemon for taking things out on her. Once again these two kiss and make up. George is going to head back to the hospital and he tells her to go to the Rammer Jammer for a drink. Where drunk Lavon is. Uh oh. L&L meet up outside and Lavon is telling her that he wishes that Zoe would tell George so they could be together and then he kisses her. But who is across the street and sees? George! He thought it would be okay to just go have one drink. A car drives by and the headlights blind him, and by the time he can see again, they are both gone (Lemon said she couldn’t and left). DRAMA!

Next week – stripper on a bus for Lemon’s bachelorette party!

What did you think? Happy to have those beautiful Bluebellians (??) back on TV? Not enough Wade for you? Because their wasn’t for me!

Written by Melissa Miller. Find her on Twitter @serrae

Photo: The CW

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