Zoe Hart’s love life gets called into question this week on Hart of Dixie. Why doesn’t she have a boyfriend and why isn’t she going on dates? And while the storyline is equally adorable and infuriating at different points, my one take away from the week – I didn’t hate Lemon! In fact I may have actually… nope, I can’t say it yet.

hart of dixie

The Turtle and the Mayor
Being that this is Bluebell, I don’t bat an eyelash when Lemon is upset that race car driver Brian Vickers (playing himself) drops out of co-hosting the TURTLE RACES with her. As Zoe points out later, it’s so funny that people in Bluebell say these things without thinking it’s weird. The obnoxious head of the Bluebell Junior League then tells Lemon that she has to host with the only other available celebrity, Lavon. Of course this woman doesn’t like Lavon, as she is even more awful than Lemon ever has been, but she still insists. Let the awkwardness commence.

Lavon agrees to do it because he loves to do anything that will rattle Lemon’s cage. But his one stipulation – his super fast turtle, Slow Bob, has to be in the race. Lemon tells her that the head of the Junior League’s turtle always wins. (BTW – I always miss her name somehow. Let’s call her Taylor Doosey. Taylor can be a boy or girl name, and isn’t she essentially that character?) But Lavon inisits, and so Slow Bob is in the race. And that’s where things get weird for me.

Now, I don’t mean weird, like the story was weird, I mean weird in that I actually really liked Lemon while she hosted the turtle race. She seemed genuinely torn as Lavon was getting increasingly frustrated as Taylor’s turtle kept winning. And when Slow Bob started to win, and Taylor came over to tell Lavon to “fix it” so her turtle would win, things got really good. She went into a tirade about how awful Lavon was (if this wasn’t a CW show, she would have used some really unfortunate words that start with “n,” I’m sure) and so Lemon tilted her microphone so everyone could hear. Good. For. You. Lemon. It was fantastic. Lemon had such a good time she even hugged Lavon when when Slow Bob won and wanted to be friends with him again. But Lavon didn’t want that because he still loves Lemon. And for the first time in the 7 episodes of this show I finally understand why. But Lemon has to go to George because he has an arrow in his leg…..

All the pretty boys and no one to love
So, as everyone in town likes to point out to Zoe, the girl has no love life. Rammer Jammer waitress (Miss Patty?? Lane? I don’t ever catch her name either) says Zoe should hook up with Wade and then tell her all about it. DO IT. But Zoe is busy making goo-goo eyes at George and can’t listen to her. Oh, Zoe. But then fate takes over and she meets a new and available guy – Dr. Judson Lyons (Wes Brown…. it took me awhile to place him, so I’ll just let you know where I recognize him from when we get to the moment I figured it out). He’s the very handsome vet from Mobile. With a little more than a push from Nurse Addie, she agrees to go on a date with him. Problem is, Zoe hasn’t been on a real date, um, ever, so she stands up the handsome doctor to the dismay of the entire town.

Meanwhile, we make a discover about Wade. He’s married! That rat bastard. Oh wait, it was a quickie wedding and they just never managed to get that quickie divorce. Okay, still love you Wade. His wife is getting married again, but when Wade finds out it is some guy he hated from a rival high school, he tears up the divorce papers. Mature, Wade. Fun bit though – he describes the guy as the one who almost put George in a wheelchair during a high school football game. At this point I’d like to have a moment of silence for Friday Night Lights………….

Anywho… while Wade is dealing with his crazy not-quite-ex-wife, Zoe heads to Mobile to have a date by herself at the Woody Allen film festival. It turns out people that don’t live in NY or LA, don’t love Woody. As a NY Jew, I’m astonished to find this out. But, Zoe ends up having someone with her on her solo date – George. He’s a little bit New Yorker and loves Woody. Also, he hates turtles so he had to leave Bluebell for the night. The two have a lovely evening and connect as Zoe explains she has never been in love. Really, it’s beautiful. Still Team Wade, but it’s beautiful. He brings her home and they hear a ruckus over at Wade’s.

It’s Wade and his wife and her fiance. I guess that guy is jealous, so he breaks out a crossbow and aims at Wade. George saves the day, telling him Wade isn’t worth going to prison (hey! rude!) and then once he has the crossbow, throws it on the ground. Where it goes off and hits him in the leg. Zoe, Wade and Wife, take him to the doctor (where the hell is Brick this time, by the way?!) and Zoe and George have another magical moment that is interrupted by Lemon.

The next morning, Wade’s now ex-wife (yeah!) tells him he is in love with Zoe. He says, no she just drives him crazy and ex-wife gets the look that says “Ummmm… duh.” So now Wade realizes he actually likes Zoe and starts to make goo-goo eyes at her when she comes in to the Rammer Jammer that morning. Then Dr. Judson walks into Merlotte’s/Rammer Jammer (HEY! It’s Luke from True Blood! See… told you I’d get there) and Zoe decides she is going to give him a shot. And then Wade gets the saddest face ever. And then I yell at the screen, “Wade loves you, dummy! And he is perfect and hot and perfect!!” Sigh…

I thought the episode was sweet, but as Team Wade, ultimately a little sad. Again, I love George, but I don’t know….. it just doesn’t work for me when he’s with Zoe. Although I love that finally I’m figuring out Lemon. I didn’t want to hate her so much, and now I get why Lavon loves her. So that’s progress.

Written by Melissa Miller. Find her on Twitter @serrae

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