Hart of Dixie - Episode 3.01 - Who Says You Can't Go Home? - Review: Zoe's back in BlueBell

We return to BlueBell 5 months later to find things not quite as we expected them. There were certainly some surprises. And yet it is BlueBell so not much really changes. The episode mainly focused on Zoe’s return to BlueBell after being in New York for 5 months. We met some new faces and found out what happened to those who won’t be returning.

Zoe is back with bagels
When the show opens we find out that Zoe is still in NY working at a hospital, but BlueBell is not far from her mind. Zade and Zeorge shippers were both surprised to find that there is a new man in Zoe’s life, Joel. The first observation about Joel is that he is not Wade literally. Zoe and Joel appear to be very much like old friends even sharing high fives and pinkie swears.

Back in BlueBell Zoe isn’t received with a welcome parade despite bringing bagels. Everyone is a little hurt that she said goodbye in an email. They also seem to blame her for George leaving after Tansy broke up with him. After George saves the Founder’s Day Parade (more on that later), Zoe is back on the town’s good side. Zoe’s dream in the opening sequence comes true as she gets to ride on Lavon’s float in the parade and be a part of the town again. After the parade she and Lavon talk about whether New York or BlueBell is Zoe’s real home. After thinking about it Zoe asks Joel if they can stay in BlueBell since she realizes that BlueBell is where she belongs.

Things are complicated
Zoe is surprised to see Wade hanging out in the middle of what appears to be a ghost town when she first arrives in BlueBell. Zoe nervously tells Wade that she knows he is probably angry with her for the way she left things. A rather calm Wade informs her that it is nice to see her and that he has no regrets.

Zoe runs into Earl as she is heading to the airport and back to her perfect New York life. She discovers that Earl has blood poisoning as a result of a cut on his finger. She delays her trip so that she can tend to Earl which brings Wade to the practice where they have to pull an all-nighter. The next morning Zoe explains to Wade that she thought about him telling her he loved her once she was back in New York, but that once she was there she easily settled back into her old life which is the real her. They share a sincere but sad exchange wishing each other happiness which is interrupted by the arrival of Joel. Zoe awkwardly introduces her old boyfriend, Wade, to her new boyfriend as her “former neighbor”.

Lemon decides to help Wade win the break up war by telling Zoe that Wade has moved on with none other than herself. She informs Zoe that she and Wade Kinsella are in love. Zoe tells Wade that she is staying in BlueBell even though she knows he knew that she would all along. She is going to try to be OK with the idea of Wade and Lemon since she and Joel are now going to be living in BlueBell. Wade hesitates and almost tells Zoe that truth about Lemon before pulling Lemon in for a quick kiss in front of Zoe. Wade and Zoe exchange a sad lingering look as she walks out of the Rammer Jammer with Joel indicating that things are far from over between the two of them.

Lemon is getting squeezed
The Belles are buzzing about Lemon’s secret boyfriend. It seems that Lemon is having sex with someone shameful. It isn’t long before we find out that Lemon’s new stress reliever is none other than Meatball. Yes Meatball! Failing to find a suitable mate over the summer, Lemon fell into his meaty arms.

Where is George?
The fun of touring wore off for George after several months of being on tour with Lily Anne. He realized that he wanted to settle down with Tansy who wants nothing to do with him after she heard his song about the pain that Zoe caused him. He left the tour and holed himself up in a motel room which just happened to be next to the one where Zoe was staying. The noise from his TV brought Zoe to his door where she finds a rough-looking George.

Since George wouldn’t talk to her, Zoe sought help from Lemon to get George to return to BlueBell and court to fight the lawsuits that Fillmore filed against the town in his absence. Lemon was the right person to help convince George to return to BlueBell and the law which he loves. There is a lot of history and affection between them which is evident despite the way their relationship ended. It is no surprise that George was victorious and saved the Founder’s Day Parade.

George ran into Tansy while he was in BlueBell only to find out that Tansy is now with George’s rival, Fillmore’s attorney. This news sent George to the nearest bar to drown his sorrows and where he meets Lavon’s cousin, Lynly, who proposed that they go back to his place and “do some not boring stuff.” After warning Wade away from his recently heartbroken cousin, Lavon isn’t going to be happy to find out that George has unknowingly become involved with her.

Meet Lavon’s demanding little cousin
AnnaBeth reveals to Zoe that she and Lavon are going strong but for one small problem named Lynly, Lavon’s cousin, who has moved into the carriage house. She has a variety of demands for AnnaBeth who wouldn’t mind if she made a quick exit. She feels unwanted and unloved by everyone in her life which is what sent her off where she found George at the bar

Final Thoughts
Earl is still the best and the captain of the Zade ship. How come the town drunk is the only one who sees things clearly? I believe that Earl will be instrumental in bringing Wade and Zoe back together.

Lemon and Meatball? I still can’t wrap my head around that one. I don’t know if I really want too. It was definitely a surprise, but it provided the best comedic moment of the night for me when Lemon told Wade about it. I echo Wade’s response, “Meatball or a meatball because I don’t know which is worse.”

Lemon is right behind Earl on my best list. I love the friendship between Wade and Lemon. Mind you only so long as it remains a friendship which I feel that it will. Lemon and Wade have a total sibling vibe that is just awesome. I love that they are there for each other and able to confide in each other. I think it is going to be hilarious watching them have to pretend to be a couple.

I am actually really interested in George’s storyline this season now that he has been freed from the triangle. Tansy being involved with his rival was an interesting twist that I didn’t see coming. I always loved lawyer George, and I think this is the perfect opportunity to see that side of him. Although I think that George is going to regret getting involved with Lavon’s cousin. And I don’t think Lavon is going to be too happy with George.

I liked seeing a bit of the old Brick back. I’m glad that he didn’t just welcome Zoe back with open arms. I hope that we get to see a bit more of the animosity as Zoe works to gain his trust again. Although I do want to see them back to the friendship as well.

I was said to hear that Shelby and Brick broke up because I did like them. I’m curious how that all came about.
Ah Zoe! It is still all about her. An email, really? I found that to my surprise I really didn’t dislike Zoe though although I don’t like all of her actions.

I didn’t dislike Joel. I don’t think I got to see enough of him yet to really form an opinion. I don’t think he is long for BlueBell though. It doesn’t seem like he will adjust all too well.

Lynly seems like a demanding brat. She is certainly better than Ruby though. I think that she will shake things up for George and cause a lot of grief for Lavon and AnnaBeth.

If that final look means anything, which I definitely think it does, things are most certainly not over for Zoe and Wade. Zoe basically told Lavon and Wade that she chose New York and Joel because they were the easy option as opposed to the complicated relationship that she has with Wade. How long is she going to be satisfied with easy though? She certainly didn’t seem to like the idea of Lemonade.
In all I felt this was a good episode. It set the tone for the beginning part of this season. A lot of what I didn’t like about the end part of last season was thankfully absent. Zoe still has a lot of growing to do this season. There were some surprising twists. I’m curious to see how it all unfolds in the upcoming episodes.

What did you think about the episode? Were you surprised to find out that Zoe had a new boyfriend? Did Lemon and Meatball leave you speechless? Is Lynly going to make George regret getting involved with her? What is Lavon going to do to George when he finds out? What do you think of Lemon and Wade pretending to be together?

Remember to tune into Hart of Dixie next Monday at 8/7c on the CW.

Tracie
Tracie is a wife and stay-at-home mom of 2 residing in NJ. She likes to unwind with a good book or in front of the TV.. She is an avid reader of romance books. She likes to cook and bake. She loves to exercise and is trying to live a healthier life style. She watches a wide variety of TV shows ranging from reality TV to scripted dramas. Some of her past and current favorite TV shows are Sex and the City, Charmed, The Good Wife, and Hart of Dixie.