Hart of Dixie - Episode 3.16 - Carrying Your Love With Me - Review

Wow, a whole bunch of stuff finally really happened on Hart of Dixie this week...and somehow we still haven't gotten any Zoe/Wade action up in this piece!  Sigh.  However, while this episode continued the Zade drought, overall I found the time-jumping, heartfelt depiction of Zoe and Joel's road to break-up touching and endearing.  Let's review!

Zoe and Joel: Once Joel went off to Hollywood to work on the movie adaptation of his novel, we all knew it was only a matter of time before the distance drove a wedge between him and Zoe.  "Zoel," however, were incapable of acknowledging the problem until it smacked them upside the head.  At first, Zoe bent over backwards trying to keep the passion alive via video chat sexy talks with fabulous costumes (her test run as "sexy Emily Bronte" was my fave.  As a Bronte fan, this was extremely amusing to me).  And she put her own life on hold as she frantically tried to accommodate visits to and from Joel that constantly got thwarted as weeks continued to pass.  As clear as it has always been that Zoe and Joel aren't written in the stars, it really was sad to see how much it hurt them to be torn apart by the distance (Zoe more than Joel, who kind of went with the flow).  Unfortunately, between the tepid reunion chemistry and the lack of enthusiasm they both exhibited to stay together no matter what, it was ever more obvious that their love just wasn't the forever kind.

It's especially saddening that Zoe was so excited to decorate their home and create a life with Joel in Bluebell, but the very same sense of stability, warmth, and normalcy Joel was once able to give her is the quality he now lacks.  And after all, didn't Zoe end up in Joel's arms in the first place because she ran there headlong from Wade?  His being the polar opposite of Wade was the draw, and that in and of itself would have doomed their relationship eventually. 

Rachel Bilson is just incomparably adorable and sweet in moments like the Man of the Year acceptance speech, and in many ways this episode gave her more real depth of material to work with than she's had in ages.  My one tiny little moment of "Zade" happiness sparked up when Wade looked at Zoe as she gave her heartbroken speech to the town in accepting Joel's award.  His affection and concern for her were palpable. 

Poor Wade, of course, had little else to do this week but float around on Vivian's arm giving advice on other people's problems.  Come on, show!  Let's give Wade his own problems!  He needs to be pushed back to the center of the plot alongside Zoe.  Hopefully, the Zoe/Joel "break" will give H.O.D. the jolt of rejuvenation it needs to start shaking characters and situations up in exciting ways.

Lemon and George: The secondary plotline of the hour revolved around Lemon and George working together to wrest Fancy's from the talons of the hilarious Lilianne, who had expanded her repertoire of songs about George ("Locked in the Shamrock," "Sad Lawyer Rides Again," "I Object," "Sad Lawyer Rides Again Again").  As Wade observed, the idea of Lemon and George collaborating effectively was crazy, and only by using a series of "buffers" were the formerly engaged duo able to succeed.  

It's a good thing Lilianne is so easily shaken off by fake ghost stories and tales of Norwegian clans armed with oranges and cats (I swear, only on Hart of Dixie).  After establishing a lovely new iteration of Bluebell's favorite upscale eatery and once again ousting Lilianne, George and Lemon celebrated with shots, only to land in bed together.  After all that arguing, a love/hate sexual tension was clearly simmering.  But having witnessed the depth of their intolerance for one another, I have to assume this Lemon/George redux was a superficial hook-up, rather than a beginning to a real romantic reunion.  Based on the preview for next week, Zoe believes otherwise and will be trying to set George and Lemon up.  It should be funny to see her channel her heartbreak energy into such an absurd project.

Everyone else was kind of shoved into a subplot about Rose welcoming a group of French students to Bluebell...with their deputy mayor (random), who hit on AnnaBeth.  Lavon was quite annoyed by this development, but AB's less-than-enthused response to the Frenchman's flirtations seemed to indicate she just wasn't that into him.  So are Lavon and AnnaBeth destined to get back together?  Or were we not hallucinating last week's Lemon/Lavon chemistry or the still unresolved matter of AB's mystery knight from the preceding episode, "Ring of Fire"?  Hmm!

The ending scene of many Bluebell friends treating Zoe to some post-break-up snacks and consoling company at her bedside was so cute and gently soothing.  It's this winning ensemble cast and adorably quirky small town community that has always been central to Hart of Dixie's charms.  I'm sorry to see Zoe so crestfallen, but ultimately, it's for the best that Zoe and Joel is over.  Not that I don't expect to see him back at the end of the season to vie for her heart again, probably right when she's getting back together with Wade.  Am I psychic or paranoid?  Le sigh!

What did you think of this episode?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

About the Author - Virginia Mae Fontana

Virginia is happy to be reviewing The Vampire Diaries, Hart of Dixie, Nashville, Beauty and the Beast, Elementary, Witches of East End, Covert Affairs, and Devious Maids for Spoiler TV. She is a college English instructor and enjoys obsessing over films and pop music - in addition to tv shows, of course! You can find her blog, SugarRushed, at http://virginiamaeblog.blogspot.com/ and her Twitter handle is @SugarRushedBlog