It was an eventful episode of Hart of Dixie, what with Wade and Zoe getting closer, AnnaBeth getting a proposal, and Fancie's getting an inferno! Here's what happened in Bluebell this week and what I thought.
Wade and Zoe: It took us all the way until the twenty-first episode of Season 3, but we finally got an actual Zade-centric hour. Yay! As a Jane Austen fan, I appreciated the little Emma homage the writers created by having Zoe decide to become the town matchmaker. Or, as Zoe quipped proudly at the Rammer Jammer before being hilariously dissed by Wade, a "love maker." Like Emma Woodhouse, Zoe took on this new hobby in a flush of success from one occasion where she actually did facilitate true love. But it was hard to replicate those results again, especially when Zoe decided that her next matchmaking "victim" should be none other than Crazy Earl.
Earl is a neat character in a few respects. He's always funny and unpredictable, and he also has a strong hold on the most vulnerable emotional side of Wade, which can bring trouble and heartwarming moments in equal measure. Best of all, he's a total Zade shipper. Zoe trying so hard to help Earl showed how much she truly cares about Wade's father, and in turn, Wade. She was trying to make one of the most important people in Wade's life happy, though subconsciously, of course, we know she seriously cannot stay out of Wade's way.
But of course, we had a twist going into the season finale. What's a penultimate episode of any show's season without one of those game-changing red herrings? Wade has an opportunity to franchise the Rammer Jammer, starting with Atlanta, and so he is planning to move there to help out in the process. This is an outstanding chance for Wade as a business owner, but it couldn't have come at a worse time in terms of how things are changing with him and Zoe. Now that Wade was finally able to begin acknowledging his affection for Zoe, he was already committed to this move. Unlike when Joel left town, however, Wade has a far greater motivation to stay, especially if Zoe makes a confession of her feelings next week. Because unlike Joel, Wade is Zoe's soulmate.
The fire scene was, all told, a bit silly, but it's Hart of Dixie, and matters do take a turn for the cartoonish at times. I wonder where the writers are going with this and how bad the ramifications will be for Fancie's. At least the AB/Davis situation is coming to a head with her getting the chance for marriage with him that she never got with Lavon. I would not be surprised if she went running back to Lavon after deciding that she cares more about happiness in the moment than longterm commitment, but that wouldn't be a very satisfying compromise for us viewers who have watched her journey from the beginning of the season, hoping for her to find happiness on her terms. Hmm.
Lavon and George got into a dispute with Mayor Gainey over whether Bluebell's name should appear first in a list of towns on a prominent local sign. I don't have too much to say about this part of the episode. It was cute enough, but a bit blah and repetitive.
What did you think of this week's episode? Share your thoughts in the comments!
