Hart of Dixie - Episode 3.21 - Stuck - Review

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.

Like Mr. Knightley in Emma, Wade kept trying to warn Zoe that her "love-making" schemes would only lead to disaster.  He had little faith in Earl's ability to resist booze, but let's face it, Wade has had little enough faith in anything lately, and that needed to change.  The loveliest effect of Zoe and Wade's wacky evening, in which they discovered the sober Earl in a deep ditch and had to use field medicine to repair his injured leg, was Wade seeing not only that his father's efforts to change are genuine, but also that Zoe can be such a hero under pressure. The latter aspect brought home to Wade all of the things he's been trying to dodge emotionally since he decided to try and move on from Zoe by getting together with Vivian earlier this season. 

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.  

Zoe and Wade's last scene of this episode was beautifully played, as we saw all of that amazing chemistry and tension return between them.  I can't wait to see more of that dynamic in the season finale and beyond.

Lemon and AB: Though Grandma was eager to get Lemon on a posh cruise to find a husband, Lemon herself was more interested in capitalizing on Fancie's success after the glowing review her place got from a famed restaurant critic in last week's episode.  In order to impress a wealthy and influential potential client while making AnnaBeth's fantasies come true, Lemon helped the lovestruck Davis to set the perfect scene for his proposal.  However, Davis was interrupted while popping the question to a shocked AnnaBeth, as the curtains caught fire from one of the multitudinous candles.  Somehow, I don't think AB was much inclined to say yes, as she seemed almost grateful for the interruption.  Meanwhile, Lemon just froze up and watched the fire while proclaiming, "My restaurant!" mournfully.  Was there not a fire extinguisher around?  I know, she might break a nail, but still.

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.

Magnolia, Rose, and Brick: I love the way the Magnolia/Rose rivalry is like a mini version of the Zoe/Lemon frenemyship.  Rose decided to shadow Brick for a day because she is interested in becoming a doctor.  However, that also happened to be the day and evening of Magnolia's first visit home in a while, and Brick's youngest daughter was offended that he was spending so much time with a girl she resentfully dubbed his "replacement daughter."  This was a sweet and heartwarming little sidebar to the episode, as Brick reassured Magnolia of his affection for her after Rose encouraged him to do so. 


What did you think of this week's 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 Continuum 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