Finale Reviews: Hart of Dixie Season 3 - "Second Chance"

Hart of Dixie, how you surprise me in the ways I least expect! Seriously, of all the twists and turns the Season 3 finale brought us, the resurrection of Season 1's secret love affair was the one that nearly knocked me out of my chair. I literally gasped. Audibly. Ok,  I guess if I had seen this post on Facebook, I'd have had more of a clue: 

Source: facebook.com/hartofdixie

But I was unusually absent from social media in the days leading up to "Second Chance," and I'm sort of glad. It was a fun surprise to hear the choruses of "no, no, no!" in that Southern drawl and that beautifully staged and filmed moment. Two men, united by the woman they love, separated from her by what's about to be miles of open ocean, face each other against a backdrop as blue as their spirits. I am so thrilled with this show, which continues to improve as the seasons go by. I'd say it deserves a better network, but hey, I love the CW, and what I'd actually mean is that it deserves more viewers. Now that we know Hart of Dixie will be back this fall, I have all the more reason to be excited by the finale - its romance, its surprises, and its quirky, hiccuppy charm.

Rachel Bilson's characters sure do have bad luck with coffee cart moments. She opens her heart up with confessions of love and what does she get? Squat. But Zoe isn't Summer. Even better, Season 3 Zoe isn't Season 1 Zoe. This time, she's not giving up. And thank goodness. Sometimes a show has to just go for it with the characters played by the actors who have the most chemistry. Even though I think it was clear from the pilot that it was Wade, and not George, that Zoe was destined for, any hope for George went out the window once Bilson and Bethel began their banter. (Fun fact - Wilson Bethel features in the original coffee cart moment.)

But on to the cliffhanger - let's address the love triangle from Season 1. The beauty in that final missed opportunity, as the "S.S. Desperation" pulled away from from the dock with the love of these two men's lives, was that it set up next season to tie up a loose end that's been buggin' me for awhile now. Earlier in the episode, when George and Lavon sat sippin' beers and then galavanted off on a guy adventure to meet Don Todd, I had a fleeting thought of, "how the heck are these two men friends?" They weren't really friends before Lavon cuckolded George by his affair with Lemon, and that certainly didn't bring them closer. It took awhile, but the Wade/Zoe/George love triangle worked itself out into the beautiful Zoe/Wade relationship that clearly had to happen (and will again, I'm sure.) The George/Lemon/Lavon triangle, on the other hand, was never worked out at all. George left Lemon at the altar, only to be rejected by Zoe and spiral into despair and also the arms of Tansy. Lemon was upset, at first, with Annabeth for dating Lavon, but rebounded remarkably quickly to a host of Southern gentlemen, as well as gardeners, in the second and third seasons.

So do these characters move on from romantic relationships remarkably and perhaps unbelievably quickly? Sure. Here's why I think that's ok. This show isn't about bitterness. This show is about happiness. And I love that it shows that forgiveness is a step on the road to happiness. Still, leaving the George/Lemon/Lavon triangle unsettled would have been too unbelievable, and bringing it back now is a fantastic story choice.

You know what else this show isn't about? Villains. Yes, I've said it before and I'll say it again. What I love about Hart of Dixie is that it proves when you write honest, flawed characters, you get a honest feeling from a show. And it won't matter what situations are contrived for them, they'll seem real. That's why Lemon couldn't remain a villain for more than the first few episodes of the first season, and it's why the audience will care about the next choice she'll have to make. This show is just about people trying to make it work despite the fact that they get in their own way. Ok, I'll say it. On the whole, Hart of Dixie is about second chances. What happens when you get them, and what happens when you miss them. Am I getting a little sentimental? Eh, ok. I don't care. That's what finales are there for. Hart of Dixie gave us a great one. A finale that was complete in and of itself, as well as a reflection of the show in its entirety. I watched it twice in two days. I don't know how I'll make it through the summer without Bluebell.

Hart of Dixie is back! But on Fridays...

Not exactly a love triangle, but this is Bluebell after all.
Source: cwtv.com

Well, The CW is moving Hart of Dixie to the wasteland of television that is Friday night. Needless to say, I'm disappointed. Even though some shows can thrive on Fridays (like Grimm) and it doesn't always signal the end of the line (Chuck did ok there for awhile), it's a bummer to see the network throw it's best-written and best-acted show to the last night of the workweek.

Regardless, I'll be watching tonight. Now, where did the show leave off? Well, Bluebell, Alabama no longer needed fear hostile takeover by their rival neighboring town, but unfortunately, we hadn't seen the last of Scooter McGreevey. He was back with a vengeance. Well, without much vengeance, actually, which only endeared him to Tansy, much to George's chagrin. All of this is dismaying for a fan of George and Tansy. Of course, I'm even conflicted about that, as I was a fan of George and Zoe, and heck, even came to have a soft spot for George and Lynly. Zoe is moving in with the adorable Joel, who despite my love for the Zoe/Wade relationship, has won me over. (I'll admit it. Joel just might be as close as Zoe Hart's going to get to Seth Cohen.) And Wade's seeing Zoe's cousin Vivian. Shelby moved to Montgomery with her baby daddy, which makes me sad because Laura Bell Bundy absolutely killed in that role. Then there's AB and Lavon, who are both in recovery from their breakup.

It's hard to say, but this might be my
favorite Bluebell couple.
Source: cwtv.com

Whew! Exhausted? All this to say, one of the Hart of Dixie's greatest strengths, if you ask me, is the overabundance of couples that seem to pair up in Bluebell. There's so many I can't even decide which one to 'ship.

Let's recap: when Hart of Dixie began its first season, it gave us a straightforward love triangle. Zoe must choose between bad boy Wade and golden boy George. I suppose there was that other triangle, also featuring George, but with the addition of Lemon and Lavon. But in season two, things got a little more complicated. The introduction of minor characters played by great, under-appreciated actors added life and love to the little Bluebell. In romantic dramas like this one, villains are usually just the characters who break up the favorite couple. But in Bluebell, the villains are few.

Tonight, we'll also enjoy our Dixie with "a twist of Lemon" - a pun I absolutely love. For awhile, Lemon was the closest thing Bluebell had to a villain, but then her humanity shone through. And as much as I've missed her, I'll be the first to admit that the attempts to hide actress Jaime King's baby bump were becoming a little bit ridiculous. And the promo indicated we'll also be treated to the return of Magnolia. These blonde sisters never fail to bring the funny, just in case you needed another reason to tune in on a Friday night. And I'm betting Annabeth's breaking up with Lavon wasn't a simple plot point, but purposefully timed to Lemon's return. In the end though, it won't matter who ends up with whom. With a cast as great as Hart of Dixie's, the chemistry abounds, and that's why the antics and afflictions and lives and loves of all those who call Bluebell home feels like home for the viewer, even on Friday night.

Hart of Dixie: "I'm Moving On" Review

When Hart of Dixie premiered in 2011, there was some speculation that Rachel Bilson might have trouble carrying a show on her own. But now, with the second season near its end and a third officially picked up, it's clear that she didn't have to. This show, much like most of the shows on its network, boasts a cast of beautiful, young pseudo-stars. But unlike many CW shows, its cast is genuinely talented.

I joined this show (already in progress) when I caught some season 1 reruns in the summer of 2012. I've watched consistently since then, not because Bilson's performance as a big city doctor transplanted to a small Alabama town is anything extraordinary (in fact, that plot is a little tired), but because of the actors who bring Bluebell's residents to life. Some of these casting selections were not surprising; Both Wilson Bethel, who plays Wade, and Jaime King, who plays Lemon, had bit parts in episodes of The OC, Bilson's previous television collaboration with executive producer Josh Schwartz. But some pop up out of nowhere. I hadn't seen Tim Matheson since his commanding performance as The West Wing's disgraced Vice Commander in Chief. And, though I'd seen him before, I didn't even recognize Cress Williams. The role of handsome, constantly lovesick Mayor of Bluebell is a complete turnaround from his cameo as the conniving, murderous illusionist Baron Sunday on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

Source: pinterest.com/thecw

Regardless of their diverse resumes, this cast comes together beautifully to fill the picturesque Southern town. The talented actors make the characters real and relatable. I'll be the first to admit, Hart of Dixie doesn't tackle the tough issues. Mostly, it's a show about the joys and perils of romance. And Bilson's Zoe Hart is particularly familiar with the perils part. It's not deep TV. But it's well acted, and actually it's quite a funny show. I think it works because it doesn't attempt to be too serious too often.

This week's episode, "I'm Moving On" is a great example of how the supporting characters can sustain their own story lines. Mayor Hayes's rivalry with the mayor of the neighboring town has been a subplot  before. But in this episode, when his girlfriend Annabeth, played by Kaitlyn Black, gets in cahoots with the enemy Mayor's wife, the story gets funnier than usual. This is thanks entirely to Black's expert comedic timing and the fact that she looks phenomenal in big hats. (Seriously, where does The CW find so many beautiful people?)  And speaking of beautiful people, Broadway superstar Laura Bell Bundy's performance as Shelby is so good that she makes the viewer forget the age difference between her and Matheson, who plays her fiancé. And putting uptight Lemon and lackadaisical Wade into business together was a stroke of genius on the part of the Hart of Dixie writing team. Bethel and King have undeniable chemistry, making their forays into entrepreneurship hilarious to observe.

Meanwhile, "I'm Moving On" did just what a a season's penultimate episode should: it shook things up just enough to set up for an explosive season finale. Two episodes ago, Zoe suffered embarrassment after she once again declared her love for the unavailable 'Golden Boy' George Tucker. Incredulous, his response was, "I am sorry that you almost choked to death with a head full of regrets but, next time, take smaller bites." A brilliant line brilliantly delivered by Scott Porter. But it didn't close the door on Zoe and George; in fact, Zoe's confession of love closed the door on George and his girlfriend Tansy. And rightly so. Tansy would not be a believable character if she continued to be unbothered by the situation. Now, Zoe seems to be in the same spot she was in at the conclusion of season one: running to Wade just when George becomes available. You'd think this plot rehash would bother me. Here's why it doesn't: While other characters are growing, Zoe hasn't. But, she's being forced to face that. She's been told off by Wade, Tansy, and the random first date she was set up on. How fitting that a high school prom was the setting for so much drama! The title of the episode is purposeful irony. Zoe Hart most certainly is not moving on. "You're right!" she declares, "There is something terribly wrong with me!"

It's hard to tell what's going to happen in Tuesday night's season finale, but I'll be watching to find out. I bet we'll get both laughs and drama. Even if that doesn't make for great TV, it makes for entertaining TV. Sometimes that's all TV needs to be.