It was a mostly happy holiday this week on Hart of Dixie as Zoe finally made headway in her attempts to befriend the Wilkes, Lemon and Brick investigated Shelby's pregnancy with surprising results, and Wade seemingly found a new love interest (noooo!).
Zoe and Joel spent most of this episode chasing down his nana and Zoe's uncle Brando Wilkes, who became romantically involved. It's kind of ironic that Joel finally lost his temper a little with Zoe for meddling with his grandmother's life, even though this was probably the least manipulative thing she's done around him since they came to Bluebell.
Meanwhile, Zoe made peace - for now - with Vivian, who we learned is basically going through Annabeth's storyline from Season 1, but this divorce involves a child, too. No sooner do the two ladies become friendlier than Vivian has a meet-cute with Wade, who remembers her from his school days. Sigh.
It was to be expected that the longer this Zoe/Joel relationship dragged on, Wade was eventually going to find someone new, since he can't be expected to wait around forever for Dr. Hart. This is sort of the Hannah Rule (see Bones) of television romance. So far, Vivian is kind of a AB/Tansy splice who needs to be developed more as a character before I can pass judgement on her one way or another. And it's not like we "Zade" shippers would be pleased with any non-Zoe lady being a love interest for Wade. But this development is a positive in that it evokes Zoe's jealousy, and should Wade/Vivian become a thing, it will surely force Zoe to acknowledge her feelings for Wade (because that's just how Zoe operates).
With all of this "moving on" seemingly in the offing for Wade, it's a joy and a relief that we get the delightful treat of that kiss between Wade and Zoe in the hay maze. While he was under the influence of pills, this scene was basically a further extension of Wade's previous attitude towards Zoe: that he understands they are still in love and that their reunion is inevitable no matter how stubbornly Zoe denies it. The chemistry and tension in this part was amazing!
Lemon and Brick had an amusing plotline this week that hinged on Shelby's pregnancy and the possible fallout. Of course, Brick prepared to get sucked right back into Shelby's web (even though she has her faults, I must admit she's adorable and funny...I always liked Shelby) much to the chagrin of Lemon. Grandma Breeland was summoned, and we saw a season 1-esque Lemon reemerge as she encouraged her grandmother to threaten Brick's inheritance if he got back together with Shelby. While Brick's mother goes against Lemon's inclinations and encourages Brick to marry his ex, this doesn't turn out to be necessary as apparently Shelby was artificially inseminated (are we buying this...?). The scene of Grandma telling off Lemon and Brick, then marching off to injure herself offscreen was hilarious, and this series of events neatly set up Lemon's temporary departure to tend to her relative. I'm assuming this was the show's way of giving Jaime King some maternity leave.
What did you think of this week's episode and all of the latest romantic developments on Hart of Dixie? Share your thoughts in the comments?
