Hart of Dixie 2.13 Lovesick Blues
Jan. 10th, 2023 08:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessThis was the perhaps inevitable flu outbreak as focus for relationships episode.
The set-up was that Philmore, a neighbouring town, had done a sexy strawberry-picking ad, potentially stealing Bluebell’s strawberry-picking traffic. So, Lavon wanted an ad of their own, and George volunteered because he’d done some film-making classes once. He then proceeded to turn into a monster – the actor presumably having fun channelling directors he’s worked for. (They scrambled together a cute rather than sexy ad after everything went wrong.)
Lavon was using the ad to try to flirt with Annabeth, even if he wouldn’t admit it. AB was still trying to be a good friend to Lemon, who was freaking out because Walt wanted to have sex with her and she hadn’t done it with someone who wasn’t one of two men for…possibly ever. Zoe did not go see Wade’s band play (and this was reasonable, because Brick was away AGAIN and suddenly the department of health phoned to say the flu was coming.)
So, obviously, very little of what happened next were responsible public health measures, as Zoe and Lavon had to call a town meeting for the folk of Bluebell to vote on whether a 48-hour quarantine should be applied (i.e. not letting anyone in or out of the town. With an eye to her out-of-town boyfriend coming to visit, Lemon insisted on an exemption for anyone who’d had a flu shot, Doctor Zoe agreed to it and the vote was passed. Lavon thought he had the town to help make the ad, with AB as his leading lady. I can well believe that Wade hadn’t got a flu shot, and so it looked like he was going to be FORCED to sleep on the couch of his crazy ex, who pointed out that her couch was uncomfortable…
Zoe, doctoring everyone when the flu came to town in any case, wasn’t wearing a mask (and I do get why not for dramatic purposes, but why not have her put her hair up then instead of earlier in the episode?) Rose got to wear a mask for lolz and, I am glad to say, was spared the flu.
Probably what strained my credulity the most was Cricket using the word ‘expositor’ correctly!?
AB had to pull out of the ad, lying that she was coming down with the flu, out of loyalty to her BFF, and talk Lemon through preparations for her big night. And then Lavon, thinking AB was sick, turned up at hers with a care package and was so, so sweet. Lemon was not so sweet and was clearly in denial about her flu symptoms. (I’d have presumed she, as Brick’s daughter, would have got vaccinated, but she and Magnolia fell ill anyway because this was the influenza as plot device strain. And flu vaccines aren’t 100%, not that they went into that on the show.)
As to how the flu had come to town, Wade had broken quarantine rather than stay at his ex’s place, although why he had to go sneezing all over Bluebell instead of sneaking quietly home, I don’t know. (No, I do, that kind of silly is part of the influenza as plot device strain.) Zoe hadn’t been able to reach him and was increasingly worried, so when she discovered he was locked up at home, she...broke in and started ‘taking care’ of him, her bedside manner not being improved by being an angry girlfriend. Wade admitted that he hadn’t got in touch, essentially because he was used to looking after himself since he was a kid (yank at my heartstrings, why don’t you?) Zoe told him that was just silly and he wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
He proved he got it when Zoe finally succumbed to the flu (I’m not a doctor, but you should have worn a mask) and he took care of her, and admitted that that was part of being in a relationship.
AB came to visit Lemon and discovered that—I was going to say ‘Walt had played doctor in a non-sexy way’ but given that Lemon’s father is a doctor, let’s switch to ‘no sex had been had’. Lemon, believing the lie that AB had been sick and wrongly thinking that was how she’d got the flu, was a bit of a pill while claiming to be perfectly happy with her boyfriend, so when AB went to return the casserole dish to Lavon (he’d made her soup using his mother’s recipe!), her good intentions flew out of the window.
I am torn. I think Annabeth/Lavon could work, and AB deserves a love match, but I also think she’s taking her life in her own hands. But I REALLY loved the shot of their shoes as they were kissing.
[Edited for typos 23/5/25.]
The set-up was that Philmore, a neighbouring town, had done a sexy strawberry-picking ad, potentially stealing Bluebell’s strawberry-picking traffic. So, Lavon wanted an ad of their own, and George volunteered because he’d done some film-making classes once. He then proceeded to turn into a monster – the actor presumably having fun channelling directors he’s worked for. (They scrambled together a cute rather than sexy ad after everything went wrong.)
Lavon was using the ad to try to flirt with Annabeth, even if he wouldn’t admit it. AB was still trying to be a good friend to Lemon, who was freaking out because Walt wanted to have sex with her and she hadn’t done it with someone who wasn’t one of two men for…possibly ever. Zoe did not go see Wade’s band play (and this was reasonable, because Brick was away AGAIN and suddenly the department of health phoned to say the flu was coming.)
So, obviously, very little of what happened next were responsible public health measures, as Zoe and Lavon had to call a town meeting for the folk of Bluebell to vote on whether a 48-hour quarantine should be applied (i.e. not letting anyone in or out of the town. With an eye to her out-of-town boyfriend coming to visit, Lemon insisted on an exemption for anyone who’d had a flu shot, Doctor Zoe agreed to it and the vote was passed. Lavon thought he had the town to help make the ad, with AB as his leading lady. I can well believe that Wade hadn’t got a flu shot, and so it looked like he was going to be FORCED to sleep on the couch of his crazy ex, who pointed out that her couch was uncomfortable…
Zoe, doctoring everyone when the flu came to town in any case, wasn’t wearing a mask (and I do get why not for dramatic purposes, but why not have her put her hair up then instead of earlier in the episode?) Rose got to wear a mask for lolz and, I am glad to say, was spared the flu.
Probably what strained my credulity the most was Cricket using the word ‘expositor’ correctly!?
AB had to pull out of the ad, lying that she was coming down with the flu, out of loyalty to her BFF, and talk Lemon through preparations for her big night. And then Lavon, thinking AB was sick, turned up at hers with a care package and was so, so sweet. Lemon was not so sweet and was clearly in denial about her flu symptoms. (I’d have presumed she, as Brick’s daughter, would have got vaccinated, but she and Magnolia fell ill anyway because this was the influenza as plot device strain. And flu vaccines aren’t 100%, not that they went into that on the show.)
As to how the flu had come to town, Wade had broken quarantine rather than stay at his ex’s place, although why he had to go sneezing all over Bluebell instead of sneaking quietly home, I don’t know. (No, I do, that kind of silly is part of the influenza as plot device strain.) Zoe hadn’t been able to reach him and was increasingly worried, so when she discovered he was locked up at home, she...broke in and started ‘taking care’ of him, her bedside manner not being improved by being an angry girlfriend. Wade admitted that he hadn’t got in touch, essentially because he was used to looking after himself since he was a kid (yank at my heartstrings, why don’t you?) Zoe told him that was just silly and he wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
He proved he got it when Zoe finally succumbed to the flu (I’m not a doctor, but you should have worn a mask) and he took care of her, and admitted that that was part of being in a relationship.
AB came to visit Lemon and discovered that—I was going to say ‘Walt had played doctor in a non-sexy way’ but given that Lemon’s father is a doctor, let’s switch to ‘no sex had been had’. Lemon, believing the lie that AB had been sick and wrongly thinking that was how she’d got the flu, was a bit of a pill while claiming to be perfectly happy with her boyfriend, so when AB went to return the casserole dish to Lavon (he’d made her soup using his mother’s recipe!), her good intentions flew out of the window.
I am torn. I think Annabeth/Lavon could work, and AB deserves a love match, but I also think she’s taking her life in her own hands. But I REALLY loved the shot of their shoes as they were kissing.
[Edited for typos 23/5/25.]
