HoD: Of dog houses and frog ponds
Feb. 22nd, 2023 07:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessHart of Dixie 2.18 We Are Never Getting Back Together
I intentionally dragged my heels over watching this episode, which turned out to be mostly very silly. And in an episode that was really good at bringing a lot of townies into proceedings, there was a total lack of internal consistency between the opening two scenes. According to the opening montage, Zoe never left her bed for about a week after the break up, but in the second scene, Brick had apparently just come back early from his two-week vacation with Shelby. What, to cover for Zoe six days ago?
Anyway, Bluebell was on Zoe’s side when she stumbled out of her place, bumped into a subdued Wade, got offered a lot of pies and briefly tried getting drunk with Tansy. The latter earnestly advised Zoe not to follow the path of Lily Ann, still singing the same songs that she’d written about Wade four years ago (although her question about why Wade never wears a shirt is fair.)
Dr Jonah was back and able to cover for Zoe (or Brick, as the scene required), and I was unenthused about that. For instance, Lemon and Jonah’s lifelong cousinly relationship wasn’t particularly convincing.
The vicar had had a vision that Wade and Lavon would work together on some kind of gambling-related church fundraising whatever, just after Lavon had made it clear he too was siding with Zoe, and Wade was in the doghouse with him.
Zoe’s hair improved, and she went back to seeing patients one of whom was a teen strumpet who seemed to be saying she was trying to tempt a boy into becoming her boyfriend at the very same pool where Rose’s boyfriend Max was doing a science project. This led to Zoe going and yelling at Wade (heh).
Lemon (and Magnolia) faced the problem of Brick wanting Shelby to move in with him. So, Lemon bullied George into joining her on an open house at Shelby’s to (illegally) dig up dirt, holding the wedding that wasn’t over him. Well, he needed something else to do this episode other than be mad with Wade.
There was singing from Zoe (oh dear), and when she jumped to the conclusion that Max had got strep A from cheating on Rose with her patient, Dr Jonah tried to remind her of patient confidentiality. But even though she knew she was doing wrong, Zoe dragged Rose to the pond to catch Max cheating, except that wasn’t what was going on and Rose, quite understandably turned on her.
Another montage of Shelby trying to bribe Magnolia into accepting her at Brick’s suggestion. (Good parenting, Brick!) It took a new car to get Magnolia to fold, despite Lemon’s orders. George, despite himself, found that Shelby was behind on her mortgage payments (probably because of the shopping addiction. And seriously, let’s hope Brick paid for Magnolia’s car). George and Lemon had to do a fakeout makeout to cover the fact they’d been snooping, but there was clearly no sizzle remaining.
At the casino-themed church fundraiser (which seemed to have been well organised despite Lavon’s problems with Wade), Wade reached his limit of Bluebell disapproval for what he’d done to Zoe, and took a break. When he came bac, the lockbox with all the money was gone. When he admitted this to Lavon, he took it as yet another Wade screw-up, until the reverend restored the money box, and cleared Wade. Sort of. He was negligent. This led to Lavon apologising and saying that he and Wade would work through it, which was always going to happen if the minister hadn’t pushed it right now.
Lemon, despite George’s warning not to, went and denounced Shelby, except Brick already knew about the mortgage situation because Shelby’d been upfront with him. He announced he was disappointed in Lemon. (Haven’t we seen this before, pretty much?) So, Lemon ended up in the same bar as Zoe (and Lily Ann) wanting to drink to forget their bad days, but aware it wouldn’t work. Lemon was able to offer Zoe advice on the heartache.
So, the next morning, Zoe went to back to the pond to throw rocks (I felt sorry for any poor frogs she hit), and Jonah turned up to hit on her again, although he really doesn’t have enough charm to make juggling a credible seduction technique. Lemon called on George to announce that she wouldn’t hold their wedding that wasn’t as blackmail material over him, because, being Lemon, she had plenty of other material.
The episode ended with Zoe taking a box of Wade’s stuff over to Wade’s, telling him she hadn’t forgiven him yet, but she could see her way to moving on, and she didn’t like him much ATM but she didn’t hate him. Given that he mostly put up with all the opprobrium directed his way, (as he should) and even told Lavon that Zoe was the only girl who’d mattered, I suppose this is the writers indicating that after all this folderol, they will be trying to do the long slog of penitence and rebuilding of trust. The ep title is ironic! Um. On the one hand, I’m relieved they’re not going for Zoe/Lavon, but on the other, there isn’t much Zoe/Jonah chemistry, so slog is the operative word. A few amusing moments aside, other than the Lemon-Zoe scene and final Zoe/Wade scene, most of that was disposable. [Edited for typos 27/5/25.]
I intentionally dragged my heels over watching this episode, which turned out to be mostly very silly. And in an episode that was really good at bringing a lot of townies into proceedings, there was a total lack of internal consistency between the opening two scenes. According to the opening montage, Zoe never left her bed for about a week after the break up, but in the second scene, Brick had apparently just come back early from his two-week vacation with Shelby. What, to cover for Zoe six days ago?
Anyway, Bluebell was on Zoe’s side when she stumbled out of her place, bumped into a subdued Wade, got offered a lot of pies and briefly tried getting drunk with Tansy. The latter earnestly advised Zoe not to follow the path of Lily Ann, still singing the same songs that she’d written about Wade four years ago (although her question about why Wade never wears a shirt is fair.)
Dr Jonah was back and able to cover for Zoe (or Brick, as the scene required), and I was unenthused about that. For instance, Lemon and Jonah’s lifelong cousinly relationship wasn’t particularly convincing.
The vicar had had a vision that Wade and Lavon would work together on some kind of gambling-related church fundraising whatever, just after Lavon had made it clear he too was siding with Zoe, and Wade was in the doghouse with him.
Zoe’s hair improved, and she went back to seeing patients one of whom was a teen strumpet who seemed to be saying she was trying to tempt a boy into becoming her boyfriend at the very same pool where Rose’s boyfriend Max was doing a science project. This led to Zoe going and yelling at Wade (heh).
Lemon (and Magnolia) faced the problem of Brick wanting Shelby to move in with him. So, Lemon bullied George into joining her on an open house at Shelby’s to (illegally) dig up dirt, holding the wedding that wasn’t over him. Well, he needed something else to do this episode other than be mad with Wade.
There was singing from Zoe (oh dear), and when she jumped to the conclusion that Max had got strep A from cheating on Rose with her patient, Dr Jonah tried to remind her of patient confidentiality. But even though she knew she was doing wrong, Zoe dragged Rose to the pond to catch Max cheating, except that wasn’t what was going on and Rose, quite understandably turned on her.
Another montage of Shelby trying to bribe Magnolia into accepting her at Brick’s suggestion. (Good parenting, Brick!) It took a new car to get Magnolia to fold, despite Lemon’s orders. George, despite himself, found that Shelby was behind on her mortgage payments (probably because of the shopping addiction. And seriously, let’s hope Brick paid for Magnolia’s car). George and Lemon had to do a fakeout makeout to cover the fact they’d been snooping, but there was clearly no sizzle remaining.
At the casino-themed church fundraiser (which seemed to have been well organised despite Lavon’s problems with Wade), Wade reached his limit of Bluebell disapproval for what he’d done to Zoe, and took a break. When he came bac, the lockbox with all the money was gone. When he admitted this to Lavon, he took it as yet another Wade screw-up, until the reverend restored the money box, and cleared Wade. Sort of. He was negligent. This led to Lavon apologising and saying that he and Wade would work through it, which was always going to happen if the minister hadn’t pushed it right now.
Lemon, despite George’s warning not to, went and denounced Shelby, except Brick already knew about the mortgage situation because Shelby’d been upfront with him. He announced he was disappointed in Lemon. (Haven’t we seen this before, pretty much?) So, Lemon ended up in the same bar as Zoe (and Lily Ann) wanting to drink to forget their bad days, but aware it wouldn’t work. Lemon was able to offer Zoe advice on the heartache.
So, the next morning, Zoe went to back to the pond to throw rocks (I felt sorry for any poor frogs she hit), and Jonah turned up to hit on her again, although he really doesn’t have enough charm to make juggling a credible seduction technique. Lemon called on George to announce that she wouldn’t hold their wedding that wasn’t as blackmail material over him, because, being Lemon, she had plenty of other material.
The episode ended with Zoe taking a box of Wade’s stuff over to Wade’s, telling him she hadn’t forgiven him yet, but she could see her way to moving on, and she didn’t like him much ATM but she didn’t hate him. Given that he mostly put up with all the opprobrium directed his way, (as he should) and even told Lavon that Zoe was the only girl who’d mattered, I suppose this is the writers indicating that after all this folderol, they will be trying to do the long slog of penitence and rebuilding of trust. The ep title is ironic! Um. On the one hand, I’m relieved they’re not going for Zoe/Lavon, but on the other, there isn’t much Zoe/Jonah chemistry, so slog is the operative word. A few amusing moments aside, other than the Lemon-Zoe scene and final Zoe/Wade scene, most of that was disposable. [Edited for typos 27/5/25.]
