Hart of Dixie - Homecoming and Coming Home

Network: CW
Time: Mondays, 8:00-9:00pm
Cast: Rachel Bilson, Jaime King, Cress Williams, Wilson Bethel, Scott Porter, McKaley Miller, Tim Matheson

WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!

Review (from imdb.com): Noticing that Zoe is feeling homesick, Lavon suggests that she host his annual pre-game homecoming party to help her feel more connected to Bluebell. Zoe jumps at the opportunity and decides to enlist the help of her friend Gigi from New York, but as it turns out New York and Bluebell have very different ideas of what makes a good party. Meanwhile, George and Wade hatch a plan to get even with their high school nemesis, Jimmy, but when Lemon catches wind of their scheme she wants in on the action, too.

Review: In just a few short episodes, this series has really grown on me. I didn't have high expectations when I first watched it, but I did sympathize with the concept, having been a transplanted New York-Metropolitan-er in the Deep South. But I was pleasantly surprised. It's certainly not the sharpest or deepest show in the metaphorical tool shed, but it's cute, the characters are engaging, and I enjoy watching each episode.

This episode dealt with the theme of growing up. Again, this is something I can relate to, being just a few years removed from college and still trying to figure out exactly what is acceptable behavior for someone my age. And all the characters had a little something to learn.

The episode was about the homecoming game. Anyone who's spent time in the south knows that high school football is more revered than professional and that homecoming is one of the biggest days of the year. But Zoe is still getting used to this concept, and the homecoming game meant little to her, except it emphasized how much she didn't fit in. To help her (and because he was coaching the high school team and didn't have time), Lavon set her to work organizing the pre-game party. This, naturally, backfired.

In her effort to make it good, Zoe enlisted the help of a party-planner friend of hers from New York. Gigi flew in immediately, but it soon became clear she and Zoe had a lot less in common than they had before Zoe had left. Gigi wanted to throw a New York-style party and, when Zoe balked, she said that the reason the people of Bluebell didn't like Zoe was because they hadn't met the real her yet. It was sweet, in its own way, but definitely not the right message.

So they threw a New York-style party, with purple drinks and food that was foamy (at least, I think that's what he said. My mind is having trouble with this concept though, so please correct me if I'm wrong). And, naturally, the people of Bluebell hated it, especially Lavon, who seemed to regret having put Zoe in charge in the first place. Zoe looked so desolate at the thought of having disappointed the one true friend she has in Bluebell that I really felt for her. So she finally told Gigi that she'd ruined the party, apologized profusely to Lavon, and ended the party.

To add insult to injury, Zoe then walked in on Gigi in bed with Judson, the vet that Zoe was interested in. I wouldn't have been nearly so quick to forgive Gigi after this point, but the next morning she and Zoe made up, and Zoe realized she wasn't the same person as she'd been when she left New York. Maybe she didn't fit in in Bluebell just yet, but she didn't fit in in New York anymore either.

Though I still find it absolutely crazy that this girl who looks and acts like she's 16 is a full-fledged doctor, I do like Zoe, and I like the growth she's shown over the eight episodes so far. Obviously she needs to adjust herself so she can eventually assimilate into Bluebell, and I think the gradual process so far hasn't been jarring or unbelievable. I would like to see her win one once in awhile though. In every episode, she's messing something up (the parade, the party) and making the people like her a little less, while occasionally winning over one or two of them. I'd like to see her get something right soon.

And, while I miss Nancy Travis' Emmeline and the relationship she and Zoe had, I love the friendship between Zoe and Lavon. And I never, ever, ever want them to try to push it to something more. Grey's Anatomy did it with George and Izzy, and while I know there are many people who love that couple, I always felt like the attempted shift to romance ruined that relationship. Some television pairs are just meant to stay friends.

While this was going on in Zoe's world, Wade, George and Lemon were engaged in a game of payback. Along with the crowd of alumni coming back for the homecoming game was Jimmy, a high school tormentor of Wade's and George's. Apparently they owed him payback for a particularly nasty prank he played on George, and they enlisted Lemon's help. She devised a scheme to empty a packet of Fun Sip (our world's Fun Dip) into the shower head of Jimmy's hotel room, so he would be stained blue for several days and be humiliated when he went to toss the coin at the game. This backfired when Jimmy tried to run from the room and slipped, bumping his head and knocking him unconscious. That's when Lemon realized she couldn't act like the wild child she'd been in high school and the mature woman she wanted to be now at the same time. She told this to George, who seemed to understand, and to Lavon, telling him not to talk about his feelings for her anymore. He (sort of) agreed, but he said just because they didn't talk about them didn't mean they wouldn't be there.

I love that they made Lemon more than just the "mean girl" who was Zoe's enemy. Sure, they don't get along, but Lemon is more than just that. Her role in each episode is about more than just trying to drive Zoe out of town (in fact, she hasn't actively tried that in awhile). I find myself rooting for her and George to stick it out (really, it's not that I don't like Lavon...). I even find myself hoping that she'll get the things she wants. It's unusual for me to root for the "bad guy," but I don't feel like the identity Lemon had in the first episode is the same as the woman we see in the later episodes, and I have to admit, I like the change.

The third and final part of the story was that the two quarterbacks on the high school team were sick during the week leading up to the game. It turned out that the chemicals they used to make the field greener were making them so, and the quarterbacks were getting sicker than the rest of the team because they licked their fingers a lot to throw the ball. I felt a little like this story was filler, something to remind us that, yes, Zoe is the doctor. Also, it was something to distract Lavon so Zoe had to all the work.

If there was one thing I was disappointed in, it was that there was no Tim Matheson in this episode, and I always like to see more of him. Brick is a character that may have benefited from the grown up theme. Plus, you can't tell me he'd have been out of town for the homecoming game. I don't believe it.

Overall, I enjoyed this episode (and this show) very much. I like the angle they've taken so far, and I like the evolution of the characters. I'm looking forward to more.

Rating: 4/5

Favorite line:
Wade: Lemon, another beer.
Lemon: You snap those fingers at me one more time Wade, and I'll swear to God I will chop them off that dainty little hand of yours.

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