My Thoughts on the Season 3 premiere of Hart of Dixie:
I thought the season 3 premiere was enjoyable, and
had sharp writing and intense character dynamics. There were however a number of flaws and let downs for me (mostly to do with the character development and writing of both Zoe Hart and Brick Breeland).
First for the positives! Thankfully there were many bright spots! I liked the nostalgia
that resonated when she was on the bus coming to Bluebell again like in
the pilot, and that they showed the pier where Zoe and George had a
moment in the pilot. I enjoyed that there was a large emphasis on
friendships in the episode (not just romance) .Zoe and Lavon had some
nice friendship scenes. Lavon seemed to really be excited to see her
again, and he carried a season 1 like Lavon warmth that was MIA during
most of season 2. I liked the involvement of Rose in the episode. I hope
Zoe and Rose become closer this season, and Zoe supports Rose and steps
up as a friend for her, instead of taking her for granted all the time
and expecting Rose will still fall into her lap. I also really loved the
scenes between Zoe and Lemon....I find their complex relationship so
interesting and I hope to see more with them.
I liked the
inclusion of Zoe's new boyfriend Joel. I think it's good character
development for Zoe to get to be in a proper relationship without all
that crazy drama that she had with Wade and George. I think it will help
her mature and become a more well rounded character, and one that will
later be ready to be a good girlfriend to Wade or George. Also I'm
curious to see how Joel will take learning more about Zoe's past. In
Joel's eyes she appears to be very sane and likeable and in a good place
in her life, but her connections in Bluebell are very messy at the
moment, and I can't wait to see the big relevations about her past come
out ackwardly and uncomfortably to Joel.
I enjoyed the Lemon and
Wade "fake relationship" being introduced and I think it'll be fun to
witness the two of them play it up to drive Zoe nuts haha.
I'm not
sure how believable it is that Zoe would send e-mails to everyone
individually in the town to inform them that she was not coming back to
Bluebell, and was going to stay in New York instead. A big part of
season 2 was Zoe finally feeling a lot more secure and appreciated and
comfortable in Bluebell. Despite her relationship drama with Wade and
George throughout the second half of season 2, her status in the town
was pretty secure and I think she felt like a part of the community. I
find it unrealistic that she would allow herself to be fooled again by
New York's potentially superficial charms. I think it is insulting to
Zoe's character a bit not only that she would just up and leave
Bluebell, but that she would think that an e-mail (especially to Lavon
and Brick) would be an appropriate way to "wrap up loose ends". I
honestly didn't think there would be a point where I would dislike Zoe
as much as I did at the end of S2. But alas that day has come....her
rash decision making, and lack of respect and lack of empathy and lack
of heart put forward towards the relationships she made and developed
in Bluebell was really disappointing, and despite Zoe's flaws, I think
it's poor writing of Zoe's character, rather than the most authentic representation of the fictional entity known as Zoe Hart.
I just can't picture even the
pilot version of Zoe (even with her pathetic people skills at the time)
thinking it would be acceptable to attempt closure in a relationship
with anyone she truly cared about and respected, via e-mail. I just
don't know what Leila Gerstein was thinking with that one.
If
Zoe's unawareness of the consequences of her actions and her lack of
respect for her friends and colleague was a big negative about 3x1, an even bigger problem that has been sitting extremely unwell with me as
far as the writing goes was the way that Brick treated Zoe throughout
the episode. In the second half of season 1 and throughout season 2,
there was lots of evidence that Brick was starting to warm up to Zoe and
her presence not only in Bluebell but in his life. He gave her some
"good jobs" compliments and they both provided guidance to one
another....they evolved from hating each other at the beginning, to a
sometimes father-daughter like, sometimes friend/colleague relationship
in late season 2. But in this episode, he seemed to be extremely cold,
rude and condescending towards her. I'm not entirely sure I understand
where that came from and if it was intentional or not.
You
wouldn't be able to tell from watching this season 3 premiere that the
two of them had a friendlier dynamic. That was lost. That was the
meanest he has acted towards her in my opinion since the pilot. I know
Brick was probably crushed about ending his engagement to Shelby (and
that was probably how the writers justified Brick's position towards
Zoe) and he was likely ticked off that Zoe basically abandoned his
practice for the summer and left him to pick up the pieces....with just a
Zoe e-mail to let him know her plans. But I mean, why did Brick make it
so personal and say to Zoe that she hasn't changed in the two years
she's been there (she has in fact had growth) and why was he so
reluctant to sign her reference letter, and why did he have to threaten a
restraining order from his patients? I mean, we've seen Brick's anger
towards Zoe before, but I think the writer's really did a lousy job of
honouring the progress that Brick and Zoe have made in her
relationship....Even when the rest of the town warmed up to Zoe after
she tracked down George, late in the episode, Brick was still being a
jerk and refused to even offer her a smile, reluctantly saying something
among the lines of "I'll sign your damn letter, you don't have to
overcompensate'. His attitude towards Zoe seemed really out of place and
their relationship seems to be have been sort of reset, instead of
building upon their solid, growing bond late season 2. Where is the
continuity and the proof of those two working
together for two years?
I can understand and sympathize that Brick
felt let down and hurt by Zoe and the inconsiderate, selfish, coward
way that she left Bluebell....Zoe really acted poorly in how she left
and perhaps more importantly, she sort of indirectly dissed her
relationship with Brick (that she had just admitted how important it was
to her in 2x20) by leaving without an in person conversation and
colleague moment. Brick should feel resentful and even emotionally
saddened since he appeared to be invested in Zoe and being friends with
her (watch 2x19 and see how much he does care for her with the whole
"Zoe Hart, you cannot kiss George Tucker" scene)...Obviously, Brick has
never been good at expressing his feelings directly...so it seems
reasonable that his intense anger towards Zoe in 3x1 is his attempt to
mask his hurt and let down with fiery anger). I am aware and
understanding of all that.
The thing that I'm not down with is
the way Brick was written and presented in 3x1. He didn't even offer a
hint of that lightness and warmth towards Zoe, not even a sense of being
conflicted towards her. Brick in 3x1 was written as being almost
completely indifferent to what Zoe does and whether she leaves or stays.
That is not the case at all....he does care about her and there was not
even the slightest tease that he does want the best for her in the
episode. Furthermore, that line about getting a restraining order
between Zoe and Brick's patients felt like it was only said to hurt Zoe.
Brick has historically had jerky moments but there has always been some
sort of valuable life lesson or logic that has come out of his mean
jerky attitude when that attitude has been displayed. In 3x1 he was just
plain mean for mean sake. Even in the scene where Brick was watching
Zoe interact with both Wade and Joel at the same time in his office,
Brick looked almost evil, sneering at the difficult situation Zoe found
herself in, like he has no sense of compassion for her at all. Brick
isn't the same Brick he was in the pilot and 3x1 in my opinion portrayed
him as the utmost jerk of jerks. He's my favourite character on the
show and I'm sorry but I felt like he was cheapened and demeaned in 3x1.
Looking
forward to seeing what unfolds now that Brick has reclaimed the Brick
Zoe practice for himself (When Zoe was going to leave, he made her sign
the practice back over to him---Brick was saying in 3x1 that she signed
some agreement that gave him 100% ownership of the practice).
I am a big believer in hoping to be
surprised and I'm still very much a believer that things will become
clearer and more sensible once the new season gets dived into a little
more. I'm a patient and understanding person and on one side of the
coin, I think it's really cool that this show inspires so much
philosophical discussion and provides us with a springboard for valuable
reflection that can help us in our real lives outside of Dixie.
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