You know what made me really happy about 3x12? Brick and
Zoe scenes! A big part of the reason Zoe moved to Bluebell in the first
place was because she was wanted to work on improving her sense of
empathy, and connectivity with others. In the time since Zoe has been in
Bluebell, she has wrestled with recurring insecurities and an inability
to navigate and foster long term relationships without conflict.
Yet, she has grown, and evolved as a human being, She is more connected
to other people now, and she has developed (in Season 3 especially) a
sense of self confidence and pride in herself and who she is. I think that although being in a stable romantic relationship
with Joel is part of it,an even bigger part of this self betterment
determination and desire to learn more about her own self and try to be
the best version of herself comes from her friendship with a certain Dr.
Brick Breeland.
Did anyone notice how in 3x10 (Star
of the Show), Zoe had such a sense of self-assurance and determination
in her pursuit of running the cabaret. I think she was so determined
because she told Brick that she could successfully run the cabaret, and
she wanted to live up to the trust that he supposedly initially placed
in her. Even though the trust Brick placed in her turned out to be not
trust but instead a lack of trust (he lied to her), it doesn't change
the fact that Zoe wanted to be the best cabaret director Bluebell had
seen, in part because she was facing a situation of accountability to
Brick.
Now in 3x12 (last night's episode---Should Have Been a Cowboy), did
anyone notice how adamant Zoe was that she could win her bet with Brick?
Did anyone see the
way Zoe's eyes lighted up in a way we don't always see, when she was in
the midst of making and attempting to win her bet with Brick about
health and wellness week? She not only wanted to win the bet, but she
wanted Brick to see her as the most passionate, eager, fearless, and
enthused version of herself. Zoe sees these qualities in her ideal self.
These are all qualities that Zoe possesses somewhere in her inner
workings, but again, last night, we witnessed that it is Brick Breeland
that is the one that knows how to light a fire and get those qualities
to emerge more frequently. You see, in her friendship with Brick, there
is a sense of accountability in her choices and actions that she feels
she has to face. Brick always gets her to try harder, be a better
person, and grow and evolve, and even though she gets annoyed and
irritated sometimes that he demands more from her, Zoe knows deep down
that she benefits immensely from their friendship, and that he is right
to push her the way he does.
3x10 and now 3x12 continues to show us that Zoe Hart is her most
lighthearted, fun, and authentic self in her friendship with Brick, and
Brick continues to find joy and fulfillment in pretending to a brat to
her but really doing so out of friendship affection, and a desire to
want to her to be the best she can be! Brick also benefits heavily from
his connection with Zoe. He doesn't seem to have a lot of close friends
in Bluebell. Zoe has become his confidant. In Zoe he has someone to talk
to about the stuff that Lemon wouldn't want to hear about or wouldn't
understand. His friendship with Zoe gives him an outlet for him to be
his own brand of goofy and sincere. e already admitted earlier this
season that he likes having her around the practice, and I think for
Brick, Zoe allows him to stay young at heart. Brick secretly at first
(now not so secretly!) enjoys the humour, and playfulness that Zoe
brings to his life. Love their dynamic and in my opinion, the writers
deserve major props for recognizing their gem of a friendship, and
making an effort to give them more scenes in the first half of season 3
than they got in all of season 2!
