Hart of Dixiestarted off strong as Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson) discovered the life-long secret her mother kept about her paternity… only after her biological father had passed on, but not before leaving her his share of a little medical practice down in Bluebell, Alabama. Needing to work on her bedside manner, Zoe decides to move to Bluebell for a year and work as a General Practitioner. Those in town aren’t so fond of outsiders, particularly the town’s other doctor: Brick Breeland (Tim Matheson). From the very start, Brick’s daughter Lemon (Jaime King) also takes a dislike to Zoe, as Lemon notices the immediate attraction that her fiancée George (Scott Porter) and Zoe have for one another, particularly over their shared love of New York City.
Throughout the first season, as George and Lemon’s wedding date grew closer, George and Zoe grew more connected and on-track to becoming a romantic pair. Lemon didn’t call off her engagement, despite seeing George’s interest in Zoe, because she loved George and also felt incredibly guilty for cheating on him with the mayor, Lavon Hayes (Cress Williams), while George was away from Bluebell. Meanwhile, Zoe’s attraction to and affection for Wade (Wilson Bethel) also slowly grew, making George jealous. By season’s end,Hart of Dixiewas on course to begin exploring the romance between George and Zoe after the engagement had been called off. But then it was dropped.
Season 2 began with George still upset about learning the truth about Lemon and his longtime relationship being called off. Thankfully, Zoe decided not to move things forward with George, at the time, because she didn’t want to be his rebound from Lemon, a relationship that he had been in for most of his adult life. Zoe also wanted to pursue the flame that was burning between her and Wade, so George and Zoe reluctantly agreed it wasn’t a good time to explore what was between them. However, during the rest of Season 2, Season 3, and the shortened Season 4, the time never came, and the show started to pretend that it had never set up Zoe and George as the star-crossed lovers of Bluebell.
Instead, Zoe’s relationship with Wade continued until he cheated on her, then she began to date Joel (Josh Cooke) when she went back to New York City temporarily. He accompanied her back to Bluebell for a while during the third season. George, on the other hand, had relatively serious relationships with Tansy (Mircea Monroe) and Lynly (Antoinette Robertson), then suddenly being pushed together with Annabeth (Kaitlyn Black) around series’ end. If not for a passing comment about what Zoe and George once shared, you wouldn’t know it existed during the latter half ofHart of Dixie, which was a real disservice to the characters and the other relationships.
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No one is arguing that Zoe and George should have been “endgame” or anything like that. However, the relationship should have been given a real shot and actually been explored before the end of the show. Even if the series had been renewed after Season 4, there was little chance that Zoe and George were going to get together after Zoe and Wade had a baby. It should have been done before Zoe and Wade reconciled. The fact that we never saw Zoe and George explore their relationship, after being teed up as the perfect pair, made it hard to invest in their other relationships. It was presumed that they would, eventually, make their way to each other, whether temporarily or permanently. Zoe and George had so much in common aside from their love for New York, and we saw that bond and those feelings grow throughout the first season. The writers completely abandoning this pairing tainted Zoe and George’s other relationships because all many fans could do was think about what ifs. Zoe and George were shown to be such similar people, it seemed like their relationship would have been perfect. Which, despite popular belief, can actually make great TV if the conflicts that arise between a perfect pair are done well. Their interests aligned on most things, something the show never failed to reflect, even when the two were no longer headed for romantic bliss. They understood each other in a way that their other partners never did (except maybe Joel, but not to the same degree as George understood Zoe).
Since the show was cancelled after Season 4, it’s hard not to feel cheated that they never came together. Even if the relationship between them didn’t work, especially if it didn’t work, it was important to show that, to show why despite being the “ideal” couple they were better off with others. Leaving it with a question mark only leaves questions about the other pairings that came to be and if, should Zoe and George rekindle their feelings, those relationships would last. It made sense to have George get over Lemon and be with other people, and it made sense for Zoe to explore her attraction to Wade and what could come from their relationship. And, surprisingly, Zoe and Wade worked really well together. But, George looming about in Bluebell was always distracting, and it didn’t seem like viewers were even supposed to take Zoe and Wade’s relationship seriously for a while. It was the same with George and Tansy, who were together about the same time as Zoe and Wade were in Season 2.
Introducing Joel in Season 3 was unnecessary, as that was the time when Zoe and George could have come together after her breakup with Wade and time back in New York. They were at very different places in their lives after Season 2, and it was clear that the show was not going to last forever at this point after being in danger of cancellation. Abandoning the dynamic entirely, chalking it up to Zoe and George having “missed their time” and fallen for other people, was a disservice to the characters, the story, and to the viewers. A failed romance could have cemented how good the other couples were together, leaving no doubt in viewers’ minds. A successful romance could have surprised everyone, even those who weren’t fully onboard with their flirtationship in the first season. Regardless of the outcome, it was unfair to leave that behind after so much time spent building it up and waiting for the time when they would finally get their big rom-com moment.
