‘Hart of Dixie’ review: The science of happiness

If there was one word that we would use to describe “Hart of Dixie” as a show, it’s “breezy.” You never really get the sense that any of these stories are going to make or break the universe, but they are nonetheless still funny, easy to watch, and leave you anxious to find out even more.

So what did we see transpire over the course of the hour? Really, this was a story that showed off all of the series’ strengths, and still had some rather sweet stories to boot. For example, Lemon tried to move on from her relationship with George by diving headfirst into the dating world, and it turned out to be a complete and total disaster. She was not ready following her split, and was simply upset that he was already out there and seeing people. (Then again, he showed in leaving her at the altar that he wasn’t really interested in being with her at all over Zoe.)

What came out of this story was something that Lemon has been needing for quite some time: maturity. She doesn’t need to fight with George, Rudy, or anyone else to make her happy; she just needs to find her own way. Thus, she took an impulsive approach to things by moving away from home (again) and offering herself up to be the campaign manager for Lavon, otherwise known as the one person who wants Ruby out of town more than her.

While Lemon took an emotional approach to finding herself, Zoe tried to rely on science to do the work for her. First, she tried to rely on the hope of a leprosy patient (strange as that sounds) in order to get into an alumni magazine, simply because she found a few symptoms. Basically, her entire story here was built around the notion that she needed some sort of tangible proof that she was successful, that way no one could question it. The story’s message kicked in with a rather fun scene about Wade playing video games, and Zoe even coming up with a study that gaming can increase happiness. Sometimes, it’s okay to relax, ignore what the numbers tell you, and just go about your life. We doubt Zoe will hold on to this philosophy forever, but it was nice to see for an episode.

What did you think about what happened this week?