Hart of Dixie

CW, Mondays 9/8 Central

Sep 26, 2011 By Lily Moayeri Web Exclusive

Summer Roberts as a doctor? The O.C.’s Rachel Bilson plays title character Dr. Zoe Hart in Hart Of Dixie. It’s difficult to get past the fact that she looks like a middle school-aged catalog model with an attitude to match. Driven and determined, Dr. Hart has her sights set on a Manhattan residency leading to cardiac-thoracic surgery. Problem is, despite her medical talents, Dr. Hart is a little heartless. Pushed into general practice so she can gain some empathy, she takes up an offer made to her on graduation day of half a private practice in Bluebell, Alabama, the antithesis to New York City.

Southern belles with parasols, long family histories (including the doctor’s own), and endless town gossip, plus four good-looking guys with varying degrees of sexual chemistry with Dr. Hart prove that Bluebell may have more to it than meets the eye. Former Manhattan resident, attorney George Tucker (Friday Night Lights’ Scott Porter) is the primary candidate for Dr. Hart’s affections except that he is engaged to her unwilling partner’s dangerously sweet daughter, Lemon Breeland (Jaime King). Lemon herself promises to be a solid source for that special brand of Southern friction. The town’s bad boy Wade Kinsella (Wilson Bethel) is on hand for the odd misguided encounter. The mayor, erstwhile football star Lavon Hayes (Friday Night Lights’ Cress Williams), is another possible love interest. And finally, there is a certain amount of inappropriate tension between Dr. Hart and her partner, and father to her nemesis, Brick Breeland (Tim Matheson).

Bilson’s doctor portrayal falls short of convincing, but her withering and well-timed delivery of razor sharp lines incites snickers as well as guffaws. When she pronounces Lemon, “a xenophobe dressed up as a stick of butter,” one can’t help thinking, “Oh no she di’int.” Petulant and impossibly chic, there are many moments that focus on Bilson’s looks—which are loads of fun, even if they don’t fit into Bluebell’s setting. But again, her caustic attitude and filter-less manner, especially in a small Southern town are what make Hart of Dixie almost worth watching. (www.cwtv.com/hart-of-dixie)

Author rating: 6/10

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