This week it was Pioneer Day and Mayor Lavon saw fit to bestow upon the newly outed couple of Zoe and Wade the honor of portraying Bluebell’s founding couple. It turned out that the founding couple had as many issues in their relationship as Wade and Zoe dream they have in theirs. What is with them, anyway? They literally dream things up to fight about. From everything being lovely to pushing each other’s buttons in just a matter of minutes, they seem determined to destroy themselves.

Thankfully it lead to a fantastic conversation in bed at the end of “Old Alabama” when Zoe admitted she’s afraid. She’s afraid to end up like her parents, afraid that she doesn’t know how to have a real relationship because she never had one before. The great thing is she and Wade are really taking the time to talk about these things, even after they blow up in front of the entire town. They aren’t keeping secrets any longer than necessary for a little dramatic tension. That just reeks of a couple with staying power.

It was about time Brick and George made up. I don’t know why the series decided to tone Brick down so much this season, but it’s very welcome to this viewer. His antics last year, always being angry and ready to pop, especially where Zoe was concerned, made him seem like too much of a hard-ass. His lighter tone lends well to the entire tone of Hart of Dixie.

As strange as it was that Brick and George were sharing bedside advice and exchanging notes on their shared dating of Shelby, it made perfect sense. Brick had himself assured he was totally wrong to be dating a younger woman, but by the end George told him to just go for it. What was the point in holding back if it was something what would make him happy? Sound advice.

Even Lemon has become a sweetheart, making Lavon look like the ass. I wouldn’t have thought that possible last year. He needs to stop punishing Lemon for what happened with Ruby, because they were never going to make it as a couple. Lemon needs to stop holding back her heart and let Lavon know she is still in love with him. I know she’s skittish of her own heartbreak, and worried that she might unwittingly hurt Lavon again, but why should they both be miserable when love is clearly in their future?

While there seems to be less to digest each week on Hart of Dixie, there is more to simply enjoy while watching it. There isn’t anything wrong with that and I hope we don’t slide down the dramatic pipeline any time soon. What about you? Are you enjoying season two and the lighter side of things in Bluebell, or would you prefer more tension and focus on the dramatic love triangles? Don’t be afraid to drop a note in the comments!

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With the plug pulled on the jazzy title, the episode itself wasn’t all that exciting, either. Once the big bad we’ve been chasing for two years dies an inglorious death on a cement floor in a crappy warehouse, barely putting up a fight, it’s a bit of a downer. It makes you stop for a minute and wonder what it has meant.

On the surface, it would appear the game is over. Nazir killed the Vice President, avenged Issa and, while his war will go on, his part in it is over. I’m sure it wasn’t just me who wondered why he stuck around the warehouse waiting to be killed. He wasn’t a stupid man, or he wouldn’t have remained free for so long. I believe there was something else at play; something far more sinister.

The end of Nazir meant the end of the charade for Brody. He and Jessica finally had their talk, and their was barely any emotion to it. When he returned home, their love was long gone. She had moved on with Mike and he, well, he was just lost. He found himself in a crazy, bipolar CIA agent named Carrie Mathison.

If we’re to believe the previews, the next step for Brody and Carrie is to fight against the world to be together. Smokescreen.

Saul was put through the ringer by Estes for the death of their prison contact, and in the whole scheme of things, she mattered very little. It did nicely set things up to drive a hefty wedge between Estes and Saul, however. That wedge was already in place once Saul figured out Estes’ plan to use Peter Quinn to kill Brody once he was no longer necessary to lead them to Nazir. With Nazir gone, and Saul doubly angry, what does it do to the relationship between Saul and the CIA Chief?

Was Nazir really so easy to catch and kill, or was that his plan all along? To plant the seeds of distrust and doubt among the members of the US Government. To teach them to question each other, and in doing so start to unravel the entire workings of the way terrorism is dealt with by the United States? First and foremost, to go into a warring country, one that wants you dead at all costs, you have to trust your fellow soldiers. If you can’t, who can you trust?  From whom do you take your orders, and how do you know the orders are coming from the proper channels and are being given with the right intent? Truly, I cannot imagine the fallout of the breakdown of trust an operation of that size and scope. Perhaps that was Nazir’s plan.

Someone is assassinated next week. That’s a pretty lofty term to throw around. It could be Brody. He’s a congressman. THAT would be one hell of a twist, but it might be too much for the audience to handle, as Damian Lewis has become a bit of a mega star for Showtime. I’ve thought about Peter Quinn, but he’d be killed, not assassinated. What about Estes? With Saul as angry as he is and Carrie a loose cannon in the eyes of pretty much every breathing entity she knows the would be perfect foils to set up as killers of Estes.

Does Estes deserve to die? I think so. He took his role too far. He was going out on tangents without the backup of the higher ups, at least from what I could tell, and it was under his watch that VP Walden was killed. Tsk tsk tsk.

Quinn, for all his questions and eye rolling in the direction of Carrie, knows she has damn good instincts for the job. F. Murray Abraham could be called back in next season to investigate a murder of that magnitude, and he has the pedigree to join the spectacular cast and make any role his own. I could see he and Peter working together long term.

Granted, I’m theorizing based upon whims and a short preview of the season finale. We’ll know a lot more once it actually gets here, won’t we? Oh, never mind. This is Homeland we’re talking about. We’ll probably know less by the end of next week than we do now, but we’ll still enjoy the ride.

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