A Note About The Worst OTH Ever!

Darkness on the Edge of Tree Hill

So I finally got around to watching the Winter finale episode of One Tree Hill. Plain and simple, "Darkness On the Edge of Town" sucked. It may tie for the worst episode ever. things weren't this dumb and ridiculous since season 3 when Nathan's dad killed Uncle Keith and pinned it on Jimmy, the school shooter in "With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept," (Moment of silence for Uncle Keith).

And the one where psycho Derek kept attacking Peyton were ridiculous, but at least there was a prom going on,and kinda the same with crazy Nanny Carrie trying to kidnap Jamie (a much-protested wedding)/ murder Haley and Jamie (Halloween-themed in honor of THE SHINING).

Ok, so these psycho murderer plots seem pretty common now that I think about it. But here's where things went from bad to worse- little Chuck- friend of Jamie walking down the street with a pool of blood on his head. (P.S. where did their makeup artist study? Ms. Lauren had the same pool of blood on her head).

Other common themes included:
Cars going over a bridge and into the water.
From season 3 "The Show Must Go On" into 4 "The Same Deep Water As You", Nathan's other uncle (Coop) and Rachel went off the bridge in a limo into the water. Nathan jumped in and rescued them (or did he? Maybe Uncle Keith used some divine power...) while Haley stood by screaming in her wedding dress.

Shooting someone at point-blank range.
Not only was it happening twice (Katie trying to shoot Quinn, and then Quinn shooting Katie), and a fairly well mirrored image of Season 7's finale, but it totally had the Dan shoots Keith theme written all over it [see last week's episode for some wrong information surrounding Dan murder of Keith (he didn't get a shovel and bury the body, he left it in the school to be found)].

Car tragedy on the road.
In the season 4 Winter finale "Songs to Love and Die By" and its precursor "Some You Give Away", Haley was pregnant (again) with Jamie and a jealous Dante ran her over after Nathan refused to throw the final score of the championship basketball game. Lucas saw the accident and his heart condition took over, sending him into cardiac arrest and a "Its a Wonderful Life"-style dream where life was different.

Small jokes only a true Hill-er can appreciate:
- The opening credits were back to the original Gavin DeGraw version.
- Nathan's comment about big moments in his and Haley's lives happening in the rain.
- Nathan threatening to make Jamie walk home in a joking impression of papa Dan.
- Nathan referencing "A Christmas Story." Odd choice, but a small attempt in acknowledging they weren't doing a Christmas themed episode??
- Ms. Lauren being in an episode. And Mouth, Clay, Alex, and Millie not (they are in the opening credits).
- And the fact that Jamie attends Tree Hill Grade School. How much in the middle of nowhere is this town?I thought they were slightly cosmopolitan.

I thought these characters were going to be dead at the end of the episode:
Chuck
Ms. Lauren
Brooke
Jamie
Psycho Katie
Quinn

I would have actually cared if these characters were dead at the end of the episode:
Ms. Lauren
Brooke
Jamie

There was a definite moment when I saw the masked words behind a recent comment by EP Mark Schwan about Lucas and Peyton not making it back to the show for Brooke's wedding.I saw them coming back for her funeral... I honestly thought about changing the name of the show to Naley Hill.

What really bothered me about this episode was that it came on the heels of a fantastic Thanksgiving episode "Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace" and a fairly decent "night out at tric" episode "Lists, Plans." Both of those were really character/plot moving, fun, and a true ensemble piece. It brought back the good feelings of the early seasons.

And most important, it made me remember why I love One Tree Hill in the first place. It's about friends, life, and the relate-ability of these characters [yes we're not all ex pro athletes going back to finish our degrees like Nathan (surprisingly interesting plot line)], but we've all have that jerky teacher we wanted to show up. We grew up with the kids in the Hill, and hopefully the last episodes this spring will honor the show's long legacy of being kick-ass (and sometimes thought provoking- I really miss Lucas's voice-overs. O Hell, I miss any voice-overs).

A Note About OTH Getting Real

In a shocking juxtaposition between what you get and what you see, One Tree Hill's promos have little to do (tone-wise) with the actual episode. Each episode is full of somberness and sorrow, the angst of your twenties with some soap-opera drama. Each promo is in the 90210-style "Ten Shocking Things that Happen This Week" method, which will need to stop if this show wants to continue with its integrity. And as much as I love OTH, let's agree that its integrity is definitely compromised this season. Not only was season 8 hanging by a thread, but both Clay and Quinn barely lived from that shooting.

Speaking of the shooting nobody should have survived (they were unconscious for like 30 hours), isn't anyone looking for that Katie nutcase that shot them? What happened to Tree hill Justice? Even though Dan wasn't convicted of Keith's murder for a while, they suspected he did it, and he did go to jail. They KNOW crazy Katie killed these people, and nobody seems to bat an eyelash...

But I do like Haley taking over as the narrator. Her bookend letters to Lucas are a cute way to narrate the show and get back to the roots,back when Lucas used to narrate the show. I miss those peroxide-heads. This show cannot go out without Lucas and Peyton coming back.

I'm undecided about how i feel about the new opening credits. I love the resurgence of the credits, but there's a new version of "I Don't Want to Be" every week. It's interesting, but its not comforting.

Another Note About Opening Credits

THEY'RE BACK!

I'm finally catching up on the season premiere of One Tree Hill, which much to my surprise, totally played the cliffhanger of Quinn and Clay getting shot off as a dream until the last possible moment of the episode, and then what happens????? OPENING CREDITS

The One Tree Hill opening credits, which were first pulled in the season three episode where Jimmy shot up the school, have been missing surely for seasons 6 and 7, and possibly a good portion of season 5 (except for the 100th episode where they filmed Gavin DeGraw singing and playing piano with little Jamie).

As is customary, there were shout outs to departed characters Lucas and Peyton throughout the first few minutes. Plus shots of Lucas bouncing the basketball across the train bridge at sunrise and a shot of Peyton's curly mane in one of Brooke's shots.

In a side note, hellcats is eerily reminiscent of One Tree Hill. Could it be the cheer competitions? The fact that Aly (Marty) looks just like a young Hilarie Burton (Peyton)? Could it be the east-coast southern location? Could it be the two former one tree hill cast members (Quentin and Psycho Derek?)

A Thank You Note to the CW

Dear CW,

We've had our aches and pains over the years. I've been working on forgiving you for the whole cancelling Buffy and Roswell and shifting them to UPN thing.

Although, I may never forgive you for the dreadful resurrection of 7th Heaven. The last three or four years of that show were a straight up joke.

I have to thank you personally for listening to the fans for once. Most importantly in regard to One Tree Hill. This show has really meant a lot to me. I've grown up with Nathan, Brooke, Lucas, Peyton, Haley, and the others in Tree Hill. We've graduated high school, went to college, and struggled into adulthood at the same time.

I was terrified that this constant in my life, this one bond, would be yanked from my life today with your 2010-2011 season announcement. Nobody thought One Tree Hill would live to see this September, most especially me. But I had a change of heart in the last week. I began to feel guilt for commenting a few weeks ago that I thought maybe it was time to end.

But, I braced for the worst. There's nothing I hate more than an unplanned series finale (see Angel's Not Fade Away), which would have happened with Monday night's possible double murder of two main characters. SPOILER- Clay AND Quinn get shot by that crazy tennis player Katie that wants Clay to be her agent/lover.

Now season 7 hasn't been the best with the departures of Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton, but I've stuck with you. I've stuck with you through the five year jump, the murder of Uncle Keith, the birth of little Jamie, and I've continued to love and support the show.

But now one tree hill has the time, whether it be a half a season or a full season, to go out with dignity and grace. Not just tying up ends with tearful songs and long speeches.

It's going to take more than a trip to Utah for Haley to get over her depression and losing her mother. Mouth and Skills can't just go back to being bros overnight. Brooke and Julian can't just get engaged and ride off into the sunset. And have we ever seen the last of dan Scott? I think not.

Positive note: Brooke and her mother can finally get along. That part of the episode was nice and very necessary. One of these kids needs a stable parent in their life, especially since Karen moved on in season 5. And we need to see Lucas and Peyton one more time before the end, with their baby.

This show started about a group of brothers, begrudgingly becoming friends, and trying to find their place in the world. Let's bring it out the way we came in this fall.