One Tree Hill-The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most

In the second episode of One Tree Hill we begin with a fantastic song by the Get Up Kids. Lucas' friends recap his victory over Nathan, which occured in the previous episode. The first game for Lucas has arrived on the varsity Ravens basketball team and his friends will show support. At Karen's Cafe we see Haley and Keith attempting Karen to attend Lucas' game, but she backs out for business.

We cut to the locker of the Ravens as Nathan strolls in with his headphones on listening to some rap. As Dan has now advised Nathan to make Lucas disappear from the team, Nathan decides that some hazing is in order for his brother. As Lucas leaves at the coaches request, while Mouth and Jimmy approach Lucas as the sports announcers of the Ravens before Whitey sends them away.

Nathan and Lucas approach the court as the sports commentators discuss the suspension of players that occured in the last episode. Brooke starts to check out Lucas, and then the big game begins. Lucas totally blows the game though, missing every shot and dropping the ball consistently and gets benched by Whitey.

They can almost feel Lucas' pain.

After the game, Nathan and Peyton make out in his car and get into a fight about Nathan's disdain for Lucas and Nathan takes off, while throwing her music CD's at her.

Keith then tells Karen at her cafe that she should have been at the game, and Karen agrees with disappointment, while Lucas and Peyton talk on the River Court as she gives him her version of "cheer". When Nathan gets home, his father starts pinpointing everything he did wrong to him, revealing some of Dan's twisted parenting.

When Lucas and Peyton arrive at her house, she asks him why he wanted to join the team and he says he wants to know if he is good. Peyton explains that she doesn't feel that basketball is really important. When Lucas asks her why she plays and she gives him a response from both points without truly answering the question. She asks him if he wants to come in and then messes with his head when he reaches the door, closing him out.

Karen apologizes to Lucas when he gets home for missing his first game, but he still bitter about it. Peyton spends some time drawing to some rock music, as Nathan gives her a call and apologizes blaming his attitude on his fathers pressure about Lucas on the team. Peyton decides to accept his apology, but adds "its not okay" to her drawing, showing us that she probably expresses herself through her art.

The next day Lucas tries to work on his game, but is not very successful as he misses every shot. In class, the teacher discusses Hemmingway's simplenes on his quest to be a good writer and a class discussion begins. Peyton insults Lucas, while he tries to be kind towards her. Nathan takes it to the max and Lucas throws him on the floor and almost punches him.

Lucas is taken to Whitey's office and gets heavily scolded by Whitey leading Lucas to decide he wants to leave the team, but will not run away from it. Nathan and his sidekick Tim talk about how Nathan beat Lucas up as a teammate Jake tells the true side of what happened as Nathan trash talks him.

Later on, Lucas and Haley meet up and she mentions his fight that he somehow forgot to mention to her. He talks to her about how much things have changed and how he wants them to go back to normal. Brooke and Peyton hang out and Brooke gives some useless talk as Peyton tries to talk about how high school is SO in the past, but Brooke adds some insight that all girls have deep in their hearts, though they don't state it quite as beautifully as Brooke.

Keith and Lucas discuss his problems on the team and Keith tells him that it will get better, and tells Lucas he has to tell his mom about the problems. As Lucas inspects Peyton's car he discovers her drawings and she catches him, is rude to him as usual, and takes off. BOY IS PEYTON SWEET!!!

Dan and Nathan discuss the fight as Nathan says that Lucas swung at Dan and NOT actually at Nathan. It amazes me that Nathan could depict this with his apparent small jock-sized brain. Lucas then gets scolded by Karen, but quickly moves the blame to her about not attending the game and as she gets upset, he tries to take back what he said. As Lucas leaves the cafe he finds Peyton's artwork in the trash and picks it up. Maybe he will put it up on the fridge?

Lucas arrives at home and apologizes to Karen for what he said, as she assures him that she does love him, but that it is hard to deal with the things that caused her so much pain in the past. Nathan and Dan walk as Dan trash talks Whitey for trying to get back at him through Nathan.

In the library, Jake approaches Lucas and they talk about Nathan and Nathan's attitude as Jake gives Lucas Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand to read. Jake assures Lucas that he will be just fine. Back at class, the Hemingway lesson begins again, but is now confidential to avoid confrontation. Students are asked to write one thing they want in one word.

Nathan "Admit it Lucas, you suck!!"

Nathan arrives at the River Court where Lucas is at and shoots perfect baskets, taunting Lucas at his recent inability to shoot and tells Lucas not to show up at the next practice. Lucas is absent from the next practice as Nathan predicts.

Peytons encounters Lucas at the Repair Shop as he gives Peyton her artwork. He tells her that her artwork is good, but she says she can't draw good because she can't draw anything that actually means something. She leaves without her sketchbook.

Dan arrives in Whiteys office and tells Whitey to stop taking out his anger for Dan on Nathan. Whitey tells Dan that Lucas left the team, and Dan couldn't be happier. Later that night Whitey talks to Lucas about the team and tells him to decide his choice by the next game on the following night and tries to boost Lucas with confidence.

We then find Nathan painting Peyton's toes (very random) as Nathan discusses quitting the team and Peyton gets excited about quitting the squad, but he laughs in her face as she agrees with his point to leave. Lucas and Haley then walk around talking about their porn names, and he tells her about not being on the team anymore. Haley supports him.

When Lucas arrives home, his mother talks with him about facing the things that he is afraid of and he decides to go back to the team. Dan pumps some more thoughts into Nathans head before Nathan leaves to the game. Dan asks Lucas to give Nathan a sports bag and stands in awe of his offspring for a moment. Jake gives Lucas some inspirational words and the CODA begins playing the great Gavin Degraw's "Belief".

Karen arrives at the game, Brooke and Peyton cheer, and Lucas tells Peyton that her art matters and brought him to where he is. Whitey and Lucas smile with confidence of Lucas' future. Dan looks in dismay to find his last name missing from Lucas' jersey and the episode ends.

Literary quote:

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swaps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it's yours."
-- Ayn Rand, "Atlas Shrugged"

Special thanks to One Tree Hill Web

Most Depressing Prom At Hater High

It is that time again! Prom time, the night when regular high school drama characters lose their virginity, or at least plan to, but our Tree Hill High seniors are way ahead of the game in that department (Mouth is just a night early on that one). Prom is also supposed to be when friends laugh, popular kids get recognized (the joy), and random people you never thought would end up together, happen to end up together (RANDOM), leading to great gossip the next day. These things are happening to a certain extent in Tree Hill during this episode.

In the previous episode, the EVIL video surfaced at the Scott house (No, not the haunted video from The Ring silly) of Nathan and Brooke hooking up, which was a complete shocker to anyone who has been watching this show since Season One, proving that blondes, brunettes, and red heads are all equally loved and used by men, especially NATHAN SCOTT. Suddenly, we find that Peyton isn't as bad a person as we previous thought, since Brooke was just as bad a friend to her, which leads us to one frightening conclusion, friends in Tree Hill SUCK! Suddenly, Peyton gives Brooke the scariest stare I have ever seen come out of such a cute face, and punches Brooke right in the face causing everything to go pitch black to my amusement. I thought the cable was out at first, but then some commercials aired deepening my suspense of what was happening to the new traitor Brooke.

When we return we find ourselves in a flashback. These are quite commonplace in Tree Hill and usually reveal murders, wedding, and yes, you guessed it, sex. Here is somewhere we haven't been in a really long time…The Scott House. Peyton has her emo curly blonde hair look, Nathan is a stupid jock and jerk, and Brooke is a drunken cheerleading slut. (Insert Stephen Colletti yelling in Cabo, Mexico HERE)Lucas and Haley are probably happily playing miniature golf on top of Karen's Café, still outcasts of the grand social scene, and still aware of the drama that will disrupt their happy friendship in the near future. Meanwhile, Nathan is flirting with…BEVIN!! Wait, I thought he was going after Brooke in this episode? Anyway, Peyton dumps him for the millionth time, the girl obviously does not know when "Enough is Enough", and she should really pay a visit to the The Hills for more on that. After Peyton dumps our favorite jerk Nathan, he winds up sitting on a couch next to none other than Brooke Davis, Tree Hill High class president. They both are lounging on the couch, and as he tells her that he has been dumped by Peyton, Brooke has the brightest idea to hook up with Nathan now that he is single. (Insert Stephen Colletti yelling in Cabo, Mexico HERE)

"I'm sexy, you're sexy, let's be sexy together."

In a previous episode of One Tree Hill in Season One, a drunken Brooke also had this idea with Lucas and Jake at the same time in her honestly horny state, all the more reason to question the judgment of Brooke Davis, your Tree Hill High class president. Moments later Brooke is upstairs with Nathan and they begin to make out like most high school students do at these parties, or as I like to call them pre-sleepovers, until Nathan jumps up and decides he wants to TAPE this grand occasion (How smart!) he is spending with Brooke Davis, your Tree Hill High class president. Brooke tells him he has to promise to erase it later and the rest is history. Why would Brooke trust a jerk like Nathan? Did it have anything to do with the fact that her brain was filled with alcohol or was that even truly a factor? Could her mind really just be empty all on its own? Why did she never check back to make sure the video was erased? We may NEVER know. I kid, I kid, this is not MTV, after all, and they do not edit out all the important stuff from the viewers.

Snoop Dawg may want to get in on this WILD video.

We find ourselves in the morning after the over-dramatic state championship party (If someone from Laguna Beach had been there I would have expected them to yell "SO MUCH DRAMA" with their mouth wide open), and Brooke has a lovely new scar on her face that she will gladly shine in her new prom pictures. Rachel pokes fun at her questioning the size of Lucas's genitals compared to those of Nathan (She probably still has a thing for the man she tried to unwed), and dare I say it, Lucas shows up at Rachel's place to check on Brooke after not bothering to visit her for the whole season, or second half of senior year as I like to say. So RANDOM!! When he enters Rachel says, "Didn't you see enough of her last night? Or are you here for the deleted scenes?" to which Lucas replies "No, I wanted the exclusive commentary with a costume gallery to fulfill my fantasies!" So maybe that didn't happen, and instead, Lucas merely just lingered around Brook's house for a few minutes of boring questions and moved onward.

Back at the Scott House we find Nathan lying on the floor in a perfect position, as if Peyton, your Tree Hill artist, was painting him, and then the pregnant giant Haley enters the room, as the ground shakes, to disturb this perfect pose and bark about the tape some more. She questions Nathan's morality and Nathan says he simply did not think the past should have been discussed anymore. SILLY Nathan, you don't think that anymore, now do you!! Now Nathan will spend hours upon hours telling Haley about every moment from the moment he had his first breath, to the point where he got his nipple pierced (that still gives me the creeps), and then he will continue to when he lost his virginity to Haley's hot sister. There will books written, tapes made (oh no), and a television show based on it!

Deb Scott arrives back at her trashed home and Nathan manages to easily convince her that the mess surrounding her house was all her fault, and she immediately accepts it, while she stares at the mess of booze lying around the house. Way to be nice to your mother that has just come home from rehabilitation Nathan! I previously thought that Deb was addicted to pills, not alcohol, but I may have been wrong on that fact. Feel free to comment on that.

"Just clean it up Mom..."

Lucas arrives at Peyton's house, which is still curiously always unlocked, the girl wonders why people stalk her and break into her home. She coldly pushes Lucas away when the not-so-smart author gives away the fact that he visited Brooke on his way to the Sawyer house. He claims he will return for his wonderful love later that night no matter what, how sweet…

Meanwhile, Nathan and Brooke rendezvous and conclude that their hookup was NOT A DREAM. I find it disturbing that Brooke is such a big liar that she has to convince herself that things that happen are "dreams". I wonder what else she thinks of as "dreams". Mouth keeps giving his former clean teen girlfriend booty calls, which obviously is not going to work. Mouth is always left alone in the Tree Hill storyline, poor guy.

"I'm too important to be just a dream."

Brooke and Peyton clash verbally at Prom preparation, which is odd because you would figure they would just avoid each other in all the awkwardness in real life high school. Mouth tries to talk to Brooke, but finds her in a bitter state of mind and leaves her alone in her Tree Hill High class president misery. Chase dumps Brooke for doing the same thing to Peyton that was done to Chase in previous years, and never telling Chase about it. So much for Brooke's love life, the girl is a new Peyton from last season when it comes to boys.

Haley and Nathan are once again at the Scott House. I assume this a Saturday since I have not seen any school scenes yet. She is on a video destruction rampage, tearing every VHS she can see in her vision with her monstrous stomach. Haley demands a list of every girl Nathan has slept with, and the first thing Nathan does is visit Dan for advice, and oddly enough does exactly the opposite to my humor, as we watch Haley completely fall apart and claim she does not know how she can compete with the other girls when he decides to make the list. SILLY Nathan, father always knows best. This brings back the porn episode where Nathan had to convince Haley of his endless love to her with a simple kiss. Maybe he should just randomly kiss Haley when she walks down the hallway in the Scott house, and suddenly all their problems will be solved magically!!

"Videos make me so ANGRY!!! Must destroy..."

"Then again...videos make me SAD..."

"I surely didn't marry you for your brain."

"DIE!!!!!!" yells the MONSTROUS Haley.

Karen and Dan plan their second prom night together, and Lucas does not take to long to give up his opposition to it. Bloody Keith frowns from the heavens at this sight. I do as well. Karen and Dan, or Daren as I like to call them, is one of the worst concepts I have ever seen on television. The creators taunt me with this cursed new "love", though the characters still deny how they obviously feel.

We later find Rachel packing to leave town to visit her parents and Mouth visits her. They talk for a little while, and Mouth just can't get over the fact that he just wanted a last dance with her. It's called a boom box Mouth, people dance in rooms just like they do at formals! He asks Rachel why she isn't saying goodbye to people, and Rachel goes through a list of all the people she has wronged, far passing the Christmas lists sent to Santa Claus every year at the North Pole.

Over at the Sawyer house we find Peyton on the computer as usual when an egg hits her window, being delivered personally by none other than the Tree Hill High class president Brooke Davis in her mourning of the loss of the "perfect" dress and boyfriend. Questioning her judgment yet? The girls duel it out physically on the grass until Peyton finally decides that she is the better one of the two, and that Brooke has officially died in the world of Peyton. Cause of death: Dishonesty.

Nathan gives Haley a list of all the girls he has ever fallen in love with, which is of course only Haley. Peyton was just lust, that's all. Rachel packs some more and Brooke says good bye to her as Rachel makes Brooke promise to try and fix things with Peyton, finally being the good girl before she leaves. They verbally abuse themselves some before Rachel takes off.

Peyton then decides she wants to be a bad girl, but her desires are squashed when Nathan comes by to apologize and remind her that she isn't bad and that she is the one who cares and always will. Take that Peyton! Apparently, he knows her better than she knows herself. Looks like Peyton needs to take a personality test or something.

Nathan thinks, "Maybe I can still get out of here before she notices me."

Mouth and Brooke end up going to Prom together after her dress is returned to her door step, but is ecstatic with joy when she learns that her dress has been painted by Peyton to say WHORE on it. Still questioning your Tree Hill class president's judgment? Over at the Scott House everything is fixed and Nayley has been restored to their usual kissing state, the first truly happy moment this whole episode. I thought I was going to literally drown in all the depression until this occurred.

Kisses fix EVERYTHING!

When Garbage and Fergie arrive at the Prom they try to separate to avoid people from thinking they are homosexuals going together. Fergie informs Garbage that he could never get with "Fergielicious" much to my amusement since they have no resemblance whatsoever. Rachel receives a text of Brooke and Mouth happy at Prom, and Lucas is driving somewhere unknown (I assume the Sawyer house). Peyton is shown finally in her dress ready to go to prom, and she gets the door to find no other than the STALKER DERRICK at her door and before she can even try to get away, she gets punched in the face by him and everything goes black. Karma I tell you, Karma!

So what were your thoughts? What do you think will happen to Peyton? Will Lucas save her once again Clark Kent style? Will Brooke ever find love? Who will be Prom Queen and King? Discuss. Discuss.

Everything In It's Right Place

"Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real, when you woke up you didn't know what to believe? What would you do if what you thought was true wasn't? Or if you thought wasn't true was?"

We return to the world of One Tree Hill with Lucas and Peyton. (Yay) His recovery from the world of twisted realities was skipped this time around, unlike his car crash back in season one, and thank god because no one needs another wasted episode spent in a hospital room for an hour unless it is on Grey's Anatomy. We move on to Brooke and Rachel discussing stealing the key to the Calculus tests from the tutor center. Apparently, Brooke studied all night for her Calculus test and this kept her from her usual activities with men....Those naughty cheerleaders...and to think of someone cheating on a test in high school, especially beautiful girls, is AWKWARD and completely unheard of! At least that is how Brooke feels as she calls Rachel a traitor, despite the fact that Rachel worked extremely hard to help her math challenged friend. She commands Rachel to give the key back. By now we can establish that Brooke is confused on what betrayal is, and I wonder if she is failing English too? Maybe beloved ex-best friend forever and lover taking back-stabber Peyton has been the cause of this insane confusion of the word "betrayal".



"Brooke I am not a TRAITOR!!!!! It's just LOVE!!!"

This awkwardness can only be toppled by the GIGI and her warning of the immediate dumping of our favorite announcer who never ever gets to stay with the girls, MOUTH. Poor guy is always getting dumped, riding bicycles, and taking taxi car rides with his love interests, and yet he never gets a real one. One day you will win Mouth, ONE DAY!

Teleport over to our car victim Haley James Scott and we are forced to hear her tell Nathan how sweet he really is, if only you knew Haley, if only you knew. Nathan keeps telling her lies as she watches the news, and Haley tells how she cannot BELIEVE that Dan would do such a cruel thing as to kill a man with force...has she even met Dan? We cut to Dan meeting with his lawyer in prison, and he says he will just say that he is guilty and stay in jail forever. Smooth move Dan, that will make killing your brother SO much better!! Maybe he will raise from the dead and thank you some day? (You never know in Tree Hill) Nathan then arrives and tries to have his dad let him turn Nathan in. It is really wierd to see Nathan sacrificing for his father, after all Dan has done, but evil makes love in Tree Hill, evidence Lucas and Nathan, or Nathan and Haley.

At the rehab facility we find Deb Scott, still lost in the magical world of drugs. I love Deb's sense of humor and I think she really makes up for the lack of happiness in Tree Hill, if she is even in the town right now. Watching her misery, while surrounded by other addicts is hilarious, she is not anything like the typical rehab patient. Over in the patio we find Leyton again. They share a kiss, and she locks him out and asks that they don't PDA? Don't tell me this is happening again! Does she never learn? PEYTON YOU PUSH PEOPLE AWAY...her subconscious said it best: "People always leave...or Peyton always pushes them away?" (insert bitchy smile)

Gigi is trying to find the best way to break up with poor Mouth. They chat in class over a videophone, which is highly unrealistic, don't these schools have rules? A virgin club called Clean Teens code for "UGLY PEOPLE WHO CAN'T GET ANY" is then made fun of by Brachel. Brooke is ready for the Calculus test and is confidant in her abilities to succeed. We believe in you head cheerleader, let us hope extra credit is not the definition of betrayal.

Suddenly we find ourselves in the apartment of Nayley. Nathan finally breaks down and tells Haley everything that he has been hiding from her for most of this season (unless you count him trying to tell her before she got trampled by that car). Of course, if this would have been Dan, he would have hid it for probably more than twenty years from the world. Despite this, Haley does not want to hear anymore of it and things turn dark for our longest lasting Tree Hill couple. What will do if in the yearbook under Best Couple, Haley and Nathan turn out to be broken up when it is released?

Suprisingly enough, Dan is released from prison against his will. Curse the heavens, how can this man be let free! Deb is still in the rehab center and is watching her husband on television, still so connected. As her pills arrive and she jumps up for joy, we see Nathan and Lucas discussing Dan's freedom and Nathan smiles, still slightly upset. As we cut back to Tree Hill High we learn Brooke failed yet another Calculus test, how will she ever graduate? Who will she turn to now? Well obvious the friend that was "betraying" her, Rachel made a copy of the key. Yay for key copyright infringements.

Dan reassures Nathan that it was not his fault. Lucas works his reconciling powers to bring Haley and Nathan back together. I miss the days when Lucas hated Nathan and would always take Haley's side, how the wrath would occur, it is all but gone by now. Haley lets us all know that she is mess...thats funny, seeing scars on her face and her lying in bed was not any indication of that.

Gigi lets Mouth know that she needs to bond with her Sophomore classmates since Mouth will soon be going to college. I guess Mouth should have just stayed with the model who offered him the night of his life, this is what happens when you are a nice guy, take Rachel's advice Mouth, be a jerk! They get girls like Haley! Haley helps Peyton out with her foolishness and doubt.

Night falls in Tree Hill HS, and we find Brachel breaking into the school alias style with some skimpy outfit on, they pass a Clean Teens session and make fun of the fact that virgins have nothing better to do at night, yes the life of a sex addict is so much more pleasing!! I suppose the network is suggesting that Brachel get their freak on every chance they get. Elsewhere, Deb is breaking out of Rehab too, but little did she know that her rehab was VOLUNTARY, how could you have missed that detail? It's true what they say about blondes.

"We'll never get caught in our scheme in this attire!"

Back in Tree Hill HS, Brachel has been BUSTED. Their cover story? They are attending a clean teen meeting of course!! Rachel suggests it is a good cover story and could be fun? Maybe their secret plot is to make all the virgins turn upside down? Who knows.

Lucas, Mouth, and Haley are all hanging out together for the first time ever. Haley suggests Mouth shouldn't have a long distance relationship, she would know having cheated on her husband, and yet why listen to Lucas, he cheats even when he is at home, so Mouth just leaves.

In Nathan's apartment, Deb feels horrible over Nathan and Haley's separation and takes her drug hunt elsewhere. Leyton meets back up and they talk about her evil ways, and Lucas shuts her up with a kiss, thank god for kisses! He finally tells her he loves her, that was fast, in just three episodes, he has released this gigantic thrust of love. Meanwhile, Nathan retrieves his wife with their favorite quote "always and forever", and in the end all is well in the town of Tree Hill. Nathan talks about the ugly person inside of him who has always been there. The version with a nipple ring? I think so.

When Dan arrives back in his house there are newspaper clippings of his murder to most likely Keith on his wall. Karen mistakes them for the murder of Dante, and it just sickens me to watch her hug him and for a second I thought they might kiss, which would REALLY make me sick from my stomach.

The episode ends at Keith's grave as Lucas thanks his uncle, Mouth is crushed by Gigi as she meets with her Sophomore friends (I can't believe the loss he had at that fun night), and Brachel meet with their new Clean Teen friends. Finally, Peyton gets out of her last class and she kisses Lucas in the biggest kiss of the episode, the waiting has ended. Things are finally happy again in Tree Hill.

"Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real, when you woke up you didn't know what to believe? What would you do if what you thought was true wasn't? And what you thought wasn't true was? Would you retreat into your dreams with the hope of finding a more perfect reality? Sometimes life is stranger than a dream and the only way to wake up is to face what lies hidden in yourself. And you can only hope that in the moments of dark reflection that you are not alone."

What were your thoughts of the episode? Favorite moments, least favorite? Songs?