And this is why One Tree Hill is so amazing.
Not because of every little thing that happens, but because everything happens all at once. And it’s impossible to choose a stopping point at which to write my weekly Virgin Diary — because the episodes are all intense, and because writing the entry would mean having to stop watching for a bit of time to gather my thoughts together.
First of all, the Season 2 finale (“The Leavers Dance”) was great — most notably, the poisoning and subsequent fire at Dan Scott Motors. I like how it wasn’t completely obvious who did it. When we find out in Season 3 that it was Deb, I am somewhat surprised — I would have thought it was Andy because he hadn’t checked into his New Zealand hotel yet, or Keith, because Karen is convinced she saw him in Tree Hill that day. It’s interesting how, after Keith is arrested, there are flashbacks to how he did buy the liquor and was going to kill his brother, but then Deb interceded. I’m glad that the cops didn’t hold Keith for long and pretty much laughed in Dan’s face about not having any evidence on him. At least someone has some sense. There ought to be more characters in the show (other than Whitey, who is a seasoned pro at this) who don’t let Dan’s ego get in the way of common decency.
Dan is just getting worse every episode. He is totally inappropriate to all the female characters, especially Haley. I’m thinking of one scene in particular where he walks in on her in Nathan’s bed after Nathan left to meet his mom (“Brave New World”) and she tells him he’s making her uncomfortable. I’d need to take a shower after every conversation with him. And the fact that he keeps showing up at the River Courts and at the gym, practically harassing his two sons … he just can’t give it up. He is disgusting.
Brooke and Lucas getting back together was … expected, but she was acting dumb for quite awhile there. I’m not sure if Rachel is going to become a major character on this show, or if she was just placed there as a temporary foil to Brooke. She doesn’t seem like she’s going to be there for long, but then again, she is becoming closer to Mouth (who, by the way, has a spot in the opening credits now! Hooray!), so maybe that will develop a little more.
I’m happy that Nathan and Haley are working things out. Nathan is definitely a more well-rounded and interesting character than I initially thought. I enjoy when characters change and surprise you. Haley is still annoying to me, but I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it’s because she’s the one who has changed the most, and for about half of her time on the show, that change was portrayed as negative because she was neglecting her friends, family, and husband for her musical career. And because it seemed so unrealistic, being that she was such a goody-goody with dreams of Stanford and not much else (except those horrible hats). I do hope that whatever happens between Haley and Nathan that they will be able to keep Dan at bay and not let him affect their emotions too much.
Speaking of emotions, it’s time I get to the character I have been thinking about the most since seeing the last few episodes (I left off at “The Wind That Blew My Heart Away,” when Peyton’s birth mother Ellie dies). Peyton is, and has been from the beginning, my favorite character on the show.
Not only is she smart and business savvy, but she has a huge heart — which has led to her detriment. She seems to have all the bad luck. It kind of makes sense that she was with Nathan for awhile at the beginning of the series, because you can tell that she has low self-esteem and didn’t think she deserved better than that relationship for quite some time. After things not working out with Lucas or with Jake, she remains alone in her thoughts once again. Her bedroom has become the inspiration — and the canvas — for all her musical and artistic projects. From her new podcast, to painting/drawing/scribbling on the walls, to helping produce albums, her creative genius is generated from her room.
She is a very unique character, because while some young women who act this way or who are characterized in a show in this manner usually run on simply the “goth” track or are seen as “freaks.” Peyton crosses over, though, because of her friendships as well as her involvement on the cheerleading squad. So she really cannot be defined in just one way.
Season 3 takes us through Peyton’s reluctance — and, eventually, her surrender — to getting to know her birth mom, Ellie. As a result of Ellie coming forward with this information, she has learned that her father is not her biological father either (and am I the only one who was freaked out by the fact that her dad is also played by a new actor this season?). When she finally decides to go find Ellie and let her into her life, their interactions are always bittersweet. Peyton knows that Ellie has breast cancer, but Ellie was not totally honest with her daughter about the extent to which it has spread (as well as the fact that she has recently decided to forgo treatment).
Seeing Ellie in her private moments, moments that are not meant for Peyton to see — tearing up in front of the mirror or staring blankly at her record collection as she sits slumped on the floor — cannot be described adequately. To say that these episodes or scenes are “sad” would be a gross understatement. Ellie has decided to come to terms with her disease, and to spend the rest of her life living. This is a decision she made for herself. After spending 17 years of her life not thinking as a mother but as an individual, I’m sure it was hard for her to internalize what was going to happen to Peyton when she passed away. Ellie was a free spirit, and her character was flawed, but at the heart of her character she enjoyed the same things that Peyton enjoyed: art, music, and living for the moment. She took risks because, for her, there was no other way of living. Hopefully that’s something Peyton will keep with her in the years that follow.
The conversations that the two women have about music is incredible. Listening to Ellie’s description of hearing the Replacements’ “Here Comes A Regular” at the Meadow during a thunderstorm was like listening to poetry. And Peyton telling her birth mom that Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration” was the saddest song she’d ever heard (because it was playing in the hospital when her mom died) provided evidence of just how similar they are. They look for inspiration in music and associate it with the mood of a moment, whether or not it is appropriate.
The song playing at the end of the episode, “World Spins Madly On” by The Weepies, is one of my favorite songs, and was perfect to describe what Peyton must be feeling, as well as the entire series. Well done, One Tree Hill.
Clacked by Rachel Blum-Jose 
on Jul 07, 2012 @ 15:00 EST5EDT
