Catching up with One Tree Hill

After a 3 episode hiatus (on my part) due to annoying storylines and new characters, I watched the last new episode of One Tree Hill (the one involving Lucas and Lindsey’s wedding).  The funny thing is that I didn’t feel like I had missed three whole episodes, which leads me to believe that absolutely nothing happened in those episodes.  I have to admit that I did receive a little bit of intel from Jennifer about the Haley/Nathan/Nanny Karen storyline, but I saw that coming a mile away.  It wasn’t that much of a shock that Naley are on the outs even though Nathan didn’t do anything wrong.  If nothing else, One Tree Hill is about misunderstandings gone horribly awry.

Anyway, what prompted me to return to a 5th season slump (in my opinion)?  The return of past characters I have been curious about.  Karen showed up for the big wedding, and she brought Andy with her!  What a nice surprise!  I was wondering what she had been doing all these years, and it turns out she’s been sailing around with Andy and Lily on his yacht.  Of course, you all remember Andy?  Andy, the millionaire turned community college business professor.  I did always like him, and his return gives me hope that they could bring Jake back one day.  I haven’t heard too many promising things about a new season of October Road, so Bryan Greenberg will be free to do guest episodes to his (or Mark Schwann’s) heart’s content.   

There were so many questions left unanswered that I feel I have to start watching again.  What does the future hold for Lucas and Peyton?  Now that both of them are single and in Tree Hill, will they get back together?  Have we seen the last of Nanny Karen?  Some people think so, but I find it hard to believe that psychotic women who kidnap children aren’t afraid of Dan Scott.  Speaking of Dan Scott, is he actually going to have a storyline that doesn’t involve jail?  If so, what could it possibly be?  Who would let him back into their life?  Will Karen and Andy stick around?  Is Brooke serious about wanting a baby?  Unless I keep watching, my questions won’t be answered.  I can’t rely on tv show reviews, because no one really cares to recap One Tree Hill episodes. 

Lastly, I want to comment on the irony of how One Tree Hill has already been picked up for next season.  Apparently this is the earliest a decision to keep them has ever been made, yet it comes in, what I believe to be, their weakest season. 

OTH: K Fed makes his debut

Considering how omnipresent Kevin Federline (henceforth K Fed) is, it’s strange that I have never actually heard his voice.  I have never heard the man utter a word.  Perhaps that is the key to his success (if you can call stealing Britney Spears’ life a success).   For whatever reason, One Tree Hill thought it would be an excellent idea to cast K Fed as an egotistical front man for an up and coming rock band.  He only had a few lines in Tuesday’s episode, but they were enough to tell me that he should not quit his day job (whatever that may be these days).  I am disappointed in this casting choice, and I have been from the moment I heard about it.  Couldn’t they have gotten Vanilla Ice instead?  I know he’s busy with all those VH1 Countdowns, but surely he would have jumped at the offer to play a musician on a relatively popular tv show (among the CW crowd).  I feel that Ice has more range and would do a really fierce, in your face job.  (I can’t believe I just used the word fierce willingly!)  The preview for next week’s episode doesn’t show any signs of improvement for K Fed.  The acting on One Tree Hill is already lacking, so I have to wonder how the regular cast can make up for their own shortcomings as well as those of their guest stars. 

K Fed baffles me.  Why, Mark Schwann, why???  Can someone give me one good reason why casting K Fed was a good idea?

 

Why not Ice?

The One Tree Hill Premiere: Coming Home

I know One Tree Hill doesn’t have much credibility in the world of television, and for the most part I am willing to agree that it’s not exactly high quality television.  However, something needs to be said about Mark Schwann’s ability to take a tired genre (high school drama) and transform it into a show about young 20 somethings who are either just entering the real world or already successful professionals.  The transformation was not without its flaws, but it’s nice to see some innovation in this genre.  So many shows before it (and after it) have failed to make the transition from high school drama to college successfully because it becomes hard to believe and tedious (when all the characters miraculously end up at the same college).  Shows have also ended because they have reached a creative dead end upon high school graduation (ex: The OC).  I want to argue that had Veronica Mars tried this leap forward to the FBI after Season 2 instead of after Season 3, it might still be on the air.  So when the Tree Hill gang finally reached their high school graduation (senior year was split into two seasons), Mark Schwann opted to flash forward 4 years to the future.  Rather than having Brooke, Peyton, Haley, Nathan, Lucas, Mouth, etc all go to the same school, everyone went their separate ways.  I am not sure if Lucas, Peyton, or Brooke went to college or just started on their dreams right after high school, but it doesn’t really matter.  What matters is they didn’t spend their time together.  In fact, it appears that they didn’t speak that frequently at all.  Brooke, busy with her successful clothing line, Clothes Over Bros, has moved on and lives all alone in an unidentifiable city (possibly L.A.).  Peyton has been working at a successful record label, as an “assistant to the assistant” and has been confronted with compromising her spirit and integrity.  Lucas stayed in Tree Hill, is the new coach of the Ravens (with Skillz), and wrote a successful novel.  Mouth has presumably graduated college and remains the most realistic character.  He’s just a regular guy searching for a way to get into a career he’s dreamed about forever–sportscasting.  Haley and Nathan were the only people to stick together, being married and all.  They seemed to have everything sorted out, but after a terrible bar fight, Nathan ended up in a wheelchair.  Although this is not a permanent thing, he will probably never play basketball again.  He’s also turned into a younger version of his father, Dan, who we did not see in last night’s premiere.

Now that we’re all caught up with everyone, I had some questions about what some other characters are up to.  First of all, where is Karen?  Why was she only mentioned in passing when Lucas offered to let Peyton use Tric as her office space?  Also, where is Rachel?  Does anyone still talk to her?  She and Brooke were certainly very close in Season 4.  Oddly enough, I am also curious about Skillz and Bevin.  Did they break up not long after graduation?  Lastly, where is Deb?  Finally I have to wonder why Brooke and Peyton don’t know Jamie at all.  Neither of them returned to Tree Hill after Haley gave birth?  Is this really the first time they’ve been back in 4 years?