'One Tree Hill': Mother knows best?

Before this episode even aired, I just knew that all I would want to talk about here was K-Fed and his ridiculous guest appearance as the lead singer of a band Peyton wanted to sign. After seeing that ending, however, the Federline bashing is out the window because...holy cow! As that reveal shows, there are much more interesting things going on in One Tree Hill than a wannabe rapper/actor with an all too familiar personal life.

(Joan Crawford-esque spoilers below, so put away your wire hangers!)

So, Victoria the annoyingly pushy fashion executive is Brooke's mother!  How many of you saw that coming? Seeing as (1) they never referred to her character's last name, (2) Brooke reacted to her in a way an employer would NEVER react to an employee, sort of like a scared and dominated child, and (3) we've never met Brooke's mother before, I really should have seen that twist coming. However the revelation was a total shock, and a good one at that. Daphne Zuniga's prickly, cold and ambitious portrayal is the perfect personality for Brooke's mother, and seems like exactly the kind of person who could leave their child to fend for herself for years and then show back up again just in time to make a few bucks off her previously ignored daughter's talent. Brooke has set up roots in Tree Hill by buying a house (complete with room for Peyton to move in!) and establishing a Clothes Over Bro's store so we know she's not going anywhere, so will Mommy dearest be moving the whole operation down to North Carolina? One can only hope, as the possibilities for drama are endless.

Another character with major surprises this week is Nathan. After making friends with hot nanny Carrie, he decides to visit Dan in prison. If you ask me, Tree Hill prison looks like of nice, with all the green grass and attractive picnic tables. But what do I know? Nathan reveals that he told Jamie Dan was dead, and only visited Dan to cut him out of his and his family's life for good. In the end we learn that he left Dan a picture of Jamie, so all hope is not lost for the mending of that relationship. At home, Nathan finally decides to stop feeling sorry for himself and get his act together for the good of his family which is a welcome development, especially when he shaves off that awful beard. All he needs is to cut his hair and all will be well again! This story becomes especially sweet when Nathan takes Jamie to the backyard and gives him some basketball pointers while Haley looks on from inside. Now that Nathan is on the track to getting better, what is he going to do with his life? Sell insurance? What is the boy even qualified for, other than basketball? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, Peyton spent the episode doing crazy things like having conversations with Kevin Federline and accusing Lindsey of being a jealous cow. Not such a good week for Peyton, decision-wise. It all starts when Lindsey pays Peyton a pleasant visit to her office and brings her a lucky bamboo plant as a gift. Peyton is immediately suspicious and calls Lindsey out on what she believes to be "marking her territory" when it comes to Lucas, and reiterates again for Lindsey and the audience's benefit that she didn't come back to Tree Hill for Lucas. Peyton, I don't believe you! Perhaps it's the way your eyes get all shifty when you tell that particular lie. Only when Brooke reveals a lucky bamboo plant of her own does Peyton feel any remorse for her actions towards Lindsey. As for K-Fed, well, I don't even know what to say about that...but if his band was any sign of the sort of "quality" bands she will be signing I don't have high hopes for Peyton's label. Maybe I'm just old, but that song was terrible, no? It is nice to see Peyton assert herself and be confident, though, and it was enjoyable to watch her come alive when talking about music. I'm just concerned that we're going to have to hear a lot more of that "music" in the coming episodes. My ears cannot take it!

As for Lucas, he finally found some inspiration and is writing nonstop on his novel. This causes Lindsey to wonder: is his inspiration coming because Peyton is back in town? Lucas assures her it is not, and that he's in love with her. Oh, Lindsey. You are so in trouble. At school, he and Skills decide the only way to get their basketball team on track is to start at the beginning and teach them fundamentals, starting with free throws. It works for now, but how long until they need some star power to win and great-player-but-lousy-attitude Quentin comes back into the picture?

Mouth. What to say about Mouth? His storyline was more than a little bit offensive. After having troubles with his boss again, he goes to Skills for "advice." Skills tells him that the woman obviously has the hots for him (obviously) so he should try to kiss her next time they argue. Great advice, Skills, very professional. Of course, Mouth tries this out and immediately gets fired. Mouth can't leave it alone, though, and confronts her about not liking him from the start because he isn't attractive. She rationally tells him she doesn't like him because he has a chip on his shoulder and feels like he is better than the job he was hired to do (very true observation), and she just wants him to pay his dues. Then...she kisses him, invalidating everything she just said. Sigh. I got some flack in the comments last week for questioning why Mouth is still on the show, but I stand behind that remark. No matter how hard they try to shove his separate storylines down our throats, I contend that they will never fully work. Mouth is great as a supporting player but when he's off in his own world like he was tonight it's just tedious.

What did you guys think? Did you see the "Victoria is Brooke's mother" reveal coming? Could you look at K-Fed and not think about Britney? Is Lucas only fooling himself when it comes to Lindsey? And when will Nathan CUT THAT HAIR?

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