'One Tree Hill': Fly to the angels
One Tree Hill said goodbye to one of its own tonight and in the process brought an important point to light: Tree Hill is one dangerous place to call home. In this episode alone we have a murdered teenager, a brutally beaten fashion maven and a convicted murderer being held hostage by the psychotic nanny who first ran him down with her car. One thing I'm sure we (and the Tree Hill Tourism Board) agree on: thank goodness this place is fictional.
The below spoilers are totally all cried out over Q.
Last week I was pretty harsh on the episode for 1. being boring, and 2. killing a peripheral character to stir up enough drama to warrant a "very special episode." I stand by those beliefs, but I'm happy to report that this episode was far less painful than I originally feared. I even found myself (gasp!) tearing up a few times. Whatever, I'm an easy cry. Now on to the episode!
Everything this week revolves around our characters' reactions to Quentin's murder, as it should. Most affected by the loss are Nathan, Haley and Jamie, especially because little Jamie was so close to Q. At first Jamie is in a bit of denial over the loss, but when he sees his dad cleaning out Q's locker and asks to keep his Ravens jersey, you know the little guy's accepted his friend is gone for good. Jamie proves what a great kid he is when he meets Q's little brother and strikes up an immediate friendship, ultimately giving him the jersey.
As for Haley, she is having a hard time dealing with the combination of her own loss and Jamie's, and having to make sense out of everything to her class on top of that. In the end Q's mother (an excellent guest actress who made the most out of her small part) thanks Haley the most for turning Q onto reading, and Haley uses her knowledge that she touched him to have her class write essays about Q so that those stories can both help them deal with their loss and show future generations what a great guy Q was. The episode was actually narrated using an unknown character's essay who turns out to be a new girl at school, Samantha Walker. Oh, and this new girl was wearing a Clothes Over Bro's shirt, which Haley noticed, so she's obviously the shoplifter from the season premiere. I don't know where that is going, but I know it can't be good. Another sort of rehabilitation storyline for a youngster? They just killed off the last rehab case! Seriously, though, a great episode for Bethany Joy Galeotti as she flexed some serious acting muscle. Let's give this girl some more storylines!
Lucas and Skills took a bit of a backseat this episode even though they ostensibly had the closest relationship with Q. They both can't make sense of things and start to withdraw, only to be brought back by their significant others. Deb goes as far as outing her and Skills as a couple at Q's funeral so she can give Skills the support he needs in his grief. All Nathan does at this revelation is shake his head a bit and look mildly constipated. So they're saying that right at that moment he realized Skills was Deb's boyfriend? I don't know. It seems obvious to us because we've been watching them all season but it seems like quite the logical leap for Nathan to make so instantly.
Brooke is still hurting from her attack and showing it in an increasingly desperate way, this week by throwing all of the clothes from her line out in the streets for anyone to take. Even the couture! She must be crazy. Peyton sees this and perhaps starts to see that Brooke is hurting more than she realizes, but when Brooke shuts down and demands her house key back, Peyton turns her back and leaves. Peyton. She demanded her house key back so she "feels safe in her house." She has bruises all over her body. She didn't fall down the stairs, you idiot! God! I try not to hate Peyton, but they're making it really hard. Even Nathan realizes Brooke is hurting and goes to her to offer his help with anything she needs. It's actually a really nice scene, seeing as it's only maybe the second scene they've shared since the beginning of the series. He points out everything they have in common because of their awful parents and promises to be there for her no matter what. Brooke keeps her steely exterior all the way until the end of the episode, when Jamie lays the cape he and his mom made for Q over the casket. At this point Brooke (and, I admit, me) totally loses it and cries for the first time since her attack. Will this be the breakthrough she needs? This is the storyline I'm liking the most at the moment, so I can't wait to see.
And finally, we have Crazy Nanny Carrie and her Rehabilitation Shack in Hell. At first it seems like this story doesn't fit the episode's tone at all, but with time it is revealed that Crazy Nanny Carrie is only crazy because she lost a son of her own and is looking for Jamie to be his replacement. So we're supposed to feel sorry for her now? I don't know. I do know that it was completely awesome when Dan got free only to fall on her son's grave and then be immediately hit on the head by a shovel. Good times.
Overall, a better episode than I was expecting and one that hopefully brings us out of the violence of the first few episodes of the season and into something a bit more calm. I mean, what more can really happen? If they keep up this pace the entire cast will be dead by November. Seeing as next week's preview hinted a bunny might be boiled...I'm thinking the violence is here to stay.
What did you guys think? Were you affected by Q's death? Who's reaction touched you the most? Will Peyton ever get a clue about Brooke? And I just realized...Mouth is still gone. Do you miss him, or is he a total "good riddance"?
I loved this episode... I was in tears for most of it, but especially at the end. And I do miss Mouth actually, it's not his fault he was written crappy storylines.
I don't get your review. Everyone in TH believed Brooke "fell down the stairs" not just Peyton. Just because Nathan said few words doesn't mean jack. Peyton is doing all she can. Peyton just doesn't push she gives space when it's needed. BP know each other well, Peyton knows when Brooke is ready she will let her in. She has no reason to believe her Best friend is lying to her. So she is waiting patiently for Brooke. Peyton knows something is off, that's why she keeps asking the same questions over again. Brooke is just not letting people in. So give the girl some slack.
Also that NB scene was soooooo random. It's not even funny. Mark just through that in, it was beyond awkward. When we get NP scenes I understand because we've seen that friendship and they have a bond. But w/ NB it's nothing but random. Probably add that in because of James/Sophia so found relationship *sigh*.
I don't get your review. Everyone in TH believed Brooke "fell down the stairs" not just Peyton. Just because Nathan said few words doesn't mean jack. Peyton is doing all she can. Peyton just doesn't push she gives space when it's needed. BP know each other well, Peyton knows when Brooke is ready she will let her in. She has no reason to believe her Best friend is lying to her. So she is waiting patiently for Brooke. Peyton knows something is off, that's why she keeps asking the same questions over again. Brooke is just not letting people in. So give the girl some slack.
Also that NB scene was soooooo random. It's not even funny. Mark just through that in, it was beyond awkward. When we get NP scenes I understand because we've seen that friendship and they have a bond. But w/ NB it's nothing but random. Probably add that in because of James/Sophia so found relationship *sigh*.
I just can't believe everyone's buying the "Brooke fell down the stairs" story. I mean, really, she has two black eyes! I cannot imagine a single scenario in which falling down the stairs would cause that. I was hoping, with the Haley and Nathan with Brooke scenes tonight one would call her on the obvious lie, but everyone is just swallowing that hook, line, and sinker.
At this point, I'm honestly thinking that Jaime's gonna be the first to call her on it. He needs his own spin-off. Brooke can come, too.
I can't get over it. Two black eyes. A clear handprint bruise on her arm. "I need to feel safe in my own house". Her friends need to get a clue.
Even though it makes her friends look very dumb, I do like Brooke's storyline and can completely see her withdrawal from her friends because she's giving them every clue (save actually telling them), and none of them are picking up on it. And while I do believe it will only deepen her depression, I really want to Brooke to kill Victoria. Even if it makes me a bad person.
Add me in to the chorus of "Brooke's friends are so dumb." I thought for sure ONE of them would see the handprint bruise and comment on it. Plus, the only way I can think of that she would get black eyes from falling down the steps is if she broke her nose, which can cause you eyes to blacken; but Brooke's nose is fine and her she's got two huge shiners. I posted on another board that if Rachel or Owen were around, they would never have fallen for the stair story.
I agree with the last two posts...hand print bruises are her arm, HUGE AND NOTICEABLE and how is that possible falling down steps??? Ridiculous.
I cried at the end too, when Jamie put that cape on the casket and Brooke broke down. I think she is doing a great job with that vacant stare.
Also loved Dan getting loose...they would make a great couple....
I don't think that they all believe she just fell, but they know better than to make her say it until she's ready. With Haley's offering of therapy, Nathan's obvious "I'm here" statement, and even Peyton's "What's else is going on, Brooke?" shows that they know something else happened, but that she's not ready to let them in on it yet.
Then again I actually believed that Dan had turned for the better, when he really was just trying to scam a heart to stay alive...
This was a very sad episode. The most powerful parts all included Jamie and/or Haley. Q's mom and little brother were good guest choices.
It's kind of sad when Brooke's best friend doesn't see that there's something more, but Haley and Nathan can see it. And the writers aren't even showing Lucas' reaction. I guess that's their way to force Lucas and Peyton on people and pretend that Brooke and Lucas had/have nothing.
As I predicted last week, this episode was too similar to the school shooting episode froma couple or seasons ago. The only difference here is that the victim, Quentin, was a popular basketball player, while Jimmy was the social outcast. Meanwhile, Brooke continues to hone her skills at the firing range. I guess OTH is going overboard in their message that GUNS ARE DANGEROUS!!!! (DUH!) I think Brooke will end up shooting another character accidentally, but it probably won't be Victoria (who she thinks hired the attacker).
Despite the recycled storyline, I did enjoy most of this episode. Nathan/Haley/Jamie had good family bonding moments, and even Deb and Skills were brought closer together.
I know a lot of viewers think that the Nathan/Brooke scene came out of nowhere, but I appreciated his gesture. Remember that the writers have been trying to show that Nathan is no longer the selfish drunk guy who yelled at his family when he was paralyzed. Nathan reaching out to Brooke is supposed to show that he is now a more mature and sensitive father/husband/friend. AWWWW! :-) The old Nathan would have been whining about how horrible his life was.
At least Nathan and Haley have realized that Brooke was a victim of a crime, unlike Peyton and Lucas who still seem clueless. Maybe they are so caught up in their wedding plans, since Lucas's last wedding was only a few months ago in OTH time! :-(
Overall, I think all the acting was great, and I appreciated that they showed the grief of Quentin's mom and younger brother. Sorry, but I still don't feel sorry for the crazy Nanny. She can't take Jamie away from Nathan and Haley just because she hasn't dealt with her own son's death. Do the writers want us to think that now Quentin's mother will become obsessed and want to kidnap a high school student because HER son was killed? Give me a break, writers! :-0
Spin off a show for Jamie and Q's little bro. Those two are the cutest little kids EVER!