One Tree Hill has come a long way in its seven years. It started with a few lost teenagers trying to find their self and their way through high school and now it’s about young adults finding their place in the real world. But for those of you who think the beginning was just teenage drama, you have obviously never seen the show or you have never actually paid attention.
It started with Lucas Scott, an outsider, joining his high school basketball team. His father, Dan, had never been part of his life. Instead he fathered his other son, Nathan, who was the star of the very team Lucas joined. At the beginning, it seemed like basketball was going to be what the show was about, after all, it is a big thing in the small town of Tree Hill, but basketball is just one of the many aspects of teenage life that One Tree Hill delves into.
In the beginning, Lucas left the River Court to play as a Raven in a gym to find out if he was any good. He discovered talent, met new friends and new loves, and confronted his fears and his past; he even became friends with his half-brother. Along the way, there were heartbreaks and heroism, confusion and clarity, but he turned it into a book and became an accomplished writer as well as discovered the love of his life, Peyton.
Nathan struggled with the pressure from his father to become a better basketball player, even succumbing to the use of drugs to improve his game. Something he started with bad intentions turned into finding the love of his life, Haley, always and forever. Basketball was once the only the thing in his life that mattered until he met Haley and had a family. He’s had his struggles but also his triumphs, eventually becoming an NBA player.
Haley, Lucas’ best friend, was essentially one of the invisibles of high school. With a good heart, she started tutoring Nathan who at the time, was the enemy of Lucas, but it quickly turned into love, always and forever. Overall, Haley went from being Tutor Girl to Tutor Wife to Rock Star all before her senior year. Now, she’s a wife, mother, and once again, a Rock Star.
Brooke has changed the most over the years. She went from being a rich, popular cheerleader with non-existent parents to being school body president, cheer captain, and creator of a clothing company. There have been heartbreaks, she unfortunately got caught up in the Lucas-Peyton love story more than once, but there have also been achievements. The company she started in high school, Clothes Over Bros, turned into a multi-million dollar corporation, which led her to fame and fortune, but not to happiness. She returned to Tree Hill after spending years in New York, opened a new branch of the store, got back in touch with the friends she had lost track of, and rediscovered herself and her company.
Peyton had her ups and downs over the years. She always expressed herself with her art, and over and over people kept proving that “people always leave.” She followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a cheerleader, although she never seemed quite like the cheerleader type. She discovered she was adopted and learned more about life and music from her biological mother in the short time they had together. By the end of senior year, she found her true love, Lucas. It’s a love that has survived car wrecks, psycho stalkers, and shootings. It’s had to overcome a couple of heartbreaks, but in the end, it is Peyton and Lucas, True Love Always. As a lover of a variety of music, she brought big name bands to Tree Hill, put on benefit concerts, and even eventually created her own record label.
There are many other characters who have come and gone over the seasons or have been introduced recently but these five are the main ones. One thing about One Tree Hill though is that every character has a story, whether their part is big or small. Lucas and Peyton aren’t part of the current season but the 3 others still stand strong and there are plenty of other characters to follow along.
Now, if my somewhat lengthy description of the characters doesn’t convince you to watch, then at least watch a couple of the episodes with more meaning. The early seasons aren’t simply about teenage drama and life in high school. Many of the episodes go deeper. For example, the season 4 episode Pictures of You. It explores one thing that is very prominent in every high school, labels. And the season 3 episode With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept. It is a well written episode about the tragedy of a school shooting. And if episodes like these about high school don’t interest you, then watch any of the new episodes or from seasons 5 or 6. In every episode, you can find a meaning. Whether it is in the voiceovers, quotes, storyline, or in the characters lives themselves, believe me, this show always has a meaning.