Oh shit, it's the anniversary of Peyton's mama's death and it's so so sad. Peyton spends the whole episode running through red lights because that's how her beloved mother died. "She ran one red light," Peyton tells Lucas. "I run them all the time and nothing ever happens." It's so heartbreaking.

When I watched this episode the first time, I thought Peyton was so stupid. I thought she was moody and entitled and overdramatic, but upon rewatching I realized that her actions (while dangerous) are totally justifiable. She's hurting, and she has absolutely no one. She just broke up with her boyfriend, her dad is away on business, and her best friend doesn't even realize what day it is (more on that later).

The main plot of this episode is the father-son charity basketball game. Keith is very much Lucas's surrogate father, so it only makes sense that he would step in for him. Dan makes some asshole comments and plans to do way better in the game than Nathan because he's the worst. Dan being the worst all the time makes Lucas begin to think about changing his last name from 'Scott' to 'Roe' to honor his mama. Again, I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW HE HASN'T THOUGHT OF THIS UNTIL NOW, but once again, this is television.

Brooke and Peyton get into a fight, and by that I mean Peyton yells at Brooke for being an insensitive horrible best friend by not realizing that it's the anniversary of her mother's death and treating her like shit. I wish they would address Brooke not grasping this later in the episode, but they don'. Later in the series, Peyton reminds Brooke that she sat and cried with her the day that her mom died, so like ??? How did you forget, Brooke? I give continuity a pass because Brooke is pretty self-absorbed early on in the show.

Whitey and Peyton have a really cute heart-to-heart as Peyton visits her mother's grave. He tells her all about his wife, Camilla, and how she passed away around the same time as Peyton's mother. He also says that Peyton has her mother's eyes, which is odd considering the fact that she's adopted, but I'm gonna let it slide because it's a sweet moment and maybe they had similar eyes? I don't know, its fine. I love that Whitey gets to have a story that's not all about basketball for once, and I love that he is there for Peyton when others aren't.

Peyton keeps running the damn lights until another car almost hits her, and she pulls over and starts sobbing. She's learned her lesson, I think?

Nathan and Haley have a tutoring session where Nathan talks about his breakup with Peyton. Haley corrects his grammar, which is fantastic. Later on, Haley asks Lucas to respect and support her in tutoring his estranged brother and that she is just tutoring him! Okay, sure, Hales. Before the game, Nathan and Haley share a hug after he does well on a paper, and Lucas watches from afar looking angry. He then confronts Haley AGAIN and she's like "Still just tutoring!" and then he points out her bracelet. She has no comeback. She likes the bracelet.

The father-son game is a shit show. Dan is a show-off and plays like an asshole. He knocks Nathan down, and Lucas picks him up, which is SUCH A GREAT MOMENT. Dan Scott versus his offspring. It's the start of something beautiful.

Lucas decides not the change his name, because he loves Keith and Keith is also a Scott. I respect his decision here completely. Good on you, Luke.

​Favorite Line: "My mom ran one red light. I run them all the time, and nothing happens." Peyton :(
Moment that made me scared: When Lucas gets in the car with Peyton while she's running the lights. He's not wearing a seatbelt, she's purposely running red lights. It's a stressful time.
MVP of the ep: Keith Scott. You a real one.

XOXO,
Em

Deb Scott has arrived! And she's so...normal! Given all the stuff that happens to Deb Scott in the seasons to come, it's really funny to watch her as a concerned mom with no drug addiction or attraction to her son's friends. It's refreshing, really. Welcome to Tree Hill, Deb.

Honestly, can we give Deb Scott some awards for staying married to Dan Scott for 16 years??? The man is unbearable, which is probably why she is always away on business trips prior to the show. Dan starts telling Nathan to ignore Lucas on the court, and not in a 'don't let him get to you' kind of way. It's more of a 'take the ball away from him' kind of way. THAT AIN'T TEAM SPIRIT, DANNY BOY.

So there's this party and guess who's invited? LUCAS EUGENE SCOTT. He brings his bff Haley James, who is nervous about going because 1) it's at Nathan's beach house and Nathan sucks 2) She's tutoring Nathan and doesn't wanna get caught and 3) This can't end well. When they arrive, Nathan introduces himself to Haley as if they have never met before, which is both cute and awkward and CONFUSING AS HELL because they have definitely gone to school together all this time so they've probably met before tutoring, right? Whatever, the show's too good to get bothered by this.

Back at the oh so joyful Scott house, Deb asks Dan about their son and how he's doing, you know like, physically/mentally/emotionally and Dan starts talking about his basketball stats. Deb ain't impressed, and is worried about her baby boy now that his half-brother is on the team. It must be a difficult transition for him, right? RIGHT. Thank you, Deb. Dan isn't convinced they should be worried about THAT part of their son's life, and instead focus on him being the best basketball player in the whole wide world. Priorities, man.

The party takes (many) awkward turns as the gang plays "I Never", when in fact, Brooke Davis has done a LOT of things. Nathan makes some disgusting joke about Lucas and things get even more uncomfortable than they were before. To create even more tension, Peyton approaches Haley about tutoring Nathan and warns her to "be careful". Haley is annoyed because she doesn't know what Peyton means, and also Haley James can handle herself, dammit!

Nathan shows everyone a video of Karen and Dan from high school, which is totally uncool. Karen is so smitten with Dan and is planning their lives together. Seeing how heartless Nathan really is, Peyton becomes enraged. 

Nathan drives Haley home after she gets into it with Lucas, who can't let his guard down for 15 minutes. It's fair though, because Nathan is bullying him real bad. Haley defends Nathan a bit too much for Lucas's liking, and the bond they're creating is becoming increasingly clear. Haley wears this dumb green hat and leaves it in Peyton's car after Nathan drops her off. This is important.

Lucas drives after Peyton's car (thinking that it's Peyton) because it's speeding and Peyton has been drinking. When Nathan crashes into another car and then LEAVES HIS GIRLFRIEND'S CAR ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, Lucas yells at him and encourages him to take responsibility. But the Nathan that we saw just a minute ago being all cutesy with Haley James is long gone, and he's back to being an asshole. Lucas takes care of Peyton's car and finds Haley's hat (the ugly one) and is suspicious.

There's this weird subplot where Lucas and Karen fight about Dan not paying alimony. It's over pretty quickly. I don't care much about this. Karen Roe is a strong independent woman and she's right; had Dan given them money, he would've had a say in how Lucas was raised. Deb comes and visits Karen at the cafe and it's super weird and I really don't know how I feel about their friendship; more to come on this.

Lucas approaches Haley about her ugly ass hat, and she realizes that he now knows that she's hanging out with Nate. She just stares at him in disbelief, and Lucas goes to Nathan and tells him to stay away from Haley.

And FINALLY, Peyton breaks up with Nathan for good. By the end of the series, we forget these two were even a thing; that's how awful they were. I'm proud of Peyton here for sticking by her decision and knowing that she can do better (ahem, Lucas). 

Favorite line: "The guys kidnapped you, trashed your court, threatened you with bodily harm... party, yeah, sure, why not?" Haley to Lucas upon arriving to Nathan's beach house party.
Favorite moment: Peyton dumping Nathan's stupid ass.
Most iconic fashion moment: It's the hat, okay? The green hat. 
Random Observation: Deb Scott is so normal. God bless her (for now).

Up next: Peyton runs all of the red lights.

​I will leave you with this question: Did anyone ever ship Nathan and Peyton? Be honest.

XOXO,
Em

DON'T SAY I NEVER GAVE YOU ANYTHING, readers! Guess what? We're at the very beginning of the best television relationship ever (that's a really high praise that I'm sure I'll take back later, but c'mon, it's Naley you guys!). But not so fast, because a lot of shit goes down before Nathan gives Tutor Girl that bracelet from inside the cereal box. 

Lucas redeems himself in his second ever basketball game, with support from his mama and Uncle Keith. He scores the winning basket, and it's so exciting, Brooke Davis strips in his car! Seriously though, how old are these kids? How did Brooke get into his car? I'll give her the benefit of knowing that it's his because it has a whole bunch of stickers that say "Keith Scott Body Shop", but still. Why did she think this was a good idea? Has Brooke seriously never tried to get with Lucas before? Chad Michael Murray is quite the looker, and Tree Hill seems relatively small. Am I supposed to believe that because he's some abandoned child who didn't play basketball his first 2 years of high school that he is something you'd be horrified to be seen with? I ain't buying it, B. Davis. 

Meanwhile, Karen is stopped by Tim's step-mom, Sherry, who is a bitch. She invites Karen to join the Booster Club since her son is now on the team and gives her the wrong time so that she looks dumb when she walks in. Sherry seems really judgy for someone who married the father of Tim. This plot is a little boring, but gives Karen the chance to stand up for herself. Also, at the end, Karen donates her cheerleading uniform to be burned at the Burning Boat thing, because she's moving on.

Peyton is pissed at Lucas because he submitted her artwork to Thud Magazine without her permission. They want her to do a comic strip and she clearly wants to, but I still believe she has every right to be mad at Lucas. He should've asked her first. Also, they aren't even friends. Also, she's sleeping with his brother despite having a crush on him. Also, he pulls her best friend's bra out of his locker. So...

Nathan and the rest of the team start hazing Lucas. They take his clothes while he is showering to bless our TV screen with Chad Michael Murray wearing nothing but a basketball. Interesting writing, but it's fine. Nathan notices Lucas talking to Haley and decides his best bet to make him miserable is to make it look like she likes him. He asks her for tutoring, since you know, she's a tutor but she shuts that the hell down. Go Hales!

As the hazing gets worse (they kidnap him, like for real), Haley approaches Nathan and says that she will only help him if he leaves Lucas alone. He agrees. Jokes on you, Nathan Scott! You're about to fall in love.

I'm so happy that Haley finally gets a story here, and that it turns out to be a really interesting one. The first 2 episodes are dominated by Lucas and Peyton and the Lucas v.s. Nathan dynamic that Haley doesn't get a chance to really be a main character. This storyline is one that lasts the entire series and makes me so happy every time I watch it.

Peyton gets her comic published, after having to rework it a little because the magazine tells her she's too moody, or something along those lines. She stays true to herself while still making an awesome comic. 

Haley and Nathan have their first tutoring session on the pier (not the tutoring center!) and he sweet talks her although she resists. He pulls out a bracelet ("Please let it be a cheat sheet!") and gives it to her. She rolls her eyes, but later that night when she arrives at the Burning Boat Ceremony with Lucas, she's still wearing it. Hmmm...

Favorite Line: Are you kidding me? "Don't say I never gave you anything," Nathan to Haley as he gives her the cheapest bracelet ever made.
Most Obnoxious Character: Sherry Smith, Tim's bitchy ass stepmom.
Random Observation: Jake Jagalski is beautiful and kind. Also, that hazing got pretty intense. Proud of my boy Jake for not participating.

Next time: There's a party! And Deb Scott is here! (She's not at the party, she's just back in Tree Hill).

XOXO,
​Em

Aaaaaand we're back. This time with a theme song! Be honest, if you don't start screaming, "I don't wanna be anything other than what I've been tryna be lately!" while rewatching this than you are LYING TO YOURSELF. Side note: Interesting how Sophia Bush is totally in the opening credits despite us having no idea who her character is. I've always wondered why she was missing from the Pilot episode, and why she suddenly appeared. My theory is that she was on a Davis family vacation when all the Lucas v.s. Nathan shit went down and when she came back, everything was different.

So it's basketball time and Karen think she's okay with going to see Lucas play, but turns out she is definitely not. She's scared of reliving her high school days and seeing her ex, Dan Scott. Lucas is very disappointed that his mother won't go and support him, but guess what? All of his friends will! Skillz, Mouth, Jimmy (yikes), Junk, Fergie, and Haley all show up to cheer him on. 

Lucas does a HORRIBLE job. He's clearly nervous, and distracted over the fact that Dan is there and earlier yelled "Son!" in the locker room, only to be talking to Nathan. Also, Nathan is being a total dick to him and laughs when he gets benched. However, once the game is over, Dan is a total dick to Nathan for not doing well enough, despite him playing a fantastic game. Nathan is visibly hurt by this.

Did I mention that Nathan and Peyton are STILL dating? Yes, they're still together and absolutely unbearable to watch. They make out in his car and then fight about how Nathan behaves around Lucas. All the while it's becoming more and more clear how much Peyton likes Lucas, though she remains quiet on the subject, even when prompted by Brooke Davis, who notices how handsome Chad Michael Murray for the first time despite growing up in the same town as him for the past 16 years.

Things get weird in English class, when the students all begin to describe one another using one word. Peyton decides to be bitchy to Lucas and Nathan decides to call Lucas a 'bastard', resulting in Lucas lunging at him with the intent of beating the living shit out of him. Okay, here's my thing. If these 2 have had English together ALL YEAR how has something like this not happened yet? Like, until Lucas joined the basketball team did they just pretend that he didn't exist? How small of a town is Tree Hill? Why is Lucas lashing out now? Karen comments later on how unlike him this is, but like, it seems 16 years in the making.

We get our first glimpse into Brooke and Peyton's lifelong friendship, which is one that has many ups and downs on the show. I love Brooke Davis, even season 1 Brooke Davis, who is a little self-centered, but a whole lotta confident. She tells Peyton here that she's a badass, and while that may be true, Brooke Davis is one herself as well. 

Speaking of Peyton, she is a total tortured artist, and Lucas creeps on her portfolio of drawings while fixing her car. When Peyton catches him, she is not happy about it, and rightfully so. Later, after being encouraged by Lucas to submit her pieces to a local magazine and backing out, Luke submits them anyway. Is this a nice gesture? Absolutely! Is it out of bounds and none of his business! Absolutely. Lay off, Luke. 

Mama Karen and Lucas make up, because their relationship will not be destroyed by one missed basketball game! Karen realizes she needs to move on, and Lucas realizes that he needs to give the team another chance. It's cute to see them support one another, and I love the moment when Karen walks into the gym and sits next to Keith, ignoring Dan and all of the others.

Lucas takes the (floor? court? gym? I know nothing about basketball) once again and looks at Peyton with that dumb, handsome smile of his and says, "Your art matters. It's what got me here." It's a very sweet moment, but also...kinda weird. I feel like his friends and his mom and uncle got him there, not moody AF Peyton Sawyer, but hey, if that's what Lucas wants to go with, let's go with that. It was all Peyton Sawyer almost hitting him with her car. 

Oh! And then Lucas rips his name off the back of his jersey, ya know, to stick it to the man. Also, why do these high school basketball players have their names on their jerseys? What kind of funding is Tree Hill High getting? And why is it all going to basketball?

Favorite line: "Your art matters, it's what got me here." Lucas to Peyton, because it's cute AF despite being a little weird. If you know (and love) the great love story of Lucas and Peyton, it makes it even better.
Favorite moment: When Nathan tells Dan that Lucas wasn't trying to beat the hell out of him, but actually Dan. Nathan seems...human?
Favorite character introduction: Brooke Freakin' Davis!
Random Observation: Has Karen really not seen Dan in 16 years? They live IN THE SAME TOWN.

See ya next time Tree Hillers,
​Em

Hello, all! Welcome to my very first Rewatch on my brand new blog/website, SheWritesTV.com. This website is all about writing and watching TV and reviewing and recaping it. It's anything I want it to be, basically.

To get started, I began rewatching one of my favorite shows, "One Tree Hill", on Hulu. Last week, I was listening to Sophia Bush on Anna Faris and Das Shepard's podcasts respectively, and realized how much I missed the crazy drama filled CW show. 
​
The show starts just as broody and dramatic as Chad Michael Murray's face. It's as lovely as I can remember it. High School Basketball is so...suspenseful. James Lafferty looks like such a tiny baby! He was the youngest of the cast, but still even at 18 he looks so so young compared to the likes of Chad Michael Murray and co. 

Peyton Sawyer is such a badass; driving down dark roads late at night, nearly running over moody blonde outcasts. I love that Lucas and Peyton just stare at each other when she nearly hits him with her car. He just stays in the middle of the road. Lucas Scott, not the brightest bulb.
Ah, yes, Nathan is still a jackass in season 1. How he stole the team bus is beyond me, and why is he making out with some random chick? He's supposed to be what, 16? 17? And yet he's joy riding and nearly colliding with a train after a high school basketball game win. Calm down, Nate. 

After Lucas gets done almost being run over by cheerleading Peyton Sawyer, he goes to have dinner with his mama and his bestie, Haley. Season 1 Haley James is the absolute best. I love that she was just the supportive, fun-loving best friend to Lucas at first. She has such a good heart. She also swears a ton in her first few scenes, which is an interesting character choice I noticed in this rewatch. It's like they weren't entirely sure what to do with her. Is she the good girl? Is she Lucas's wing woman? Is she a quiet rebel? We don't know!
​
Keith Scott is here! I love Keith. And Keith LOVES Karen. Keith also loves Lucas and vouches for him to be on the team to Coach Whitey, who just had to suspend half his team (sans Nathan) for STEALING A BUS AND NEARLY COLLIDING WITH A TRAIN. Don't worry, guys, Nathan's (and Lucas's) dad, the great Dan Scott, got him out of trouble. Because if Nathan doesn't have basketball, he has nothing.

Turns out, Lucas is pretty great at basketball too! He's just too scared to join the team in fears of upsetting his mom and being reunited with his estranged father and asshole of a half-brother. Given that Lucas and Nathan are only 3 months apart, you better believe Dan Scott really made his way around when was a teen. It's also occurring to me that Karen and Dan are only supposed to be like 34, 35 in this season and yet act so much older.
​
Lucas has a thing for Nathan's girlfriend, Peyton, and Nate totally knows it. Nathan also flares his nostrils a lot, I have noticed. He is so angry all the time. I mean, I'd be pretty angry too if Dan Scott was my dad, but seriously dude, chill a bit. Nathan and Peyton have a TERRIBLE relationship. He is such an ass to her, and she wants nothing to do with him most of the time. 

Peyton's car breaks down the next day and Lucas comes to her rescue, again because he's like the only good person in this town? And he's always around when Peyton needs absolutely anything. He starts psychoanalyzing her and it's annoying so we get the birth of this incredible line from the mouth of Hilarie Burton, "First of all, you don't know me. Second of all, you don't know me." Lucas gives her a ride home because he is a gentleman.

Nathan challenges Lucas to a one-on-one at the River Court, which is where Lucas and his friends play ball. Minkus from Boy Meets World is also there commentating on everything, and so is Jimmy Edwards, who becomes very important come season 3. Nathan tells Peyton that if Nathan wins the game, Lucas has to quit the team, but if Lucas wins, he gets Peyton. This is all very gross and if I were Peyton, I'd stop this shit right now.

Now it's time for some late night basketball! And it's really late, like 11:00 at night. A lot of people show up, including Peyton and her pout. Nathan starts trash talking, Mouth starts recording, and Lucas wears his "Keith Scott Body Shop" sweatshirt. This is it, folks. This is what high school is all about. 

​Oooh it's so close, and at first Nathan is really kicking Luke's butt, until Lucas comes through at the very end, surprising everyone, including himself. Nathan is pissed. Peyton is happy. And we discover that Lucas never bet on Peyton at all. He just wants to stay on the team to make Nathan even more angry.

Favorite line: "First of all, you don't know me. Second of all, you don't know me." - Peyton Sawyer to Lucas Scott.
Favorite moment: Lucas defeating Nathan, duh.
Random Observation: Where the hell is Brooke Davis?
​
That concludes episode 1, folks. Check back next time as we delve into Lucas's first high school basketball game, the first appearance of the iconic Brooke Penelope Davis, and the true colors of Dan Scott!

XOXO,
Em

P.S. Fuck you, Mark Schwann.