One Tree Hill Rewatch: Season 1, Episode 20 "What Is and What Should Never Be"

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Nathan and Haley are taking turns playing house both in her room and his apartment. Nathan doesn't like sleeping alone at his place because it's lonely and also because Tim likes to throw parties with random people he doesn't know there. Haley then has a *brilliant* idea; they should throw a low-key get together take-back-the-party-party! Oh, sweet Haley James. A great idea in theory, a messy one in execution. 

Lucas is back at basketball practice for the first time since his spleen surgery. He keeps missing shots, probably a metaphor for his life at the moment as well. After Peyton and Brooke trade insults once again at school, Peyton gives up and decides she's done trying to reason with B. She asks Lucas if he wants to go to Haley's party with her, and he says yes. 

Brooke is on a warpath this episode and I can't say that I condone her behavior nor do I blame her for how she feels. When she learns about the party at Nate's place, she asks Hales about it, who tells her that it's only going to be a few people. Ugh. Haley James. Brooke Davis IS your friend! But I get what Haley is trying to do here, because right now she's closer with Peyton and wants Lucas to come and doesn't want the messiness that is inevitably going to ensue to happen, so she's covering her own butt. Too bad Brooke Davis doesn't take snubbing kindly. 

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Image Credit: IMDb

Dan is being an asshole (big surprise there!) and shows up at Nathan's apartment uninvited one night when he finds out that Nate sold the car he bought him to support himself. He demands that either Nathan come back home to live with him and keep the money, or he must pay him the money and can continue living alone. Nathan writes him a big ole check, and then goes to the mall the next day to find a job. He begins working with a guy named Gary at the pretzel stand! He has to wear a goofy hat! He's real bad at making pretzels, but I'm so proud of Nathan here for trying his best. 

Keith is looking for a new job and has an interview to be a shop teacher at a school in Charleston. Karen is visibly disappointed, but is supportive anyway and gives him a new tie to wear to his interview. It goes well! And it looks like Keith is gonna be taking some time away from Tree Hill. Honestly, everyone should. So much bad shit happens here, y'all. It'd be really beneficial to everyone if they left.

Brooke is super pissed about no longer being the desired, popular girl so she goes to her favorite bar (I'm still wondering how she gets into this place, I know she has a fake ID but Tree Hill is a small town and everyone has to know everyone, right?) and runs into everyone's favorite Eyeliner Whore, Nikki. They're both drinking and they begin bonding about their sucky lives. Brooke knows that Nikki is Jake's ex, but she doesn't know that she is the infamous Bar Slut. The two of them decide to wreak havoc on Haley's party. Just a thought here: Nikki is REALLY proving herself to be an unequipped mother. She's at the bar all the time and takes a high schooler under her wing to crash a high school party. If she was really concerned with just getting Jenny back and not ruining Jake's life, she wouldn't be doing any of this childish shit.

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Image Credit: IMDb

Dan visits Nathan at work because he knows where he is at all times prior to Find My iPhone, and embarrasses in front of his redheaded boss Gary. Nathan tells Gary about how awful Dan is, and how he's sorry that he was mean to him at school but that he's trying to change for the better. They start to get along, but Nathan soon learns that the closing dude called in so he has to stay and help Gary clean up, which means he's going to miss his own party. 

At said party, Brooke and Nikki show up already wasted and out for revenge. They're drinking vodka straight from the bottle, which is so gross. Everyone is trying to steer clear of them until Nikki and Peyton start insulting one another to the point where Nikki shoves Peyton into the wall. A fight breaks out and Nikki throws a stool through the window (?) and Lucas and Brooke literally have to pry these two apart. Brooke has the realization that a cat fight is not what she wanted, and that Eyeliner Whore is a psycho bitch. Lucas tells Nikki to leave, and at this point she's got nothing left to lose so she exposes Lucas for sleeping with her. Peyton and Brooke are shocked to learn that Nikki is the Bar Slut and they both leave wanting nothing to do with him. 

Nathan gets home at the exact moment the cops decide to arrive and give him a fine for the noise, underage drinking, and damages to the apartment. Lucas tries to defend him (awww brotherly love) and say that he wasn't even present for the party, but the cop doesn't care. Nathan is still kind of a tool at this point, so he fires back some sarcastic comments at the officer who then arrests him. Okay, so things escalate pretty damn quickly here. Haley's a mess, Lucas is trying to help and not piss anymore people off, and oh, did I mention that Dan and Deb hooked up whilst separating their things so the divorce can finally happen? Yeah, those two had sex and it's something we definitely didn't need.

Dan bails Nathan out of jail, and tells him what a failure he is all the while Lucas stands up for him. Dan decides to be an asshole to both of his sons and tells off Lucas as well, telling him that he doesn't know everything about what happened between him and Karen and that he should shut his mouth. Lucas takes Nathan and Haley home, and the only reason I like this part is because the Scott brothers are finally almost friends.

Brooke comes to see Peyton and the two of them call a truce. I think they both realize that what's going on with them isn't worth it anymore. Peyton asks if they're friends again, to which Brooke answers that she doesn't know, but she does know that they aren't enemies anymore. I'm so happy B. Davis and P. Sawyer are on the same team again. 

Favorite line: "It just hurts so much worse when you expect more from somebody." Brooke to Peyton about Lucas, but we all know she's talking about how she expected more from her BFF.
Cringey-est moment: When Deb is all like, "What do you want Dan?" and he's all like, "I want you!" and then they make out and I want to rip my eyes out so I don't have to watch them do the dirty.
Worst secret keeper: Nikki! Last episode she begged Lucas to keep their hookup and secret and then this episode she's all like, "I can keep a secret too." whilst exposing said secret. This bitch is nuts.
Random Observation: Dan looks way older than whatever age he is supposed to be and it's driving me crazy. He's supposed to be like 34 and he looks 44. I can't handle it. 

Next time: It's almost the season finale so you know what that means! A baby gets kidnapped! Also, give me your thoughts on Nikki and Brooke's vodka drinking friendship? And the truce she and Peyton call? Are we all agreeing to ship Peyton and Jake until Lucas gets his shit together?

XOXO,
Em

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