TV Fan

O.M.F.G.

Who decided to rob me of the "One Tree Hill" I do Sunkist shots to while eating baby back ribs at Chili's and replace it with a warmed over episode of "In Treatment"!? For the second episode in a row, "OTH" has been spinning its proverbial wheels by having characters talk, talk and talk about things we already inherently know about them. If this is how Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, Dan, Nathan and Haley act when they are "mature" adults, then can we just flash back to freshmen year of college, because I need someone bitchfighting, shots knocked back and sexy dancing pronto.

And the sad part was that the episode had so much potential. Creator Mark Schwann wrote the episode (and had a substantial supporting role as the record store owner to boot!), series visionary Greg Prange directed it, and it was the first post-strike episode! Even if Schwann decided to have one of those deep insightful episodes he does once or twice a season, that doesn't mean he couldn't have a little fun with it (as was the case four episodes ago when the female cast found themselves locked in a library because the door handles were being replaced. Seriously.). I have a funny feeling that the creators were pretty sure "OTH" was done for the season with episode 100, and were so shocked to be back for six more episodes because the strike was ended that they have no idea what to do.

And what compounded my frustration with the episode was that it started so promisingly. I've watched every episode of "One Tree Hill," and I'm fairly positive both of Dan's sons have never decided to wail on him at the same time. Yeah, Lucas almost shot him and Nathan pushed him around a bit, but to watch the brothers go at Dan in tandem was something to watch in awe.

Moira Kelly has disappeared from the canvas completely, leaving behind a gaping hole in her absence that no boyfriend and daughter could fill. I was most excited to see her reaction to Dan's return at the end of the last episode (and, had Kelly returned, I have a feeling she would have joined in on wailing on Dan with her son and Nathan), and to see Karen rushed offscreen so quickly is really very unfair to longtime viewers and rings entirely untrue for such a strong, vivacious character.

And then...

...well, nothing happened.

Most of the main characters went through one form of therapy or another, though Mouth and Skills were not-very-noticeably absent.

Of these forgettable interludes, the most competent was probably Nathan and Haley's, if only because Bethany Joy Galeotti continues to blossom and mature as an actress before our eyes. While in previous seasons, she always seemed to sink into the background of whatever storyarc she was in, this year she really has come into her own as the most talented of the cast. James Lafferty was surprisingly competent as well; their scenes in last quarter-hour of the episode felt almost completely ad-libbed and the chemistry is definitely still there.

Brooke was turned down by the adoption agency (surprise!) and I, for one, couldn't be happier. While motherhood suits Haley's character perfectly, if Brooke had a toddler crawling around I feel like all the life and vivaciousness would be drained from her character. There would be no more boozing, no more slapping and a lot more man-voice. In other words, it would be a future that would very much resemble this episode. Kudos to Sophia Bush for that beautiful little scene near the end of the episode where she tried to hold back tears as she embraced Jamie, though, I found myself strangely moved despite being annoyed by the contrivance, and I have a feeling it had more to do with Bush's performance than the story.

Peyton wandered into the closed record store (shouldn't the lights have been off and the door locked? Ah well, maybe the handles are being replaced) and somehow got in touch with the owner in order to vent about Lucas to him, since every other cast member on the show has heard it four times and would probably shoot Peyton if she started again. While Peyton has always had problems with self-esteem in the past, this is getting ridiculous. Get her boozing again so that the talented Hilarie Burton stops looking like she is sleepwalking through every scene!

Oh, and Lucas brooded some more in conversations he should have had with his mother. I tried to stay awake, really.

And the less said about Dan the better, except that the biggest unintentional laugh of the season thus far was when he told Jamie he didn't want to come off as "pervy" while stalking the boy at a playground.

This season started so promisingly, but has slowly but surely begun to lose traction and is sounding more and more false character beats. There is no odd couple relationship to root for this year (like Nathan/Haley, Lucas/Peyton or even Bevin/Skills) that was always the highlight of past seasons, no wild plot twists out of left field that inform the rest of the season, and barely one catfight. Hell, there hasn't even been a life threatening car crash yet! Throw Peyton into a wall in that convertible, at least then she'll give off some emotion other than "I'm bored."