Archive for May, 2010

May
13
2010

The Keys to the Kingdom Got Locked Inside the Kingdom

Much has been said of late regarding Facebook’s blatant disregard for the privacy of its users.  It’s actually more a blatant disregard of users in general, but we should not be utterly surprised.  Big corporations (of which Facebook is one) have grown increasingly complacent regarding customer service, and they are only out for themselves and how much money they can make.  And hey – this is America – if you can make money, more power to you, but you can only shaft customers for so long before the well dries up.  Right now, despite terrible policies and terrible press, Facebook still has a leg up, because it’s a hub of communication and it’s a little impractical not to participate.

Amidst the buzz about Facebook’s privacy changes, I recognized it as a money-grab and actually kind of evil, but it didn’t raise great personal concern.  I am involved in and enjoy social networking, and while Facebook has been an afterthought to me for a while, I would never have put any of my information online in the first place if I was not OK with that information being public.  Therefore, all my Facebook settings allowed “Everyone” to see my page – as much of it as they desired.  I presume that most of the population could not care less about my hobbies or pictures of my last vacation.  However, if someone found my page through a friend or a web search and found it interesting enough to waste time viewing, then I wasn’t going to stop them.

I don’t play Farmville or Mafia Wars (and I don’t understand why anyone WOULD, but obviously they DO), so I was not concerned about third party applications accessing my information.  Anytime I see a stupid quiz on my feed or get an invitation to any other such nonsense, I block the applications anyway.  And I’ve been pretty selective with the things that I “like” and the groups that I join.

I use Facebook to contact people I do not otherwise interact with, to post the seldom status update (which I guarantee you I merely copied to Facebook from my Twitter), and occasionally to plan an event or post some pictures.  Of course, the last few times I tried to post any pictures, that feature was broken, so I haven’t even been able to use that.  (I guess that feature doesn’t make Facebook any money, so they’re in no hurry to fix it.)  Oh, and my blog does update to Facebook via RSS, for the few people who read it there instead of on the actual website or on a Google Reader, etc.

I generally only go to Facebook in the first place if I get an email notification that someone has messaged me, written on my wall, etc., or to wish someone a “Happy Birthday.”  But in these visits over the last several days, I’ve noticed an annoying box popping up, imploring me to officially “Like” all the things that I’ve mentioned in my interests in my profile.  I ignored it the first few times (as I make it my policy to ignore all stupid boxes on websites that randomly pop up in my face when I am trying to look at something else), but this morning, I clicked on it just to make it stop getting in my way.

As I suspected, this box wanted me to officially “Like” 57 pages worth of musicians, books, movies, etc. that I had mentioned in my profile.  Of course, they also wanted me to “like” things that didn’t even exist, because they were phrases from sentences I had used when talking about the musicians and books and movies that I like.  (Is the population so dumbed down that they can’t even read complete sentences in a Facebook profile?  If it’s not a clickable link, the general public no longer comprehends it?)

Naturally, I had no desire to turn my Facebook page into one huge advertisement, and I rather enjoy complete sentences, so I wanted to leave my profile as it was.  There was no option to do that, however – that would have been much too user-friendly and convenient.  So, instead, I went and manually un-checked all 57 boxes, so they wouldn’t turn into links on my profile (a link that would then, therefore, have access to all of my information).

Once I had done that, Facebook quickly prompted me that if I went through with that, I would be deleting all of the information from my profile.  So, basically:  “Hey, Facebook user – do this our way, swear your allegiance to all of these pages, help us make some advertising dollars, or we’re going to wipe out your thoughtfully crafted profile data.”  Well, I certainly wasn’t going to succumb, so I let them wipe it all out.  So, my Facebook profile, which is supposed to be a little snapshot of my life, no longer functions as that.  There are a few pages linked of some of my favorite musicians, but it’s no longer a complete list.  My hobbies, books, etc. are all gone.  If you want to know those things about me, I guess you’ll now have to ask me in person.  Or get Twitter.

So, I have a message for Facebook, which I have edited for content and language, and now simply reads:

Up yours, you corporate harpies.

I also have a message for MySpace.  You were once the hub of social networking, and for my part, I always found your user interface much more enjoyable, and your service to independent musicians was laudable.  However, you went down the slippery slope and let the scum of the earth take up residence on your site.  Then, you went further down that slope when you felt pressure to keep up with Facebook, and in so doing, adopted all of their most revolting characteristics – namely, those insufferable applications.  So, here’s your big moment.  If you want to redeem yourself and stop being the butt of jokes, seize upon the moment of Facebook’s arrogant stupidity and do something revolutionary like catering to the consumer.  Get rid of the apps, swear to never EVER allow Farmville on your site, get rid of the junk mail and the spammers, and show us you care about little things like user privacy, and we’ll all come flocking back to you, reveling in your music player and the ability to design our own html.  Here’s your big chance and you better take it quick.

And then, since MySpace undoubtedly will not listen to me, I have something else to pass along to you, dear readers.  The Consumerist (which, as you might have guessed, looks out for the consumers) has been reporting on Facebook’s shenanigans for quite some time.  Today, they posted about a new social networking software, set to debut at the end of the summer.  Diaspora, as it’s called, is being designed by four programmers at NYU, with the promise of making sure that you own your own data, and you can even host it on your own server (or use theirs, in a similar manner to WordPress).  Before you dismiss it out of hand, it might interest you to know that, as of the time of this posting, they’ve already raised over $100,000 in support of their cause via Kickstarter, more than ten times their goal.

So, go ahead, programmers.  Do us proud and stick it to the man.  We’re ready and waiting and will support you.  Just make sure you stay true to your original oath to your customers, instead of getting all power-hungry and greedy like the whore-mongers of Facebook.

[/rant]

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May
11
2010

All That You Can’t Leave Behind

As I write this, there is only one episode remaining in Season 7 of One Tree Hill. However, as the credits rolled following last night’s show, it was quite clear that there are still more stories to tell than can possibly be finished in one solitary episode. And yet, we’re all in a holding pattern, wondering if we’ll see these stories come to fruition, or if, after being faithful to this great show for seven years, its completion will be left to our imaginations.

As I’ve already covered in my last two posts, there are a million reasons to love One Tree Hill, and I don’t think it’s presumptuous in the least to say that The CW Network owes us a season 8 and a proper conclusion befitting the legacy of our show. So far, they’ve avoided giving any clear answers, either afraid of the fallout if they deny our request, or they are enjoying the game a little too much. It disappoints me, but I don’t want to dwell on it here.

As promised, this third and final blog in my “We Are One” series, is to discuss the stories yet untold – the things I would like to see happen in Tree Hill before the show’s ultimate coda. I’d like to hear your ideas as well. So, let’s tell our stories.

“When archaeologists uncover lost civilizations and they unearth their worlds that have long been since been destroyed, you know what they find most often? They find stories, ancient languages, words, inscriptions from people who have been gone for thousands of years, because chances are, like you, they wanted to know, “What’s the point?” And they wanted us to know that they were here, you know? They told their stories, and they tried to make sense of their lives and their worlds and their tragedies. So that’s what we are gonna do.”

Mark Schwahn and the rest of the One Tree Hill writers have given us a lot of stories in seven years. We’ve certainly been dealt some twists and turns along the way – shocking moments we never saw coming, heartwarming scenes that got us a little choked up, and hilarious one-liners that we’ve done our best to work into everyday conversation as often as possible.

But even after seven years, the well hasn’t run dry. One Tree Hill is still telling great stories, and there are many more that haven’t even been touched yet. I have every confidence that, given an appropriate amount of time, the writers and producers of the show will not let us down. We just need a little more time to get to that “happily ever after” conclusion that we deserve. For me, that includes a number of things:

• Dan. I know some people have said that season 4 had a storybook ending. Others point to the finale of season 6 and say it offered the picturesque conclusion we needed. I disagree. Those two seasons didn’t have any splashy cliff-hangers, but that doesn’t mean they were sufficiently wrapped up, either. (Hence why the show has continued!) My reasoning all points back to Dan. While not generally named with the original “Core Five” of the cast, I tend to think that One Tree Hill began with at least SIX key players. Without Dan Scott, there would be no One Tree Hill. And further, without Dan Scott, there can’t be a proper ending. We have seen Dan do a lot of evil, unspeakable things. We have even seen him be kind and vulnerable in unexpected ways. Ultimately, we have seen him reach for redemption and forgiveness, but despite valiant efforts, he’s never grasped it. I do understand that some characters (and some viewers) will never excuse him, no matter what he does. For my part, I would like to see at least two things happen before the show ends. First, before One Tree Hill goes off the air, Dan should finally breathe his last. Bear in mind that I love Dan, so I envision this happening about one episode prior to the series finale. That is the only true closure Dan can have. We know he’s not going to turn into the model of perfection, and he can’t just go back to being evil at this point. But, he can still die in peace. I’d rather like to see him die a hero. And not alone. Nathan has said time and time again that he will never forgive his father, no matter what he does, and despite some pretty spectacular displays of love and support from Dan, Nathan has only barely tolerated him, and even then, it was only in service of Jamie. But as Jamie told Nathan at the beginning of season 7, “I think you’re good enough to forgive him.” I think Dan can accept being ostracized from everyone else’s life, but the rift between him and the son that he raised has tormented him for years. And Nathan, as the veritable hero of the show, has the capacity to heal that breach, even if only so his father can die in peace.

• Brooke. When all the original characters finished pairing up, Brooke got the shaft. Regardless of whether you’re pro-Brucas or pro-Leyton, I hope we can all agree that Brooke certainly deserves to find some happiness. She loved Lucas, but he chose her best friend – a scenario which Brooke (eventually) was able to handle with class and dignity. After that initial heartbreak, what followed was a litany of failed attempts: Felix, Chase, all the Nicks (not the Knicks) of New York City, Owen, to be capped off with a rather tumultuous, on-again, off-again relationship with Julian. I may be in the minority here, but I am not convinced that their love can (or should) stand the test of time. In addition to romantic turmoil, we’ve seen Brooke dream of motherhood since she returned to Tree Hill at the on-set of season five. She took care of Baby Angie long enough to get attached just before having to send her home to her parents. Then, she bravely stepped up and took in Sam – passing up an opportunity to adopt an infant – only for Sam to leave her as well. Now, her dreams have been utterly crushed by the news that she’s infertile, and after so many disappointments, the spark in her eyes has all but died. Now, we know Mark Schwahn to be a sucker for a happy ending, so I have to believe there is one in the cards for Brooke – as long as he has time to tell the story. Now, as I said, I’m not a big advocate of Brulian, and believe Brooke met her soulmate in season five. Remember the sweet and adorable Dr. Ethan Copeland? The one who operated on Baby Angie? Yep. Him. There were sparks flying between Brooke and the good doctor, but every time they had a nice moment together, along came Lucas to mess it up. So, if Brooke could run into him on the street somewhere, I have a feeling they would finally hit it off, and chances are, he either knows a few fertility specialists through his work, or he’d be more than happy to adopt a lot of Baby Angies with Brooke.

• Whitey. I love Whitey. He added so much heart to the first four seasons of One Tree Hill, being essentially the father that Lucas and Nathan never had, and offering his sage wisdom (and crotchety attitude) to any and everyone that needed a little bit of guidance. I squealed with joy when he appeared for the flashback episode in season five, and again at the end of season six, wherein I cried like a baby to see him offer encouragement and a loving embrace to perhaps his most bitter enemy. We have not seen anything of Whitey this season, but I would dearly like to see him again before the show ends. In my mind, he certainly must visit Nathan, Haley, and Jamie from time to time. I can’t imagine he made such a tremendous impact on Nathan’s life (and career) only to disappear into oblivion and not keep in touch. The scene at the end of season 6 supports my theory, and I would be over the moon to see Whitey show up for at least one family dinner at the Scott House. Can you imagine the epic cuteness of a scene between Whitey and Jamie? I must see that. And I would not be even remotely opposed to seeing more of Whitey and Dan. Perhaps Whitey could help with that Dan/Nathan reconciliation I mentioned earlier.

• Nathan and Haley. Aside from one or two *slightly* cheesy lines in the course of seven years, I have zero complaints regarding the way my favorite couple has been written. I was hooked on them from the very beginning, and their stories have never disappointed me. There is no other couple in TV, movies, or literature that I enjoy more. (Darcy and Elizabeth are a distant second.) All that being said, I obviously think they should stay together all the way to the end (and it would be preposterous if they didn’t, so I don’t really have any worries there). But the one thing my Naley-loving heart desires is another baby. They got their son, so taking what Nathan said to Haley in “The Desperate Kingdom of Love,” they’re still due “a little girl, just like you [Haley].” And I want to see it happen! They can even throw in some cheesy lines (“Now I know why they call it true love”) and I swear, I won’t even wince. Plus, given the present state of season 7, One Tree Hill simply cannot end with Haley in the midst of (or even beginning to recover from) a very dark and serious depression. It’s a great storyline, but it’s not the stuff of “happily ever after.”

• Lucas and Peyton. Now, I know what you’re going to say, because I’m usually the one saying it: they’re not coming back. And hey – you know what – I can accept that. But if One Tree Hill got (at least) one more season, I figure that only increases the odds that they might be willing to make a guest appearance in the eventual series finale, which would be a nice nod to the fans that have been around since day one. (And the Leyton fans would be ecstatic, obviously.)

• Chris Keller. I had a fierce hatred for Chris Keller for obvious reasons, but darn if he wasn’t just so funny that he grew on me after all. Plus, Tyler Hilton is fantastic. And – it just so happens that when last I saw him, he said he’d love to come back to One Tree Hill for a series finale. So, there must be a way to let this fellow drop by Tree Hill. He and Nathan were almost kinda sorta friends the last time we saw Chris in season 4, so I see no potential problems there. And wouldn’t it be hilarious and awesome if Chris Keller returned to town on the arm of the love of his life, and let’s say her name is Taylor James. Oh, that’s what you call a win-win, folks.

• Levi Weaver. Now, I suppose none of you remember that character. Which makes sense, since there never was any such character in Tree Hill. Rather, Levi Weaver is a musician – a darn good one, whose songs would go so nicely with the always-fantastic One Tree Hill soundtrack, and come to think of it, the man himself would probably look pretty well at home on the set of Red Bedroom Records. One Tree Hill has done some great things for independent artists and acts that deserve a second look. The integration of Mike Grubbs in season 7 to launch the extremely noteworthy music of Wakey!Wakey! is only one example. One Tree Hill has changed the lives of a lot of musicians by giving them an avenue to get their music out there to the public. Radio simply doesn’t do that anymore – it’s TV’s arena, and One Tree Hill does it best. And for an independent musician like Levi Weaver, a song placement in a TV show with two million plus viewers can make a huge difference in a career – and in whether he can afford to keep making brilliant music. I am constantly awed by the song placements on One Tree Hill (Lindsay Wolfington is a genius, by the way), so I don’t suggest this lightly. I hear Levi Weaver’s “We’re Tornadoes When We Dance,” and I think of Nathan and Haley. “Drink, Drink, Drink” is reminiscent of Dan Scott – did I mention I love Dan Scott? And “You Are Home” – well, that kind of fits the show as a whole, doesn’t it? “Oh, you are home. And no matter where I go, you’re in my bones. And no matter where I sleep, I never rest outside the place I keep my soul.” So, yes. This is my wish list, and it absolutely includes hearing a song by my all-time favorite artist playing through the coda of my all-time favorite show.

I could go on and name a million different storylines, but then this blog would never end. And I’ll leave the writing to Mark Schwahn, since the last 7 years of stories have come from him, and I haven’t been disappointed yet. Still, I’d like to hear your ideas in the comments. What stories are important to you? And what do you need to see before you’ll feel like One Tree Hill is complete? Here’s hoping that we get to see all those stories play out on our TV screens, and we get all the things we wished for.

To The CW, I’d like to reiterate another relevant One Tree Hill quote:

“Regret comes in all shapes and sizes. Some are small, like when we do a bad thing for a good reason. Some are bigger, like when we let down a friend. Some of us escape the pains of regret by making the right choice. Some of us have little time for regret, because we’re looking forward to the future. Sometimes we have to fight to come to terms with the past. And sometimes we bury our regret, by promising to change our ways. But our biggest regrets are not for the things we did… but the things we didn’t do.”

Don’t let canceling One Tree Hill be your biggest regret. And don’t let it be ours, either.

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May
03
2010

You’re Gonna Need Someone On Your Side

“You know, it’s been said that we just don’t recognize the significant moments of our lives while they are happening. We grow complacent with ideas or things or people and we take them for granted. And it’s usually not until that thing is about to be taken away from you that you realize how wrong you’ve been – that you realize how much you need it, how much you love it. God, I love this game.”

I love this show. I assume you do, too, and that’s why you’re here. I must say that I was humbled and honored by the outpouring of support from One Tree Hill fans regarding my last blog, pleading with the CW to give us a season 8. In fact, your support has compelled me to be a little more forthright about my motives for saving this show in the first place.

There are not a lot of things I’m willing to campaign for, but when I find something I’m passionate about, it’s impossible for me not to share that. If I find a good thing, I want others to find it, too. Usually, I’ll dispense music suggestions to anyone who will listen, but I have thrown myself into promoting One Tree Hill with a similar tenacity.

Of course, music and One Tree Hill go hand in hand quite nicely, which may explain why I’ve been able to relate to it so strongly. The writing is truly fantastic. The stories are compelling. But there is something about One Tree Hill that can’t be put into words, and something that can only be grasped by watching it – One Tree Hill has heart.

The truth is, I’ve only been watching One Tree Hill for about two years. I have no TV reception in my apartment – not a single, solitary channel – and no internet, either (I am typing this from my office after everyone else is long gone). But, I do have Netflix and a DVD player. So, when I wanted a show to watch, I remembered hearing how great One Tree Hill was, and I knew that Bethany Joy Lenz (now Galeotti) was in it. I was familiar with her prior work and thought she was amazing, so armed with that information and little else, I slipped the first disc of season one into my DVD player.

By episode 3 (“Are You True?”), I was completely hooked. When I finished season one – and after picking my jaw up off of the floor – I remember saying aloud, “And that was only the FIRST SEASON!” While watching season 2, Netflix accidently sent my discs out of order. I had a good system going, where every day I put a disc in the mail, and every day I got a new one. So, when I logged in to my account and saw that I was getting disc 5 before disc 4, I freaked and called customer service. That poor guy who answered the phone – I had to wonder how many people called him daily saying things like, “But you don’t UNDERSTAND! What am I supposed to do tonight?” My co-worker, Kelli, who has since started watching One Tree Hill as well, took pity on me and found somewhere online where I could watch the disc 4 episodes with Japanese subtitles, and sound that didn’t match up with the picture. Still, I was elated and stayed at work until past 10:00 watching them online. Then, I went home and watched disc 5 that was in my mailbox. The next day, I ordered all the seasons online.

Beyond sheer enjoyment of the show, there was something else at work. I was really struggling, personally – not in any way that I could explain even if I wanted to, but there were nights that I was so racked with anxiety that I couldn’t even fall asleep. But I discovered that if I visited Tree Hill for a while, I could ease the tension, calm down, and fall asleep. That method still works on a bad day, or even on a good day when I just want to relax. In sharing that, I know I am telling many other stories besides my own. I have heard a lot of fans attest that One Tree Hill has seen them through some difficult times, and I dare say there are not many (if any) other shows that can do that. So to Mark Schwahn, show creator, Lindsay Wolfington, music supervisor, and every single producer, director, writer, actor, and crew member involved in making this show, allow me to say: “Your art matters. It’s what got me here.”

OTH Cast – “Feeling a Moment”

“Most of our lives are a series of images; they pass us by like towns on a highway. But sometimes, a moment stuns us as it happens and we know that this instant is more than a fleeting image. We know that this moment, every part of it, will live on forever.”

There is plenty to love about One Tree Hill, and I’m sure every fan has his or her own set of favorites. I am hoping you will all share your own in the comments below. For my part, nothing beats Nathan and Haley. “Always and forever.”

Fictional characters on TV and in movies sure spend a lot of time talking about “always” and “forever,” but very few of them actually follow through with it. And while I am a little too cynical about love in general, it’s really only because I want it to be great, and I see too many people settling for less. I, meanwhile, have always been a sucker for a fairy tale: Ariel and Eric, Darcy and Elizabeth, Nathan and Haley. But the thing I love about Nathan and Haley is how imperfect they are. Most of the time, we go to a movie or read a book and see a couple struggling through their dating relationship, and they finally make it to the altar just before the credits roll with music that leaves us with that “happily ever after” feeling. With Nathan and Haley, however, we saw them as the unlikely pair that fell in love, and then they were married by the end of season one – at the ripe old age of sixteen, no less. So the six seasons since have shown them making huge mistakes and hurting each other, but deciding through everything that their marriage comes first, and the more problems they face, the more love they need to have to get through it. “And, that’s what true love really is. It’s not this fairytale life that never knows pain, but it’s two souls facing it together and diminishing it with unconditional love.”

Nathan and Haley – “Brand New Day”

Coming in at number two on my “Why I love One Tree Hill” list is Dan Scott. I love him and I hate him and that is what makes compelling drama. He is also the master of one-liners that make me chuckle like a supervillain. Dan Scott is, after all, the most lovable villain in entertainment history. TV.com recently did an interview with James Lafferty, wherein he confessed Dan Scott to be his favorite One Tree Hill character:

Dan Scott, hands down….Paul Johansson has just masterfully performed [the role of Dan]. When he comes on the screen, I’m glued because of the way he plays that character. There are so many different colors of Dan Scott. And [he's] written so well, first of all. That’s where it starts. Then you’ve got somebody like Paul Johansson who can execute it so well. Not everybody can play such a villain and, at the same time, get the audience to care for them. To emotionally invest in them. It blows my mind. I love Paul as an actor and a director and a friend, and I love the way he plays that role.

I completely agree with that assessment, and I am definitely “emotionally invested” in Dan Scott. At the very beginning, he was just so overwhelmingly cold-hearted and mean that it was hard to see anything else. But I remember the moment when that changed. In the season one episode titled “The Living Years,” Nathan goes to the beach house to tell Dan that he isn’t sure that he wants to play basketball anymore, and wonders if the problems in his family all center around him – if, in fact, Dan should have chosen Lucas instead of him. Then, with Ryan Adams’ “The Shadowlands” playing in the background, Dan gets teary-eyed and says, “Nathan, you have to know, whatever you do, whatever you decide, you’re my son, and I am proud of you. I love you.” And, oh boy, did I cry. I mean, if the devil himself says “I love you” and means it, that’s a moment when it is OK to cry. And since then, anytime Dan is the least bit earnest or kind – and heaven help me if he is sad – I am ready to climb in my TV, give him a hug, and tell him it’s all going to be OK. Not bad for a murderer. And don’t even get me started on “Grandpa Dan.”

We’d be here all day and into next week if I tried to list every single thing I love about this show, so this will not be an exhaustive list. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much I enjoy the relationships on One Tree Hill. And by relationships – I don’t necessarily mean romantic ones. In fact, other than Nathan and Haley, I have never gotten extremely invested in any Tree Hill romance. Sure, I like some more than others, but I prefer the family relationships: the volatile connection between Dan, Nathan, and Lucas; the loving connection between Karen, Keith and Lucas; and certainly the father/son bond that Nathan shares with Jamie, in spite of his own messy childhood.

Then there are a whole host of friendships – “Real friends…the kind of friendships we used to believe in” – that have always carried the characters through the toughest of times: Lucas and Haley, Haley and Brooke, Brooke and Peyton, Peyton and Nathan, Nathan and Clay, the James sisters, and the list goes on and on.

OTH Cast – “You Found Me”

“This all means nothing if you can’t knock down the shot.”

My favorite friendship, though, is the one that developed between Nathan and Lucas, as they built a bond as brothers that will last forever. After all, One Tree Hill was originally a story about these two brothers who were at best, strangers, and at worst, bitter enemies. And yet, through their mutual passion for basketball and their love of the same woman (albeit not the same kind of love), they learned to be brothers and best friends. They also had their ups and downs along the way, but I believe their relationship was cemented in the finale of season four. That is not to say that they wouldn’t face any struggles (as obviously they have since then), but that no matter what happened, they would remain brothers first and foremost.

When that chapter of One Tree Hill came to a close at the end of high school, there seemed to be few options: either cancel the show or concoct ridiculous storylines to send all the principal characters to the same college, and present “One Tree Hill: The College Years.” Everybody knows that the college years never pan out for “teen dramas,” and it would have been such a shame to walk away from a good thing. So, once again, One Tree Hill reinvented the wheel and stepped forward in time, skipping college altogether and reuniting its now-adult characters back in Tree Hill four years, six months, and two days later. It was a bold and risky move, but it paid off by revitalizing the show and giving each character new obstacles to face and new people to meet.

With the end of season six, we saw another chapter come to a close with the exit of original characters Lucas and Peyton (Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton), which was met with some opposition from longtime fans of the show. Now, I do not want the comments section on this blog to break out into a brawl, Brooke-and-Peyton-Prom-Night-at-Hater-High-style. However, I would like to explain why I am OK with those departures, and still see a bright future for One Tree Hill. Namely, Lucas and Peyton got their “happily ever after” story and literally rode off into the sunset. I don’t have any trouble believing or understanding that they would want to go and sail the world with Karen, Andy, and Lily. Yes, I am sure that Peyton misses Brooke, and Lucas misses Haley and Nathan and Jamie, but no more than Lucas had surely been missing his mother during the years they had spent apart, or being able to watch Lily grow up. Characters aside, sometimes actors move on and do other things, and sometimes a story ends and the writers see fit to wrap it up and move on. Whatever combination of those things (or maybe something else entirely) that happened in this case, we have no further control over it.

However, we may still have some control over whether the current One Tree Hill gets to have an 8th season. I can only imagine how disappointed I would be if Nathan and Haley were the ones gone instead of Lucas and Peyton, but I would like to believe that I’d still support the show that gave me those characters and so many other storylines that moved me through the years. Some “Leyton” fans haven’t been watching season 7, and I’d say they’ve missed out on a lot of great new characters and storylines featuring the old and the new. However, because One Tree Hill is such a compelling show, many of you who name Lucas and Peyton as your favorite characters have stuck with season 7 and been rewarded by a lot of excellent storylines.

Season Seven – “I and Love and You”

OTH Cast – “All the Right Moves”

My favorite season 7 moment so far (aside from Nathan Scott putting Jake Ryan to shame) came when Bess Armstrong reprised her role as Haley’s Mom, Lydia James. It was a quiet, bittersweet exchange between Nathan and an ailing Lydia, wherein we saw the bond that had obviously developed between them during Nathan and Haley’s almost nine years of marriage:

Lydia: You’re taking good care of my daughter. I remember the day you came to ask our permission to marry her. You were so nervous. But I looked into your eyes and I just knew.
Nathan: What did you know?
Lydia: That you were gonna change my daughter’s life. And I was right.
Nathan: You are responsible for raising the woman who changed my entire world. I’ll never forget that, Lydia. Thank you for saying yes.

So, no matter your favorite character or couple or your stance on this season, we are all fans of One Tree Hill. And if I could impart a little wisdom from Nathan Scott, “I wear that uniform just like they do, so it doesn’t matter if I’m playing or not, it’s still my team. We win as a team and we lose as a team.” So, whether are not your favorite couple is on the proverbial court this season, One Tree Hill is still your show, and you’re still a part of it. So I think we should focus on the ways in which we share a similar passion for this show, and consider how we want One Tree Hill to be remembered – not as a show that was cut off mid-story, but one with a lasting legacy that we can all share. With that in mind, please share your favorite moments, quotes, actors, directors, characters, or songs from One Tree Hill in the comments below. And don’t forget to tune in tonight!

“There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound up in sorrows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves or lose our ventures.”

On the next blog, I’ll throw out some ideas on things I’d like to see happen before One Tree Hill goes off the air for good, whether that’s at the end of season 8 or the end of season 18. (The end of season 7 is simply not an option.)

In the meantime, I’d like to send out special thanks to the folks over at One Tree Hill Blog, who posted several of the videos shown here to help us get through the hiatus. (I would also like someone to explain to me how you do it! I think I could manage to compile the video, as I’ve done some of the photo slideshows with music for weddings and the like, but where do you get all those clips?)

Here are a few other videos that I didn’t embed in the post above, but that I thought you might enjoy seeing:

Tik Tok (OTH Cast)

Things I’ll Never Say (Brucas)

The Best Years of Our Lives (Leyton)

The Freshmen (OTH Cast)

One Last Chance (Naley)

Missing You (Naley circa Season 2)

P.S. – The rudimentary Photoshop art came from me, so be gentle.

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