One Tree Hill
Can I just take a moment to say - I KNEW SHE WAS A DAMN GHOST. Okay, fine, I might have called it last week and then said "But obviously she's not".......I have decided that that is irrelevant, though.
Truth be told, I'm glad she was just a ghost, i.e., figment of poor Clay's bereaved imagination, because......well, let me put this bluntly: I had no use for her. I mean, I'm glad Clay has a tortured past and this big old bleeding heart that obviously Quinn will have to help heal, but Sarah herself? I vote "meh". I was a little put off by the notion that everything Clay has ever done is because of her say-so, like the poor guy didn't have a good heart of his own and needed someone directing him. Hell, in that scene where she talked to him about representing decent guys, I fully expected her to be the one to say "Hey, there's this guy named Nathan Scott...." It was that heavy-handed.
Death by grape Kool-Aid (until I hear otherwise, that's what happened): Well, let's just say that I've always hated grape Kool-Aid, so I could have told her that would end badly. But good for her for dying in her virginal white sundress. Because she is Clay's GUARDIAN ANGEL. Did you catch that? (Like I said....a little heavy-handed). Also, is it wrong that I'm really curious what happened to her that literally just made her keel over and die one morning?
Anyway. So, Clay is pushing Quinn away because he doesn't want to lose his visions of Sarah, and.....I suppose it's a little hinky and been done before, but I'm okay with anything that gives us Robert Buckley breaking down and crying like a baby. I had to remind myself at that point that hugging the television was not an option.
Overall, I really did like all the flashbacks......we got insight on our two new characters, Clay and Quinn, not to mention a better visual of what happened the infamous Night of Knocked Up-Ness. However, I will say that Quinn's flashbacks? Still did not sell me on her decision to leave David. Hey, I'm as much a fan of Clay and Quinn as the next guy (see icon!).....but I wish she had a more fleshed-out reason for leaving her husband.....one that, say, doesn't make her look so whiny and ungrateful. What did he do that was really so wrong? In his mind, he married this girl and he needed to do right by her. This is one of the only times where I've seen a guy buying a house and settling down with his girl portrayed as a BAD thing. In the end, I still felt more sorry for David than I did for Quinn....which I don't think was the point.
Brooke and Julian.....they were very much a B-story in this episode, and I shrugged off most of their scenes. I get that Brooke is jealous and insecure. I get that she doesn't trust Alex. But she can't live her life expecting Julian to turn away every girl that flirts with him, because he's going to miss out on job opportunities. She needs to trust IN HIM that he's going to do the right thing. Just because Alex, or any other girl, flirts with him, that doesn't mean he's going to betray Brooke. And the more she tries to isolate him from anything that might make her uncomfortable, the more she's going to push him away.
HOWEVER......that final scene kicked me in the gut and made me instantly forget the previous scenes. I think she really needed to hear him say that this is real for him, and that he intends to spend his life with her. Knowing Brooke, she's totally freaked out by how dependent she is on this guy's love, especially when she starts second-guessing whether he is as serious about her as she is about him. The episode didn't end the way I expected - with Julian proposing or something of the sort - but I liked this way better. When/if Julian proposes, I want it to be completely on his own.....not because he just found out Brooke tried to propose and he unintentionally messed it up.
Renee SOOOO slept with Clay. I called that quite awhile back, but now I'm 100% certain. The fact that they didn't show who she slept with? The eye contact when Clay took the picture? DUDE. IT'S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG. It's a pretty good twist, honestly, because right now, the Renee story feels finished......and it's just like OTH to go "Oh, you thought we were done with this? Not so much."
So, can you believe I've gotten this far without gushing about Dan Scott? DAN! AHHHHH! I actually let out little yips of excitement when he was onscreen tonight, because this was vintage Dan Scott. The shark circling the unsuspecting victim and then attacking? There was a part of me that almost felt sorry for Renee, because as soon as Dan made that comment about the show being live and smirked at her, I was like "I knew it! He has a plan!"
I laughed a little at Nathan and Haley being all "I'm not even going to WATCH THIS ANYMORE", because.....dude, it was a lie detector test. And she was lying. I mean, I guess I understand that you expect the unexpected with Dan, and Nathan himself said that it was rigged.....but yeah, I was like "Guys, that should have been your cue to actually STICK AROUND."
I honestly don't think I can express how much I loved this twist, though I had a sneaking suspicion of it when Dan first contacted Renee. Dan is trying so hard to be pure and good and redeemed, but he's still a manipulative bastard....and he used that tonight to clear Nathan, the son who hates him. When he sat there spouting lie after lie (Dan Scott for President!) while Renee visibly squirmed, I was bouncing up and down with excitement. Oh, you evil genius....this is why I miss you when you're not around!
I liked Haley and Nathan being strong together, though I had forgotten that they made up, so that confused me for a second. Also - how are we explaining all those calls to/from Renee? Are we really going with the "Random chicks call me sometimes" excuse? Because, uh.....lame. Just saying.
Anyway, back to my point.....Haley bursting into tears was just so awesome. She does relieved tears like nobody's business. Even though I was all wrapped up in crazy-like-a-fox Dan Scott and.....uh, just plain crazy Clay, that moment really pulled me back to Nathan and Haley.
Next week: I was starting to wonder if Skills had decided to travel with Lucas and Peyton (i.e., got sent to the pokey) since we hadn't seen him.....but yay, he's there next week and causing trouble! With Chuck! This could be fun, especially since, as I recall, we haven't had much Nathan/Julian interaction.....and it makes sense that Nathan is wary of the guy. However, I really hope that they took Clay on this road trip instead of Mouth. Because let me tell you - a week without Mouth made me SO much happier.
Yeah, yeah, I know - Mouth is probably on the damn road trip. But still - girls' and boys' nights out always prove to be excellent, right? Fingers crossed!
Truth be told, I'm glad she was just a ghost, i.e., figment of poor Clay's bereaved imagination, because......well, let me put this bluntly: I had no use for her. I mean, I'm glad Clay has a tortured past and this big old bleeding heart that obviously Quinn will have to help heal, but Sarah herself? I vote "meh". I was a little put off by the notion that everything Clay has ever done is because of her say-so, like the poor guy didn't have a good heart of his own and needed someone directing him. Hell, in that scene where she talked to him about representing decent guys, I fully expected her to be the one to say "Hey, there's this guy named Nathan Scott...." It was that heavy-handed.
Death by grape Kool-Aid (until I hear otherwise, that's what happened): Well, let's just say that I've always hated grape Kool-Aid, so I could have told her that would end badly. But good for her for dying in her virginal white sundress. Because she is Clay's GUARDIAN ANGEL. Did you catch that? (Like I said....a little heavy-handed). Also, is it wrong that I'm really curious what happened to her that literally just made her keel over and die one morning?
Anyway. So, Clay is pushing Quinn away because he doesn't want to lose his visions of Sarah, and.....I suppose it's a little hinky and been done before, but I'm okay with anything that gives us Robert Buckley breaking down and crying like a baby. I had to remind myself at that point that hugging the television was not an option.
Overall, I really did like all the flashbacks......we got insight on our two new characters, Clay and Quinn, not to mention a better visual of what happened the infamous Night of Knocked Up-Ness. However, I will say that Quinn's flashbacks? Still did not sell me on her decision to leave David. Hey, I'm as much a fan of Clay and Quinn as the next guy (see icon!).....but I wish she had a more fleshed-out reason for leaving her husband.....one that, say, doesn't make her look so whiny and ungrateful. What did he do that was really so wrong? In his mind, he married this girl and he needed to do right by her. This is one of the only times where I've seen a guy buying a house and settling down with his girl portrayed as a BAD thing. In the end, I still felt more sorry for David than I did for Quinn....which I don't think was the point.
Brooke and Julian.....they were very much a B-story in this episode, and I shrugged off most of their scenes. I get that Brooke is jealous and insecure. I get that she doesn't trust Alex. But she can't live her life expecting Julian to turn away every girl that flirts with him, because he's going to miss out on job opportunities. She needs to trust IN HIM that he's going to do the right thing. Just because Alex, or any other girl, flirts with him, that doesn't mean he's going to betray Brooke. And the more she tries to isolate him from anything that might make her uncomfortable, the more she's going to push him away.
HOWEVER......that final scene kicked me in the gut and made me instantly forget the previous scenes. I think she really needed to hear him say that this is real for him, and that he intends to spend his life with her. Knowing Brooke, she's totally freaked out by how dependent she is on this guy's love, especially when she starts second-guessing whether he is as serious about her as she is about him. The episode didn't end the way I expected - with Julian proposing or something of the sort - but I liked this way better. When/if Julian proposes, I want it to be completely on his own.....not because he just found out Brooke tried to propose and he unintentionally messed it up.
Renee SOOOO slept with Clay. I called that quite awhile back, but now I'm 100% certain. The fact that they didn't show who she slept with? The eye contact when Clay took the picture? DUDE. IT'S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG. It's a pretty good twist, honestly, because right now, the Renee story feels finished......and it's just like OTH to go "Oh, you thought we were done with this? Not so much."
So, can you believe I've gotten this far without gushing about Dan Scott? DAN! AHHHHH! I actually let out little yips of excitement when he was onscreen tonight, because this was vintage Dan Scott. The shark circling the unsuspecting victim and then attacking? There was a part of me that almost felt sorry for Renee, because as soon as Dan made that comment about the show being live and smirked at her, I was like "I knew it! He has a plan!"
I laughed a little at Nathan and Haley being all "I'm not even going to WATCH THIS ANYMORE", because.....dude, it was a lie detector test. And she was lying. I mean, I guess I understand that you expect the unexpected with Dan, and Nathan himself said that it was rigged.....but yeah, I was like "Guys, that should have been your cue to actually STICK AROUND."
I honestly don't think I can express how much I loved this twist, though I had a sneaking suspicion of it when Dan first contacted Renee. Dan is trying so hard to be pure and good and redeemed, but he's still a manipulative bastard....and he used that tonight to clear Nathan, the son who hates him. When he sat there spouting lie after lie (Dan Scott for President!) while Renee visibly squirmed, I was bouncing up and down with excitement. Oh, you evil genius....this is why I miss you when you're not around!
I liked Haley and Nathan being strong together, though I had forgotten that they made up, so that confused me for a second. Also - how are we explaining all those calls to/from Renee? Are we really going with the "Random chicks call me sometimes" excuse? Because, uh.....lame. Just saying.
Anyway, back to my point.....Haley bursting into tears was just so awesome. She does relieved tears like nobody's business. Even though I was all wrapped up in crazy-like-a-fox Dan Scott and.....uh, just plain crazy Clay, that moment really pulled me back to Nathan and Haley.
Next week: I was starting to wonder if Skills had decided to travel with Lucas and Peyton (i.e., got sent to the pokey) since we hadn't seen him.....but yay, he's there next week and causing trouble! With Chuck! This could be fun, especially since, as I recall, we haven't had much Nathan/Julian interaction.....and it makes sense that Nathan is wary of the guy. However, I really hope that they took Clay on this road trip instead of Mouth. Because let me tell you - a week without Mouth made me SO much happier.
Yeah, yeah, I know - Mouth is probably on the damn road trip. But still - girls' and boys' nights out always prove to be excellent, right? Fingers crossed!