“One Tree Hill”: The Slippery Slope NEVER ENDS 7

Posted by: haro1d

Sometimes, in a series, a filler episode is necessary. I’m not sure if it was just me, but last night’s filler OTH episode seemed overflowing with relatively inconsequential scenes. After the hyperdramatic first part of the season, with all of the slayings and stalkings, it’s probably good to have a couple of OTH episodes with only minor tragedies.

Really, though — was it just me, or did it seem like the individual scenes were really short last night on OTH? I could barely keep up writing down what was going on, which never happens. But I digress. You just want to know what happened.

Well, we started in a dream sequence once again. As a result of reading an article in Brooke D. magazine, Peyton dreamed that Lucas had set up a cage just for her, with a little hay in the floor for her to curl up in. She spent the rest of the episode trying to prove that the article was correct in its assertion that by moving in together, she and Lucas would find out that they didn’t know each other as well as they thought they did. After asserting herself in their new home, Lucas ended up not being able to “perform” in his mother’s old room and bed. (She laughs at him — a true no-no, but really, do you feel sorry for Lucas?) And of course, in true I Love Lucy fashion, they ended up dividing the house in half with blue tape, daring each other to cross the line. By episode’s end, Lucas had unboxed all of Peyton’s stuff and moved her in. Isn’t that swell?

The trouble with Sam escalated to new heights this week. She’s already testing limits with ersatz parent Brooke, sneaking out her window, stealing Brooke’s ID and not-so-wisely trying to use it to get booze at Tric, from Owen the bartender who, of course, happens to know the “world-famous” B. Davis. (OK, I have to say it — every time they mention “B. Davis,” I automatically think of ANN B. Davis. If you don’t know who that is, you haven’t watched your share of episodes of The Brady Bunch.) Owen returns her to Brooke, and words are exchanged as she digs at him for running off when she initially began talking about parenting. But Brooke’s discussion with Sam — who continues stealing from Brooke, to the point that Brooke ends up barging into Haley’s classroom to reclaim her stuff — takes a darker turn when Brooke begins to feel she can’t handle Sam’s needs. When she meets Sam in the diner to tell her that she can’t care for her anymore, Sam confesses that the woman behind the counter is her mother — but that her mother doesn’t know who she is. Sam takes off, and Brooke ends up rethinking her plan. She finds the car in Tree Hill High’s shop department where Sam has been sleeping and waits there for Sam. They have a gooey reunion, and agree to some boundaries and rules so that Sam can continue to live at Brooke’s. Naturally, Sam will begin testing those limits immediately, as she does when she goes out the window again only to return through the door at 7am for breakfast — per Brooke’s rules. (It looks like things are going to go through the roof next week with this plot line, so hang in until then.) Finally, Owen showed up again at Brooke’s door and apologized for disappearing the way he did, badly explaining himself, and telling her that he wants to see her again. Future drama? Of course. But we’ll see what form it takes …

Millie is very surprised to see Mouth back and ready to report to work in Tree Hill. At his old job, Mouth is given the opportunity to return — begged, in fact — and negotiates like a true pro: “Better snacks in the vending machine and an intern”?? (Come on — I mean, I love snacks as much as anybody, but he had them by the tonsils, and he let them pick the intern for him.) This is going to be comedy for future. Mouth’s intern is a sexed-up Gigi, who hasn’t seen Mouth in years. (If you’ve never seen the film, folks, put it in your Netflix queue. It’s a like “Lolita,” only as a musical, and with maybe more vaguely incestuous undertones.) She refuses to listen to his repeated statements that he has a girlfriend, he has a girlfriend, he has a girlfriend, and continues flinging herself at him with the total abandon typical of a first-time intern on a new job. Yep. Thank heaven for little girls … who have no professional decorum whatsoever. Such is life on OTH.

Then there’s the Jamie story of the week. After getting picked on by a bully for wearing his Quentin cape, Jamie pummels the kid to the ground. Mom and Dad have the requisite talk with him about walking away, and Haley confronts the other kid’s mother at school — and Haley ends up pummeling HER to the ground. Finally, Nathan steps in as SuperDad and shows up on the playground wearing a cape — a move that likely would be frowned upon by faculty and administration, and probably invite at least a call from the police — and shows off his slam-dunk basketball skills, after which he offers capes (made by the never-too-busy B. Davis) to everyone on the playground who wants them. They snatch them up. And later, Jamie ditches his because “some people lead while others follow.” The best part of this storyline, though, had to be Dan Scott’s brief interaction with the mom of the bully, in which he took joy in intimidating her by telling her he had to report to his parole officer … and that his crime was murder. (So dependably evil, that guy …)

Meanwhile, as Nathan heads back into the world of basketball via slamball, Haley is thinking about getting back into music when she runs into a street musician strumming and singing one of her songs. She gives her a buck, and the gal asks her when her new album is due. The next day, Haley shows up with her own guitar and the two do a duet … that just happens to be on Bethany Joy Galeotti’s (that would be the actor who plays Haley, for those of you not paying attention) new album. And it sounds like Haley is headed back into the studio to do a new album. And I’m sure Peyton’s label will happily put it out and shop it, because Tree Hill is still the one place where startup, one-person record labels THRIVE well enough that all parties concerned can prosper on the profits.

So a lot happened, but just baby steps, really, in the world of OTH. And nothing about Skills and Deb, who must have locked themselves in the trunk of one of the other cars in Tree Hill’s shop department. But all of this begs the question: Are we really only about halfway through this season? Do you think there will be a NEXT season? SHOULD there be a next season?

What do you folks think? Drag out the carcass or mercifully spare all those involved?