Diary of a One Tree Hill Virgin – Scott vs. Scott

Honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t start watching One Tree Hill sooner. I think it was one of those shows that kind of “got away from me,” and seeing the seasons pass by on television made it extra hard to just catch up. And I hate jumping into the middle of a show — I rarely do that.

When I saw that Netflix had the entire series available through instant streaming, I thought, what better opportunity than right now to jump in?

I admit that I had no idea that Chad Michael Murray was supposed to be the underdog in this series. I always thought of him as a pompous ass (blame that on Tristan DuGrey, the character he portrayed in Seasons 1 and 2 of Gilmore Girls). I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it is not Lucas, but two other Scotts of the show (Nathan and Dan) that owe a substantial amount of money to the douchebag jar.

I was also unaware that the show revolves around a basketball team, the Ravens. For those of you who don’t know me, I’ll let you in on a weird fact: while I don’t really enjoy playing or watching sports, I love fictional shows about sports or featuring a team (like Friday Night Lights or Make It Or Break It). So I was pretty excited when I found this out.

After watching four episodes (“Pilot;” “The Places You Have Come to Fear The Most;” “Are You True?”; and “Crash Into You”), here are my initial impressions of the series and of some of the main characters.

Lucas Scott – He is close to the people in his life that matter most (his mom, his uncle Keith, and his best friend Haley, as well as some secondary characters from his basketball crew at the park). One new quasi-friend, Peyton, seems to be someone who has an effect on him because they share a certain bitterness and loneliness, despite attempts to mask these traits.  Lucas tries to “shake off” everyone, and everything, else. His realization of the fear that is holding him back — becoming his father — was a great turning point in episode two.

Nathan Scott – I really can’t do much other than write a list of words that describe this character: Vile, disgusting, self-centered, arrogant, cruel. I could go on, but I don’t want to waste much time on him right now. I really hope that he begins to change later on. I can see certain glimpses of Nathan rebelling against his father (like threatening to quit the team), but then he passes it off as a joke or just decides to take out his anger on Lucas some more.

Dan Scott – Well, obviously, the apple (Nathan) didn’t really fall far from the tree. Dan is basically an older version of Nathan, which is actually worse, because he didn’t grow out of it. He seems to think that coach Whitey needs to defer to Nathan at all times — just as Dan forced Coach to do when he played for the Ravens in high school. To Nathan, it’s their team, not Whitey’s. I’m not sure if Nathan agrees. This attitude is only part of why his character is repulsive; the other part, obviously, is the fact that he left his girlfriend and infant son (Lucas) to fend for themselves and shows pretty much no recognition of their hardship. The only regret he seems to have is that Lucas was ever born.

Karen – A strong, independent mom who runs a modest business and doesn’t really feel as though she “needs” anything from Dan or anyone. She is attempting to deal with her disappointment a little bit more now that Lucas has joined the basketball team and she has to face the bitchy Booster moms and everyone else who remembers that she was pretty much humiliated all those years ago.

Keith Scott – A replacement father figure to Lucas, and the foil to Dan. He is a blue-collar, salt-of-the-earth kind of guy, and one of the only trustworthy Scotts in the bunch.

Coach Whitey – I was a little turned off by him in the Pilot, but eventually got used to his gruff but straightforward manner of addressing his team. I really like his sense of humor (for example, saying that he had just gotten used to low-rise jeans when he saw a naked Lucas walking in the locker room with only basketballs covering his, um, parts). I also appreciate how kind he has been to Lucas and how he didn’t give up on his new player even after he didn’t show up for practice.

Peyton – Not your “Typical High School Cheerleader.” She is going through the motions of being a member of the “in crowd;” privately she rebels by listening to punk and hardcore and creating subversive drawings and comics. I am so glad she dumped Nathan’s ass in episode four.

Haley – Obviously one of the smarter girls at Tree Hill High, and (to make most of you gag) the “Joey to Lucas’s Dawson.” The fact that she even alluded to these characters in the Pilot makes it obvious to me that she has feelings for Lucas. And how can the writers set up that relationship without practically begging viewers to want a romantic relationship between these two? But, I’m seeing a few things standing in their way. First, Lucas obviously has feelings for Peyton. Secondly, Brooke (Sophia Bush) is into Lucas too (and this relationship is what I always think of when I think of this show, even though I am not yet sure how it evolves). Lastly, I definitely think that Haley is going to fall for Nathan. It’s always the unlikely pair that end up getting together on shows like this. I think that Nathan is going to open up to Haley during their tutoring sessions, and the fact that Lucas is being a bit cold to Haley (upon being blindsided by her interacting with Nathan) will give her some more leeway to confide in him as well.

I look forward to learning more about these characters and how they will develop. Will Lucas and Nathan ever become friends? Will Karen and Dan’s wife (who came to see her in her cafe in episode four) develop a friendship? And, finally: will Lucas’ achieving stardom on the team change him?

Clacked by Rachel Blum-Jose
on Jun 04, 2012 @ 10:00 EST5EDT