One Tree Hill - Good News For People Who Love Bad News

The newest episode of One Tree Hill was called “Good News For People Who Love Bad News.” I’m curious if there is a relationship to the Modest Mouse album of the same name or not. Either way, the kids of One Tree Hill seem to always be full of bad news.

Peyton and her brother Derek decide to get to know each other. Both are artists, like the same music, and even look alike. He has apparently known about her for a while. Peyton gives him the picture Ellie drew for her. Derek also offers to tell Peyton what he remembers of their father before the man walked out. Too bad it looks as though he’s going to be a psycho. Nothing new for Peyton, I guess, but I am sick of it always being oh woe is Peyton because her life is so awful. I liked that character so much better when she was happier.

Haley is picking up on Rachel’s intentions for Nathan and warns her to stay away from her husband. The whole marriage in high school thing has always seemed a little forced, but the references to it in this episode put that cheesiness over the top. I mean, they haven’t graduated from high school and they’ve already had some huge issues to overcome. We get it, relationships aren’t perfect and you have to work on them, but couldn’t that work without the context of marriage?

As much as Nathan was trying to put the accident behind him, it still plagues him during the game. Skillz gets some play time in his first game as a Tree Hill Raven. And naturally there is a big party afterwards; it just happens to be at Rachel’s house so that ups the drama factor. Brooke kisses a guy she sees walking in with Peyton, but it turns out to be the brother and Brooke takes that as fodder for yet another insult.

Nathan asks Rachel what she remembers form the accident but she doesn’t tell him what he wants to hear. He’s worried about thinking Keith is the one who saved him. Luckily Peyton talks to him and tells him even if Keith did save him, he probably didn’t do it so Nathan would sit around pouting.

Lucas confronts Brooke, telling her she never fights for him. She says he never will so Lucas tells her he isn’t the guy for her. I understand a breakup is never easy and it never feels good, but this whole Brooke-Lucas storyline is already getting old. It is a TV show, if they can recover from the school shooting in one or two episodes – a shooting resulting in the loss of lives – why can’t this whole sub-plot get the ball rolling and go somewhere?

Poor Mouth; he really does deserve someone better than Rachel. Being deemed a great friend upsets him so he gets trashed at the party and is the rude drunk to Derek. It also means he passed out on a bench in the yard.

Somehow Rachel knows Brooke is pregnant. When Brooke tells Rachel to stay away from Nathan and Haley, Rachel uses the pregnancy as a way to insult Brooke. So much for them being friends much longer. And how convenient this fight was so close to Mouth’s sleeping spot on the bench. I’m willing to bet he heard it all and is going to talk to someone about it – either Brooke, Lucas, or talking to a third party.

Haley’s insecurities are gigantic. She tells Nathan she wants to be included in what is going on – even if it means he likes Rachel. That’s when Nathan finally opens up and tells Haley he thinks Keith saved him in the river.

Overall it was an okay episode but One Tree Hill just isn’t what it was the first season. I still care about a few of the characters. Mostly I find myself watching it for the sole purpose of seeing what over the top element they’ll introduce next. Instead of being a fun teen drama, One Tree Hill is becoming a cheesy teen soap opera – you know with the dead people that don’t go away and the girls vying for men they can’t have or introducing random family members no one ever knew about.

One Tree Hill’s “Good News For People Who Love Bad News” episode featured music from The Wreckers, Placebo, and Mat Kearney.