When One Tree Hill, or “OTH” as it is more commonly known, came to Netflix, it was rare to encounter someone who hadn’t binge-watched all nine seasons in an embarrassingly short amount of time. With actors like James Lafferty and Chad Michael Murray starring in the series, it was tough to resist instantly clicking “next episode” after 40 minutes was up. However, despite the physical attractiveness of the characters, what made OTH such a fan-favorite was the important lessons it taught teenagers about the hardships and lessons of growing up. Here are just five of the many things OTH has taught me.
*Be warned ladies and gentlemen: this article contains spoilers
1. Life Isn’t Always Fair, But Friends Help
It is no secret that these characters face adversity. Lucas lives in a single-parent home, Peyton lost both her adoptive and biological mom, and — perhaps the worst — Keith Scott was shot point-blank during the school shooting in Season 3 Episode 16. Although these characters all have problems, just as many teens do, they always get through it with the help of their friends and loved ones.
2. It’s Okay To Be Different
The cast embodies a pretty stereotypical high school; there are the jocks and the popular kids. As the seasons go on, however, the characters evolve into complex young adults and accept one another for their differences. Throughout conversations with one another and pivotal moments of growing up, the characters teach viewers, and learn themselves, the importance of differences within all of us.
3. Follow Your Dreams
The OTH cast is made up of typical high schoolers in so many ways, yet these high schoolers dream much bigger than most kids — at least kids that I know. Haley chased her dream of being a recorded artist, Brooke became one of the biggest names in fashion, Nathan impressed all with his professional basketball career, Peyton got involved with music and Lucas became a writer — as the audience knew he would. The characters overcame obstacles to get to their success (Nathan losing his scholarship to Duke and Haley’s bad ending to her first tour to name a few), but they taught us that in order for your dreams to come true, you must keep believing and striving to achieve your ambition.
4. Don’t change for anyone
What makes the characters of this show unlike any ordinary cast is how unique they all are and how they each bring something different to the table. The fact that a punk-rocker like Peyton could be best friends with a girlie cheerleader like Brooke shows the respect the characters had for each other’s differences. Each student at One Tree Hill has different talents and interests, yet they all come together as Tree Hill Ravens.
5. It’s All Going to Be Okay
As everyone knows, high school can be some of the hardest times of your lives, and these characters are no strangers to hard times. Yet, episode after episode they show us that in the end, it will all work out. There will be hard times, but you will get through them with the help of your friends and family. And for the hard times, “there will always be One Tree Hill” (to watch on Netflix).
Photos courtesy of Giphy and The Odyssey.