Content warning: This article mentions death, assault, and school shootings.
Recently, I found myself rewatching One Tree Hill for the thousandth time. That’s not even an exaggeration. Every time I watch it, the TikTok edits come flooding into my FYP. I’m not upset about it, except that my favorite character always gets ripped on in the comment section.
My poor baby, Peyton Sawyer, I will always defend you. Everyone hates Peyton for what she did to Brooke, and I’m not trying to justify her actions, but that girl went to hell and back at least once every season; she deserves a break. In my opinion, she is one of the most complex characters in any teen drama, and people seem to push her away because they prefer Brooke more.
Starting with a big part of what makes Peyton Sawyer so complex: the death of her mother and the absence of her father. We learn in the first few episodes of season one that Peyton lost her mom after her mom ran a red light on her way to pick her up from school. Sawyer herself experiences a state where she runs multiple red lights at once and questions why nothing happens to her.
Along with having no mother, her dad decides to leave her alone to work overseas. She has no parental figure to guide her until she reconnects with her birth mom, Ellie. She and Ellie have a connection unlike any other. Then, Peyton learns that Ellie has cancer. This doesn’t destroy their bond, but it does add to Peyton’s worry. A few episodes after that, Peyton shows up at Ellie’s house to find her unresponsive on her bed. This is personally one of the hardest scenes to watch. The absolute distraught in Peyton’s face and crying is so heartbreaking.
Besides her family, she’s also a victim of the school shooting. Peyton, obviously, had to be the one to get shot. She was bleeding out in the library when Lucas Scott rescued her. She became unresponsive, but Lucas Scott was able to get her out. Also, I’m going to bring up the fact that this occurred only three episodes after Ellie Harp died. To me, it seems like the writers really had it out for my girl.
Now, for my least favorite storyline of the whole show: Psycho Derek. This was just so unnecessary, but I do see how it added to Peyton’s character development. For a little refresh, Psycho Derek is a man who stalked Peyton and pretended to be her half-brother. He is overly obsessed with her and ends up assaulting her. After thinking he was put in jail, “Derek” then shows up at her house on prom night and kidnaps her, along with Brooke, who shows up later.
Finally, Peyton’s pregnancy must be mentioned. Peyton became pregnant during season 6 with Lucas. She was then diagnosed with placenta previa, which is a condition where the placenta covers the cervix. The complication is that delivering the baby could cost Peyton her life. She and Lucas go through the difficult decision of whether to keep the baby or terminate the pregnancy. She ultimately decides to keep the baby and, thankfully, gives birth to a healthy baby girl.
Peyton leaves Tree Hill with husband Lucas and daughter Sawyer. Honestly, good for her; she deserves to get out of that trauma-filled town. Again, Peyton is one of the most complex characters I have seen on television. She has taught me and many other women how to be strong in tough situations. I will defend you till the end of time, P Sawyer.