If there is one thing all “One Tree Hill” fans can agree on, it’s the show being an emotional rollercoaster. It can take a viewer from feeling so joyful that they smile stupidly at the screen, to feeling so devastated that their heart’s feeling as though it has been ripped out and stomped on by stilettos. Sometimes, it can just be a plain soul crusher.
However, although it can be emotional suicide to watch OTH, it is fiercely addicting in so far as it is extremely relatable. While the seventeen-year-old characters of the show may be portrayed by actors in their late-twenties and early-thirties, they capture the struggles of teenage life, and the act of growing up, impeccably. So, in honour of this, I give you a list of (some) times One Tree Hill gave its fans all the feels (good and bad):
1. Nathan and Hayley’s Marriage
Nathan and Hayley’s relationship will convince even the coldest of hearts that true love really does exist. Although having a rocky and unpromising start, this power couple puts a ring on it at the end of the first season, sending all of the characters—and fans—in total shock. However, even though many doubt their decision, they prove to rise above and show that love really does conquer all. It’s a beautiful relationship that grows so much over the course of nine seasons, fans can’t help but adore and admire it.
2. The Love Triangle
The classic love triangle plays a large part between Lucas, Peyton, and Brooke. For those of you who don’t know, Peyton and Brooke are two best friends who fall in love with the same guy, Lucas, who happens to have no friggen clue how he feels about anyone. I’m not sure about other fans, but I was all about Brooke and Lucas, so when he and Peyton started sneaking around behind Brooke’s back, I was absolutely crushed. But to make matters worse, this didn’t happen just once, but twice. As Brooke’s heart was stomped all over, mine was right there with hers, and I think I speak for most fans when I say this.
3. Keith’s Death
Keith’s death is one of those soul crushing moments where you are left completely dead inside. I cried so much in this episode that tears actually stopped coming—in less than an hour’s time. Not only do fans have to watch Keith get shot by his own sadistic brother, Dan, we also have to be there for his heartbreaking funeral. Then, throughout the show, it just always seems to come back around to his murder. This is a moment where the show really reflects on what it is like to lose someone closest to you—in this case, it is as though Lucas has lost a father. While Lucas goes through the grieving process, the fans are right there with him.
4. Karen Having Keith’s Baby
After he dies. It’s like a part of him comes back to us.
5. Jimmy’s Suicide
Jimmy’s suicide in the show really reflects on the stigma surrounding mental health. It is shown prior to his suicide that Jimmy is suffering, but no one is able to understand. Essentially, he is left alone to deal with his depression, and by the time someone notices, it is too late—he has already made his decision. To make matters worse, it is during his episode that Keith is killed—by the same gun Jimmy brings to the school and kills himself with. However, it is Dan who pulls the trigger on Keith, not Jimmy. Unfortunately, because there are no witnesses (or so they think for a while) everyone in the show is led to believe that Jimmy killed Keith, making Jimmy’s death all the more tragic.
6. Hayley Leaving on Tour
While Nathan and Hayley embody this “ideal relationship,” they also experience some rough patches along their journey. The closest breaking point they come to is when Hayley leaves Nathan and Tree Hill to go on tour with the obnoxious Chris Keller. For many fans, I’m sure this felt like the end of “Nayley,” especially when Nathan files for divorce papers. Really, it’s almost like true love is slapping us in the face for believing in it.
7. Lucas Confessing His Love for Brooke
Although it is evident that Lucas and Brooke really aren’t meant for each other, Lucas pouring his heart out to Brooke in the pouring rain is one of my favourite moments in the show. If only Lucas could always be this on point with his feelings…
8. Derek Stalking Peyton
Creeeeeepyyyyy. Poor Peyton has it pretty rough in Season 4—not only is she attacked once, but twice, by a psycho impersonating her long-lost half-brother, Derek. While fans surely feel bad for Peyton, these episodes are always best at keeping us on the edge of our seats. Moral of the story: don’t put so much trust into strangers; even if you think they’re okay, they’re probably not.
9. Lucas and Peyton – “It’s you, Peyton.”
Finally, Lucas knows what he’s talking about. I think all fans squealed at this moment—it was actually perfect.
10. Brooke Davis
Probably the most complex character of the show, Brooke Davis undergoes an incredible journey of self-love and self-worth. In the beginning, Brooke is very much a rich party girl without a care in the world; she’s Queen B at Tree Hill High, so why would she need to worry about the future? But as the show progresses, we see a staggering change in Brooke’s character: her parents become bankrupt, she endures the heartbreak of a cheating boyfriend and backstabbing friend, and she invents her own clothing line. By the time we reach Season 5, we are presented with an entirely new Brooke Davis, and it is through her character that fans experience this notion of self-reinvention and the struggles one will face out in the real world.
11. Quentin’s Death
The second most gut-wrenching, soul crushing, devastating moment in the show. Similarly to Keith, Quentin, the star basketball player of the Tree Hill Ravens under the coaching of Skills and Lucas, is shot and killed at a gas station. At first he is presented as a cocky jerk, but as the show progresses, we watch Quentin grow into a wonderful young man—that is, until he’s killed, which is really fucking awful. Screw you One Tree Hill!
12. Crazy Nanny Carrie
After deciding to go back to doing music, Hayley hires a beautiful (but crazy) nanny to help out with her son, Jamie. Unfortunately, Nanny Carrie becomes super obsessed with Nathan and the idea of Jamie being her own son, that she actually kidnaps Jamie and tries to kill Hayley. Psychos in this show are so evil, but so fun to watch!
13. Brooke’s Near-Death
If you’re a true fan, you cry at this scene every time. I probably would have stopped watching the show if they killed off Brooke, just saying.
14. The Coming Apart of Hayley
After Hayley loses her mom, Lydia, we see this drastic undoing of Hayley’s character. Fans get all the feels at this because Hayley is always the strong one, the one that always looks ahead, but when she loses her mom, it’s like watching an empty corpse walking around on set—she’s just no longer there. It’s scary, but it shows another side of grief that many people face after losing a loved one.
15. Brooke and Julian
Finally Brooke gets her happy ending with a man who absolutely adores her! Their relationship seems highly unlikely at first (the circumstances are a little awkward, considering Julian is Peyton’s ex-boyfriend whom she dated right after she rejected Lucas’s proposal), but soon they take their place right next to Hayley and Nathan as an ideal couple. It’s so satisfying.
16. Dan’s Relationship with Jamie
Everyone hates Dan, obviously. And we all love to hate him. But Jamie, his grandson, thinks the world of him, and their relationship can warm any heart. Jamie is able to show his grandpa love, even when he least deserves it.
17. Lucas and Peyton’s Wedding Night
I saw this coming, but I still didn’t want to watch. After a perfect wedding ceremony and reception, Lucas and Peyton (who is very pregnant) go back home to find the place decked out with romance. Unfortunately, Peyton doesn’t even make it to the bed before she collapses on the floor and begins to lose a ton of blood. I don’t know about other fans, but this was terrifying—I truly believed she was going to die.
18. Brooke’s Pregnancy
Brooke has it all—except a baby. After being told that she is unable to bear children, Brooke becomes heartbroken, believing that she will never have the family she desires. That is until the last episode, when there’s a whole bunch of plot twists that lead us to finding out that Brooke is pregnant—with twins! Such a beautiful moment.
19. The Power of Three
Brooke, Peyton, and Hayley are squad goals. I’ve never seen a truer friendship than this one.
20. The Final Goodbye
I have watched One Tree Hill countless times, but I have only watched the final episode once. For me, One Tree Hill is forever.