One Tree Hill Episode Recap: "Screenwriter's Blues"

[peachken]

This week's episode felt like a classic One Tree Hill thanks to a job well done by director Bethany Joy Galeotti. Lucas finally began casting his movie, and with all of the actors running lines and auditioning, it made me nostalgic for Season 1. Not only were there some funny moments, but also some surprising ones as well, as we were reminded that there's a sweet side to our evil Dan and bad boy Julian.
Within the first five minutes, we faithful viewers got to reminisce as the Haleys and Nathans were being cast. Even the poncho was brought back as Haley told Nathan off for being a dumb jock. Who would've thought back then that they'd be a stable and happily married couple today?
I never thought I'd say this, but Dan is not only growing on me, but his scenes with Jamie this season have really warmed my heart. The two have become confidants, and this week, Jamie tells his grandpa that he wants to invite a girl over for a play date. But when she shows up, it turns out that his crush is actually his teacher. "You look very nice, very becoming," Jamie tells Lauren. This boy is going to be a heart-breaker. The "date" seemed to be going well until Jamie overheard Dan telling Lauren about an imaginary friend. "You're making fun of me? You're trying to embarrass me so Lauren will like you better," he yells, adding in, "He was in prison!" at the end. Little Jamie thought his grandpa was trying to steal his girl and ran away upset. Later on, the two patched things up when Dan explained to Jamie that he's his best friend, his only friend, and he'd never make fun of him. Dan was truly sincere and apologetic that he had hurt his feelings. Jamie believed him and went back inside to finish his first ever "date."
Meanwhile at school, Haley was having a bit of an issue with her new principal. After excitedly telling Sam that she had won the essay contest and would be published in the school paper, the principal called Haley in her office to stop her from doing so. The essay, reflective of Sam's life thus far, contained many references to sex and drugs that the principal was not going to allow her students to read. If only she knew what they were doing on the weekends! Anyway, she threatened Haley, who ended up putting it in the paper regardless. After urging Lucas to follow his heart, Haley did the same. "If you take away their voice, what's the point in calling myself a teacher anymore?" she wondered. This must've been what Bethany Joy meant when she teased that Haley would have some major issues at school.
And while Haley is having trouble at school, her husband Nathan is having some of his own on the court. Seems the coach finally listened and decided to bench Devon in favor of Nathan. Great news, except Devon ends up quitting when he realizes his NBA dreams won't be realized with him sitting on a bench. Nathan soon learns that Devon has a family to support — a daughter and another child on the way. Nathan feels guilty and asks the coach to give him another chance, but it's too late and his coach tells him that he has to only think about what's best for him. But Nathan isn't off the hook with the taunting. Looks like he's got a new back-up, an opponent from his past, who's ready to take Nathan's place.
Back to the movie. Brooke and Julian continue to hit it off as we see them in bed post, uh, "Brooke-ing." She couldn't be more excited to meet the girl playing her (who turns out to be Top Model's own Cassandra Jean), but soon realizes it's more than she's bargained for. Fake Brooke ends up shadowing her every move, even asking her how many cigarettes she had to smoke to get that voice of hers and showing up in the back of her car naked, just as Brooke did to Lucas in Season 1. But Brooke soon discovers that the only part of her written in the movie is the one she'd rather forget. She finds out that her description has been rewritten as a girl who loves three things: sex, sex and more sex. Combined with Julian's urging for her to make the Brooke wardrobe sexier, she realizes that Julian is after the wrong girl, a girl she perhaps used to be but has moved on from.
Later on, Julian finds Brooke to show her his yearbook picture and prove that he, too, was a different person in high school — in his case a mathlete. "I know you're not the person you were in high school, and I'm glad because that kid never would've stood a chance with you." He then goes on to tell her that his breakdown of her in the script was only meant to describe the person before you get to know her. And then he shows her his description of her now. Funny, kind-hearted, motherly, tough, sensitive, beautiful, and the list goes on. "That girl has been nearly impossible to find, but worth every second of the wait." That last line won Brooke over...and me as well.
Peyton is on a bit of an emotional roller coaster as she finds out that Lucas working on the movie is going to mean she'll have to do a lot of things on her own. Even Skillz shows up as the "baby proofer" to show her just how many PBIs, or possible baby injuries, she has in the house. But just when she doubted him, Lucas showed up to her doctor's appointment, something he had been planning on for the past week. Peyton was ecstatic he was there, and Lucas told her he wouldn't miss it for the world. And then they hear their baby's heartbeat. I mean, who wouldn't want to marry a guy like Lucas after this scene!
After frustration, being overwhelmed, and having a bit of a meltdown, Lucas has finally cast the leads in his movie, "An Unkindness of Ravens." After the very first, and very successful, table read, the actors, producers, even Dixon and Julian's dad, give a round of applause. And with that Lucas says, "Let's make a movie."
I have to say James Van der Beek's character Dixon, though I haven't mentioned him, cracked me up tonight. He's a jerk but sure has a way of making me laugh. And his lines were almost as good as this gem between Brooke and Peyton:
"I slept with Julian.""Come again?""That's what she said?"
Tee hee. For more on Bethany Joy Galeotti's directorial debut this episode, check out my Q&A with her here.
authors: Robyn Ross