

Mark Schwahn told me he wanted to make the series finale feel like “a quintessential One Tree Hill episode,” and that’s exactly what he delivered April 4: introspective voiceovers, unforgettable performances, and a look into the future that wrapped up nine years of story into an hour-long love letter to the fans of “the little show that could.”
As One Tree Hill‘s series finale inches closer and closer — it’s literally seven days away now — the residents of Tree Hill burned their failures and burdens at the town’s Burning Boat Festival.
Xavier Daniels (Devin McGee) was still lurking around town on this week’s One Tree Hill, and even persuaded Tara (Chelsea Kane) to give him a job at Tree Hill Cafe — right across the street from Karen’s Cafe. My guess is that it didn’t take much convincing, because I have no doubt Tara only gave him the job get under Brooke’s skin. Julian (Austin Nichols) and Brooke (Sophia Bush) decided to stalk Xavier to catch him in a criminal act, and when they saw him “break into a house,” they called the police. Well, he actually lived at the house and had to use the window because he forgot a key. Brooke and Julian merely added fuel to Xavier’s fire.
Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti) was called down to the morgue to identify a body believed to be Nathan (James Lafferty) on the Feb. 29 episode of One Tree Hill — but those tears we saw in the previews turned out to be tears of joy, because Nathan was NOT in the body bag! In her desperate state, Haley even did the unthinkable and turned to Dan Scott (Paul Johannson) for help solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearance. It’s safe to say that hell has frozen over.
As the final season of One Tree Hill marches on, we’re slowly getting explanations for the shocking flash-forward sequence seen on the premiere — and on the Feb. 29 episode, we’ll finally figure out whose corpse Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti) has to identify at the morgue! So who does the mystery body belong to? To figure that out, we’ll have to play my favorite game ever: Tree Hill Corpse Roulette! (Actually, that’s my second favorite game. My first is Dream Phone.)
On the Feb. 15 episode of One Tree Hill, viewers finally found out where Nathan (James Lafferty) is — sort of. It turns out he’s been kidnapped! Also, people in Europe take basketball way too seriously. Apparently, Nathan tried to sign a player who was the “property” of someone else. (It’s just a sport. Winning isn’t everything, remember?!) Unfortunately, his family and friends back in Tree Hill are still left in the dark.
One Tree Hill returned for its ninth and final season Jan. 11, and it was all sunshine and rainbows from start to finish — well, as long as you don’t count the arson, vandalism, arrests, assaults and dead bodies. I almost forgot about those.
Well, kids, the day we’ve looked forward to — and also dreaded — is almost here. The final season of One Tree Hill premieres at 8 p.m. tomorrow (Jan. 11) on The CW, and I was fortunate enough to be on the show’s Wilmington, N.C., set to get the scoop straight from the stars! Bethany Joy Galeotti sums the whole thing up pretty nicely (“near death experiences, jealousy, psychotic breakdowns, post-traumatic stress”), but let’s see what the other residents of Tree Hill have to say about what they’ll be up to during the show’s final run.
Though One Tree Hill‘s ninth, and final, season will feature the return of some old favorites — Dan Scott, Chris Keller, etc. — it was officially announced Aug. 4 at the Critics Television Association’s summer tour that Nathan (James Lafferty) will only be around for “multiple” episodes. How do YOU think they’ll explain his absence? Let the wild speculation begins!
Many CW viewers breathed a sigh of relief April 26 when the network announced the renewal of five hit series — but the news wasn’t quite as hopeful for One Tree Hill fans, whose favorite show remains very much on the bubble. As a longtime fan myself, I have to say I’d be pretty bummed if these next three episodes also turn out to be the last. I’m not ready to say goodbye to the group of madcap southerners who taught me so much about life. And actually made me care about basketball.
None of my friends believe me, but The CW’s One Tree Hill can be really good. At its best, it’s car crashes and school shootings and psycho murderers on prom night. The Sept. 14 season premiere comes vaguely close to that with a clever mixture of the show’s trademark romantic gobbledigook and the best twist ending ever!
“This show has changed my life time and time again,” commenter Amanda P. writes. “I feel like it got me through some of the hardest years of my life.” That’s just one of the many statements we’ve received from outraged One Tree Hill fans. Devoted followers have been with the show for seven years now, and they’re not ready to say goodbye. Read more
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