Counting Down One Tree Hill’s Most Iconic Moments

The solid of One Tree Hill is who we would like standing subsequent to Us when all our goals come true.

The WB collection, which moved to the CW after the WB was discontinued, has change into a mainstay within the popular culture zeitgeist since its premiere in 2003. Set within the city of the fictional Tree Hill, North Carolina, the present follows two estranged half-brothers Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan (James Lafferty) as they navigate sharing a city — and a basketball workforce — whereas coping with their malicious father, Dan Scott (Paul Johansson).  

Hilarie Burton Morgan, Bethany Joy Lenz, Sophia Bush, Moira Kelly,  Lee Norris, Barbara Alyn Woods and Craig Sheffer rounded out the remainder of the present’s fundamental solid, delivering an countless quantity of highschool drama earlier than leaping 4 years forward for its ultimate 5 seasons. 

While the collection is beloved by followers, the present was usually a tumultuous expertise for its actors. The girls of the collection went public with harassment allegations towards creator Mark Schwahn in 2017. While Schwahn by no means addressed the accusations, Morgan, Lenz and Bush created their OTH rewatch podcast, “Drama Queens,” in 2021 to reclaim their time on the collection and reframe it in an empowering approach. 

Related: ‘One Tree Hill’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

Looking again. It’s arduous to look again at teen dramas with out remembering One Tree Hill. Between the relationships, the friendships and the surprising deaths and dramas, it has change into some of the memorable in historical past. The collection, created by Mark Schwahn, aired for 9 seasons from 2003 to 2012. It premiered on The WB […]

“The show itself is a thing that we have had all these mixed emotions about for so long,” Bush instructed Variety in July 2021. “This is an opportunity for us to lean into everything that was good and we’re going to take back everything that should have been better. To be in that position of empathetic power feels really good. Because there was no one in power who showed us all that much empathy, and we want to do it differently.” 

It’s inconceivable to slim One Tree Hill’s most iconic moments all the way down to 10 — however maintain scrolling to see Us attempt.

‘First of All, You Don’t Know Me’

The line that modified all of it. After Peyton’s (Morgan) automobile breaks down within the collection premiere, Lucas arrives to tow it again to his Uncle Keith’s (Sheffer) auto store. The interplay between the 2 characters is the muse for his or her six-season love story, which begins with Lucas pining over Peyton — regardless of the actual fact she’s relationship his brother, Nathan. 

While Lucas and Peyton are twin flames from the beginning, Peyton initially tries to maintain her distance. “First of all, you don’t know me. Second of all, you don’t know me,” she tells him. That doesn’t cease him from attempting to get her artwork revealed — sparking a romance for the ages. 

The well-known piece of dialogue would come again round in season 6 when the pair drive again to the spot and reminisce about their first dialog on the night time earlier than their marriage ceremony. 

The Season 1 Finale That Subverted Expectations 

While the sport the place Lucas misses the successful shot could not initially seem to be a contender for essentially the most iconic OTH second, “The Games That Play Us” was expertly artful in subverting fan expectations. When else has the principle character misplaced within the ultimate few seconds? 

In addition to Lucas’ letdown, the connection shift between Nathan and Lucas involves a head. After a season of being at odds, the brothers bond over their mutual hatred for his or her father — who’s now teaching their workforce. Elsewhere within the episode, Haley and Nathan sleep collectively for the primary time — and get married! — Brooke and Peyton make peace after feuding over Lucas, and Lucas decides to maneuver to Charleston with Keith after the disgrace of dropping the sport. 

Lucas does get one win. He will get to indicate off his new clean basketball jersey — sans the Scott moniker — to his father.

When Jake Shows Up Right As Peyton Tires to Buy Cocaine 

After leaving Tree Hill to guard his daughter, Jenny, from her estranged mom, Nikki (Emmanuelle Vaugier), Jake (Bryan Greenberg) returns to city in season 2 simply as a misplaced and lonely Peyton — who has been lacking Jake since his departure — is about to purchase cocaine. 

As Peyton approaches her vendor, the scene cuts to a pair of ft strolling down the road. While viewers initially assume they’ll see Lucas coming towards her — pondering the 2 is perhaps reigniting their season 1 romance — the digicam pans as much as reveal Jake. He later reveals Luke was the one to name him after worrying about Peyton’s well-being. 

At dwelling, Jake realizes he needs to deliver his daughter again to Tree Hill for good. They transfer in with Peyton, sparking the start of the pair’s romantic arc collectively. “I think it stopped raining,” Jake says in Peyton’s bed room as a thunderstorm clears. “Yeah, I think maybe it did,” Peyton replies, smiling.

Jake and Peyton weren’t endgame, however he introduced Peyton again to life — and was important to her journey.

Haley and Nathan’s 1st Rain Kiss — and Every 1 After That, Too 

We dare you to maneuver after this iconic second. To totally perceive the momentous rain motif that existed all through Nathan and Haley’s romance, one has to rewind again to their first kiss outdoors of Haley’s home in season 1.

 After a disastrous first date — the place Nathan reveals he began flirting with Haley to get again at Lucas — Nathan exhibits as much as apologize. As Haley goes off on him for his errors, he cuts her off by kissing her mid-sentence as Swichfoot’s “Dare You to Move” roars within the background. 

Later within the season, Nathan exhibits again up after the 2 have one other struggle over Nathan holding photos of his ex Peyton on his pc. He confesses his like to her within the rain and the pair share one other passionate kiss. Over the following 9 seasons, Haley and Nathan would proceed to have rainfall throughout their most romantic moments — together with the primary time they sleep collectively, after they reunite after breaking apart and throughout the collection finale. 

Dan Shoots Keith 

Not each second on this record is usually a joyous one, however Dan taking pictures Keith throughout the season 3 episode “With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept” undoubtedly modified the course of the collection endlessly. While nearly all of the hour was spent with the Tree Kill children on lockdown after Jimmy Edwards (Colin Fickes) brings a gun to highschool — and shoots Peyton within the leg — the ultimate moments shocked followers endlessly. 

Keith enters the college attempting to avoid wasting Jimmy — and guarantee Lucas can deliver an injured Peyton to security — however can’t cease him earlier than he shoots himself. When Dan joins them within the hallway,  Keith thinks his estranged brother is there to assist him. However, together with his jealousy and anger towards his brother effervescent over the sting, Dan takes the gun and shoots Keith, wrongly blaming his demise on Jimmy. 

Lucas and Brooke’s Big Fight — and Brooke’s Fist on Rachel’s Face

In the third episode of season 3, Brooke (Bush) finds Lucas — who she’s relationship non-exclusively — within the automobile with a unadorned Rachel (Danneel Ackles) within the backseat. After punching Rachel within the face, Brooke tries to storm off however Lucas stops her, confused on why she’s offended if that is what she “wanted.”

“What I wanted? I wanted you to fight for me. I wanted you to say that there is no one that you could ever be with and you’d rather be alone than be without me,” Brooke, nonetheless harm from him dishonest on her in season 1, says to Lucas. “I wanted the Lucas Scott from the beach that night, telling the world that he’s the one for me.” 

“How was I supposed to know that?” he asks, to which she replies, “You just are.” 

The scene is later paralleled season 3 episode 13, “The Wind That Blew Me Away,” when the pair struggle in a thunderstorm after Lucas calls her the identical affectionate identify he used to name Peyton. 

Following Brooke out into the rain, Lucas goes on to record all of the issues he adores about her. “I can’t say anything bad about Peyton, she’s my friend. She’s your best friend. The truth is I care about Peyton. The difference is I love you, Brooke. I want to be with you, not Peyton,” he tells her. “Because you kink your eyebrow when you’re trying to be cute. Because you quote [Albert] Camus even though I’ve never actually seen you read. And because you miss your parents but you’ll never ever admit that. And because I’ve given exactly two of these embarrassing speeches in my life, and they’ve both been to you.” 

While they could not have gone the gap as a pair, the second stays some of the romantic — and well-earned — in OTH historical past. 

When Nathan Gets to Narrate 

Season 3 continued to deliver epic episodes with “Everyday Is a Sunday Evening,” which marked the primary time one other character in addition to Lucas narrated an episode.

This hour belonged to Nathan, who leads his basketball workforce to victory within the Coastal Classic. With Lucas sidelined due to his coronary heart situation, Nathan steps up as solo workforce captain. Facing his greatest rival within the finals, he finds himself taking pictures a free throw — one thing he and Dan practiced lots of of instances when he was a child.

As “Unsatisfied” by The Replacements performs as his soundtrack, Nathan takes the ultimate shot, turning away from the basket and taking pictures whereas smiling and staring straight into the eyes of the other workforce

“Stepping up. It’s a simple concept. It basically means to rise above yourself; to do a little more, to show you something special. Something like this. Lucas is gone, but that doesn’t mean the season is over. As a matter of fact, I say it’s just beginning. You might want to stay out of my way for a while,” Nathan’s voice over says throughout the recreation. “Life’s funny sometimes; can push pretty hard like when you fall in love with someone but they forget to love you back, like when your best friend and your boyfriend leave you alone, like when you pull the trigger or light the flame and you can’t take it back. Like I said, in sports they call this ‘stepping up’. In life, I call it ‘pushing back.” 

Brooke Slaps Peyton Over Lucas — Because He’s on the Door

The season 3 finale brings main revelations. After Peyton realizes whereas visiting Jake in Savannah, Georgia that she’s nonetheless in love with Lucas — who’s as soon as once more relationship her finest pal. Not eager to repeat the identical errors she made in season 1, she confesses to Brooke that she nonetheless has emotions for Lucas inflicting an enormous struggle between the BFFs. 

When Brooke — who has been dwelling at Peyton’s home — returns to assemble her issues, she questions why Peyton couldn’t simply keep quiet about her emotions. “He’s on the door Peyton, he’s on the damn door next to me,” she yells, referring to the record they wrote in season 2 to keep away from wanting so far the identical man twice.

When Peyton questions if Brooke even loves Lucas, Brooke slaps her earlier than declaring their friendship over. It’s harsh – however Breyton discover their approach again collectively in the long run.  

Naley’s 2nd Wedding 

Fake being pregnant bulletins, homicide try confessions, folks drowning, breakups and pal fights — Haley and Nathan’s second marriage ceremony is full of drama. 

Rachel lies and tells Uncle Cooper (Michael Trucco) that she’s pregnant together with his child and the pair go flying off a bridge in a limo. Nathan and Haley witness the accident and Nathan jumps in after them, solely to see the ghost of Keith whereas underwater. Deb (Woods) additionally reveals to Dan that she was the one who tried to homicide him, whereas Brooke and Lucas lastly referred to as it quits for good.

Despite their relationship being fractured for awhile, the breakup is heartbreaking and leads to probably the greatest performances of the present by Bush. 

There’s additionally romance, nevertheless, and followers get to witness Haley and Nathan’s nuptials, which have been carried out off-screen in season 1. It’s a satisfying second after the couple’s countless trials and tribulations of seasons 2 and three. 

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When Lucas Realizes It’s Always Been Peyton 

After 4 seasons — and one very sophisticated love triangle — Lucas lastly realizes that Peyton is the woman for him.

In juxtaposition to the season 1 finale, Lucas scores the successful shot on the state championship for the Ravens. With confetti falling and everybody celebrating round him, Lucas listens to his coronary heart. “It’s you,” he tells Peyton in the course of the basketball court docket. “The one I want next to me when all my dreams come true. It’s you.” 

The pair kiss and the remaining is historical past.