“Every song has a coda, a final movement. Whether it fades out or crashes away, every song ends. Is that any reason not to enjoy the music?”
Not only is this a classic and beautiful One Tree Hill quote from this episode, but it’s also fitting for a Throwback Thursday post. This pretty much perfectly sums up my feelings back when this show ended, and even now that One Tree Hill has been off the air for years, it still rings true.
There are few shows that I love as much as One Tree Hill. No show, and no characters, have ever touched my heart as much as these guys have. Each season of One Tree Hill is special and great in their own way, but for me, season 3 is classic One Tree Hill. It was like the days when the show was in it’s prime. Season one was just finding it’s feet, and two was good, but I feel like season three was when it really hit it’s stride. Because of this, I had to choose a season 3 episode for my throwback thursday post. I love this episode. It always sticks out in my mind as one of my favorites. It’s a really classic, dramatic, and emotional episode with everyone trapped due to a big storm and blackout. This forces them to have many real, and honest moments together. Plus, I’ve always loved Brucas and Naley and both couples are heavily featured in this episode. Also, Peyton’s (Hilarie Burton) acting is incredible as she spends her last night with her mom and reacts to her tragic death. This episode is also before the school shooting so Keith is still alive and well with Karen, which is nice to see. Weirdly, there must just be something about storms because another one of my favorite episodes was Darkness on the Edge of Town from season 8, where Jamie and Brooke almost die. Anyways, I was excited to have an excuse to watch this show again, I’ve been meaning to rewatch from the beginning for a while now and as I predicted, watching just one episode has me hooked all over again and is giving me the push I need to start my marathon rewatch!
Anyways, onto this amazing episode. First, I have to say, my love for Sophia Bush is insane! I love anything she’s in. I’m a big Chicago PD fan, but when I watch One Tree Hill, I don’t see Sophia Bush or any other character she's played, I just see Brooke Davis and that’s a real testament to her acting on this show. Even though I just recently watched an episode of Chicago PD, and I haven't watched an episode of One Tree Hill in years, when I watched this episode I felt like I was reuniting with Brooke, someone I hadn't seen in forever.
I have always been a huge fan of Brooke and Lucas together. As seasons went on and it became clear that Lucas and Peyton were end game, I got on board but I will always have a special place in my heart for Brucas. Although I wasn’t always a fan of the love triangle drama, in this episode it’s kind of fun because it’s not too dramatic and it’s self-contained within the Brucas relationship. When Lucas gives Brooke another one of his letters, she freaks out because he said the same exact thing in one of the letters she found for Peyton. This sparks a lot of jealousy and Brooke walks out on him and into the rain. Their fight and make-up in the middle of the storm is iconic in their relationship, not to mention so sweet and super hot.
To this day, Nathan and Haley have one of the most iconic TV relationships ever. They were, by far, my most adored couple on this show and possibly on any show ever (which is impressive because I have a lot of ships!). During this episode, things are still slightly awkward between them after Haley came back to town from her tour with Chris Keller. They’re back together but they still haven't figured out what to do about college and the blackout gives them an opportunity to talk about things and get some closure. One of my favorite Naley moments ever, is when Nathan runs out to his car and shows Haley his box full of newspaper clippings from the tour. It’s just such an adorable and surprising thing for him to do, even as he was hurt and alone. That moment really stuck with me and if anyone didn't think they were perfect for each other before, they definitely would after that. And who could forget that kiss on the hood of his car in the rain?? Rain has always been their “thing”, in large part to this moment, their big dramatic, “finally putting the past behind them” kiss in the rain. This episode was also filled with even more adorable Naley moments with callbacks to their first tutoring session and other memories that Nathan recounts to her, and their hilarious fight in the beginning when Nathan leads her to believe he doesn't want her to come with him to Duke. I loved watching such a cute and positive episode for my favorite TV couple!
Rachel and Mouth provided some comedic relief during this episode. Even though they weren’t part of the core five, I always really liked both of them and their friendship. Mouth is such a good guy but he especially showed it during this episode when he gave a great speech about finding the perfect girl and not having to be mean to her to get her to like him. I forgot how adorable he was and how outrageous Rachel used to be in her early days. I guess, now that I really think about it, she was always pretty outrageous (I mean…marrying Dan!) but especially back before her and Brooke became friends she was totally the quintessential mean girl. I did miss her crazy ways though!
Finally, onto the really emotional aspect of this episode, and this is what One Tree Hill always did so well. This show made you feel extremely close to every character and when they hurt, you hurt - at least that’s the way it is for me. That’s the mark of a great show, characters, and writing. During this episode, Peyton convinces her mom, Ellie, who is in the later stages of breast cancer, to stay one last night because of the blackout. They’ve been working on their benefit album but now that it’s over, Ellie is leaving so Peyton won’t have to see her suffering. These two really had such a nice bond. The actresses had a great chemistry together and I think they really brought out the best in each other. One Tree Hill is already an emotional show, but I think that this storyline really showed some of Hilarie Burton’s best acting. When she finds Ellie at the end and crumples to the ground, it’s a really powerful moment of pain that I’ll always remember as one of Hilarie Burton’s best scenes. While, ultimately this episode was very sad in the end, with Ellie dying, she also brought some of the most heartwarming and uplifting moments to this episode. For example, when her and Peyton are driving around in the rain and just living life, or the heart-to-heart conversations they had about their favorite songs and Ellie’s cancer. I also loved how, despite everything, this episode had both Lucas and Brooke coming together to comfort Peyton in the hallway, which I’ll always think was a really cute moment.
How can anyone talk about One Tree Hill without talking about the music? This episode in particular had some really great songs. Back in the day, I used to get a lot of my music from this show and I have at least four songs from this episode in my iTunes library. This show always knew how to magnify even the smallest moments with a great song and made emotional scenes go above and beyond heartbreaking. Music and One Tree Hill will always go hand-in-hand for me, and it was such a huge part of the soul of this show, I simply had to mention it.
Watching this episode of One Tree Hill was like coming home or getting a piece of my heart back. That might seem dramatic but I didn't realize how much I missed them all. This show was a huge part of my life, and I’m sure many others would agree. Even after all this time and seeing this episode on numerous occasions in the past, it still really gets me every time. I teared up and cried a lot. Often, it was because of nostalgia and missing everyone, but even the storylines still carry the same amount of weight, all these years later. One Tree Hill is just one of those special shows that can never get old and will always be a fond place to go back to, no matter how many years pass by. As they say, “there is only one Tree Hill, and it’s your home.”
Favorite Quotes/Moments:
“That’s okay, you can say bad things about her (Peyton).” - Brooke
“You think I need to see you with my eyes to know what’s going on with you?” - Nathan
“I was hurt Haley, but I was still proud of you. Every day.” - Nathan
“She’ll be elite to me.” - Mouth
“Say hi to my mom, Mom.” - Peyton
About the Author - Kate Sidwell
Kate is a 24 year old, USA based, Psychology/Public Health Researcher - but that’s just her day job! In her spare time she is an avid TV watcher (some may even say addict!!). Some of her favorite shows are Jane the Virgin, Bates Motel, The Flash, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Rookie Blue, Silicon Valley, Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Hollow, The 100, The Mindy Project, Pretty Little Liars, Once Upon a Time, The Royals, Orphan Black…so pretty much too many to count and a huge variety! She’ll give pretty much any show a chance! She also devotes a lot of time to her tumblr (
eat-sleep-breathe-tv.tumblr.com) where you can find her reviewing and commenting on most of these shows and just generally fangirling! She’s excited to be writing for SpoilerTV on Complications, Baby Daddy, Proof, Switched at Birth, Secrets and Lies, and Minority Report!
