One Tree Hill: Nathan, Lucas, and Peyton Keep Up the Drama

One Tree Hill began with one of Nathan's flashbacks of what happened in the river. Cooper is still in the hospital, unconscious. And while Haley knows she saw Rachel grab the steering wheel from Cooper, Nathan wants to know if she saw anyone else underwater. He is trying to figure out who the mysterious person was that saved the three of them in the limo that afternoon. Thankfully, Nathan gets a call that Cooper is awake. Cooper tells the detective the wreck was his fault and Rachel tells Cooper she was never pregnant.

Unable to tell anyone else, Nathan tells Cooper the truth about what happened in the river. He admits to not being the hero and Cooper tells him all that matters is they are still alive. Rachel considers Nathan her hero too and vows to repay him for saving her life. Nathan then tells Lucas what happened, asking him if he is the one that saved everyone. Lucas tells Nathan he was the only one that could have saved Cooper and Rachel. But Nathan is convinced he saw Keith in the car. I hope Keith is an active role in the series because I always enjoyed his character. I'm just not sure how they can incorporate his ghost in the show without it being too cheesy.

Peyton and Lucas discussed Brooke dumping him. As she was about to admit what she told Brooke, the power in Peyton's house went out. When he assured Peyton he was going to get Brooke back, Lucas told her "you can't help who you love." Trying to figure out who he loves, Peyton asks him who will be next to him when all his dreams come true. After answering it would be Brooke, she tells Lucas she knows how he can get Brooke back. Unfortunately, Peyton's plan didn't work out. Instead it looks as though it will end up backfiring. Leave it to One Tree Hill to make things a little more complicated.

I get that there has been some history with the three of them in a love triangle. And I get that teenage love is pretty petty. I don't get why her best friend crushing on her boyfriend is means to dump her boyfriend. Last episode of One Tree Hill she said it was because he didn't fight for her or miss her. If that is the case, why is she so hung up on Peyton and Lucas being friends? She stuck to her guns and what she needed; while that doesn't make a break up easy, it does mean she needs to remember she no longer can pretend to have any say over who he is friends with.

Brooke unpacks her stuff as she moves into her old room, which is now Rachel's. It seems as if Brooke thinks everyone forgot her birthday. Rachel takes Brooke to a club for to celebrate where they discuss Lucas the entire time. At least until Rachel flirts with some guy to have a one-night stand she thinks will help her get over Cooper. Instead of that working, Rachel seems to set her sights on Nathan. If Rachel stays in the series, I hope they give her more depth than being the girl with the obsessive crushes. And I really hope she doesn't ruin Nathan and Haley's marriage. Using her music career as a means to split them up the second season of One Tree Hill was stupid; I like them together.

Peyton is still debating if she wants to call her half-brother or not. She eventually dials the number only to be told to never call again. She then turns to her podcast to talk about it. I'm glad the podcast is back in the show; it has been pretty absent the last season or two. I guess Derek saw her podcast because he showed up on her porch. Hopefully introducing his character won't have such a dramatic plotline following like Ellie's introduction into One Tree Hill.

Dan Scott is really losing it. He keeps hearing people calling him a murderer. Part of me really really wants to believe he is trying to turn over a new leaf by helping Karen with Keith gone. However, past behavior suggests his more kind actions always come with ulterior motives. Maybe the only other motive to help Karen is to make up for killing Keith and calm his conscious about it.

It seems Deb Scott has gone off her rocker too. She insults a customer and drops her gun, shooting the door without seeming unapologetic. When Karen confronts her, Deb is still grinning about it, treating it as though it is no big deal. That is when the pills fall out of her purse. Deb is back in her old habits of popping pills and Karen tells her to get back into rehab or she will dissolve their partnership. Instead, Deb quits, picking up her pills and walking out.

The writers have set up One Tree Hill to go one of two ways. It will either become too overly dramatic that it is just a hokey teen soap opera that becomes too over the top with being unbelievable. Luckily for One Tree Hill and the fans, there is still the possibility they could wrap up some of the more outlandish plotlines and bring it back to being a fun show about teenagers. Let's hope for the second option or One Tree Hill might lose some major points in the ratings game.

Tonight's episode of One Tree Hill featured music by Shiny Toy Guns, Dashboard Confessional, and Stars. If waiting until next Wednesday isn't working for you, you can always catch more One Tree Hill action from the Official Website with a podcast from James Lafferty (Nathan Scott). Speaking of podcasts, you can check out the One Tree Hill Podcast and find some other jewels in the process.