One. Tree. Hill.

I thought I would do another top 10 list, except it's a top 15 list, (in no particular order) of the best One Tree Hill episodes (in my opinion). Being that there are over 100 episodes, this is going to be a challenge!

With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept

This was the first episode that came to my mind. This was why I started watching One Tree Hill. About five months after this episode aired, my best friend Beth told me to watch it because it was so moving. I was hooked. The way Mark Schwahn addresses the issue of gun violence & bullying has a way of showing the humanity behind the issue & being that this issue is still so prevelant in our society today, this is a must watch episode.

 

Does this darkness have a name? This cruelty, this hatred. How did it find us? Did it steal into our lives or did we seek it out and embrace it? What happened to us, that we now send our children into the world like we send young men to war? Hoping for their safe return, but knowing that some will be lost along the way. When did we lose our way? Consumed by the shadows, swallowed whole by the darkness. Does this darkness have a name? Is it your name?

 This scene was deleted from the episode. But it is my favorite.

To Wish Impossible Things

For all you OTH fans: The Boy Toy Auction! This episode was so much fun, James Lafferty was shirtless, & this was one of the first episodes where Haley says how she's fallen in love with Nathan.

 

There’s something you need to understand. Everyday day you wait, is another day you’ll never get back again.

The Lucas & Haley friendship is definitely one of my favorites.

A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene

The beginning of Brooke & Julian. Need I say more? Their scenes in this episode are perfection.

 

"You've got a date."

"I have a business meeting."

"Yeah, like his junk's got a meeting with your lady business."

One Tree Hill

How could the finale not be among your favorites? The end of an era.

 It's the oldest story in the world. One day, you're 17 & planning for someday and then quietly, without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And then someday is yesterday. And this is your life. We spend so much time wanting, pursuing, wishing, but ambition is good. Chasing things with integrity is good. Dreaming. If you had a friend you knew you'd never see again, what would you say? If you could do one last thing for someone you love, what would it be? Say it, do it. Don't wait. Nothing lasts forever. Make a wish & place it in your heart. Anything you want. Everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle is going to come from. The next memory, the next smile, the next wish come true. But if you believe that it's right around the corner. If you open your heart to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it. You just might get the thing you wished for. The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it. So make your wish? Do you have it? Good. Now believe in it. With all your heart.

 One of my favorite tribute videos on YouTube.

Pictures of You

As part of a school assignment, different pairs spend one hour together getting to know each other. And confide in each other with their deepest secrets and fears.

I was scared I wasn't enough for you. That's why I lied. That's what I'm scared of. Not being enough. Not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough."

The Drinks We Drank Last Night

Brooke's bachelorette party: Hangover style. One of the funniest episodes.

Okay this is good. A receipt from a tattoo parlour. One embarrssing tongue piercing and one tattoo. Its like an x rated version of Where's Waldo.

Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said the Last Time I Saw You

The gang goes to Utah for Julian's movie premiere. Julian & Brooke get engaged. I love the episodes where a lot of the cast is together. Such great chemistry.

 

"Sure is a long way up, Mama."

"No, it's just a hill. Come on, we'll climb it together."

Darkness on the Edge of Town

The final storm scene with Brooke, Julian, Haley, Nathan, & Jamie gets me every time.

 

When It Isn't Like It Should Be

Another one with the cast altogether after the school shooting.

 

 We're all gonna get our hope back. It's just gonna take some of us longer than others, you know?

 

The Birth & Death of the Day

Graduation. This episode is kind of sentimental because it aired a week after I graduated high school.

My best friend recently reminded me of a quote, by William Shakespeare,that seems appropriate. "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound up in sorrows and in miseries. On such a full sea, are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves or lose our ventures." I think that what that quote means is that life is short and, opportunities are rare, and we have to be vigilant in protecting them. And, not only the opportunities to succeed but, the opportunity to laugh, to see the enchantment in the world, and...to live, because life doesn't owe us anything. As a matter of fact, I think we owe something to the world.

The Other Half of Me

Brooke & Julian's wedding.

 

Well, When I first met Brooke Davis, she had no idea who I was. Of course everyone knew who she was, she was the most popular girl in school. She was head cheerleader, annoyingly pretty (still is), and I used to wonder back then ‘What would it be like to be friends with Brooke? Would she make me popular? Would all the boys start asking me out?’ And then one night I got to hang out with Brooke, all night. Oh, and she didn’t like my name, though, so she decided she was gonna give me a name that, uh, she did like, which ended up being Brooke. And from that moment I knew that I wanted Brooke to be my friend. Not because she was gonna make me popular, and not because boys would start asking me out, but because I got a glimpse of the real Brooke. A girl with the biggest heart that I have ever known. And you know, when you’re in high school, it’s not very easy to let people see who you really are. I could see it though, it was in the eyes. So we became friends, and now she’s my best friend. We’ve been through so much together over the years, and our friendship is still growing. So I know that your friendship and love for Julian will continue to grow every year for the rest of your lives and I feel so lucky to be a part of that. I love you, Brooke Davis.

I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight

Brooke. Haley. Pot Brownies. Power Outage. Fortune Teller. Need I say more?

 

"Wait! Oryctolagus Cuniculus: the latin word for...bunny rabbit."

"That Zelda's a bitch!"

The Show Must Go On

I love weddings. Plus, Brooke's rant to Lucas is one of the best.

At this moment, there are six billion, five hundred and two million, eight hundred and sixty-seven thousand, one hundred and twenty people in the world, give or take a few. And sometimes all you need is one. For better or worse.

The Last Day of Our Acquaintance

Haley's mom dies. Such a touching episode.

 

"I've been so awful. How can you still love me?"

"My sweet baby. My love for you has never been in question. The only question here is: how long is it going to take for you to love yourself? Because wherever I am, wherever I go from here...I will never, ever let go of you."

I made this video a few years ago after the episode aired.

What Comes After the Blues

Season five finale. Yes, Lucas & Peyton are finally getting together, but I never really liked those two together. I like it for the message about love.

"To all those lost souls who have forgotten to believe in the immensity of love..."

"There's only One Tree Hill & it's your home..."

"I'll see you again, when the stars fall from the sky, and the moon has turned red over One Tree Hill."