26 Wild Things I Forgot Actually Happened In The "One Tree Hill" Pilot
I can't believe Brooke wasn't in this!
One of my absolute favorite TV shows is One Tree Hill.
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It's the story of two estranged half-brothers, Lucas and Nathan, whose lives suddenly collide when they find themselves on the same high school basketball team. It's filled with drama, love triangles, and so, so much angst — it was THEEE show of my teenage years!!!
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Recently, I decided to go back and rewatch the pilot to see how it held up after all these years — and man, did I have a lot of thoughts! Here are 26 things I noticed while rewatching the first episode:
Warning: spoilers ahead!!!
1. Wow, James Lafferty (Nathan) looks SO young here. Fun fact: he was only 18 when this pilot aired.
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For comparison, Chad Michael Murray (Lucas) and Bethany Joy Lenz (Haley) were both 22 when this aired. Out of the main cast, James was the only actor who was actually a teen at the start of the series.
2. Oh man...it's weird and kinda sad seeing Jimmy here knowing what happens in Season 3. See episode “With Tired Eyes, With Tired Minds, With Tired Souls, They Slept.”
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If you know, you know.
3. HOW did Nathan just steal a school bus like this after the basketball game?!! These kids are wild.
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Also, like...how did they get the keys? How did nobody notice them breaking into the bus? I have so many questions.
4. Wait, why is Peyton mad at Lucas when she's the one who almost ran him over on his way back from the River Court? This is the one and only time I will side with Lucas Scott.
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Also, who just stares at each other like this? So weird.
5. OMG, of course Nathan gets off the hook for the school bus incident even though he was literally the one driving the freaking bus.
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6. "My best friend is an idiot." Buckle up, Haley — you're gonna be saying that a LOT throughout this series.
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7. I'm so, so grateful the writers never made Lucas and Haley a couple.
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Also, LOL @ the Dawson's Creek reference — Chad Michael Murray was on that show too!
8. Alright, now Keith is showing Whitey Lucas's game at the River Court to convince him to consider him for varsity. Out of context, them just spying on these teens like this looks super creepy.
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Aww man, I'm sad about Keith now.
9. Seeing Nathan and Peyton as a couple is so weird. Also, WOW, I forgot how terrible Nathan was in the very beginning.
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Nathan still becomes 10 times the man Lucas will ever be, though.
10. God, can you imagine how weird it would be to have a half-sibling, who you grew up totally estranged from, in all of your classes at school? Like, what if you got paired up for a group project or something? Awkward.
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11. Whitey comparing a high school gym to a church feels...very weird.
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12. Show me a real-life teenage boy who speaks like this with a straight face. I'll wait.
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Also, why is Lucas SO ANGSTY??! Is everything really that dramatic?
13. Dan Scott has been the worst from the very beginning. Also, we don't talk enough about how this man really got two girls pregnant within a couple months of each other as a teenager.
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14. IDK why, but Nathan trying to intimidate Lucas is so funny to me. I just...cannot take this seriously. I guess they're gonna play a one-on-one game to settle this.
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15. Not Lucas mansplaining random, useless bird terminology to Haley...this is why nobody likes you, Luke.
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16. I know Peyton is pissed at Nathan and doesn't really like Lucas yet, but this feels like a wildly dramatic response to someone offering you a ride home.
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Joke's on you, Peyton — you're gonna marry this guy.
17. I...I cannot with these kids.
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18. Why do characters always tell these deeply personal stories about their childhood trauma to people they barely know?
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In fairness to the show, Peyton does call out how weird this is.
19. Sassy Nathan is my favorite version of Nathan.
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20. Alright, time for Nathan and Lucas's little one-on-one game. Couldn't they have played this earlier? It's almost midnight — do none of these kids have a curfew?
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21. OMFG, the terms of Lucas and Nathan's bet...excuse me, is this the 1800s?!
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I know that's not what they actually bet, but still. Sheesh!!
22. This whole game is stupid. Either join the team or don't, Lucas. Why must the whole town be involved in your weird family drama?
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23. I wish Brooke was in this episode. I can't believe they didn't add her character until after the pilot!
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24. Annnnd after a ton of back-and-forth, Lucas wins by one basket! Sorry, Nathan.
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If it's any consolation, Nathan, you're the one who will go on to play in the NBA.
25. "I'll be seeing ya" — and so it begins...
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26. Okay, one final note — WHY was Peyton allowed to have a webcam that just recorded her in her room 24/7 for the whole world to see?
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Her dad REALLY should have been around more.