Be Seein' Ya

Before I talk about the season finale of One Tree Hill that aired on Tuesday, I just want to do a quick inventory of some of the things that have happened on the show in the past eight seasons.

7 car accidents
2 murders
4 attempted murders
3 hostage situations
4 kidnappings
3 teenage marriage proposals
6 births
2 sex tapes
6 drug related story arcs
3 psychos
3 ill advised tattoos
10 love triangles
2 prostitutes
6 near drownings
4 attempted suicides
2 divorces
6 weddings
7 blackmail schemes
3 bad movies
5 dead parents
2 prison sentences
3 time warps
1 suicide
5 attempted suicides
2 attempted rapes
4 road trips
and 1 human heart eaten by a dog

You know what's happened to me in the last 8 years?  I've gotten 8 years older.  So when I make a bunch of comments about how the eighth season was boring or all flashbacks and flossing, it's not really a criticism.  I'm actually quite happy for the residents of Tree Hill that after that much more than their fair share of drama, their lives are more about trimming their nose hairs and changing diapers than about avoiding psychotic nannies and fighting with each other over a guy I wouldn't cross the road to spit on.  After eight seasons with these people, I have quite a lot of affection for them and I think they deserve to live happy, normal lives. 

The season finale gave them all that.  Nathan and Haley have happy, healthy kids and fulfilling careers.  Brooke and Julian are parents to two adorable boys.  Quinn and Clay are happy and they have a new recliner.  Alex and Chase are in love.  Mouth and Millie are moderately successful and content.  They're living normal lives and the button on it all is that Karen's cafe is open again and Jamie is off to play basketball at the River Court in his Kieth Scott Body Shop sweatshirt just as his uncle Lucas did 8 long years ago.  That was the ending they all deserved.  The ending we all deserved.  

But it's not the ending we get.  Instead, we'll have another 13 episodes next spring to watch these characters battle or suffer or flounder or floss.  I'm not so sure I'll be back with them though.  I might like them too much to stick around for the indignity of it.

Also, James Lafferty may not be back in every episode and an ep without Nathan is not worth watching. Period.