I recently mainlined the first four or so seasons of the long-running CW show One Tree Hill into my bloodstream.
Eight seasons of the show are streaming on Netflix Instant Watch. A ninth and finale season concluded on the CW in April of 2012. I assume it will eventually be streaming as well.
I have enjoyed the show (at least enough to keep watching it), but I have noticed some less than desirable quirks about it. If you wanted to hate this show, here are five good reasons to do so:
1) Chad Michael Murry.
Murry, who plays Lucas Scott, seems to be crying out for a “hey girl” (or “hey, little brother”) meme. His confidence in his acting or character is a little too confident, especially since he not that great of an actor. There is a line between breezy and grating and Murry crosses the line one to many times. Also, I am perplexed by the shape of his nose.
2) Déjà vu
The same thing, or similar things, seem to happen over and over again on this show. For instance, I have counted at least three times where a character launched a chair or other item through Dan Scott’s plate-glass window at his car dealership office, and I am pretty sure those three times happened in the same season. Apparently, that is how people in One Tree Hill deal with their anger… throw shit through windows.
3) The Devil
Several times over Dan Scott, the father of Lucas and Nathan Scott, is referred to as evil. His actions don’t disappoint that reference. However, this makes him completely unrealistic. A character that goes out of his way to be evil, just to be evil is unrealistic. Yes, people do bad things, but they do so while failing at being good. And generally, they strive to be better. Not Dan Scott.
4) Gimmicky
Most shows get gimmicky later in their run — dressing up characters in outlandish outfits, abnormally structured episodes, etc. That is just the byproduct of a TV show trying to keep viewer interest. One Tree Hill, on the other hand, went there early and often.
This show has no issues with doing zany things — video time capsule episodes where characters speak directly into the camera and tell us what they really feel (that sounds easier than asking the actors to act), using dream sequences to fuck with the audience (mix in some gay sex innuendo to boot) and characters having on-screen discussions with their subconscious (brilliant, nobody has every done this before).
Also, that girls slumber party pillow fight with all the feathers was a joke… right?
5) Poor editing
Some of the editing tricks used on One Tree Hill seem like they came out of Video Production 101 or more aptly How to Suck at Video Production 101. Using short motion-stops to add intensity to the basketball scenes is misguided, at best. On the bright side, at least they don’t overuse slow motion. But the lacking production values don’t stop there, they extend to countless other aspects of the visual representation of the show.
These five things aside… I don’t really hate this show. I keep watching it night after night.
I started to do so because I have a weak spot for night-time soap operas and the Netflix #hashtag on Twitter is continuously speaking its praises. So, there are people who really love it and could likely write a post of five reasons they love One Tree Hill.
There may be some so-bad-its-good moments with One Tree Hill, and yes, it is a very middling show, but I wouldn’t tell people not to watch it, even if there are plenty of reasons to hate it.
