Last night's Casablanca-inspired One Tree Hill had almost no point in the context of the season, but that doesn't mean it was a worthless hour of television.  The trip back to the 1940s allowed the actors to wow us with different spins on their usual characters, providing a welcome change from the usual OTH antics.  In Lucas' bizarre dream world, Dan was a mobster, Julian was a thug, Brooke was a femme fatale, Peyton was a kept woman, Mouth was a hard drinking reporter, and Nathan and Haley were star-crossed lovers.  Chad Michael Murray's script impressed me with its stylized dialogue and references to episodes past, but not all viewers felt the same way.  Many fans had a negative reaction to the episode, with some calling it unintentionally hilarious and the worst of the season.  Should Chad Michael Murray stick to his day job, or does he have what it takes to make it as a writer?

I truly enjoyed the confusingly titled "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)," but I can see why some fans may have had problems with it.  The episode did stop the forward momentum of the season, only providing one important plot point in the final scene.  I also found it interesting that Lucas' subconscious mind painted Brooke as a duplicitous villain, which likely upset many Brucas fans.  Most of the other characters resembled themselves in some way, but Brooke became more of an archetypal femme fatale in the alternate universe.  It'd be easy to over analyze this point and wonder just how Lucas thinks of Brooke in the real world, but I think that'd be a worthless exercise.  Brooke became a femme fatale because every good noir story needs one, and Sophia Bush simply fits the type more than the other actresses.

It's impossible to discuss the episode without bringing up the final scene, which found Peyton collapsing in pain while clutching her stomach.  Either her appendix is about to burst, she's pregnant, or she simply ate too many tacos that day.  My guess is that she's pregnant, which actually worries me a bit.  I'm never a huge fan of babies invading my television shows, unless the kid can be rapidly aged with a time jump like Jamie was in One Tree Hill's fifth season.  Then again, if Peyton is in pain it's possible there's a problem with the baby.  Could we be in for a miscarriage plot line?  We'll have to wait and see.


Best In Show

Best Quote: "Listen mister, if you think I'm going back to that hellhole you got another thing coming.  Those boys never cared about my voice as long as they could see my legs and my chest hiked up to my ears!  I'll never go back, and that's final!" - Haley, telling Dan why she'll never return to the sideshow.

Best Moment: The climactic finale contained more action than we usually see on One Tree Hill.  Lucas killed Julian, Brooke tried to kill Dan, Skills saved the day and Peyton got shot in the gut.  I haven't experienced such suspense since Nanny Carrie chased Jamie through a cornfield with an axe!   

Best User Comment: "I. . .really don't think this episode was meant to be as hilarious as I found it." - JDMgirl1976, possibly echoing the feelings of many OTH fans.

Did you love or hate this episode?  Rant and rave in the comments section below, and also check out our Recap of "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)."


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of the CW)