In the spirit of Halloween, One Tree Hill got supernatural with a ghost, only we didn't know it until the end of the episode.  Continuing the streak of great One Tree Hill episodes this season, the show used Dan Scott's TV interview with Renee to look back at the pasts of the new and old characters to see how everyone got to where they are.

We saw Clay's passionate relationship with Sarah, Quinn's marriage to David, the night Renee met Nathan and even a walk down memory lane for Brooke and Julian.  It was a fantastic episode that saw the show's highest ratings for the season, and a lot of the credit goes to James Lafferty, who directed it.

Clay's Past

A series of vignettes told the romance of Clay and Sarah, from start to finish.  Sure, their first meeting was a little hokey, and the "on the count of two" line is the type of thing you only see from characters on TV, but the impact of the end was huge.  While we thought Clay was hooking up with his old girlfriend, she actually died tragically and suddenly, leading to his downward spiral.  The story was beautifully told and helped show some deeper emotions for Clay.


Quinn's Past

Less heartfelt was Quinn and David's relationship, from when they were young, struggling artists in love to when he tried to make some money and become a serious adult, which Quinn viewed as selling out and becoming a different person.  However, I may have a different takeaway from this story than others.

To me, it was Quinn who was to blame.  She claimed that all she wanted was for David to be happy, but she never allowed for the possibility that what makes him happy might change.  Being a struggling artist is fun in your early 20s, but as you mature, you want a steady job and a house for a family.  David simply grew up and it turns out that a stable job was what made him happy, because it meant he could provide for his family.

It was Quinn who changed, because it turned out that David's happiness wasn't what she wanted.  What Quinn really wanted was for David to stay the same, even if it meant him being miserable.  I don't know if these flashbacks were meant to make me feel sympathy for Quinn, but all they did was make me feel bad for David.


Brooke and Julian's Past

I was happy to see that One Tree Hill didn't forget about Brooke carving "Marry Me" into the sand from the season premiere, and she finally told Julian about it as the two struggled to move past the Alex drama in their relationship.   Happily, it seems like Julian was finally able to convince Brooke that he's in love with her and only her, and nothing, not even a sexy young actress throwing herself at him, would make him doubt their love.


Dan's Past

While the TV show was mostly about getting to the bottom of Renee's allegations, Dan Scott made it all about himself and exorcising his own demons.  It was obviously a huge set-up for Dan to swoop in and be the hero to his son, saving the day by getting Renee to retract her statement on national TV.

But even by saving his son's career and reputation, Dan proved to be a little shady.  When he strapped on the fake lie detector, he gave a series of statements.  Some were obviously true, such as "My name is Dan Scott," while others about him being Santa Claus or his son loving him were obviously false.  But just for fun, Dan Scott through one more statement into the mix to make us doubt his true motives.

While strapped to the lie detector, he said that he loves his wife.  Was this a truly true statement, or was it a deceptive lie?  I'm not sure, but I do appreciate that, even in the midst of doing something noble and loving, he can still raise some red flags.  The only thing scarier than Dan Scott doing bad things is when he does good things, because you're never sure of his motive.


Next week, One Tree Hill transitions from the first chapter of the season to the next with a fun, silly episode that features some female and male bonding as Julian learns more about Brooke's teenage sex life.



-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of the CW)