One Tree Hill has lived the most curious life. A pick up the pieces fill in for The WB after all the Dawson’s Creek cast wanted to grow up, One Tree Hill was rushed out on the same North Carolina sets but it didn’t get the same kind of ratings as its Kevin Williamson inspirer. Instead, One Tree Hill played second (maybe third) fiddle to pop culture phenom, The OC, on Fox. To steal a quote from Blade Runner, “The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long” and after three seasons The OC was all but dead, limping forward one last painful year to close off the fourth. One Tree Hill, on the other hand, started to build an audience from the first to second season, and after a slight ratings drop when it switched nights in the stellar third season, it virtually held on to those dedicated teen fans up to present. It may never get the pop culture play that The OC or Dawson’s Creek received before it, or even the press its lead-in, Gossip Girl, receives, but it’s weathered the storm and has stuck it out through six seasons, with a seventh currently in production. The only teen show that has lasted longer has been Beverly Hills, 90210. Not bad for a modest little show initially about the perils that come with being on a basketball team.
Its ability to tread water all these years is a pretty significant feat, but One Tree Hill also deserves some kudos for its writing. One of the main reasons the show was able to stay alive was the clever construction of the fifth season, which eschewed the usual pratfalls of high school dramas by jumping the series forward four years. Normally teen shows start to fizzle when high school dramas merely become college dramas, so Mark Schwahn did brilliant by jumping us forward to after college life so we could not only witness these kids as grownups, but to also add a five year mystery that could be dramatically mined for years to come. Each character was suddenly defined by a career or lack thereof rather than teen angst, and it again lit a spark to the already brightly burning series. Granted, Dawson’s Creek did it first with the landmark series finale, but that was after we had to sit through boring lit class after lit class with Joey Potter through the fifth and sixth seasons.
Now, before I really get into One Tree Hill¸ I think I better address its incestuous connection with Dawson’s Creek. As much as One Tree Hill is a different show, it will always be indebted to the Creek by mere fact that superficially it is on many of the same sets and in the same location as Williamson’s series. The criticism and comparison has always been there, and in season six Mark Schwahn ingeniously addresses the elephant in the room by not only casting James Van Der Beek in a supporting role and not only making him an aged filmmaker, but having him oversee the most reflexive and self-conscious lift from Dawson’s Creek – the life story movie being made from Lucas’s memoirs. That amazing series finale for Dawson’s Creek, where (like One Tree Hill) everyone is grown up and now recollecting on the past, features a wonderfully parodying television series being made by Dawson on his life experiences, affectionately dubbed The Creek. When Dawson surprisingly didn’t get the girl in the finale, he had his show wherein his Dawson did get Joey. It was a wonderful testament to the cathartic and nostalgic power of filmmaking, and by bringing “Dawson” back to watch Lucas relive the same dream finally allows One Tree Hill to come full circle.
The thing is, though, Mark Schwahn doesn’t simply drum up one of Dawson’s Creek’s essential innovations just to copy or even pay homage. Schwahn presents us with what Dawson could be now, offering another perspective on the notion of storybook endings. What happens if the romanticized power of film, as it is so often depicted and as it was depicted in Dawson’s Creek, ain’t quite so romantic. What happens if it ends up being only a shallow substitute for real life experience? Looking at Van Der Beek here, you get the sense that this neo-Dawson definitely feels that way. Taking the meta layer one further, though, it’s as if Schwahn is letting Van Der Beek the actor vent his frustration of being teen idol one minute and the moment the show was canceled a direct to video has been the next. How fickle audiences are, and it’s only fitting that through the clever constructs by Schwahn & Co., Van Der Beek gets his best role post-Dawson (I’m counting the sublime The Rules of Attraction as before) performance on the very sets that once made him a household name.
So what about the rest of the sixth season? The relationships are still very much the same for those raised on the first few seasons. Nathan’s (James Lafferty) still with Hailey (Bethany Joy Lenz Galeotti), Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) is still brooding under Peyton (Hilarie Burton) and Brooke (Sophia Bush) is still the wild card with the clothing line. Mouth “Yes, I’m the nerd from Boy Meets World” McFadden (Lee Norris) is still being nice and hooking up with subsidiary guest appearances, and proving that every teen series needs a little boost of Melrose Place, Daphne Zuniga is still bitching it up as Brooke’s mother. It’s amazing that we should still care at this point, but while most series lose their creator later on into their runs (Darren Star with Melrose, Kevin Williamson with the Creek) Mark Schwahn has diligently committed to these characters and rather than tack on new traits and superficial spins, he’s stuck to exploring the core of these young souls, and with each year we learn more rather than deal with less.
The big dramas this season involve Lucas knocking Peyton up, Skills (Antwon Tanner) booty calling with Nathan’s mom (Barbara Alyn Woods), Hollywood opportunity knocking for Lucas, robbers knocking down Brooke, a big league basketball revival for Nathan and a kidnapping for Dan (Paul Johansson). After so many on-again-off-again romances between Lucas and Peyton it’s nice to finally see some closure here, especially knowing now that the two won’t be returning next year. One Tree Hill has been a show that’s never shied from growing up over the years, and Mark Schwahn gives his blonde core a beautiful arc that was in the making right from the first episode. They mature, find direction and secure a future together – sounds pretty good, Lucas, so why are you still brooding?!
Another way the show has been able to grow where others keep rehashing the same old thing is in not only having the main characters have a child, but in keeping that child as a regular on the show. For two seasons now, little Jackson Brundage has played son to Nathan and Hailey, and in those two seasons he’s grown a lot. Like the 7 Up films, it’s interesting to see a life shaped right on screen, and not only that, but the kid can act. He injects a spontaneous energy to the show, his non-scripted interludes often making the cut and surely adding levity to all the grown actors around him. It has always been an annoying distraction in television when kids are either born and forgotten (Friends, The OC) or miscarried once the pregnancy plot has played its course (Melrose Place). Here, One Tree Hill embraces the little one, and rather than bog the series down with responsibility, it jacks it up to a new level of realism.
That’s not to say the show isn’t sensational. Another thing that comes with growing up is that typical high school dramas like proms, kisses and hearsay can be replaced with soapier things like sex, death and careers. Although the plots haven’t gone totally sensational like Beverly Hills, 90210 did when it graduated, One Tree Hill has managed to consistently up the stakes while still retaining that quiet, small town core.
The core is the last thing I want to dwell on, because another thing that has kept this series alive and kicking where so many others have failed is that it’s really kept the group together. For six full seasons not only were the fab five all kept front and center, but so many of the supporting players stuck around too. Even characters who served a small arc and left usually wound up back in the show in one form or another. Creator Mark Schwahn has done a great job at looking inside for drama rather than always trying to pull it from outside. Drama is richer when the characters have a history, and everyone from Lucas’ mom and Ravens basketball star Quentin (Robbie Jones) to skater Chase Adams (Stephen Colletti) and slut with a heart Rachel Gatina (Danneel Harris) are always popping in for continuity. This has always been a favorite custom of the show ever since the third season when a once forgotten character suddenly returned to the show to take the school Columbine style because everyone (including the show’s producers) had forgotten about him. Since that point on, Schwahn’s never dumped a character and that’s why One Tree Hill stands today as one of the richest, deepest dramas on television.
You can tell times are tight, since the seams of production are certainly starting to show on those Wilmington sets. The photography isn’t as sharp, the camera moves less competent and the set pieces less extravagant, likely due to less shoot days, smaller crews and dwindling budgets. The Gavin DeGraw theme song is long gone, in fact so are most of the big music plugs like Fall Out Boy that used to frequent the show. Yet hold on it does, and for the first time One Tree Hill will be moving forward without its full core at the center next year. Even if it’s visually starting to look more like a daytime soap than the nighttime one it aspired to be, One Tree Hill is still very much alive and kicking, and if this season six is any indication, it has a long set of legs still ahead of it. Even after six straight points, One Tree Hill is still a swish.
presentation...
The production values may have been downgraded for this season, but the transfers here are still of the high quality Warner has consistently delivered for the previous five. The episodes are progressive scan, 16x9 and with a ratio of 1.78:1. Four of the 24 episodes are included on each dual layer disc, averaging around 3-hours per disc. That means there is a little compression, but the encoding is such that it’s not overly noticeable. Edges are fairly sharp and detail is maintained, although given the grain present throughout there are at times some bits of macro blocking in some of the still areas. Colors don’t totally jump from the screen, but flesh tones have been preserved well. Overall, a nice picture.
While the show has always been 16x9, only recently has it been in Dolby Digital 5.1. The first several seasons were stereo only, but now they are 5.1 and honestly, it doesn’t sound all that different. There is a bit more bass kick to the episodes, but the sound space is still virtually all up front, and even then directionality between left and right speakers isn’t really that pronounced. Everything is clear and there is no hiss or crackle, but there is nothing really stand out about this mix either. Good, serviceable and as it should be.
extras...
Through all the extensive supplements that have peppered the previous releases, it’s always been apparent the crew for One Tree Hill really does love the show. It’s a different experience watching these supplements compared to most other extras because you feel, cheesy enough, like you’re walking in on a loving, inviting family. It’s great to see the supportive world that makes one of televisions finest shows out today, and season six continues the trend with hours worth of behind-the-scenes content.
First up are a couple commentaries by Mark Schwahn and select cast and crew. If you’ve ever seen any of the previous sets you know what to expect here – affectionate, honest and revealing reflections and observations about how these fine little pieces were put together. The episodes selected aren’t really the notable ones you’d expect given everything that happens in the show, but some of those episodes do get extra play in the featurettes below.
“OTH – The Director’s Debut” (13:06) is a wonderful little featurette demonstrating how Mark Schwahn not only keeps his core together on screen, but also behind it. The featurette chronicles the first time directing gigs on the show for actors Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty and Bethany Joy Galeotti. All the other principals are interviewed as well, and each show great support for their peers and the fun everyone was having is certainly infectious. Schwahn talking about how it was a great way to give back to the team and to help them grow really make the show seem more than just a job but more like a family. It’s a revealing and positive look at just how tight this team really is.
There’s also a Gag Reel (4:03) that is hardly about flubbing lines and more just behind-the-scenes antics, pranks and some funny slapstick stuff on set. The most humorous bit is when Lucas and Peyton are having a tender moment on the bleachers and an extra in the background accidentally flashes the beaver right in between their eye line. Worthy of some chuckles and feel good like the rest of the extras included here.
One Tree Hill has always had a special tie to music, with all the episodes named after songs, Hailey always exploring her passion as a musical artist and Peyton always working her magic as a music producer and aficionado. While again the heyday of big musical cameos like Gavin DeGraw, Sheryl Crow or Fall Out Boy, they are still giving back to the musical community both on the show and outside it, and this “OTH Celebrity Soundtrack” (21:39) featurette shows just what they’ve been up to for season six. In short, they’ve allowed artists they respect compose individual episodes, they’ve featured a few artists as characters in the show and even centered an entire episode around a concert that Peyton throws for the troops. That in-show concert was actually a concert in real life, with characters still staying in character for all the fans who attended, which is another fine moment of meta for an always reflexive show. This little piece is another enlightening little piece about the musical process on the show.
Yet another fine featurette follows with “OTH Goes Back in Time” (17:25) where the entire cast and crew reflect on the out of character experience of setting an episode in the 1940s. There is extensive behind the scenes footage of the set construction and even some of the stunts, and the crew talk about what it was like to play in an alternate universe. Chad Michael Murray wrote the episode, so it was interesting to hear his take and to see his involvement (both here and as a director in the other featurette). Murray seems to have such a blast behind-the-scenes that even if he isn’t coming back to act in Season 7, I wonder if he’ll be extending his passion for writing or directing. I don’t know if he’s any good or not, but he seems to have fun, at any rate.
The last featurette is “Slammin’ with OTH” (11:34) which introduces (to me, at least) the bat crazy “Slam Ball” sport which is sort of a hybrid between basketball, hockey and trampolining. It’s a wild sport to watch and with this featurette we get to see behind the scenes into the game and how it factored into a story arc on the show. There is a bunch of test footage with James Lafferty trying some dunks, and honestly, the guy can play. He almost earns that number 23 he wears in the show. Hearing Lafferty and the rest of the crew talk about the sport and seeing it on screen really makes me want to at least give it a shot. So with that, a job well done on this promo piece!
Lastly there are a number of deleted scenes included for every odd episode. Nothing substantial or really all that worthy of inclusion, but nice to have for the completists.
wrapping it up...
One Tree Hill reinvented itself when it jumped forward four years in season five, and season six continues to keep things fresh by not exploring new characters or locales, but by simply looking within. The core for this show, from the five leads to the adults and the recurring support have always been so relatable and interesting to watch, and creator Mark Schwahn doesn’t take it for granted for a second. He continues to bring back older characters for newer situations and by this point the social rubric is so rich now no other teen show can touch it in regards to sheer emotional depth. Not only does Schwahn look inward on his own characters, but he even takes a plot thread to do it with James Van Der Beek’s Dawson. What’s not to like? This DVD set doesn’t have much to scoff at either, delivering another consistently solid video and audio transfer and a rich assortment of featurettes, commentaries and deleted scenes. One Tree Hill hardly made it past the pilot, hardly was renewed for the second season and has been day to day every time renewal talks hit The WB/CW, but six seasons later it’s still top of the teen class. In the hills and valleys of a television show’s run, One Tree has been all hills.
 | overall... Content: A- Video: B+ Audio: B+ Extras: A- Final Grade: B |
