Oh man, I can’t lie. I was a little bummed out after watching the premiere. I thought it would be because Lucas and Peyton were no longer on the show, but no, the show is completely different. Luckily, it does have a saving grace or two…
It’s 14 months since the season 6 finale (Tree Hill time, of course) and Dan is the narrator while speaking on his own talk show (still don’t get the point of this yet). Already I’m bothered that Lucas isn’t narrating, but anyway…Haley has taken over Red Bedroom Records since Peyton’s departure and she is recording a new album. Nathan had a few good seasons in the NBA and his agent Clay is hoping to get him a good contract for next season.
Brooke is really sad and depressed that Julian is off in New Zealand producing a movie. She is almost unrecognizable in demeanor. We haven’t seen Brooke this depressed…well, ever. She’s not her independent self and I’m not so sure I like this Brooke. Julian is as adorable as always, but again, something felt different or off about him. His voice seemed weird to me and he and Brooke’s scenes were a little over-produced. The thing I always loved about this couple was their effortless chemistry, but man were they trying to force it down our throats a little bit. There was a cute scene on the beach before Julian leaves where Brooke writes “Marry me?” in the sand before it is washed away and before Julian can see it.
Jamie’s 7th birthday party is bringing everyone together including Haley’s sister Quinn, whom we’ve never seen until now. Ugh, I’m sorry but I don’t like her. Not yet anyway. It’s like they were trying too hard to make us believe that they were sisters. Little anecodotes and throw-backs (Taylor and Nathan hooking up, for example). I don’t know. I’m just not buying it yet.
Skillz and Mouth are arguing over the apartment, which Mouth wants all to himself so he can take his relationship with Millie (who’s turned into Brooke 2.0 running Clothes Over Bro’s in NYC) to the next step. Blah. I don’t care!
At the party, some random chick comes up to Nathan and asks for a picture with him, which doesn’t seem out of the ordinary since he’s famous. She magically disappears, but not before asking Nathan if he remembered her. He looks confused. Uh oh.
Julian surprises Brooke at the party and reveals he has backed out of the movie. He doesn’t want to spend 10 months away from her. They skinny dip and have a cute moment (come on, they are obviously the new “it” couple).
Haley spends time with Quinn, who catches the eye of Clay. Who didn’t see this coming? Well, Clay is a player…and I don’t mean in athletic competitions. He receives some bad news while in bed with some slutty girl. Turns out that random picture-taking chick is claiming she slept with Nathan. I smell scandal. And some gold-digger who is really desperate. Nevertheless, I look forward to that drama.
Finally, for the first time ever in the history of the show, I disliked the music! And this is coming from a girl who spends a lot of time (and money) downloading songs from the show. Half my ipod is filled with One Tree Hill songs! But no, the music was distracting and irritating. Grrr…
To sum up, I was expecting more. I was hoping it wouldn’t feel like a different show, but it did. I was recently re-watching the season 6 finale and wishing they had just ended their run with that. It came full circle perfectly! Ugh, well I’m not going to give up just yet. I have hope that we can maybe appreciate the new direction of our beloved One Tree Hill.
Sharon Tharp is a freelance writer who has contributed to a variety of publications including Hamptons magazine and the Web sites of both Marie Claire and CosmoGIRL!.
