One Tree Hill/YMMV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Actor Shipping:
    • A contingent of fans shipped Chad Michael Murray & Sophia Bush, largely because of their former real life relationship. Considering these fans were usually Brucas fans shipping their characters, Chad gets a lot of flack from some of the shippers, with them blaming his divorcing Sophia for the end of Brucas sometime later.
    • Whilst not necessarily shipping them, a number of fans have commented that it's somewhat sad that James Lafferty & Bethany Joy Lenz/Gaelotti aren't closer, considering their characters close relationship.
  • Alternate Character Interpretation:
    • Nathan trying to kill himself - Is he a selfish jackass doing it because he can't play basketball, or is he doing it out of fear that he's going to become a Generation Xerox of Dan?
    • Is Dan Scott genuinely trying to atone for his mistakes, or just doing it for a quick buck?
  • Author's Saving Throw: After the 2007 Writer's Strike caused production on One Tree Hill to be halted (Much like every other show in America that season) after episode 5x12 was completed, The CW ordered 6 more episodes to round out the season & finish the plot arcs for Season 6 to start fresh.
  • Complete Monster: The show has a number of surprisingly disturbing, twisted villains for a teen soap, including Ian "Psycho Derek" Banks, loan shark Daunte Jones, deranged stalker "Nanny Carrie", and psychotic ex Katie, all of whom skirt this trope. However, only Xavier "Ex" Daniels crosses enough lines to indisputably enter this trope, being responsible for assaults, murders, kidnappings, and other crimes, in addition to displaying a disturbingly sadistic personality throughout.
    • His return in Season 9 confirms this full-stop.
  • Creator's Pet:
    • A portion of the fanbase think Quinn is this.
    • Alex Dupre, who actually hijacked another character's plot in Season 8 after Jana Kramer decided to launch a music career, and the producers decided that Alex was now also a singer, in addition to being an actress & model.
    • Jamie was considered cute and adorable in the beginning, but some fans started getting tired of him especially since he seemed to get more and more screen time, even more than his parents.
  • Crowning Music of Awesome: The use of Led Zeppelin's "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" over the final scenes of the Season 3 finale. A scene that was already tense and heartbreaking is doubly so due to the haunting nature of the song's ending over the final shot: Haley's Crackerjack bracelet drifting to the top of the pond, as Nathan has dived in to the submerged limo to save Cooper and Rachel, and is rapidly running out of air. The use of the music was also momentous: prior to this episode, Led Zeppelin had never before licensed their songs for network television. The only time it had happened before was on cable, for The Sopranos. Not only was the music awesome, it was history-making!
    • While not history-making, the use of "Sugar We're Going Down" by Fall Out Boy does qualify. [1]
  • Die for Our Ship:
    • Peyton for Brucas & Lindsey/Lucas fans. Prior to Season 6, this went in both directions; since then, however, Leyton fans have simply resorted to remarking "We won. Sincerely, Team Leyton" rather than getting into an argument on the matter.
    • Lucas for Jake/Peyton & Julian/Peyton fans.
    • Julian for Brucas fans.
    • Nathan for Haley/Lucas shippers.
    • Intentionally invoked with Chris Keller - Fans initially liked him, thinking he was there to be Peyton's new love interest, until they realised he was there to cause problems for Nathan & Haley, at which point this happened. The show would later invert this situation with Julian, by introducing him in a way that made it appear he was there to cause problems for Lucas & Peyton, before revealing he was there as Brooke's new love interest.
  • Ending Fatigue: For some, the Grand Finale - Gavin DeGraw performs "I Don't Wanna Be" at Tric's 10th Anniversary show, with the Season 9 cast in the crowd singing along, interspersed with shots of the group (And their children) hanging out at Karen's Cafe after hours. Then the final Time Skip occurs, with the cast attending a Ravens basketball game & repeating the closing monologue from episode 5x13, over shots of them standing & cheering as the Ravens come out on to the court.
  • Ensemble Darkhorse
    • Brooke was initially introduced to be a female friend for Peyton and wasn't even in the show's pilot. Regardless, she grew to be a major character and by the end of the series, was the only character to appear in every episode (Well, not counting the pilot).
    • This was also the case with Millie - Initially, she was only supposed to be in one episode, but the producers liked her so much they brought her on full-time.
  • Fan-Preferred Couple: Lucas/Brooke and Jake/Peyton. And Lucas/Haley for a Vocal Minority.
  • Foe Yay: Brooke and Peyton, Brooke and Rachel.
  • Harsher in Hindsight: The jokes about Chuck's mom being an alcoholic became this when Season 9 revealed that Chuck's father abuses the two of them. No wonder she turned to alcohol.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight: Lydia, Haley's mom, assuming that Haley is pregnant when Haley comes to talk to her and her dad about getting married to Nathan. She wasn't pregnant then, but in Season 4...
    • "The whole point of Friends With Benefits is there's No Strings Attached"
    • Lucas giving Julian relationship advice about Brooke in "Searching For A Former Clarity" is either this or Harsher in Hindsight when you realise Chad Michael Murray (Lucas) divorced Sophia Bush (Brooke) & she had since begun a relationship with Austin Nichols (Julian) in real life.
  • Ho Yay:
    • Two examples, both without dialogue - In the Season 4 finale, there's a shot of the 12 graduating seniors paired up - Lucas & Peyton, Nathan & Haley, Brooke & Chase, Rachel & Mouth, Bevin & Skills, and... Junk & Fergie. Likewise, at Lucas & Peyton's wedding, there's a brief series of shots showing the various couples who aren't married; namely Mia & Chase, Mouth & Millie, Skills & Lauren, and again, Junk & Fergie. With the two of them glancing at one another.
    • In Season 8, Skills gets a mannequin made. And specifically asks for it to resemble, and names it after, Lucas.
  • Hollywood Homely: Millie! Millicent Huxtable was made out to be a complete Plain Jane who guys never really looked at, until she met Mouth. Millie is actually very beautiful, but apparently no guy could see it because wearing glasses somehow makes you invisible to every guy except Mouth. Apparently, nobody in the One Tree Hill Universe has ever heard of the Meganekko trope before.
  • Hollywood Pudgy: Sophia Bush has said in interviews that she is considered the "curvy" one in the cast, which is pretty ridiculous.
  • Late Arrival Spoiler: A few, over the course of 9 seasons.
    • It's Haley's pregnancy test Lucas & Karen find at the end of Season 3.
    • Lucas proposes to Peyton at the end of Season 5.
    • Watch any post-Season 4 episode featuring Dan Scott, and you'll be spoiled on that he did something so horrible his sons disowned him. Depending on the episode, you'll also be spoiled on the "something" that Dan did being the murder of his own brother.
  • Les Yay: Lampshaded by Rachel Gatina in-show, for Brooke and Peyton.

Brooke: Hi, back-stabbing supposed-to-be-best-friend and all.
Peyton: Hi, forgot-to-say-good-morning sneery-grouch-a-lot.
Rachel: I'm outta here, over-possessive-best-friends-with-weird-lesbian-energy... and Haley.

    • There's a ton over the course of the series. When they're not fighting, Brooke and Rachel experience this.
    • And let's not forget that time Bevin kissed Rachel, supposedly to prove to Rachel (Who was contemplating the possibility that she was gay) that she wasn't gay.
    • Brooke also once ordered two exotic dancers: One for Mouth and one for herself.
    • Sam lampshaded Brooke and Peyton's lesbian tendencies towards one another.
    • Brooke also once jumped onto and straddled Lindsay, thinking it was Lucas in the bed.
    • Whilst trapped in the library, Mia suggests they say what they like about each other - Peyton & Brooke immediately list her boobs & lips.
    • Brooke & Peyton go skinny dipping together in the Season 2 opener, and it's implied that it's not the first time.
    • Even Peyton seems to be aware of it, as in episode 5x12, Brooke tells Peyton she came back to Tree Hill because she wants to have a baby, and Peyton's response is a confused "...With me?"
  • Love to Hate: Dan.
    • And, to some extent, Chris Keller.
  • Mary Sue: Alex Dupre. She's an actress/model/singer who combines elements of Relationship Sue, Jerk Sue & Sympathetic Sue.
  • Moral Event Horizon: One of the clearest cases in any media. Dan Scott - all around Jerkass, bad father, and Corrupt Corporate Executive, but nothing too bad. Until he kills Keith - his own brother - in cold blood, pins the murder on Jimmy Edwards, and uses Keith's death to worm his way back into Lucas & Karen's lives.
  • Non Sequitur Scene: Jamie & Gavin DeGraw playing "I Don't Wanna Be" at the start of the Season 5 finale. Cute? Yep. Does it make any sense, and is it referred to afterwards? Nope.
  • Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Karen talking Brooke's parents into letting Brooke stay in Tree Hill after they move to California for work became one retroactively, after Brooke's mother Victoria made her first appearance in Season 5 & was revealed to be a complete bitch.
  • Portmanteau Couple Name: Dear God, so many. The first was arguably Naley, for Nathan/Haley, which has actually been referenced in the show. Others include: Leyton (Lucas/Peyton), Brucas (Brooke/Lucas), Jeyton (Jake/Peyton), Brulian (Brooke/Julian), etc. Brulian has also been name-dropped on the show by the (female) Alex.
    • Peyton/Lucas sometimes go by Pucas by people who ship Brooke/Lucas
    • As of now, an intense debate is going on concerning what the Quinn/Clay shipper name should be.
  • Replacement Scrappy: Clay & Quinn for Lucas & Peyton. Not helped by both characters being a pastiche of various characteristics that Lucas & Peyton had.
  • Ruined FOREVER:
    • The 4 year Time Skip between Seasons 4 & 5.
    • Season 7, thanks to Lucas & Peyton leaving at the end of the previous season.
  • Seasonal Rot: Seasons 7 and 8 for some fans.
  • The Scrappy: Peyton for most of the Brooke fans. Brooke and Lindsay for most of the Peyton fans. Lucas for everyone sick and tired of him having love revelations about a different girl every week. Jamie and Chuck have a lot of haters too.
    • Alex "I have no purpose outside of getting in the middle of long since established relationships" Dupre.
  • Ship Mates: the Lucas/Brooke and Jake/Peyton fanbases.
    • Similarly, the Lucas/Peyton and Brooke/Julian fanbases usually (but not always) coincide.
      • Meanwhile the Naley fans can get along perfectly with any of the above shipper groups. Or they can Pass the Popcorn while the other shipper groups fight.
  • Shipping Goggles: Brucas fans have a habit of vilifying Peyton and arguing that it's all her (And to a lesser extent, Lucas's) fault that Brooke & Lucas split up at the start of season 4, with Brooke being completely blameless. Never mind that Peyton was willing to hide her feelings for Lucas if Brooke were to admit that she was in love with Lucas, and that it was Brooke who wasn't willing to fight for the relationship.
  • Ship-to-Ship Combat: the Leyton vs. Brucas & Jeyton war (which started in Season One) is still going on, even after Lucas and Peyton got married and had a kid, with Brooke as the bridesmaid and godmother!
  • Shipping Wars: Leyton vs. Brucas, Leyton vs. Jeyton, Brulian vs. Brucas, Naley vs. anyone who dares to come between them, etc, etc, etc...
  • The Woobie: Clay Evans - Met the love of his life, married her & had a little boy together... And then she suddenly dropped dead in the kitchen, and Clay was so traumatised by this, that he blocked out all memories of his son & took several years to even accept his wife's death.
  • Win Back the Crowd: Season 9, following the Seasonal Rot of Seasons Seven and Eight, with the Darker and Edgier storyline of Nathan being kidnapped by Eastern European assassins.

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