One Tree Hill 8X5: Nobody Taught Us to Quit

First off...I'm glad that you're enjoying S8, hehe. It gets a bad rap for being boring because not a lot of manufactured high stakes drama happens this season, as opposed to what we usually get in a typical OTH season, but don't worry S9 more than makes up for it, lol. But with the overriding theme of starting over that our favorite characters are going through in Naley, Brulian, and Clinn, it was kinda hard to have things play out like they usually do, although I certainly understand the criticism that there could have been a better balance of things. As time has gone on however, I've come to appreciate the quiet settled nature of the characters this season. I mean I could watch Naley just sit together on the couch for hours and look at each other, lol, because the JL's are that connected to each other through Naley and playing these characters for all these years, so I still appreciate any iteration we get of them, lol. Secondly....James directed this episode, and they gave him such great material for him to really sink his teeth into. Especially with the storyline of Nathan walking away from the game, and James ran with it...he did not disappoint one bit. The emotion was palpable for not only Nathan, and by extension Haley and Jamie, but Brooke dealing with losing her company as well. And Clay finally getting released from the hospital and them having confetti for him just like Jamie suggested a few episodes back.... was emotional as well. It was funny how we got the running theme of Nathan avoiding things and Jamie and Clay calling him out on being afraid to talk to Clay about his decision to walk away, was funny. Haley was hilarious with him though, lol, and I loved that we got to see frisky Haley and the pool table before Brooke walked in and interrupted them in the office at Tric. So wanted to see Naley get it on, but there are some amazing fanfic extensions from that scene, lol. And the reason that Portland was mentioned as the place that Haley and Mia were going to, was because OTH did a crossover episode with Life Unexpected where Joy and Kate appeared on the show and preformed as Haley and Mia. That episode originally aired right after this one of OTH. They also had Nate say on Life Unexpected that he was friends with Nathan and The Scott Family, hehe, so it was a fun little crossover indeed. I definitely enjoyed it at the time. And Jamie being afraid that Nathan was going to revert back to S5 Nathan after Jamie found Nathan's wheelchair in the garage was a very real and realistic scene I thought. I loved Haley's talk with him though, and Nathan reassured Haley first, and then the both of them at his press conference that he was gonna be fine, and we got to see at the end Nathan playing baseball with his son in the backyard, which was a nice little callback to S5x03 when Nathan was playing basketball with Jamie out back by the pool with Haley watching on, only things were far from being great for our little family then, and this time around...it's the complete opposite. We also got that nice shot of Nathan tucking Jamie into bed and turning out the lights on all his jersey's hanging above Jamie's bed as a symbolic gesture that his career might be over, but it'll never be forgotten, it will live on in his son and all his fans. That was a powerful coda, no doubt. It was also great to get the back and forth with Nathan's speech, and then Brooke's. That was a nice added touch that really rounded out things for these characters as they are both faced with the dilemma of starting over. And you mention hating Victoria again, lol, and wondering if Daphne ever got any hate mail, and I can honestly say that I don't remember ever hearing about anything like that...if she did. Her character is a work in progress just like Dan, and I think at this point in the show, all that initial irrational crap that Paul had to endure during the early days of playing Dan Scott when Chad and James were very much teen heartthrobs on the cover of every magazine, had dissipated. I don't think that was ever an issue during the later seasons of the show. And yes....Daphne is very funny and sweet and kind in real life, much like Paul, so no worries there, hehe. And I too am very much enjoying a happy Haley this season. She and Nathan are looking forward to their expanding family life, and she's concentrating on running the label, and helping out at the crisis center, and seemingly in a very healthy and grounded place right now. Plus, her and Nathan don't really have the added stress of even needing to work, hehe. They do of course, but Nathan has already made millions from playing the game, and some of his recent contract was probably guaranteed as well, so they are certainly more than fine financially. Their lifestyle really won't change, and it's just nice to see them be content together as a family. And Haley being a great friend to Brooke will never tire for me. Love that friendship. It's so real and genuine and not seeped in drama.

Melissa