TV: OTH Recap

*Posted November 20, 2008*

This is less a recap of the episode and more a musing on the episode’s format. As you all surely know, this past Monday’s episode of One Tree Hill was a retro Casablanco-era throwback. It was an original story based around the characters, but because they used the old “dream-sequence” plot device, the events (and deaths!!!) really had no impact on the show. But One Tree Hill isn’t the only show to do this kind of stuff. The best in town is the Simpsons. Every Treehouse of Horrors special is just some weird story where it doesn’t really matter if Bart or Homer die because it’s still entertaining. Another show that pulled this off well was Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. Again, they did Halloween episodes centered around crazy murders where all the characters die in some humorously grisly fashion. I’ve been sitting here thinking of other shows that successfully do this, but not many try. Anyway, how did OTH do? Most of the rabid fan base hated it, but mostly because of the shotty writings (nice try, Chad Michael Murray) and the meandering Southern accents. I enjoyed it, especially ruthlessly awesome villain Dan Scott throwing Mouth over the bridge and **SPOILER*** shooting Peyton ***END SPOILER***. It’s still a good stand alone story, and even though the arc of the season didn’t move an inch, it’s still a good move. Since the format hasn’t caught on yet, I doubt it will now.