One Tree Hill: What Comes After the Blues (Episode 106)

My apologies for no recap of last week's One Tree Hill episode. I had to go on a last minute business trip and wasn't able to get anyone to cover the show for me. I'll do a quick summary of that episode so that in case you missed it you aren't totally confused with the finale.

In episode 105 (which aired May 12th) Lindsey calls Luke just before the Ravens are about to play an important game and tells him that she's dating someone else. This sends him into a rage and Luke ends up getting kicked out of the game after grabbing a player from the other team. Mouth is covering the game for the local TV station but decides to destroy the footage of Luke losing it rather than use it for his own advantage. Angie underwent heart surgery and thankfully came through it just fine. Luke was there to comfort Brooke during this difficult time. Haley is making progress on her album, but starting to have doubts about whether she'll actually be able to juggle being a mom, a teacher and a musician. The episode ends with a shocking surprise from Luke. After he gets drunk, Peyton helps him home as a good friend, but as she's leaving his house he tells her that he hates her.

Now, we begin the finale. The epsiode begins with singer Gavin DeGraw playing piano with Jamie at the record studio. They're singing the theme song of One Tree Hill. We move onto Luke who is passed out in bed, clearly hungover from many a night of drinking at the bar. Brooke is marking the days till Angie has to leave. She has eight more days with her. Skills is sneaking out of Nathan and Haley's house after spending the night with Deb. Yep, they're sleeping together. That also happened in the last episode.

Nathan and Jamie go to Luke's to get him out of his drunken funk. To their surprise, and Luke's, he has a mohawk. Nathan breaks the news to Luke that the school board suspended him for the next 10 games. Nathan tells him that even if life sucks, "the darkness doesn't have any answers." Nathan would know that best out of anyone. Haley comes by later and insists on cutting the mohawk off and then drags him out of the house. Haley asks Luke if he told Peyton that he hated her, Luke says maybe while he was drunk. As they're driving through town Haley suddenly tells him to stop at a green light. He gets mad because he doesn't know why she's making him stop at a green light, but he does anyway. Just then a red water balloon hits the car. Haley tells him "kind of like Peyton's heart, huh?" Later, Haley and Luke head up to the roof of what used to be Karen's cafe but is now the Clothes Over Bros store. Peyton, who was on the roof earlier to throw the water balloon, is gone at this point. Haley tells Luke that he needs to be honest with himself, whether it's Lindsey, Peyton or Brooke who he wants.

Brooke is getting Angie ready to go to the beach for the day when she gets a phone call. It's the adoption agency telling her that they need Angie to go home today. Brooke is devastated. She takes Angie to see the doctor to make sure she's ready to go home. The doctor says she's fine and ready to go. Nathan is spending time with Jamie watching basketball on TV. Jamie asks when Nathan is going to play in the NBA, Nathan has to tell him that he probably never will. Later, Nathan practices with Quentin trying to get his game back, but once again Quentin makes him feel like an ass and he quits. Quentin asks Jamie to go get Nathan a bottle of water, while he's gone Nathan and Quentin get in a yelling match about whether or not Nathan is scared. Jamie sees them yelling and later on the way home Jamie reveals to Nathan what he's scared of. He's scared to go back in the pool because of the near drowning incident a few weeks ago. Jamie tells Nathan it's ok if he quits. When they get home Nathan has a serious talk with Jamie. He tells Jamie to never be afraid to be great and that he loves him.

Dan stops by the hospital to visit the Reverend who is #1 on the list to get a heart before Dan. Clearly Dan is there just hoping that the Reverend will die so that he can be #1 on the list. He even seems to consider killing the Reverend multiple times. He tells the Reverend to "take one for the team" and if he does Dan promises to spend the rest of his time seeking redemption.

Haley heads to the studio to work on her album, but instead her and Peyton end up discussing Luke. Haley pulls out her and Luke's predictions of what would happen before each school year. Each school year, with the exception of one or two, Luke hoped to make something happen with Peyton. Peyton says that it doesn't matter because Luke's actions are always different from what he writes. Haley says that sometimes you write what you're afraid to say or do. Just as you start to think maybe something will happen with Luke and Peyton, Lindsey comes back. Yep, she's back.. at least for a minute. She's brought Luke the edited version of his book and she wanted to say a final goodbye in-person. Just before she leaves Luke asks her if she ever misses him, but she just tells him that she better go and walks out the door.

After Mouth destroyed the tapes last week of Luke grabbing the player from the other team the TV station where he works isn't giving him any more chances. They hired another sports guy and are making Mouth do grunt work. Milli visits Mouth at work and they run into the sports guy. Milli tells the guy flat out that Mouth is the better sports guy. Go Milli!

Jamie overcomes his fear of going back in the pool. Nathan and Haley aren't far behind him when he jumps in the pool. They both jump in the pool in all their clothes. It's really great to see them as a happy family! Brooke has to take Angie to the airport to be taken back to her family. She breaks down, but once again Luke is there to comfort her. Peyton spends the day painting the riverside basketball court hoping that maybe if she makes the first move that Luke will follow. When Luke finds it that night he seems impressed and like he might just make the next step, but who knows with him. He calls Haley to come see the court and give her advice. He tells her that Lindsey came back to give him the book. He tells Haley that he thinks he might go away for a while. She tells him to quit running.

Luke sends Lindsey the dedication he wants in his book. It reads: "To all those lost souls who have forgotten to believe in the immensity of love." Lindsey calls Luke and leaves him a voicemail saying, "I just got your dedication and I guess I'm one of those lost souls because I lied to you. I said I was seeing someone and I wasn't. The truth is that I was afraid of the immensity of your love. You asked me if I missed you, of course I miss you, that's all I do." Luke gets the voicemail while he's looking at what Peyton painted on the court. She painted a lot, but the ending reads "I love you ~ Peyton." Luke goes to Brooke's and she tells him that she hates when everyone sees her like this -- vulnerable. Luke tells her that is how he always sees her. Brooke thanks Luke for being there because she's not sure she would've made it through some of the days without him. Before he leaves she gives him the purple monkey stuffed animal.

After seeing the crap that the station is putting Mouth through she tells him that he should take the Omaha job. Hopefully it's still there. She tells Mouth that she'll go with him. Later Mouth watches the nightly newscast to see how the new sports guy does. He refuses to look over the script and ends up doing horrible when the teleprompter stops working. Mouth is behind-the-scenes and jumps in to save the day. Through the earpiece Mouth tells the sports guy what to say word-for-word. Afterward everyone gives Mouth a round of applause. He says "Thanks! And for my encore, I quit!" and walks out.

Luke goes to Peyton's office and tells her that he doesn't hate her. He tells her that it was hard letting her go, it was hard losing her, and it was hard seeing her again, and it's still really hard. She tells him that she often dreams of being back in the hotel room when he proposed to her and every single time she says yes. He tells her that it's just a dream, she tells him that it's her dream though. Meanwhile, Haley is working on her album. She sounds amazing! I wish that she'd release an album, for real. Please, someone sign Bethany Joy Galeotti!

The finale ends with quite a few surprises. The first being Nathan finally making progress with his b-ball game. He outplays Quentin and scores a slam dunk. Dan finds out that the Reverend has died which means he's now #1 on the list for a heart transplant. As he's leaving the hospital he helps an old man and his wife walk across the street. As he's walking back across the street he tells them "you folks be careful. You could get yourself killed out here." Just then Dan gets hit by a car and is left bleeding and unconscious on the road. Ironically, as he's laying there presumably dead, the pager for the heart starts beeping meaning there's a heart ready for him.

And, the BIG cliffhanger till next season. Lucas calls someone from the airport and asks if they want to go to Vegas and get married. The twist is that we see Lindsey, Peyton and Brooke all answer their phones, so we have no idea who he was actually calling.

Let's begin the predictions. Will Haley finally release her album next season? Will Dan live from the car accident? If so, will he live through the heart transplant? And, who did Luke call to get married in Vegas?? My guesses are that Haley will release her album and be very successful. It will probably cause some strains on her marriage but they'll tough it out as usual. Dan will live through the car accident but then die before the transplant. And, I'm guessing that Luke is calling Lindsey to get married.

I'll see you folks next season starting this September on Monday nights! Be sure to tune in then! Have a great summer!!