One Tree Hill, this is my love letter to you.
I don’t own any of the creations on that article. Credit is due to whoever had the talent to make them.
On April 4th, the serie finale of One Tree Hill was broadcasted on the CW. This episode was inspiring, a magistral way of coming full circle. Beautiful references for the fans of the first hour. Truly, a love letter to us. Because I appreciate the way they ended things, I thought I should express my love for OTH, just like the creators showed their love for us. This isn’t a review of the serie finale nor is it spoilery. It’s just an appreciation note.
One Tree Hill ended a few weeks ago. Ever since I watched the finale, I kept watching fanvids, goodbyes and tributes to a show that marked a lot of us, to push back the end, to stay in denial for as long as I could. In almost every video, there’d be that quote that Brooke says in season 9: “I grew up in Tree Hill. I spent most of my life here. I like Tree Hill this way”. And every time I would hear that, I would get so overwhelmed with all sorts of feelings. Every damn time. I couldn’t quite figure out why. Why such a simple quote would make me feel like this.
The first time I watched an episode of One Tree Hill, I must have been 11 or 12 years old. I remember very clearly, I was sitting on the couch with my sister. She was older than me and already a TV addict. I wasn’t. But I was about to become one. I remember that the first scene of OTH I ever saw was in that episode in season 1 where Gavin Degraw came to sing to the Karen’s Café. I remember it as if it was yesterday. A lot of shows would later be added to the list of series I would become obsessed with. But One Tree Hill was the very first one. This is the story of how I met the first love of my life: TV shows.
I’m French and so, I started out by watching One Tree Hill dubbed in French. But quickly the end of the season arrived in France and I wanted more. I needed more. I found the episodes online in English, I just had to add French subtitles. A year later, my impatience had grown so out of control I couldn’t even wait for the subtitles anymore. I needed to see the episodes now, even though I wouldn’t always get everything. Three years after I watched my very first episode of One Tree Hill, I was pretty much fluent. This is the story of how I met the second love of my life: English.
A few years later, I met a very special girl. We were in the same class in high school. I can’t remember how we came to talk about TV shows. But when I asked her which one was her favorite, she immediately answered: One Tree Hill. OTH is the connection that got us closer. Without One Tree Hill, I may not have bonded with someone who I consider today, one of the most important people in my life. This is the story of how I met the third love of my life: The Peyton to my Brooke, Zohra.
Not so long after that, came the time to choose a path for my life. One Tree Hill played, one again, a big role in this. Just like music had been a main component of the show, it has been a main component of my life. I had always been passionate about music, but OTH really nurtured that passion, it made it bloom. It taught me how important it could be in someone’s existence. How it could actually save a life. My favorite bands and songs, I discovered them in OTH. And even though it’s been nine year, there’s still an OTH soundtrack playlist on my iPod with songs from the very first episode and the very first seasons. Today, I’m packing all my life in boxes to go live in California to study music in movies and TV shows to become a Music Supervisor. If One Tree hill hadn’t been there, I might not be preparing myself for the most incredible experience of my life. Some other show might have made me discover that this was what I was meant to be. But it’s OTH that did. This is the story of how I met the fourth love of my life: Music.
No matter what people say, that’s it’s “just a TV show”, it has taught me the most important life lessons I draw my life around, even now. It has taught me that if I made a wish, placed it my heart and believe it could come true, it probably would. It has taught me that sometimes, all I needed was one person. It has taught me that even though every song ends, it’s no reason not to enjoy the music. And above all, it has taught me that People Always Leave. That’s probably the saddest lesson it has taught me, but also the truest. Every single day, I wear a necklace with just that engraved on it, to remind me. So instead of falling apart when someone does leave, I stand strong. It has taught me that even though people always leave, everything happens for a reason and they, too, will make me grow and find myself again. Hopefully, a better self.
One Tree Hill brought so much to my life, a few lines to sum it up doesn’t even do it justice. Its characters were, and are still today to a certain extent, the kind of people I aspire to resemble to. They have taught me to follow my dreams. It has put on my path wonderful people who helped me build who I am today. I will always be grateful for that. A page of my life is turning. It’s like my childhood is gone. But I’m not sad. I’m more… Nostalgic. I look back on those beautiful 9 years of emotions, laugh, craziness, tears, worry, impatience, fear and joy, and I smile. Because even though it’s hard to admit it, all good things must come to an end. Just like all the inhabitants of Tree Hill had to grow up, so they could become the wonderful people we saw them becoming, it’s my turn to do so now.
I think I figured out why I feel so overwhelmed every time Brooke says “I grew up in Tree Hill”. It’s because, in a certain way, I grew up in Tree Hill, too.
Good Night One Tree Hill. I’ll always keep inside of me, a piece of you.
Yep, that’s me with James when F. & I met him in Paris…. I know, lucky girl, right? :p
(Since then, I’ve come to terms with my “hair” issues, they are now completely normal)
