"Over the Hills And Far Away" is the twenty-first episode of Season 3 of One Tree Hill and originally aired April 26th, 2006. The episode was written by Mark Schwahn and directed by Thomas J Wright.
On the eve of Nathan and Haley's wedding, Brooke prepares a surprise for the happy couple but gets into a fight with Haley over the wedding dress. Meanwhile, Lucas and Karen discuss the future as they return to Tree Hill, and Peyton receives shocking news from Jake.
Contains examples of the following tropes:
- Call-Back: Peyton’s car breaks down at the exact same spot that it did in the Pilot, and she once again calls Nathan to pick her up, with several shots from the Pilot being recreated here.
- Continuity Porn:
- Nathan and Haley’s early relationship through to their initial marriage is retold by their friends and family in a play put together by Brooke.
- When Peyton realizes that she’s still in love with Lucas, there’s a montage of flashbacks showing all of the times Lucas had saved or comforted Peyton, coupled with some meaningful glances and every time they’d kissed, ultimately ending on the first time Peyton confessed her feelings to Lucas.
- Dull Surprise: How Lucas plays Nathan in the play.
- Enforced Method Acting: Invoked during Brooke’s play - Lucas and Peyton are forced to play the first time Nathan and Haley said “I love you” to one another, as Peyton realises that she’s in love with Lucas.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Jake ultimately turns down Peyton’s proposal, and tells her to return to Tree Hill as it’s obvious Lucas is still in her heart.
- It's All About Me: Brooke doesn’t take Haley’s response to her initial wedding dress well and takes her criticisms personally - the problem largely stems from Brooke making a dress that she would want to wear and disregarding all of Haley’s requests.
- Lampshade Hanging: Nathan notes that usually Peyton calls Lucas when she needs help.
- Love Epiphany: Peyton realizing that she’s still in love with Lucas while the two of them are in the middle of playing Nathan and Haley in Brooke’s reenactment.
- Out of Focus: Lucas spends the majority of the episode travelling back to Tree Hill with Karen, and only returns to town at the start of Brooke’s play.
- Pimped-Out Dress: Brooke’s initial wedding dress for Haley fits the bill… it just isn’t what Haley asked for, or her style in anyway.
- Put on a Bus: Jake sends Peyton back to Tree Hill after she confesses her love for Lucas in her sleep, ending their relationship.
- Road Trip Plot: Lucas and Karen spend the bulk of their scenes driving back to Tree Hill after visiting local colleges, having been absent in the previous episode.
- Self-Parody: Due to illness amongst the cast, Nathan has to step in and play himself during one of the skits in Brooke’s play.
- Shameless Fanservice Girl: Brooke happily strips down to lingerie during the play, as she plays Haley during her interpretation of Nathan spending the night after taking performance enhancing drugs.
- Ship Sinking: Jake and Peyton end their relationship for good once they realize she still has lingering feelings for Lucas.
- Ship Tease: When Lucas and Peyton see what scene they are going to do in the reenactment (Nathan and Haley confessing their love to one another), both act and look at each other very nervously.
- Stylistic Suck:
- Brooke’s play at the rehearsal dinner. The skits are rife with Large Ham, Dull Surprise and Bad "Bad Acting" in general, befitting the fact that the "actors" are made up of Nathan and Haley’s friends and family - none of whom are actors.
- Pointedly averted in the final skit - when Lucas plays Nathan opposite Brooke, he wears a terrible wig to match Nathan's hair, however, he refuses to wear the wig a second time before acting opposite Peyton.
- That Didn't Happen: Haley says as much when Brooke’s interpretation of Nathan spending the night after taking performance enhancing drugs includes Haley stripping down to lingerie.
- Titled After the Song: The title of the episode is taken from the song "Over The Hills and Far Away" by Led Zeppelin.
- Trauma Button: Marcus tells Nathan and Peyton that he dropped out of school following the shooting, as he wasn’t able to handle being back there.
- Wham Episode: Jake ends his relationship with Peyton after she says "I love you, Lucas" in her sleep despite her protests; Peyton later has an epiphany over her feelings for Lucas during Nathan and Haley's rehearsal dinner, and admits them to Brooke.
- Wham Line:
- Jake telling Peyton that she talks in her sleep.Jake: You said 'I love you'.
Peyton: Okay, well normally that's a good thing.
Jake: "You said 'I love you, Lucas'. - Peyton admitting her feelings to Brooke.Peyton: Brooke, I think I still have feelings for Lucas.
Brooke: You mean you care for him, as a friend?
Peyton: No. I mean more than that.
- Jake telling Peyton that she talks in her sleep.
