"Can’t Stop This Thing We’ve Started" is the fourth episode of Season 4 of One Tree Hill and originally aired October 18th, 2006. The episode was written by Terrence Coli and directed by Bethany Rooney.
Rumours spread that Brooke is pregnant, whilst Peyton confides in Derek that she’s planning to tell Lucas how she feels. Nathan trades his car for a motorcycle in an attempt to ease his financial burdens, despite Haley's reservations. Meanwhile, the Scott family holds an intervention for a very resistant Deb.
Contains examples of the following tropes:
- Bait-and-Switch: After Lucas (and the viewer) is led into thinking that Brooke’s pregnant and doesn’t want him involved out of spite over the course of the episode, Haley tells him that she’s the one who’s pregnant and Brooke was just covering for her.
- The Cameo: Lupe Fiasco performs at TRIC during the later portion of the episode.
- Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Averted - Clean Teen Shelley tries to convince Brooke not to get an abortion by telling her about her abortion.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Derek clearly becomes jealous whenever Peyton talks about Lucas, though he manages to hide it from her.
- History Repeats: A Scott boy has gotten his high school love pregnant, just like Dad. Taken a step further when Lucas finds out that Haley’s pregnant, as he promises that he’s going to be there for his niece or nephew just like Keith had been there for him.
- Hoist by Her Own Petard: When Lucas tries to talk to Brooke about her rumoured pregnancy, she blows him off and suggests that maybe he isn't the father in the first place in an attempt to hurt him. When Lucas recalls her one night stand with Chris Keller, Brooke storms off because he brought that up.
- Hypocrite: When Brooke asks why Rachel has been spreading the rumour that she's pregnant, Rachel reminds Brooke how it wasn't that long ago that Brooke had posted pictures of Rachel pre-weight loss all over town.
- Identical Stranger: Derek hires a prostitute and has her dress identically to Peyton - complete with blonde wig and Ellie’s stolen jacket.
- Idiot Ball: Nathan decides to trade his car for a motorcycle because it’s cheaper to run, despite it being more dangerous and his lack of experience riding one.
- Insistent Terminology: Shelley isn’t just celibate, she’s a "born again" virgin.
- Manipulative Bastard: Derek clearly isn’t happy when Peyton tells him that she’s planning to tell Lucas how she feels at the concert that night; subsequently, Derek tells Peyton he overheard Lucas telling Brooke that he’d cut Peyton out of his life if Brooke took him back, and when a suspicious Lucas confronts him about it, instead claims that he said something else.
- Ms. Fanservice: Rachel takes part in a photoshoot for Maxim magazine.
- Perky Goth: Glenda, the girl Brooke met during the shooting, is shown to have undergone a makeover in the intervening time and now dresses to fit this archetype.
- The Reveal: Haley is pregnant, not Brooke.
- Shout-Out: Lucas refers to Deb’s intervention as the "Manson Family reunion" whilst Haley describes it as being similar to the end of The Lion King (1994).
- Spotting the Thread: Lucas starts picking up on the signs that Derek isn’t being as honest as he claims.
- Titled After the Song: The episode title is taken from the song "Can't Stop This Thing We Started" by Bryan Adams.
