"One Tree Hill" is the ninth season finale of One Tree Hill, and also serves as the Grand Finale of the series. The episode originally aired April 4th, 2012 and was both written and directed by Mark Schwahn.
The residents of Tree Hill find themselves looking to the past as Tric celebrates it’s tenth anniversary, whilst new and exciting developments continue to shape their futures.
Contains examples of the following tropes:
- Ambiguous Situation:
- It’s unclear as to how Chase was able to afford buying Tric from Karen, or how the change in ownership affects Red Bedroom Records as the label was effectively renting space from the bar.
- Bevin is shown with the rest of the adults as they cheer for the Ravens heading onto the court in the final scene; despite being stood next to Skills and the two sharing a look, it is never explicitly stated that the two reunited.
- During the closing monologue, Nathan is shown looking up at the retired Ravens jerseys, specifically Jamie’s; it’s unclear if Jamie’s number has already been retired for breaking Nathan’s scoring record, or if Nathan is just imagining it.
- Audience Participation: After the bridge in "I Don’t Want To Be" ends, the crowd in Tric takes over singing the start of the chorus.
- Babies Ever After: Mouth and Millicent are shown to have finally gotten married in the final Time Skip, with Millie also heavily pregnant.
- Back for the Finale: Bevin reappears for the first time since "You’re Gonna Need Someone on Your Side" in Season 5, now working at the court house.
- Book Ends:
- The first & last musical artist to perform in the series is Gavin DeGraw, both times the song played being "I Don't Wanna Be".
- In the pilot, Haley & Karen give Lucas a copy of Julius Caesar, whilst eating in Karen's Cafe after hours. Haley is seen reading the book whilst the characters are hanging out in Karen's Cafe after hours.
- The series starts with Nathan heading on to Tree Hill High's basketball court with the Ravens, and Lucas arriving at to the River Court. The final shot of the series is Jamie heading on to the Tree Hill High basketball court with his Ravens team.
- Call-Back:
- Haley shows Jamie the box full of predictions that she and Lucas used to make at the start of school year, first seen in "First Day on a Brand New Planet" in Season 3.
- As Haley talks to Jamie on the roof of the café, she repeats a line that Karen previously said to Lucas in the Season 1 finale.Haley: There’s only one Tree Hill and it’s your home, Jamie Scott.
- Nathan gifts Chris the guitar he pawned back in Season 3.
- Nathan & Haley leaving Karen's Cafe to head to Jamie’s game mirror Keith & Haley leaving the cafe to head to Lucas' first game on the Ravens in the second episode.
- The closing monologue of the series is repeated from "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" in Season 5.
- Jamie wears #12 for the Ravens; the same number Nathan wore during his time playing for the Charleston Chiefs and Charlotte Bobcats.
- The Cameo: Blind Pilot and Gavin DeGraw appear over the course of the episode, performing at Tric’s anniversary concert.
- Continuity Nod: Bevin reappears for the first time since Season 5, and briefly mentions her son to Logan. On top of that, her characterisation is in-line with the revelation that she had spent high school Obfuscating Stupidity, and was much more intelligent than she let on.
- Dare to Be Badass: After being rebuffed by a label scout over his failing career’s last hit being a jingle for breakfast pastries, Chris Keller proceeds to grab the house band and rock Tric with a rousing rendition of "Loaded Gun".
- Dénouement Episode: Every ongoing plot thread across the season (and in effect, the series as a whole) has effectively been resolved by the end of the previous episode, so this episode is effectively just a victory lap that provides closure on the now-adult characters and resolves the few remaining loose ends, such as Clay and Quinn getting married and formally adopting Logan.
- Diegetic Soundtrack Usage:
- Several of the performances at Tric’s anniversary concert are used to provide the soundtrack of the episode.
- Gavin DeGraw performs "I Don’t Want To Be" one final time during Tric’s anniversary concert.
- Grand Finale: Of the entire series.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Haley's speech thaking everyone for their support of Tric for the past decade is a thinly veiled thank you to the fans who had supported the show for nine years.
- Milestone Celebration: In-Universe. The episode is framed around various musical performances at Tric, as the establishment celebrates the tenth anniversary since opening.
- Mythology Gag: The series and setting were named after the song "One Tree Hill" by U2. The song plays over the closing scenes of everyone attending Jamie’s game.
- My Own Private "I Do": Clay and Quinn get married at the court house, with only Logan there as a witness.
- Product Placement: Chris Keller’s performance of "Loaded Gun" during Tric’s anniversary concert. Tyler Hilton’s album "Forget The Storm" featured the song, and was released the day before this episode premiered.
- Shout-Out: Clay nicknames Logan "Wolverine" in yet another reference to the Marvel Comics superhero that Logan was named after.
- Time-Shifted Actor: Jamie, Logan, Lydia, Jude and Davis are all played by different actors in the final scene, after one final Time Skip.
- Time Skip: To an unspecified point in the future, where Jamie is the latest Scott to play for the Tree Hill Ravens.
- Title Drop: "There’s only one Tree Hill and it’s your home, Jamie Scott."
- Titled After the Song: The episode title is taken from the song "One Tree Hill" by U2.
