"All That You Can’t Leave Behind" is the fifth episode of One Tree Hill and aired October 14th, 2003. The teleplay was written by Jennifer Cecil and Mark Schwahn, with the story by Jennifer Cecil and Ann Hamilton, and directed by Duane Clark.
The annual "Father and Son" basketball game arrives and Lucas asks Keith to step-in as his father, whilst Dan is determined to remind Tree Hill of his glory days on the court, even - or perhaps especially - if Nathan has to lose. Meanwhile, Peyton has a hard time dealing with the anniversary of her mother's death and finds a comforting ally in Whitey.
Contains examples of the following tropes:
- Bait-and-Switch: After Dan fouls Nathan and leaves him flat on his back, Nathan is shown being helped to his feet by an outstretched hand, making the viewer think it’s Dan before revealing that it’s Lucas as Nathan is back on his feet.
- Call-Back: Peyton’s comic strip, showing a set of traffic lights with the caption "People always leave" was briefly seen being worked on in the previous episode.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The current Ravens utterly rout the Fathers, with only Dan able to keep up with the younger generation. It reaches the point that the boys start breaking out the Harlem Globetrotters playbook.
- Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: The opening theme, "I Don’t Want To Be" by Gavin DeGraw, plays over the first half of the Fathers vs Sons basketball game.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Brooke is completely oblivious to the significance of the week to Peyton, being that it’s the anniversary of her mother’s death. As the show would flesh out Peyton and Brooke’s backstory, it would be established that Brooke was a major help in Peyton moving forward after the tragedy, making her obliviousness here all the more jarring.
- Failed a Spot Check: The entire time he was dating Peyton, Nathan never thought to ask where her mother was.
- Heroic BSoD: Peyton has a public meltdown at the start of the episode, calling Brooke out over the pointlessness of cheerleading.
- High-School Sweethearts: Whitey recounts to Peyton how her parents started dating in high school.
- It's All About Me: Whilst Keith and the rest of the Fathers team are aware that the game isn’t supposed to be taken seriously, Dan looks at the game as a way for him to relive his glory days.
- Kick the Dog: When Keith arrives in the Fathers locker room, one of the other fathers comments that he didn’t know Keith had a son; Keith responds that he’s just a substitute as one of the boys doesn’t have a father, knowing that Dan is within earshot.
- Parental Abandonment: Peyton’s mother died in a car accident with she was 8, and her father spends significant portions of time working away from home.
- Pyrrhic Victory: The Fathers win, but only after the scores are reset to zero with only the next point counting. On top of that, Dan’s so desperate to win that he fouls Nathan and leaves him flat on his back, and the Fathers only get the game winning point because Nathan blatantly lets Dan get the win.
- The Reveal:
- Peyton’s mother died in a car accident when she was 8.
- Whitey’s wife Camilla died at some point prior to the start of the series.
- Ship Sinking: Peyton makes it very clear that she’s not interested in getting back together with Nathan.
- Ship Tease:
- Lucas and Peyton’s conversation at the bridge, where Peyton tells Lucas about her home life, ends with Lucas calling after Peyton and her telling Lucas "Not to ruin it" - implicitly by asking her out.
- Peyton shows up at the school after the game; whilst she explains to Nathan about her mom’s death, she also makes it clear that she didn’t go to the school for him. She doesn’t verbally respond when Nathan asks why she’s there, but it’s implied to the viewer that she was there to see Lucas.
- Tempting Fate: Peyton constantly running red lights, after her mother ran one and was fatally injured in a car crash.
- You Remind Me of X: Whitey comments that Peyton physically resembles her late mother.
