One Tree Hill: how do I love the shallowness that is you?

[dangermousie]

I continue to be amazed with the emptiness of One Tree Hill. While I find teen shows like Buffy or Veronica Mars be truthful to the pain or joy of its characters even if the situations are far-fetched (fighting monsters or being a P.I. are hardly normal, every day activities), OTH is situated in an Alternate Universe that does not feel lifelike in the least. These are not real, funny, complex, hurting people. These are lovely Teen People cut-outs.

OTOH, considering I've watched 9 episodes so far (slowly but surely) and will probably eventually work my way through Season 1, I suppose the producers know what they are doing. There is a certain comfort and steadiness in its utter mediocrity. You definitely know what you are getting.

I laughed my head off at the scene where two of the "teen" characters needed fake IDs. Because seriously, they would never be carded. The houses are immaculate and the city does not look lived in. Chad Michael Murray, though undoubtedly hot, is beginning to get on my nerves, as he only has one-and-a-half expression. Which is still one-and-a-half expression more than what the actress playing Peyton possesses. She has to be the most annoying character ever (when it's gotten to the point where I cheer when something bad happens to her, you know the authors lost me).

I think the difference between OTH and Veronica Mars can be summed up by the way the approach the putative rape of their heroine. Veronica's night is agony to watch and it wrecks her. Peyton? The guy who drugs her (and of course it's very clear cut here, unlike the mess it is in VM), is someone she was going to sleep with anyway. She gets rescued before anything bad happens and she is not freaked. In fact, the whole plot is to show her wannabe boyfriend Lucas is a saint.

I must admit I find Nathan/Hailey romance rather cute. If I were 10, I'd think it was the sweetest thing ever. As it is, it's a lovely guilty pleasure: Nathan: I was so scared. I’m still terrified. Then I saw you. I promised myself that if I could just get up, and walk over to you, and tell you how much I need you, and how much I want you, that nothing else matters. Heeee. For someone who's just escaped from the hospital, he's pretty coherent. Awww, my inner 10 year old loves it anyway. Of course, Nathan's lightning-quick redemption makes no sense (unless I do severely painful fanwanking), but hey, no complex characters here.

Comments

[ladyaeryn.livejournal.com]

I've never seen OTH and never have any intent to. But I must say I've really been enjoying your commentaries on it. *g*

(VM, though, is on my yet-to-be-seen list.)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

VM is coming out on DVD on October 11.

OTH is really not worth it unless you have an incurable liking for cheese the way I do.

Btw, your icon makes me ROFL

[life-on-queen.livejournal.com]

I think the difference between OTH and Veronica Mars can be summed up by the way the approach the putative rape of their heroine. Veronica's night is agony to watch and it wrecks her

Would it be obsessive and wrong to write Rob Thomas and point out that we need to see this dealt with some more?

OTOH, you can't accuse VM of not treating it like a serious issue.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Would it be obsessive and wrong to write Rob Thomas and point out that we need to see this dealt with some more?


Not at all. I think Veronica has completely repressed it in order to move on, but I wonder if (conscious) sex with Duncan brought any of that up.

you can't accuse VM of not treating it like a serious issue.

The bits with Dick in 1.21 still make me watch through my fingers. I wonder why she never told about him to Logan. Logan is best friends with the guy, but it's clear he'd pick her over him in a heartbeat (I loved "Goodbye, Dick" in ATttD). If she told him, Dick's face would end up being smashed in...

[antiqueskies.livejournal.com]

I am ashamed to admit that I actually watched a couple episodes of this of my own free will... That's what I get for living in an all-girls dorm. It's giddily bad.

You should have chosen The O.C. It's better than OTH. Not by a whole lot, but the Seth/Summer romance is really angsty and fun. And most of the actors can act too! (I consider that a major bonus in teen angst dramas.)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Don't feel bad. I watched 9 eps and plan on watching more :P

I started watching it because I think CMM is smoking hot. I don't know anything about OC's hotness :)

[antiqueskies.livejournal.com]

It has Adam Brody (he was in Mr. and Mrs. Smith if you've seen that...). He's geek hotness.

I'll find you a pic! Yes indeedy!










Then there's that other guy too, but he's kinda meeeeehhhh... Heh.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

He doesn't look so hot in pictures, but hey, that's what I thought of VM's Jason Dohring too, and he's smoking hot on screen, so who knows, he probably is way hotter on screen.

I don't think I'll watch it though because the role of "soap" is already occupied by OTH which makes me happy because it's so easy to mock!

[ayn-rand-fan-13.livejournal.com]

One of my best friends loves that show, but another friend told me "I watched the whole first season. There was one really good episode, and the rest was about how slutty the charaters were".

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heee. Not incorrect :)

[shadowserenity.livejournal.com]

At first, I thought Kristin from E!Online was sensible. She was swayed by her readers and started watching BSG, though we had to put up with the typical "watching scifi makes me a nerd or a dumbass" jokes... but this (http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/w/20051001/112815612000_1.html) takes the cake. She watches OTH? That's one of her favourite shows? *shakes head*

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh. My. God.

"watching scifi makes me a nerd or a dumbass"

*rolls eyes so hard they fall out of sockets*

Any person who thinks OTH is her favorite show is entitled to her opinion. Of course, I am also entitled to my opinion that she is an idiot :P

I had so much fun watching OTH with husband yesterday. We put it on 2x with subtitles and turned it into our own MST3K.