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Mattie Schanandore
Mr. Terrell
UCA Writing
29 April 2015
Ideal Teen Melodrama
It’s a Thursday night, and I am scrambling to get my homework done because the season
finale of One Tree Hill comes on tonight at 8. “I cannot ditch Nathan Scott for an English paper
due tomorrow”, I say to my mom who doesn’t seem to understand the importance of this
episode. She rolls her eyes and begins to give a speech about priorities, my future, and more
nonsense that I just nod at and add the occasional “yeah” to show I’m listening. There’s no way I
will finish, but I am way too attached to miss the finale of my very favorite show. That scenario
was describing not only me, but the majority of people that watch One Tree Hill. I think that was
Mark Schwahn’s goal when creating this teen melodrama in 2003. A teen melodrama is a TV
show that includes so much drama and suspense that the audience becomes attached and can
relate to the emotions the show is trying to convey. Originally, the show revolved around Lucas
and Nathan Scott, two half brothers, growing up in the town of Tree Hill, North Carolina.
Sharing the same love of basketball, being involved in the same love triangles, living in a small
town, and having complicated family issues, you can imagine the drama and tension that goes on
between Lucas and Nathan. It seems during the first season and the majority of the second, the
brothers spend most of their time hating each other, and, together, hating their dad. Although the
brothers start out as enemies, over time, they grow to be best friends. As the seasons progress,
the show begins to revolve around Lucas and Nathan’s whole friend group and their families:
Brooke Davis, Haley James, Peyton Sawyer, Mouth McFadden, Dan Scott, Deb Lee, Karen Roe,
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and Keith Scott. The series takes us through their high school careers and then the characters
adolescence. One Tree Hill is the best teen melodrama because once you start watching, you
can’t stop.
What makes a show “good”? There is a list of criteria that every audience uses to judge
the movies and television shows they watch. For instance, I came up with five things to base my
criteria off of when evaluating One Tree Hill. Listed from most important to least important, they
include; realism of the series, dramatic, the messages conveyed, the cast of the show, and the
appeal to both guys and girls. I considered the realism of the series to be most important because
it must be relatable or it will be hard to connect with the storyline. The drama of the show is
what makes any show interesting and suspenseful. If the show exaggerates the storyline too
much, it can become unrealistic. Therefore, I think the perfect balance between realism and
drama is when the realism is valued over the drama. I say this because you can make any event
dramatic, such as adding details to make it more interesting, without ruining the story or making
it hard to connect with. Next, I thought the message conveyed in a teen melodrama should be age
appropriate and positive. In today’s society, celebrities have such a powerful impact on teens, so
I think it’s important that actors of a show directed to teens are sending a message to help their
audience. Lastly, I thought the cast of the show was an important criterion because the characters
are doing most of the work in a series. They are the ones that build the fan base for the show.
According to Christian Euvrard, author of “How to Critique Acting”, it is important that a
show’s cast is able to portray the character they are hired to play well. This includes the way they
look, their age, the way the read their lines, and the way they connect with the other characters
(Euvrard). Also Euvrard said to consider the “vocality” of the actors. Do they read their lines
with ease and meaning? He says that the actors should be able to convince the audience that what
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their saying is almost true. They should strike emotions in you that make you feel what they’re
feeling on the show. Personally, I agree with Euvrard in what he looks for in actors of a
television show, but I think the chemistry between the actors themselves and the characters on
the show play into a successful melodrama. If there is that emotional connection to the characters
when watching the show, you create a fan base that so badly wants to believe that the actors are
those same people. You want the actors to have a special connection with their character in the
show, so it seems real.
Mark Schwahn did a great job of writing a script that related to every teenager’s feelings,
values, dreams, and routines. The show exemplifies the pressure put on every high school
student to be popular, pretty, athletic, intelligent, successful, a leader, and so much more. For
example, Hilarie Burton plays Peyton Sawyer, someone who is considered popular at Tree Hill
High School, but you see throughout the show how opposite she is from a stereotypical popular
girl. Peyton has a live podcast in her room where her followers can watch her draw and view her
expressive pieces of art, listen to her punk rock music, as well as read about her life. She dresses
in dark clothing with dark make up. While being somewhat of a dark character, she is a
cheerleader. In the pilot episode, Peyton’s car broke down, and Lucas, who works for his uncle’s
body shop, came to pick her up. He asked “Why are you a cheerleader? I mean, no offense or
anything, but you’re the least cheery person I know” (“Peyton Sawyer-quotes”). She
immediately gets defensive, claiming Lucas doesn’t know her well enough to ask something
personal. Then in the next episode, after Lucas joined the varsity basketball team, Peyton asks
him why he decided to join the team because she knew that he didn’t fit in. He responds,
explaining that he loves the game and he wants to know if he is any good. Lucas then asks
Peyton the same question about why she’s a part of the cheer squad, and asks if she like it. She
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responds a very confusing answer like most teenagers who are confused with who they are. She
says, “If I say that I like it then I'm just another cheerleader. But, if I say that I hate it, then I'm
either a liar or a fraud. Either way I lose” (“Peyton Sawyer-quotes”). Obviously, you can tell that
both Lucas and Peyton are trying to figure out things just like most teenagers. Although there
may not be a punk cheerleader at my school, there are many people who think they don’t belong
or think they can’t do something because of a stereotype.
Over the years, One Tree Hill has had over 5 million viewers (“OTH trivia”). The
suspense and dramatic events are what keep people watching. Specifically, episode 16 of season
3 starts out as a normal school day until Jimmy Edwards, one of Lucas’ childhood friends, comes
to school with a gun. He opens fire right as the first bell rings, holding multiple students hostage
including Haley James, Nathan’s wife. These kinds of events are what make this show a
melodrama. It makes viewers never want to take their eyes off the television. The episode
concludes with Keith trying to convince Jimmy to stop threatening people. Jimmy then points the
gun to him and ends his life. Keith is standing in complete shock when Dan Scott picks up the
same gun lying in Jimmy’s hand and kills his own brother, Keith. Critic Daniel Fienberg, agrees
that this event “advance[d] the season’s plot”. This fits my criterion for the ideal amount of
drama in a teen melodrama because, unfortunately this is a very real event that could happen and
has happened at many schools. But the likelihood of an adult coming in and shooting his brother
is a little hard to imagine. While One Tree Hill is realistic, its events are exaggerated to add to
the drama of the show and to keep viewers interested.
Behind every episode of One Tree Hill there is a message. Season 5 begins the
character’s lives after college. While most of the cast is working and following their dreams,
Nathan is near-paralyzed after a basketball injury (“Season 5: Recap”). His hair is down to his
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shoulders and it looks as if he hasn’t bathed in weeks. He is angry with alcohol bottles
surrounding his living room. Nathan’s dream was to play basketball in the NBA, and now it
seems that opportunity has vanished. However his friends and family convince him to get back
up, start physical therapy, and strive for his goals once again. Although it is a long road, he
eventually plays for the Charlotte Bobcats. As a result, Nathan is demonstrating perseverance,
and showing that no matter what, if you work hard enough, there is a chance you can achieve
your goals. Another message conveyed in One Tree Hill is that success is not what satisfies a
person. Brooke Davis is the creator of a multimillion dollar fashion industry, “Clothes Over
Bros” that she started in high school. She ends up moving back to Tree Hill and opening a
boutique there. While she has all of this money, her friends, and her hometown she has not
experienced true love. To fill this gap, she decides she wants to adopt a baby. She expresses,
“there is a child out there who has something so special inside of them but whose life is so
miserable because they think that nobody wants them. And I could be great mother to that child,
no matter their age or race or sex” (“Season 5: Recap”). I think this is a very powerful message
for people my age because money in our society is so valued. It is what most think defines your
success, so Brooke is a perfect of example of using her success to help others. She saw that she
could use her money to provide love and care to someone that needs it. I won’t apologize for
wearing our heart on our sleeves” says Mark Schwahn when referring to the amount of emotion
in the series (Martin). The amount of emotion he puts behind his characters is what makes the
messages so powerful.
Lastly, the cast of One Tree Hill adds to making it an ideal melodrama because the actors
connect with their characters, they are able to connect with the audience, and their emotions are
convincing in their role. During season four, “Picture of You” episode, the students are assigned
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a partner where they must ask them a series of questions and then create a picture based on their
answers. Brooke’s picture ends up being her standing on a blank wall with words projected all
over her body. They include phrases such as “not pretty enough”, “not smart enough”, and “not
good enough” (Babbin). According to Jay Babbin, Bush responds about the affect her character
has had on fans saying “…that was a lesson my character had to learn ... and it's a lesson I've had
to learn. No one will ever beat you up as badly as you'll beat yourself up, as they say, so to be
able to spur that discussion for women is not something that I take lightly.” This shows that not
only did Bush connect with Brooke in this episode, but she also learned something and admired
things about Brooke. Going hand in hand with how an actor reads their lines in order to make the
audience believe what they’re saying, Bush believed in what she was saying. Therefore, she was
able to affect others with her acting because they believed what she was saying. Recently, in
2014, there was One Tree Hill reunion in Paris, France. Hilarie Burton shares about the cast’s
relationship to author, Johnni Macke. She expresses that, “when we all get together, it's always a
special bond. We lived through it together” (Macke). Chemistry between characters on and off
the set is a crucial criterion for and ideal cast.
Granted that One Tree Hill requires a very mature audience, the events in the show
correlate with teenage years and adolescence in the later seasons. Ginia Bellafante wrote a New
York Times article, “They Age So Quickly, At Least in Tree Hill” claiming that the show sends
the wrong the message to the teenage audience. Consider that Nathan and Haley got married in
high school and had their first child the day of their graduation. Then, due to the absence of their
college careers, the author claims viewers don’t get to see the struggles of being a teen mom,
going to college, and being married, but rather she is a successful teacher, living with her family
in a beautiful home at 22 (Bellafante). During this time, Nathan appears to be having his mid life
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crisis due to his bar fight also at 22. While I agree that the messages could be misinterpreted,
saying they’re glamorizing teen pregnancy or marriage at such a young age, Schwahn does a
good job of depicting the struggles of their adolescence, making such big decisions at such a
young age. For instance, in the seasons following the characters adulthood, Haley is experiencing
the struggles of being a young teacher of high school students. She is getting little respect due to
her age and who she is married to. As a result, I understand that the characters matured a lot
faster than most teenagers, but they are still conveying a message that has a positive impact on
viewers.
In conclusion, One Tree Hill is the ideal teen melodrama because it fits the following
criteria. It is realistic, yet dramatic, has a positive influence on the audience, and has a great cast.
Having watched One Tree Hill, I would recommend it to all teenagers as well as young adults.
While you are glued to your seat, you’re also able to learn something from the characters on the
show. Having won “Top Television Series” in 2009 as well as being nominated for “Outstanding
Directing in a Dramatic Series”, One Tree Hill is a very successful, popular show.
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Works Cited
Bellafante, Ginia. "They Age So Quickly, at Least in Tree Hill." The New York Times.
nytimes.com, 28 Jan. 2008. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
Bobbin, Jay. "'One Tree Hill': Sophia Bush Refuses to Consider Where Brooke Davis Is Now –
Zap2it | News & Features." Zap2it. N.p., 12 Dec. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
Martin, Denise. "'One Tree Hill's' Strong Roots." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 05
Oct. 2009. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
Fienberg, Daniel. "Review: ‘One Tree Hill: Season 3’” Zap2it. N.p., 26 Sept. 2006. Web. 28
Apr. 2015.
Macke, Johnni. "Hilarie Burton Talks About Her "One Tree Hill" Reunion, Plus She Reveals If
She Thinks Lucas And Peyton Are Still Together." MSTARS News. N.p., 16 Nov. 2014.
Web. 27 Apr. 2015.
"How To: Critique Acting." The Point. N.p., 22 Nov. 2010. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
"One Tree Hill Article: Season 5 Recap." Fanpop. N.p., 2006. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
"One Tree Hill Trivia." IMDb. N.p., 1990. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
"Peyton Sawyer- Quotes." One Tree Hill. N.p., 30 Sept. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.