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On their rewatch podcast Drama Queens, Sophia Bush, Bethany Joy Lenz, and Hilarie Burton Morgan break down the storylines and character arcs of each episode of their hit 2000s-era teen drama One Tree Hill. While they’re proud of the show, they’re never afraid to be honest about its less-savory aspects, and they admit that this is “the worst episode so far” while they pour hefty glasses of wine to sustain them during the conversation. For them, season one, episode 16 “is cursed” with misogynistic writing and rushed character development that left them feeling cold. But no one does a rewatch better than these three friends, who are great at reading character motivations, calling out excellent acting moments as well as stellar dialogue and editing choices, and thinking about the show’s wider influence on its millions of fans worldwide.
Because they starred on the show, Joy points out, they were privy to some incredibly problematic and toxic behaviors from creators, writers, and producers behind the scenes. Therefore, when a frustrating double standard is portrayed, it’s “very hard to watch,” she says. On the show, Barbara Alyn Woods’ character Deb Scott is vilified for falling in love with another man, though she’s in a terrible relationship with her husband Dan. Instead of writing her as strong and independent for leaving someone who’s financially and emotionally abusive, she’s played as the bad guy; her son, Nathan, even blames her for all his father’s bad behaviors toward him. Meanwhile, Chad Michael Murray’s character Lucas Scott has been playing two girls throughout the season, “and kind of gets off scot-free,” plus “gets to go home with a total stranger and have sex on a carousel!”
But there were some “gold nuggets” in this episode. One was Sheryl Crow guest-starring, and they laugh a lot recalling how Karen’s Cafe was supposed to be empty while she was singing, but it was crammed to the rafters with cast and crew just hiding from the cameras wanting to see her perform. They also had a good time with the teenagers trying to buy concert tickets on eBay and Nathan bragging about having a high-speed internet connection at home. Plus, what it was like for them as the show gained popularity (Joy admits she was probably outright rude to some fans at first, until she learned how to handle an onslaught of people), the cast member they were supposed to hate but actually loved, and more; hear all this One Tree Hill goodness on this episode of Drama Queens.
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