[weens]

Originally Posted by WildcatNaleyFan (View Post) weens... I'm an Israeli citizen and here every 18-year old (male or female) has to serve in the army. Girls for two years and boys for three... I just happened to get a late draft date because I was born in August (the drafting is usually by birthdays). dreamywriter19, thank you. And honestly, I never cared much for BJu or Brooke's character, really. I'm just glad to see this whole back and forth and wasting screentime come to an end. It was obvious they were going to end up together... and it's not like they grew as a couple from this whole mess. So why go through it? I think that while they wrote up the Lydia storyline they decided to give something to the Brooke orbit... and that something just happened to be a very stretched out never-ending break-up. Like I said in an earlier review, no fan would ever say that Julian has the "hero-complex" until that episode where it was revealed. Just because Peyton was in a rough time when he started dating her and just because he wanted to help out Brooke with Sam does not make him someone that always wants to save people. But then the writers just threw in some poor mother who "lost her flame" and walla! It has psychological backing. I feel like they wanted to make amends for BL with BJu. Kind of like build that love triangle only for Brooke to end up having the guy after all.

I have a lot of family that lives in Greece and the same holds true. But I think it is only the males that have to serve in the Army. I think that is very brave. Sorry about your lose too.

[brustinluv]

This episode was so sad I loved it minus the annoying bju I do admit tho sometimes it was funny. The scenes with Lydia broke my heart especially Taylor's. But damn Haley had brothers too the writers should brought them back but instead its just the three sisters.

[therunaway93]

Thank god this forum is still here because boy do I have alot to say about this episode. First off, I'd like to say this episode was poor and while it may've been better than the mediocre episodes I call 7x16 and 7x17, it was still a poor episode and if I had rate this episode out of 10, I'd give it a solid 4 and if I had to rate this episode out 5, I'd give it a solid 2.

But honestly, why god why? I used to remember the days when OTH used to be on The A-Channel where I live and they aired repeats of S1-4 on The A-Channel and everyday when I came home from school, I used to expect OTH and I was always excited for it to come on. What on planet Earth happened to this show? because clearly I have no idea. I remember near the end of S6, they aired OTH on MuchMusic where I live and when I was watching the episodes of S1-4, I was thinking to myself "I miss watching old school OTH and that it felt good to be watching it again" but now when I watch S5-7, now I'm just saying to myself "Is this the same show I fell in love with during the first four seasons? Cause it sure as hell doesn't feel like it

Anyways about this episode, lets look at everything that happened in it...

Victoria/Alexander - Where did the idea of Victoria and Alexander even come from? I mean first of all Victoria is old enough to be Alexander's mother and second how many times has this storyline been used, lets see, it's been used 3 times I mean does anyone remember Rachel/Cooper, Brooke/Nick, Deb/Skills, and Dan/Rachel? cause I certainly do. I seriously think Mark is a man in disguise because he just loves to make men look like they're perverts and pedophiles and geez Mark, can you not come up with anything new?

Brooke/Alex/Julian - UGH I'm seriously getting bored of this storyline, how long is it going to drag on for? And as always, Brooke annoyed the hell out of me just like she has been all season and S6, I thought she completely overreacted to that Alex situation in a very irrational matter I mean is she really that insecure that she needs to punch someone? She really needs to stop acting like a 5 year old without a brain and grow a brain because lets face it, she needs to look at her facts first rather than acting all irrational. I'm seriously not happy with the fact Brulian are back together and not just because I hate Brulian but because Brooke is just going to continue pushing away Julian and screwing everything up just like she screwed up all her other relationships. TBH, I actually wanted Alex and Julian together, and what I really hate is how Mark made Brulian look like they're the epic love story and that Alex is a Brulian cheerleader after trying to constantly tear them apart. When it comes to something like that, there is no continuity.

Mouth/Lauren - Mouth and Lauren aren't exactly a couple that I like mainly because I hate Mouth and think that any couple that has Mouth in it is pointless and repulsive. Now I don't like Skills and Lauren either and I may not like Skills anymore after he and Deb hooked up and it ruined his character, but when it came down to who I like better between Skills and Mouth, then I always liked Skills better and Mouth is a crappy friend for doing that to Skills, I seriously think Skills doesn't deserve that and deserves a way better friend than that boring mousehole manskank and of course this episode made my hate for Mouth get pushed over the edge.

Clay/Katie/Sara - OH YAY another psycho stalker storyline *sarcasm* BOO how many psycho stalker storylines have we had I mean first there was Derek/Ian in S4, then Carrie in S5/6 and now Katie WTF? Give me a break already, we don't need another pyscho stalker storyline, Pyscho Derek was good enough for me, but Carrie and Katie aren't good enough for me at all. Want to know what I think is really stupid is how they brought back Amanda Schull but only she's not playing Sara, she's playing a tennis player who looks like Sara. Seriously this storyline is ridicolous and I'm not surprised by the fact that it is because Mark can't seem to come up with anything new.

Alex/Josh Sextape - While this may've been an unexpected storyline, seriously another sextape storyline. Again BOO, we've already had a sextape storyline and that was with Brathan *pukes* We really don't need another one. Oh I also forgot to ask, why are two people that hate each other making a sex tape?

Naley/Lydia - Finally, a nice thing I can say plus the only decent thing about this episode. I loved how Nathan stood by Haley through all of this and supported and Joy, Lindsey, and even Shantel did incredible acting and nailed their performances in the ass. UHOH I think Oscar the Grouch is kicking in, okay back to being a bitter grouch, what really annoyed me was how we only saw this storyline for 3 episodes and Lydia seriously didn't get enough time as she should've. I mean back in HS years, there was obviously a cancer mom storyline (remember Ellie anyone?), see when we learned that Ellie had cancer, we learned that in 3x03 and the episode she died in was 3x13 but with Haley's mom, we learned she had cancer in 7x16 and now she died in 7x18 WTF? They really didn't give this storyline enough time to build and grow, it ended way too soon. Something else that is really annoying me is how Nathan is hardly getting any screentime. Nathan is my favorite OTH character and yet I'm getting annoyed by the fact that the male lead now that Chad/Lucas is gone is getting less screentime and stupid supporting/secondary characters are getting more screentime than him WTF? What are you trying to do him Mark? Make him look like an extra? That's stupid. Seriously give him a storyline and give him more screentime, I don't care whether he turns into an annoying character and people are getting annoyed with the constant screentime he's getting, I'd really like to see him have screentime. I mean hey, he can always mix and mosh with other characters like Haley did last season.

Alex/Alexander - There isn't really much to say about them because I don't know the whole back story on them but I guess you could say I don't care for them.

So yeah I basically summed up everything I thought about it this episode and honestly I'm getting sick of people hooking up with one another all over the place and because of that, we already see anymore of the friendships. I'm not expecting much for the rest of this season because honestly asking "Who knows where they're going with the show?" because clearly it's going to keep on jumping the shark until it's dead in the ass. I really think OTH should've ended in S4, high school was perfect for them.

[Worlds Collide]

I hate that they forgot the other James siblings! Someone made this comment about how that slidshow was only with the sisters and had no group pictures. That was really lame.

Originally Posted by Jerry D (View Post) WildcatNaleyFan, I'm very sorry for your loss, and I just wanted to say that your episode commentary was incredible. You really said everything so well, and I wish you the best of luck in your Army service.

Thank you .

[HaleyJamesFan]

Originally Posted by therunaway93 (View Post) Thank god this forum is still here because boy do I have alot to say about this episode. First off, I'd like to say this episode was poor and while it may've been better than the mediocre episodes I call 7x16 and 7x17, it was still a poor episode and if I had rate this episode out of 10, I'd give it a solid 4 and if I had to rate this episode out 5, I'd give it a solid 2. But honestly, why god why? I used to remember the days when OTH used to be on The A-Channel where I live and they aired repeats of S1-4 on The A-Channel and everyday when I came home from school, I used to expect OTH and I was always excited for it to come on. What on planet Earth happened to this show? because clearly I have no idea. I remember near the end of S6, they aired OTH on MuchMusic where I live and when I was watching the episodes of S1-4, I was thinking to myself "I miss watching old school OTH and that it felt good to be watching it again" but now when I watch S5-7, now I'm just saying to myself "Is this the same show I fell in love with during the first four seasons? Cause it sure as hell doesn't feel like it Anyways about this episode, lets look at everything that happened in it... Victoria/Alexander - Where did the idea of Victoria and Alexander even come from? I mean first of all Victoria is old enough to be Alexander's mother and second how many times has this storyline been used, lets see, it's been used 3 times I mean does anyone remember Rachel/Cooper, Brooke/Nick, Deb/Skills, and Dan/Rachel? cause I certainly do. I seriously think Mark is a man in disguise because he just loves to make men look like they're perverts and pedophiles and geez Mark, can you not come up with anything new? Brooke/Alex/Julian - UGH I'm seriously getting bored of this storyline, how long is it going to drag on for? And as always, Brooke annoyed the hell out of me just like she has been all season and S6, I thought she completely overreacted to that Alex situation in a very irrational matter I mean is she really that insecure that she needs to punch someone? She really needs to stop acting like a 5 year old without a brain and grow a brain because lets face it, she needs to look at her facts first rather than acting all irrational. I'm seriously not happy with the fact Brulian are back together and not just because I hate Brulian but because Brooke is just going to continue pushing away Julian and screwing everything up just like she screwed up all her other relationships. TBH, I actually wanted Alex and Julian together, and what I really hate is how Mark made Brulian look like they're the epic love story and that Alex is a Brulian cheerleader after trying to constantly tear them apart. When it comes to something like that, there is no continuity. Mouth/Lauren - Mouth and Lauren aren't exactly a couple that I like mainly because I hate Mouth and think that any couple that has Mouth in it is pointless and repulsive. Now I don't like Skills and Lauren either and I may not like Skills anymore after he and Deb hooked up and it ruined his character, but when it came down to who I like better between Skills and Mouth, then I always liked Skills better and Mouth is a crappy friend for doing that to Skills, I seriously think Skills doesn't deserve that and deserves a way better friend than that boring mousehole manskank and of course this episode made my hate for Mouth get pushed over the edge. Clay/Katie/Sara - OH YAY another psycho stalker storyline *sarcasm* BOO how many psycho stalker storylines have we had I mean first there was Derek/Ian in S4, then Carrie in S5/6 and now Katie WTF? Give me a break already, we don't need another pyscho stalker storyline, Pyscho Derek was good enough for me, but Carrie and Katie aren't good enough for me at all. Want to know what I think is really stupid is how they brought back Amanda Schull but only she's not playing Sara, she's playing a tennis player who looks like Sara. Seriously this storyline is ridicolous and I'm not surprised by the fact that it is because Mark can't seem to come up with anything new. Alex/Josh Sextape - While this may've been an unexpected storyline, seriously another sextape storyline. Again BOO, we've already had a sextape storyline and that was with Brathan *pukes* We really don't need another one. Oh I also forgot to ask, why are two people that hate each other making a sex tape? Naley/Lydia - Finally, a nice thing I can say plus the only decent thing about this episode. I loved how Nathan stood by Haley through all of this and supported and Joy, Lindsey, and even Shantel did incredible acting and nailed their performances in the ass. UHOH I think Oscar the Grouch is kicking in, okay back to being a bitter grouch, what really annoyed me was how we only saw this storyline for 3 episodes and Lydia seriously didn't get enough time as she should've. I mean back in HS years, there was obviously a cancer mom storyline (remember Ellie anyone?), see when we learned that Ellie had cancer, we learned that in 3x03 and the episode she died in was 3x13 but with Haley's mom, we learned she had cancer in 7x16 and now she died in 7x18 WTF? They really didn't give this storyline enough time to build and grow, it ended way too soon. Something else that is really annoying me is how Nathan is hardly getting any screentime. Nathan is my favorite OTH character and yet I'm getting annoyed by the fact that the male lead now that Chad/Lucas is gone is getting less screentime and stupid supporting/secondary characters are getting more screentime than him WTF? What are you trying to do him Mark? Make him look like an extra? That's stupid. Seriously give him a storyline and give him more screentime, I don't care whether he turns into an annoying character and people are getting annoyed with the constant screentime he's getting, I'd really like to see him have screentime. I mean hey, he can always mix and mosh with other characters like Haley did last season. Alex/Alexander - There isn't really much to say about them because I don't know the whole back story on them but I guess you could say I don't care for them. So yeah I basically summed up everything I thought about it this episode and honestly I'm getting sick of people hooking up with one another all over the place and because of that, we already see anymore of the friendships. I'm not expecting much for the rest of this season because honestly asking "Who knows where they're going with the show?" because clearly it's going to keep on jumping the shark until it's dead in the ass. I really think OTH should've ended in S4, high school was perfect for them.

I honestly agree with your post. Everything that you said. I really like Alex though. She needs a better storyline then a sex tape. Mark needs to come up with something new. Taylor should really stay until the end of the season. Let her have a storyline with someone. Maybe a guy. Or maybe even Brooke! But Mark please don't let Taylor go! She has amazing talent.

[quin0611]

this eppy was sad! lindsey mckeon rocked her scenes as taylor! i agree oh is not as good as used to be! taylor should def stay the rest of the season! sophia & jana were good in this eppy too!

[Princess Pinky]

Originally Posted by WildcatNaleyFan (View Post) I just wanted to start this review by saying that my grandmother passed away on Saturday… so you can imagine how much more personal this storyline got for me between the last episode and this one.

I know it doesn't help much, but I am sorry about your grandmother. The Lydia parts of the episode struck me in a similar manner: I lost my grandfather in April, just three days before my 20th birthday, and I still wonder when time is supposed to start healing that wound.

Originally Posted by WildcatNaleyFan (View Post) I loved Haley's parents SO much during season two that hearing some of the Lydia/Jimmy backstory was so amazing for me. I genuinely wanted to know more about them and felt for Haley when she said how when she is gone there are so many stories that go with her and how she doesn't know what to ask. Even though I'm kind of surprised she doesn't know much about her parents' past. I know I pester my parents about just about everything that I don't know about their pasts… I think I've heard the story of how they met about a dozen times. And all because my sister and I keep bringing it up. But Lydia being this free-spirited 'Taylor' and Jimmy being a 'cowboy' is insanely cute! And Bob Dylan and Nat King Cole, and the note in the pocket, the mistletoe, the Christmas Party first kiss, their first time in a Chevy Pick-Up that Haley didn't want to hear about ( )… Jimmy/Lydia, you OWN me!

Hands down agreed! It's funny how something that wasn't even shown - just told - can be so satisfying. I loved the stories! I actually wish some more screentime had been spent on stories about Lydia/Jimmy. (But I have to admit, I also wanted to hear about the other Jameses too. As nice as tidbits about the past are, it's annoying that we only get them about the three sisters we've seen on screen. What about Vivan? And the James brothers?)

Originally Posted by WildcatNaleyFan (View Post) "Men need to be hit over the head with things. Sometimes frying pans…" What I wouldn't give to see one of the James girls hitting their significant other over the head with a frying pan just for that comment ("My mom said this was necessary"). But the rest of this scene… oh, God.

That was probably my favorite (funny) one liner of the episode! Such gold. Not because of Q/C (I don't ship them), but just because it was so flipping hilarious.

Originally Posted by WildcatNaleyFan (View Post) The montage was really cute but the picture of Haley at graduation BUGGED. I don't think I'm the only one that noticed this and who this bothered. But seriously? We saw Haley's graduation and her siblings and parents weren't there. Are we trying to rewrite history again? Because that never goes well with the fans. We're not stupid enough to believe this… "Oh! So Taylor and Quinn and Lydia WERE there at Haley's graduation! Of COURSE!!!" Umm… no.

Thank Goddess! After I posted about that, I got people telling me it was meant to be a college graduation pic and I felt (and I could be wrong, because with the internet there's no voice inflection/facial expression/etc...) that it was replied in an almost mocking way for having "obviously not picked up on it being college." And you know, I could have accepted it being her college graduation, but they made her gown blue exactly like high school (with the same honors ribbons) and her hair was blonde, just like high school. If they'd meant for it to be college, why not make that obvious? Change the gown color, put Nathan and Jamie in the picture, etc... Or they could've made it Taylor or Quinn's HS graduation. Either one of those would've worked for me, but no, they obviously tried to make it look like Lydia, Quinn, and Taylor were at Haley's graduation when we saw that episode (and Jamie's birth) and that never happened! (Plus, if for some miraculous reason they were there and we just never saw them there or at the hospital in the delivery room, why wasn't Jimmy in the picture too? That was a HUGE pet peeve of mine from the episode and it completely interrupted the moment for me. I actually paused the episode so I could take a closer look at the pic and there was no mistaking their intent for me.)

Originally Posted by WildcatNaleyFan (View Post) As much as I loved this storyline, I would've loved a comment from Lydia about Karen/Lucas and how they were Haley's second family. Because in season one we learned that Haley told Karen and Lucas "Yeah, I come from a big family. You guys need me more" and suddenly Quinn comes on the show and APPARENTLY Haley was inseparable from her two sisters. Though I guess I can say that when the show started Haley was a Junior and Quinn was probably off to college already. But still… what exactly happened between Haley meeting Lucas and completely adopting Karen and him as her family to Junior year? IDK. I guess I wanted a comment about how Haley spent a lot of her time at Luke's.

Ditto! I wanted a Lucas mention too! He and Haley were BEST friends. She was with him all the time. (And I'm almost positive they went way back to being friends as little kids, which again surprised me about Luke not being mentioned. But I never thought about it contradicting Haley-Quinn-Taylor being inseperable. Good point.) I know Luke can't come back without Chad, but it still made me mad that they never had a "phone call" or a letter or something to show that Haley was leaning on Luke in such a critical time like this. (And given that Ellie also died of cancer, I wanted Haley-Peyton too, because it would've been parallel gold.) And as much as I loved the scattering of Lydia's ashes, it still upset me that it was A) so short and B) the way it was shot, without any interaction of Haley (or Quinn or Taylor) with any of their other siblings/nieces/nephews/in-laws/etc).

[barbeegurl00]

About the Brooke thing:
As much as Brooke cries now, it's still much, much better than the past two season, honestly. She has essentially been crying every other episode since season five. It's just that now, she switches from tears and angry outbursts all the time.
Still, I loved Brulian's reunion and hope that we get some happiness for a while.

I miss the old Brooke Davis too, but that's not because of Julian. It's just the way Brooke is now, and while it sucks, I can never stop loving her as my favorite character. No love interest will change that.

Remember when Brooke was nicknamed "Cheery," show? Or when she used to bounce around all the time and show off her cute dimples? I know she's supposed to be "post-high school mature Brooke" now, but what was so wrong with the way she was before? I just don't understand the show's hatred towards "high school Brooke." That was the girl that most of us mourn for. She made her scenes fun and interesting, and when she did cry on occasion, it was so affective because it was coming from such a deep, secret place inside that wasn't exposed very often.

Originally Posted by dreamywriter19 (View Post) But hey, we should have seen it coming. Remember that episode in season 2 when Haley said something to the effects of "If we're not looking for the man we're going to spend the rest of our lives with, then what are we doing?" and Brooke and Peyton looked at her like it was some amazing revelation? (Let's not forget that Haley was sixteen at the time. ).

I remember that scene, and it made my skin crawl. The way they attacked Brooke for having a little fling with Felix and not getting emotionally involved with a guy (the horror!). The way they emphasized that it was all about finding love with a guy, etc. Wow, way to teach the teenage girls to have aspirations in life, show. Don't inspire them to find their own personalities and value.

[Forwood4Bamon]

i'm so glad it's almost the end of the season.

[gwennylou]

So rewatching this episode and I have to say, Lindsey McKeon is an incredible actress. I still think the scene between Lydia/Taylor is one of my favorite moments on the show EVER. It was so relatable and real. I was again brought to a weepy mess watching Taylor pour her heart out to her mom and unleash obviously years of self torture and pain. And to see her sisters finally stop treating her like a pariah was awesome. GAH. This ranks in my top 3 saddest episodes of OTH only behind the school shooting and Q's death episode.

[msstock87]

This was such a sad storyline, but I love it so much. Taylor was great in this episode, along with all the sisters.

[Alexa]

Brooke and Julian are unbearable this season. I remember exactly why I began to hate them and hated Brooke the first time around. Punching Alex was absolutely ridiculous no matter what she was saying. I was so glad when Julian yelled at her to get off the set. Brooke, you are an idiot and you need to get a grip on reality. It’s just SOOOOOO redundant at this point. What a horrible storyline for Brooke. The ending scene was a nice scene but it was just lame that he just forgave her like that. I mean, I don’t want the back and forth but I would have liked a nice break.

The Brooke/Victoria scene I did enjoy. They have great chemistry together. I dont mind Alexander and Alexander/Alex together. Not sure why they felt the need to bring Josh in. (the taping of the sex was wtf). I also kinda/sorta liked Victoria/Alexander too.

The Katie storyline is so stupid. She’s a nut job and the fact that she doesn’t look SIMILAR to Sara but looks EXACTLY like her is ridiculous. I felt like it would have made more sense/been more creative to have Katie be nice and normal and then have Clay fall for HER than the other way around.

I do like that Lydia said she had wonderful visits with each of her children. That tells me she went and saw her other kids. But I cant imagine they wouldn’t be here while she was dying but I’m gonna assume she hasn’t told them the time frame of her condition. And I’ll assume their “brothers” and Vivian are quite a bit older.

The first Taylor crying scene was awesome. Lindsey did so good there. Also the scene with Joy and her mom in the hospital and the recipe made me cry because my mom liked to cook and has this old recipe book and thinking of that happening to my mom makes me feel horrible. I also loved the Taylor/Lydia scene in the hospital so much. I will say though I am glad Lindsey wasn’t on the show regularly because I think they would have soiled her character and I think I much prefer her in these small doses. I would have loved to see her on the series finale though.

I think we’re meant to assume it’s her college graduation (would explain no Jimmy in the pic as he might have died already) even if it looked like her HS one (blonde hair and all).

This is what I will pretend.

I love “I Shall Believe” so I was okay with it being used again. And I agree it would have been better to end the episode on the Haley/soup scene.