Sunshine_03

BrownEyes1980

Brooke. ILY! She owned and I love that she has this story unfolding that is gonna be very interesting to follow. I'm an adoptive child myself so it's close to my heart. I wouldnt have had a very good life right now if I didnt become an adoptive child when I was 5 months old. And I am sure Brooke is gonna be a GREAT mother that will give an adoptive child the unconditional love we all deserves growing up. I think the "one in a million speech" by Brooke was very powerful and I hope Patricia re-thinks Brooke as an adoptive parent.

It was also very ineresting as a BL fan to see Brooke's reaction when Patricia brought up Lucas Scott. Very telling imo and the more episodes I see this season the more I believe Brooke's feelings for Lucas never went away.

Peyton/Max snooze fest 101! But I couldnt stop laughing seeing Mark put himself together with Hil's character. It's just but still it's so freakin' random that she is having buddy-buddy scenes with Max the record store guy.

Lucas You go boy! Finally you're fighting for the one you love. As of now Lindsey. I didnt even mind they basically ripped off a BL line for his speech to Lindsey. I think she is a selfless and wonderful girl and if I cant have BL in the end I dont mind if he ends with a really great girl like Lindsey.
The BL and LP fans will be in the same boat then... LOL.

We have to remember Lindsey has been in a relationship longer than both Brooke and Peyton have. Its not just someone he met a few weeks ago... its the character he said "I do" to so its only right he's out there fighting for her.

NH I'm not feeling them. I dont know I have my ups and downs with them. They're just there for me sort of but Im not really excited about their scenes. But still of course they should end together.

Jamie Cutest kid ever. I loved his speech to his class about his best friends, so cute. Although its a little weird a kid at the age of 5 doesnt name some best friends in his own age.

Manu9

short review this week. the episode was super boring. I can't stand half of the characters and half of the cast, so I wish I could just watch Lucas scenes.

Lucas I love he wants to fight for Lindsey and Lindsey is all he is thinking about. Denial? I don't believe in it anymore. Lucas loves Lindsey and she's the most important relationship he's had. When he gets back with Peyton, if that happens, it will be ridicolous. Mark screwed it up. I loved the moment with Lily, I wish she could stay on the show. I liked Andy was trying to help him. It should have been Karen, but I think Moira doesn't want to be on the show. So if it can't be Karen, I'm glad it's Andy that is being there for Lucas. I liked the moment when Lucas comes home, it has to be difficult for him to get back to a home he used to share with Lindsey and where now he is alone. Loved the LL scene, loved Lucas is fighting and waiting for her, loved he quotes the words she told him the first time they met, about editing the book and being like a married couple.

Brooke boring and ridicolous.

NH boring. I love Haley but NH do nothing for me anymore. They are just boring

Peyton I can't even stand hearing her talk, she's always whining and crying. I wish she just went away

Jamie adorable, the actor is so good

Dan he is always creepy to me, I don't trust him at all. I am not sure he really changed

Chad looked better than ever, so gorgeous. Joy and Hill great as well, even though I am not too fond of Hil's hair. Sophia's voice is unbearable this times.

Paul1984

The episode was generally ok, although the scenes were very long compared to the usual. I think that with it being the first pre-strike episode the script had a slightly rushed feel to it. It did accomplish some things in setting up the last 5 episodes though and sometimes a calmer episode is often needed after a drama packed one like 512.

Lucas I found to be following his usual break up pattern in his scenes with Andy. He was talking about getting her back while still using words he wrote to Peyton, something he also did when he was with Brooke. He also got massively defensive as soon as the issue of the comet was raised which I found to be very telling. Andy certainly hit a nerve there. Yet I didn’t blame Andy for telling Lucas to go after Lindsey, because Lucas’ feelings for Lindsey are not going to just go away. Lucas needs to go after her till she’s not in his heart anymore. However I found the fact he is making her edit the book a desperation move and slightly wrong. I can see the logic in it, because Lindsey edited his first book and fell in love with him in the process. However LP were over then and Lindsey believed it was something Lucas wrote about the past. Now though Lucas’ wrote this book while they were together and if anything the care Lucas takes over every word this time, will only re-enforce her belief that Lucas still loves Peyton. I think this is where the storyline is actually headed with this in the end anyway. To me there’s no way Lucas is going to be saying “I do” in one episode and denying a book is about Peyton, then the next episode admitting everything, then chasing Peyton leaving Lindsey in the dust. This is just not in his character. When Brooke left him he chased her till she shut him down, when things were over with Peyton he waited a year till the book signing and now with Lindsey he isn’t just going to switch it off. I believe he does love Lindsey, but eventually will discover that place in his heart that Peyton fills is something no other woman can replace and he needs to be with her. It’s not about being choice 1, choice 2 or putting numbers on love. It’s about how is the person he can love in that way and never let go of and to me that is Peyton.

I don’t think LL has been shown to be that believable. I didn’t see any depth in Lucas’ efforts to hold on right up until 513 where Andy had to push him to chase Lindsey. The best he’d done till then is call her in a month. I know he loves her, but then he still repeatedly went to Peyton while he was with her, kissed Peyton back and then wrote a book which is all undeniably about her. I just don’t think in doing that it showcases LL as a great love. He may love her, but the process being shown is that all the while there is another woman who has the primary place in his thoughts and in his heart. Hurt can make you want to push things away and push things back, but to me it really did say everything when Lucas got so defensive with Andy. A nerve was struck that got right down to the very centre of Lucas’ problems. I really don’t think LL have crushed LP at all. Maybe I would say that, but their scenes together haven’t shown me anything but an insecurity of taking comfort and running away from taking chances for fear of getting hurt again. If Lucas puts real time into seeking out Lindsey and doesn’t get her back, I see that as only further re-enforcing Lucas’ character on the show again. Making him seem not fickle at all, so that when it’s all over and done and he does come back to Peyton, nobody can say she is second choice or that Lucas only wants her, because he can’t have someone else. He will have had total closure and come to a self realisation that is made with all other women out of his mind. If he truly looks into his heart then and Peyton is there I don’t see how that would be fickle. If she isn’t there then I hope Peyton can at least be written as moving on, because it really just is torture to her character to have her always hanging on if Lucas is never going to love her back again. One of the reasons I think they will be back, since I don’t think Peyton would be written as hanging on all this time for nothing, and as one person said why would Mark/Max be asking about Lucas out of the blue if it carried no meaning? Everything eventually carries meaning on this show, just like the LP flashback was probably used just to further re-enforce what will eventually be coming if the audience who are LP fans can just have a little patience.

Peyton’s story I found very telling, although the fact she had to tell it to Max grated a little. Thankfully he didn’t speak too much, which made it easier to bear. It was interesting to hear how hard she found it to move on despite trying, which I think shows the reality that saying things isn’t enough, you have to make your actions match. Something I think Lucas and Peyton have had trouble with this year in their various denials to people. I feel it showed a progression in Peyton’s story that she felt bad for Lindsey and wanted above everything else for Lucas just to be happy, regardless if he was with her or not. Something that I think makes her love for Lucas complete. To love someone where there happiness is more important than your own is what it’s all about to me, whether they end up together or not. I think it was telling that the word accentuated particularly in the voiceover to me was “certainty”, which to me showed the show has a certainty of direction to where it’s going in what the characters wish for. To me I think for Peyton this eventually means Lucas, but I could be reading too much into that.

LP as a couple I actually feel more sure now than ever, there was just a feel to it in the episode. Lucas could talk about Lindsey, but it all came back to issues with Peyton. Cuts between Peyton talking of her love for Lucas, Lucas cutting to talking about loving Lindsey. One sure of where their heart has been all season, the other one still in conflict with a journey still to take.

Nathan and Haley’s counselling scenes were pretty good and in some ways what real counselling is all about. Some lines were bloated in script terms with the therapist’s dialogue, but other than that they worked well. I loved how Nathan started to take responsibility for his mistakes and how Haley knew she had to be more accepting of faults. It was very telling the fact their dreams are part of who they are, as they are with anyone and not following them was taking away a part of them that they loved in each other. I hope to see them chase those dreams again, as it will certain liven up their storylines. It’s been good to see them as a dysfunctional family trying to work out their problems, but now they need something to light up their lives and a chance to be young again. Twenty two and it’s like they’ve totally written off being young. I think the therapist was very right, everyone needs time to be young once in a while. I hope we get to see those lighter moments towards the end of this season, with them finally being able to chase their dreams again.

Brooke’s storyline I still find ridiculous with her wanting a child at 22. The idea an adoption agency would give her that much credence at that age is silly, which is why I think the Social Worker was so tough. I do however think the way she spoke to Brooke, her whole tone and stance in the interview made it impossible for Brooke to shine. If you want to examine the negatives in people you can always find them, but in a system that’s struggling to find parents, you’d think Social Workers would be actively looking for parents, not actively rejecting parents. I’m not saying that all precautions shouldn’t be taken, but a glance beyond the surface would reveal Brooke is a solid person, who has had no real personal problems or financial problems of note for years. She’s 22 now and the adoption worker had to go back to when she was 16/17 to dig up messes she was in for the most part. I really did find that annoying. However I do believe Brooke shot herself in the foot a lot of times. Leaving her phone on and making her bad jokes did nothing for the situation. If Brooke had steeled herself for the hard questions she could have explained herself in a more eloquent manner, like explaining the whole Rachel situation and how she had helped a friend for a very short time. The adoption worker was hard on her, but she didn’t make it good for herself. The speech at the end was good though and showcased Brooke’s strength of character and how she has changed over the years.

Dan was creepy and everything in how he acted made me believe he never changed. Going to see Jamie in private, paying the parole officer and all his moments just proved that he can say he’s changed, but in the end he still just does whatever he wants and ignores people’s wishes. He is a selfish individual who only puts himself first. That is the way he lives his life. Even when he wants others to be happy and I think he does now in some way, he does it so that he can achieve some sense of well being for himself. There is just not one ounce of selflessness in him and saying he paid his debt to society was just a complete joke. You never pay for taking someone else’s life, there is nothing you can do and I don’t even truly believe he regrets taking Keith. I only believe he regrets getting caught and everyone hating him for it. That all being said, it’s great to have him back and Paul does such an amazing job playing the character that he makes you feel for him even when you shouldn’t. He’s the true villain of OTH and he’s been sorely missed.

The episode was slow and it could be classed as a snoozer for real excitement. Nothing made me jump out of my seat, or be really happy. I do however feel it set a path for the rest of this season and what the characters will do to achieve what they want.

hotchad

Paul , great review , I enjoied it very much . Thanks . I think you look at things in such a grown & "right" way . thanks for posting

and to you guys as well , I gotta tell you , I read some reviews about the episode cause it took me sometime to actually bring myself to think of watching it & I saw some pissed off fans . I hope this season will improve . I think they can take Lucas's charachter to so many places .

Paul1984

Thanks Gal That means a lot .

Kelli_J

Nothing else I can, Eva already said it all

Sunshine_03

All in all a boring episode.

In my opinion the only good thing about this episode was Brooke. I loved Sophia's acting, and I loved everything about all of her scenes. She nearly made me cry with her ''One in a Million'' speech.

I'm glad to see NH getting back to their roots, music and basketball, but all in all it boring listening to them talk for like half the episode.

Lucas STILL has no storyline. He always has a chick attached to his hip, I'm sooo tired of it!!
Chad totally annoyed me in this eppy, with his eye squinting. I didn't hear half of what Lucas said cause I was too busy trying to NOT focus on all the squinting

Jamie and Dan. I'm curious as to what's going to happen, and what's on Dan's agenda.

Within

I didn't know the title Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace was taken from a foo figthers album

Stars Fade

my review of the episode is pretty the same as Eva's.

And LUCAS/LILY! Brother&Sister moment! I just died.