One Tree Hill: The Complete Sixth Season
By Robert Bell

Quite possibly the best thing that One Tree Hill has going for it is that it plays everything straight, regardless of how ridiculous and cheesy it is. We're supposed to take at face value the fact that the teens of Tree Hill, introduced six years ago, are now novelists, fashion designers and NBA hopefuls because that's the typical outcome for a group of small town friends. It's absurd, as are many of the plotlines throughout the sixth season. Things start out with Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) finally deciding on a girl to tie the knot with, going with Peyton (Hilarie Burton), whose storyline for season six involves the discovery of her drunken paternal father. Lucas goes on an ill-fated book tour in support of his debut novel, The Comet, while half-brother Nathan (James Lafferty) jumps back into the basketball world, having recovered, mostly, from his back injury. Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti) plays supportive best friend to everyone, when not looking after her precocious (read: obnoxious) son James (Jackson Brundage), while Brooke (Sophia Bush) battles Valerie (Daphne Zuniga) for ownership of her fashion boutique, leading to some brutal beatings. On the unintentionally hilarious front, Grandma Deb (Barbara Alyn Woods) starts screwing her son's best friend, Skills (Antwon Tanner), while a crazed Carrie (Torrey DeVitto) hits Dan (Paul Johansson) with her car, only to take him home and do her best Misery routine for several episodes. It's all about as sudsy and half-assed as a night time soap opera can get, with terrible acting, technical incompetence and sloppy writing, but it knows exactly what its demographic wants. In addition to all 24 season six episodes, this seven-disc DVD set includes an abundance of deleted scenes and commentary tracks on two key episodes with series creator Mark Schwahn. Supplements include "OTH Goes Back in Time," where the aesthetic of the '40s episode is discussed, along with a little instructional on SlamBall, the sport Nathan gets involved in partway through the season. Musical guests share thoughts briefly on the "OTH Celebrity Soundtrack" featurette, while Chad Michael Murray, Bethany Joy Galeotti and James Lafferty discuss what it's like to direct television in "The Director's Debut" extra. (Warner)
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