"He who does not weep does not see"
The two scenes in which Haley attempts to explain to her students why what has happened happens is beautifully done. As one angry high schooler shouts out, "whats the point?" Haley initially responds that there is none. And as much as the second response is the better one, THANK GOODNESS the show starts off with this one. Because to be bitter and upset and angry at the world is the natural first response. It would be a lie not to feel these things. Thus, OTH's take on it is completely true to life. How could anyone think that there is a point when good people are taken away too soon? Or when bad things happen to good people?
The second time Haley speaks to her class, she corrects herself and rightfully claims that the answer is, she does not know. And in a brilliant decision, she demands everyone to write about Q or about how they can make sense of it all: life, death, pain, take ur pick. Haley's speech about Literature and how ancient civilizations left behind stories of their own in an effort to make sense of such difficult things couldn't resonate more with my own English-majored lil heart. When pain or loss or grief or just plain sadness creeps in, how do you cope? How do you let it be known that you suffered or are still suffering?
"Life is Short."
Maybe it is cliche. Maybe it is a phrase used so often that we forget that it has real, true, honest meaning. But there were several instances throughout the episode that highlight what it truly means to comprehend this significant thought. One example is Peyton telling Brooke not to let the "bitter ones make her forget how awesome she is." This is extremely important for Brooke to hear. Because we don't want her to become bitter and vicious like Victoria. We want to see her win despite all the crap her mother puts her through. We want to believe it for ourselves, that even when shit goes down, we can find a way to get through it... and it definitely helps when we're not alone.
HUMAN CONNECTION
So many examples come to mind with this theme and I truly love OTH because of how they set up these important relations on the show. One of the first things that comes to mind is how Haley, Nathan, and Jamie all were connected to Q in their own different ways. And what better proof of that than when they visit Q's mom. Not to take away from the relationships Q had with Lucas and Skillz but let's be honest, we were most sad for the Haley/Nathan/Jamie clan more than anyone. Q had become family to them. For Nathan, Q was an image of himself. More importantly a version of himself who he could help NOT turn out like he did. And to solidify their bond even more, Q was actually helping Nathan get his game back. These two were tied by their bball dream--especially by the times when they almost lost that dream. (Nate's accident that lost him his NBA offer and Q's punching out K Fed that led to the chance of him not even playing bball.) In the case of Haley, Q represented the first real student she was able to reach out to. When we first met Q, he was loud, obnoxious, abrasive (hmm reminds me of an ex who plays bball =X) but with Haley's help, Q turned out to be a pretty decent guy. And if it wasn't for Haley pushing him to be better, who knows if anyone could have ever reached him? Lastly, poor poor poor Jamie. God, u gotta love this kid. Yes, he's supposed to be some intelligent brainiac child--but emotionally, he's pretty damn developed too. I might even go as far as to say that he handled Q's death better than any one of the grown ups! From refusing to believe Q would never play again, to asking for Q's jersey (only to give it to Q's little brother later), to the scene where he refuses to miss Q's funeral. "Q was my friend, and I want to say good-bye." ::SOBS::
...But perhaps the best moment of the entire episode was when Jamie pulls out the cape and lays it on top of Q's coffin. That MOMENT just put me over the edge. I had been tearing the entire episode and after that, I just lost it. For one, Brooke was standing by him and you could tell that in that same moment everything she felt, everything she had been holding in, everything she didn't know how to cope with.... just came POURING OUT. It was as if the cape was a shroud to cover her own pain and she was finally able to release it all without shame. This closing scene was just PURE brilliance.
Ok before I wrap this up, I just wanna mention some other moments of the episode that were also good because of how much it adds to the this idea of Human Connection. For lack of time, I'll just mention two. The first is Deb and Skillz. Of course their affair is ridiculous and hardly realistic. But even in ridiculous and hardly realistic relationships, we can find ourselves rooting for them if we can feel there is a connection between two people. Nevermind that Deb is old enough to be a grandmother. Nevermind Q and her hooked up through the internet. When she walks over to him at the funeral and stands by his side...you have to admit that she MUST care for him. And the truth is, you HAVE to believe that. Because you WANT to believe that. Because again, no one should go through such pain alone.
On that note, I thank the writers of OTH soooo much for writing in the Haley/Brooke and Nathan/Brooke scene. Brooke is in a very dark, deep, and disturbing place right now and I have been watching since the premiere with such anticipation. Will she go crazy? Will she become a bitch? Will she do something she'll regret?! Because of these scenes in which both Haley and Nathan check in with Brooke, I'm not completely relieved, but I feel a little better that somehow... if she does go over to the dark side, there will be good people to pull her out. I am sooo glad that it was Haley and then Nathan who reached out to her. (shut up Leyton fans, bc I really do not believe Peyton and Lucas can help her with this). The fact of the matter is, Brooke is alone. VERY alone. Compared to everyone else on the show, she is flying solo. Even Deb and Skillz find each other. Mouth & Milli are having a blast in Omaha, Peyton and Lucas just got engaged. Which brings me back to the point that it is so important that Nathan tells her that it is HER who they are worried about and it is HER that they want to ask if there's anything they can help with. Basically he and Haley are the best people to reach out because they have a family to offer. I can only hope that Brooke will find solace somehow and it wont resort to other extremes.
But seriously, Human Connection is sooooooo important. I can tell this Samantha Walker character will be trouble but the essay that was written for her by the OTH writers got it right. Someone, or anyone for that matter, should be jealous of Q because he did have human connections and proof of this is how he was extremely loved and missed by those who knew him. ***So this one's out to Haley, isn't that the point? Maybe it's another cliche, but maybe...death, loss, grief, and pain... the point of all those things is that they're a way to reveal what human connections we've had, still have, and will always have.
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