One Tree Hill: The Complete First Season

An intelligent teen drama with an unusual, East of Eden-like focus on the conflict between two brothers, one perceived to be a success, the other a wastrel, One Tree Hill revolves around adolescents Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan (James Lafferty), who share a common surname and father--Dan Scott (Paul Johansson), a former basketball legend at the same school his sons now attend--but little else. Nathan, whose mother is separated from Dan, is a b-ball superstar under Dan's old coach, Whitey Durham (Barry Corbin). Lucas, the illegitimate child of Dan's old girlfriend (Moira Kelly), is a hoops maestro on neighborhood playgrounds. Nathan, a child of privilege whose every move is micromanaged by Dan, treats Lucas like trash and regards his girlfriend, Peyton (Hilarie Burton), as a pretty trophy he can mistreat at will. Lucas, ignored by Dan all his life, sees himself as a perpetual outsider and loser who doesn't stand a chance with girls. The status quo changes after Whitey invites Lucas to join the school team, a development that affects a great many relationships in tiny One Tree, North Carolina. At its best, the series concentrates on the reverberations of Lucas' rejection of second-class status and Nathan's gradual emergence as a human being, beyond Dan's control. The writing is tight, and the actors (including Craig Sheffer, best known for A River Runs Through It, playing Dan's older brother and Lucas' surrogate dad) are uniformly excellent. About midway through this 22-episode first season (2003-04) set, some padding emerges (a kidnapping subplot, for instance), and the show's quality falters a bit; but overall this is a smart series well worth checking out. DVD extras include four audio commentaries, a pair of making-of/behind-the-scenes featurettes, approximately 45 minutes worth of bonus footage, a music video, and a gag scene. Recommended. (T. Keogh)