While One Tree Hill featured common teen drama storylines, from love triangles to divorced parents, the show had some dark moments, shifting to tackle deeper issues that resonated with the fans watching, who may have had some experience with some of the topics the show delved into.
Besides the romantic scenes that fans loved watching, there were also some moments that explored more important subjects than basketball games, school dances and picking out the perfect outfit.
Stalking
In the fourth season, Peyton (Hilarie Burton) thought that she had found her brother Ian (Matt Barr), and then realized that he was a liar who was stalking her.
While this storyline might have been melodramatic and cheesy, the issue of stalking is a real and important one, and it can turn dangerous, whether someone is stalked by an ex-partner or someone they don't know.
An Attack By A Stranger
Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush) was always fashionable and it was exciting when she started her own clothing line, Clothes Over Bros, and opened up her own store in Tree Hill.
But Brooke was tragically attacked when finishing up work for the day one evening, which allowed One Tree Hill to tackle the subject of a woman being attacked by a stranger. Brooke had a hard time in the aftermath of this event and she found it impossible to trust people. Although OTH was sometimes on the cheesy side, this storyline was handled well, and fans watched Brooke recover and heal from a near-death experience.
A School Shooting
In the third season episode "With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept," Jimmy Edwards (Colin Fickers) incited gun violence at the school, and various characters were shot/injured. Everyone was affected by the violence and they couldn't believe that he had brought a gun through those doors.
A school shooting is never an easy storyline to put on a teen drama, as it is so dark and disturbing. OTH handled this respectfully as fans knew Jimmy's motivations and understood his tragic backstory, along with the consequences, as he ended up taking his own life.
The Afterlife
One Tree Hill had many evil villains and the popular show also had a lot of good characters who didn't deserve the awful things that happened to them.
The afterlife isn't something that everyone believes in, just like not everyone thinks that spirts are real. In the eighth season of the show, a stalker shot Clay (Robert Buckley) and his one true love Quinn (Shantel VanSanten). They were portrayed as ghosts on a beach, in between life and death. Yes, this was corny, but it was a time when the young adult drama explored the question of what happens after people pass away.
Teen Marriage
Haley (Bethany Joy Lenz) and Nathan became parents on the night of their high school graduation, and they also got married while still in high school.
Teen marriage might not be a subject that many teen dramas deal with since many high schoolers would rather wait until they're finished with school (or even out of college) to think about walking down the aisle. Haley and Nathan were super serious, though, and they didn't want to wait. They dealt with the surprise and judgment of their families and peers, since they were so young, and this was a realistic portrayal of how people might actually act.
Adoption/Foster Care
While One Tree Hill focused on the drama between Lucas and his love interests Peyton and Brooke, Brooke had her own storylines that didn't involve romance at all.
Brooke met Sam (Ashley Rickards), a teenage girl who attempted to steal from Clothes Over Bros. Brooke got to know her and learned that she was struggling, and she was able to take Sam in for a while. This was an example of One Tree Hill dealing with the heartbreaking subject of adoption and foster care. Sam had been in the foster care system as her mom wasn't old enough to properly raise her. Brooke couldn't look after Sam forever, as Sam found her biological mother, but it was clear that Brooke loved her so much.
Date Rape
Peyton was always known as Brooke's more serious pal. While Brooke loved parties and socializing and dressing up, Peyton was content to hang out in her room and listen to music or think about a future that she hoped was better than her current reality.
In the season one episode "The Search for Something More," Brooke and Peyton went to a college party, and Peyton was almost date raped. Someone put a drug in her drink and when she passed out, took her to a room away from everyone else. This was a serious topic for the show to tackle.
Kidnapping
In the final season of One Tree Hill, Nathan was kidnapped by assassins because of a business deal. They tried to murder him and thankfully, Nathan was able to get away and go back home.
While this storyline was pretty over-the-top, it's true that kidnapping is a serious topic, and fans watched Nathan's friends and family scramble to find him. It was a terrifying few episodes.
Losing A Parent
Some parts of One Tree Hill are dated and a big problem now. Peyton's family story, however, is always going to feel relevant and relatable.
Peyton had a really terrible childhood, as her mom passed away in a car accident when Peyton was in elementary school. Her dad was around, but barely, so she was alone a lot of the time. Through this character, OTH dealt with the deep issue of losing a parent. Peyton was never able to move on from this pain and she often seemed like she was searching for love, which is why she had many love interests throughout her time in high school.
Nathan's Injury That Led To Him Being In A Wheelchair
Nathan was always going to be a massive sports star, so it was totally devastating when he hurt himself and wasn't able to play in the major leagues like he was planning to.
Nathan got injured while fighting someone, which was a dark moment for this character, as he had always been portrayed as a strong and kind person. He needed a wheelchair after that. Nathan always had Haley's love and support, but it was hard for him to come to terms with what happened and change his expectations for the future.