by haro1d
Holy socks — how many alleged affairs can one person have before his
The episode begins with what looks like some sort of Victorian soap opera. As it turns out, Brooke is watching the dailies of some unfinished film of Julian’s, looking for the face of her new line’s promotional campaign. Julian carps that he had to call in many favors to get access to the dailies.
Running on the beach are Nathan and Clay, and Nathan is in a panic about the woman who seems determined to destroy his marriage and life. Clay reassures Nathan to leave dealing with the situation up to him, and to focus on his game.
Poolside at Nathan and Haley’s house, Haley and Quinn continue to discuss what changed with her husband that led to her leaving him. Haley isn’t getting it, saying that they were really good together, but Quinn just isn’t feeling it.
The naked standoff continues. At Mouth and Skills’ apartment, they continue to wander around the apartment in the buff, even when Millie’s around. She’s getting exasperated at having to avoid them and avert her eyes all of the time. (Yeah, it’s juvenile, but it’s still one of the few funny things that’s transpired during the series.)
Suddenly, Skills is fully clothed and in his Jeep, with Jamie in the back. As they go to pick up Lauren, Skills implores Jamie not to say anything about the possibility of his moving to Lauren.
At Red Bedroom, Miranda Stone is going on the offense about her decision to close the label. She points out to Haley the clause in the contract that allows them to take control and close shop, leaving Haley flummoxed as to what to do.
Over at Brooke’s house — actually now Brooke’s AND Julian’s house, per Brooke — Julian’s dad comes to talk to him about the wisdom of his decision to bail out on his movie career at this pivotal time, to be with Brooke, insinuating that he’s nothing but a temporary fling for her. Brooke arrives at the door as he’s leaving, and when she comes in, she gets mildly concerned about the poster for The Thin Red Line that he’s put up in their living room. (Because it really does look terrible … but then, so does the living room.)
Cut to Dan Scott, still at his motivational presentation from last week. In describing his newfound sense of purpose, he talks about his wife, and her struggles with drugs and alcohol, her promiscuity, and how she’s overcome them to make something of herself. As he introduces her to his audience with, “My wife and the love of my life” out steps Rachel. (You remember her from previous seasons, right? The redhead who got all up in Brooke and Peyton’s business so many times?) Rachel is Dan Scott’s new wife, as well as apparently his PR agent, setting up situations for him to look good, to increase book sales. While it looks like Dan may actually be on some sort of legitimate path to actual redemption, there’s still a veneer of manipulation and possibly evil … which, of course, makes him still the most amusing and compelling character on the show.
The face for Brooke’s new line, Alex, comes to town, and in the crush of celebrity seekers meeting her at the airport, she signs an autograph for woman in wheelchair, telling her that she’s the brave one and encouraging her. But once in the limo with Millie, Alex does an about face, eschewing the vegetarian menu she insisted upon for fast food, and talking about how “cripples and retarded people” creep her out. Needless to say, Millie is horrified at what she’s bringing to Brooke, and starts to fear for her job.
Back on the beach, Clay keeps checking out Haley’s sister Quinn, which Nathan finds disturbing. But he’s still fretting over his possible predicament, and trying to convince himself to relax, that it’s all under control. Just as Nathan starts to, saying that the whole affair business is nothing, Clay checks his cell phone and announces, “No — now it’s something.”
Also at the beach that day, Lauren and Skills have let Jamie bury them up to their necks in the sand. When Lauren’s sun hat blows away and Jamie runs after it, he bumps into Quinn, who takes him for a snack. He leaves Skills and Lauren buried there. Later, as Jamie and Quinn are snacking away, he’ll remember that he left them in a helpless position … and Lauren ends up with raccoon eyes — sunburn all over her face except where her big sunglasses shielded her.
In the office at Red Bedroom, Haley tries to imagine the conversation with Peyton and Lucas about having to sacrifice the label. She does a reasonably hilarious Lucas impression in the process, which leads her to a sneaky idea of how to save the label.
On the street, Dan Scott has a “moment” with a homeless man, telling him that the man’s woes are nothing compared to what HE’S been through. He gives him a book and tells him, “My name is Dan Scott and I believe in you.”
Clay goes to see Renee, the woman who’s trying to blackmail Nathan. As she’s about to reveal what she wants, Nathan comes storming into the restaurant and makes a scene, telling her that she needs to stop with whatever scheme she’s hatching. (She turns away and smiles, knowing that she’s getting to him.) Clay gets Nathan out of the restaurant and into a car, saying that he screwed up. They spar verbally at each other a bit before Clay goes back in to try to negotiate.
Actress Alex goes to see Brooke at Clothes Over Bros. Totally obnoxious, Alex pans Brooke’s new design work (which really does look abysmal) and basically works hard at being insulting and unpleasant. When Alex disappears to use the restroom, Brooke tries to scheme how she’s going to get out of paying Alex a half million dollars. Of course, Alex overhears everything, and, being an actor, plays out a scene that endears Brooke to her once again. All is hunky dory again.
The fight for Red Bedroom Records goes on. Haley bluffs Miranda, telling her that she won’t record a new album if they close the label. Miranda suggests that it’s BUSINESS, not PERSONAL. (I’ve heard that before somewhere …) Haley counters that everything about the label is personal, and that’s why it is what it is. Miranda tells Haley that if she doesn’t record for them, she doesn’t record at all — that they own her. Then Mia comes in and gets her back with, “But you don’t own me.” While Mia and Haley make a grand display of their mutual admiration and cuteness, Mia lets Miranda know that as the biggest artist on the label, she will refuse to record, and refuse to be bought out, putting Haley in the driver’s seat. Taunting Miranda, Haley utters the memorable line, “Who’s the bitch now?”
At home, Brooke flips out mildly about Julian’s The Thin Red Line poster hanging in their living room. Julian explains to Brooke that The Thin Red Line was the movie that his dad took him to see when he was younger, that convinced him to be a filmmaker, and that it was one of the few really good days he had with his dad while growing up. Brooke is understanding, except when she bristles as Julian shrugs off an allusion she makes to the possibility of their getting married. (Brooke, of course, brings her woes to Millie instead of confronting Julian directly on it — can’t have any of that open and honest talk in Tree Hill.)
After the initial outburst, Clay has managed to sit down once again with Renee, the woman claiming to have compromising photos as a result of her and Nathan’s tryst from the night of the party after he scored 35 points in one game. There the envelope sits, waiting to be opened. (But what does it really contain? Insert mysterious music here.)
Miranda caves to Haley’s pressure and recommends keeping the label open, and gives Haley some food for thought: After Haley asserts Peyton’s view that “major labels are soulless,” Miranda says, “They are. Don’t forget that.”
Back at Chez Brooke et Julian, Brooke gets a visit from Paul — Julian’s dad — who gets an earful from Brooke for being such an inadequate father. She explains to him the meaning of the Thin Red Line poster in their living room, and tells him that it should have been bad days that stuck out for being so few rather than a singular good day. With this, Paul, the mighty film director and magnate, is utterly cowed.
(At about this point, it has to be mentioned that a tag came up onscreen asking, “Do you think Nate cheated on Haley? Text blah, blah, blah” — which couldn’t help but be amusing.)
Quinn and Haley continue their rehashing of what went wrong with Quinn’s marriage. Quinn says that there was no specific thing — it was mostly a matter of how he utterly changed and she didn’t. After Haley asserts that everyone has a right to change who they are, she maintains that she had a right to stay the same. (Will we ever meet this incredibly changed husband?)
Back in front of the Thin Red Line poster, Paul talks to Julian and admits that he’s been wrong — that he should just let Julian live his life. In a moment of conspicuously unscheduled sentimentality, Paul tells Julian just to be happy and live his life, giving his son a hug before going out the door.
Julian and Brooke sit down to watch the dailies that he shot featuring Alex. As they both talk about how wonderful the other is, they get all googly and go off to get it on in “their” bedroom … which is too bad, because as they leave the room, we see Alex onscreen making the same speech that she delivered to Brooke to save her status as Brooke’s model.
Clay unseals the envelope containing Renee’s evidence and it yields a single photo — an ultrasound of a baby in utero — three months along. (It’s been three months since she saw Nathan at the party.) Clay tells Nathan, and they try to remember how drunk they were after that night. Confused and afraid, Nathan goes home to Haley, who hasn’t had a good day. “Well, it’s only gonna get worse,” he tells her. “I have something I need to tell you.”
Trouble on the horizon … meaning it’s just another boring day on OTH.