One more thing....

Season 2 had strong points(the Keith storyline, return of Jake) and weak points(Felix, lack of Haley in the back half of the season). But overall it wasn't bad. I'm not sure how to rate it. C plus, maybe? Or maybe B minus.

Season 3 has new characters! Yay. The basketball is back, too. And there are a couple of shocking moments involving some of the regular players.  

SO, ON TO SEASON 3. 

(These reviews will continue to have a pro-Haley bias.)

The Leavers Dance(Season 2, Episode 23)

(In the previous review, I erroneously stated that Andy left Dan's ledger to Lucas. He actually left the video of Dan revealing the ledger was in a safe. Chandler Marlowe apologizes for this.)

Lucas only needs the combination to get into the safe, and he actually figures it out rather quickly: it's jersey numbers! He now has the ledger. The thought that this all seems a bit too easy never seems to occur to him. 

Peyton has been receiving some slightly unsettling chat room messages. She believes that they may be coming from a woman named Ellie Harp, a music reporter who is interested in writing about Peyton. Peyton calls the paper to postpone the interview, and they've never heard of Ellie Harp. Ellie is still hanging around town, so Peyton confronts her about this. After some prodding, Ellie tells shocked Peyton that she's her mother. PEYTON'S DEAD MOTHER WASN'T HER REAL MOTHER! GASP.

Debra is out of the rehab. She seems more resolute than ever to get Nathan away from Dan. She isn't pleased to learn that Nathan has moved back into the house of horrors. She pressures Nathan to get out with her, and says Dan can "burn in hell." Foreshadowing!

Lucas tells Debra about the ledger.  She attempts to blackmail Dan, but...Dan reminds Debra that the car dealership is owned by her, so they will both go down if she goes to the authorities. Dammit! Debra(apparently) makes some kind of drastic decision, because she tells Nathan to go to that basketball camp as soon as possible.

Dan threatens to remove Whitey from his coaching job! He also mocks Whitey's recent health issues. Whitey tells Dan "he shouldn't play with fire." Another fire analogy!

PLOT TWIST: The money and the ledger were both fake. It was all a test by Dan to test Lucas' loyalty. Oh, and Dan is cutting off the heart medicine that Lucas needs to survive. Dan hid the fake duffel bag of money and fake ledger in the ceiling. Lucas finds it and involves Andy. Dan puts the ledger in the safe, and installs security cameras made by a company that Andy owns. He allows Andy to use his access to the cameras to see him put the ledger in the safe. Then he allows Lucas to find the ledger using an easily found out combination. Dan did all this as a game. It's mind boggling really.

CLIFFHANGER(S)! Dan is very proud of winning his latest game of human chess. That is, until he drinks from a bottle of booze that's poisoned with something that makes him woozy. Before he passes out a mysterious figure dressed in black sets the whole dealership ablaze. CAN FIRE KILL DAN?

CLIFFHANGER(S)! Karen goes to New Zealand to find Andy. FOR LOVE!  Brooke leaves for the summer, but first, Lucas ruins her life again by telling her he wants to be with her.  Debra is in a rush to leave with Nathan(suspect number one). Nathan opens the door...and THERE'S HALEY! She only has one line: "Hi."That's unacceptable to me. Look at her standing there, all sad and lonely, with just a tiny glimmer of hope. She don't need to sing to convey those emotions!

Lucas voice over:

We all live in a house on fire. No fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it. (Tennessee Williams)

The Tide That Left And Never Came Back(Season 2, Episode 22 )

Andy has a double shot of the bad news for Karen. First: his mother is ill and he must travel back to New Zealand. Second: he doesn't know if he will be able to return, because Dan is attempting to have him deported, since he is not a citizen of the U.S. Karen is furious with Dan(again) and her confrontation with him ends when Dan forces a kiss on her. Because he's drunk with power and believes he can do whatever he wants. Which is basically true.

 Andy believes he has Dan right where he wants him! You see, Andy owns the company that installed Dan's security cameras. He tells Dan he has that ledger detailing Dan's stolen money.  Dan can;t help but check to see if this is true, which reveals the location of the  ledger: in his office, behind a painting. Andy leaves Karen the ledger as a parting gift for Lucas. He gets in a limo and leaves.Because he's perfect. And that's the end of Andy as a regular character on One Tree Hill.

Lucas finally gets sick of this "no Haley" stuff and travels to New York to visit her. He takes Brooke along, because he wants her to be okay with the idea of them just being friends. Brooke walk in on Haley and Chris Keller engaging in friendly horseplay, which rubs Lucas the wrong way.

Haley and Lucas are still best buds despite their separation and constant reminders of her stardom(like kids asking for autographs). But Haley isn't coming back to Tree Hill. Lucas puts the blame on Chris Keller, but Chris Keller is unapologetic. He wants Haley to make her own decisions about things! He has a point. Also, Chris Keller writes a kick ass song to woo Brooke, but it doesn't work, incredibly.

Jake's lawyers have found evidence that discredits Evil Nicki! Jake is being released from prison, and he gets back custody of Jenny. BUT WAIT! Nicki shows up at the prison to tell Jake she's skipping town, and she's got Jenny with her. The place where Whitey hid the baby wasn't good enough! Jake must leave Tree Hill(and Peyton) in hot pursuit. But first he sits on his motorcycle and stares at Peyton for a while, like a cool dude would.

This episode and the finale were bundled together. I've decide to  review them separately.

What Could Have Been(Season 2, Episode 21)

Nathan is a hundred grand in debt for medical bills, plus he owes for his rent and everything else(stupid Tim ordered porn while he was in the hospital). Lucas is still concerned that Nathan may have tried to commit suicide, but Nathan is surly and reluctant to speak of this.  Good news, though: Dan pays the hospital bill! Lucas gets Peyton and everyone else to hold a fundraiser at club Tric to help pay the rest, including the porn.

Dan tries to convince Nathan to get his wedding annulled. Nathan resists at first but..surprise!  Dan visits Haley on tour. He shows her the papers with Nathan's signature. Haley is gobsmacked! Nathan pretty much throws in the towel: he gets his married annulled, and he moves out of the apartment and goes back to his father.

The fundraiser is a movie night, film projector style! The films that Mouth brings from the school are all mislabeled, leading him to play one of those car crash education movies(Red Asphalt 2). Instead of being horrified Nathan thinks it's totally awesome. He's obviously in deep denial about...something.

Oh, That Brooke! Brooke's detective work with the invoice reveals Dan's scam! Dan records a sale of a $12,000 car as $9,000, and  presumably pockets the remaining $3,000. He's apparently been doing this over and over for quite a while. Also, Brooke thinks she may have a chance with Lucas again. She gets her heart broken again when she discovers Lucas has kept lots of photos and stuff of Peyton. Oh that Brooke. That's going to be very tense now with them living together and everything.

Debra is in rehab. Jake has cut off contact with Peyton since he went to prison. Karen gets an e-mail from Keith(she hasn't heard from him in a while)!  Andy's investigators discover that Dan is putting his skimmed money in a college fund for Lucas. Haley is sad. She had her last show, and was ready to go home. Now what?

Next: It's the season finale! It's double length. Oh joy.

Lifetime Piling Up(Season 2, Episode 20)

(Nathan is undergoing surgery for the injuries he sustained during that race car crash. While this happens, Nathan dreams...dreams of an alternate reality!)

Karen* and Dan are married. Lucas is a jerk, Dan's an alcoholic and Karen is a workaholic. Lucas treats his girlfriend Peyton like crap(much like Nathan did at the beginning of Season 1)! 

Nathan plays with his buds(Mouth, Skillz, and those other two) at the riverside basketball court. he lives with Debra, who is a single parent of course. Debra owns a bar, called Deb's den. Haley works at the bar and is best friends with Nathan. Alternate Haley is all sarcastic and wise-cracky, just real life Haley!

Keith runs the car dealership. Dan is his toady. Keith taunts his younger brother about his drinking and refers to him as "boozy." Keith takes pleasure in this. Keithernate is evil! Also, Keith is having an affair with Karen. Crazy!

Dan and Lucas are very upset that Nathan is a contender for that basketball camp. Dan whines to Whitey, because Lucas' dreams are in the balance! But first Whitey must convince Nathan to join the team. Lucas has challenged Nathan to a one on one at the riverside court, and Whitey wants Nathan to spank Lucas!

Brooke introduces herself to Nathan by getting naked and accosting him in the shower. But he's not interested in Brooke at all! He just walks away! That Nathan.

There's a replay of the scene where Nathan gives Haley the Cracker Jack bracelet, only slightly different(she isn't tutoring him this time). During class, Haley pressures Nathan to take Coach's offer. Haley admits she wants to be a singer, but...plot twist! She can't sing at all. I see what they did there.

Peyton warns Haley that Lucas is planning to mug Nathan to keep him from playing the game. He ignores Haley and...surprise! Gets kidnapped by Lucas and friends and dumped in a mud puddle. Peyton breaks op up with Lucas and shows up just in time to drive Nathan to the game. She lets him get in her cool car despite being covered in mud. That's very nice of her.

Nathan and Lucas play basketball! This is the first episode of Season 2 to include any basketball, because of network interference. Something to do with trying to increase female viewers. Since this is an inverse of the first episode, Nathan wins. But then something weird happens...Haley gives Nathan the bracelet, which turns into a wedding ring in his hand. And everyone else has disappeared and then...

Nathan wakes up from his coma or dream or whatever. Lucas is there, and his question about whether or not the crash was intentional goes unanswered. Haley is all ready to come back, but Nathan calls her and tells her to stay on the road singing. She just stands there in the airport, stunned! All this "will Haley come back or not" stuff is working on my last nerve!

Oh, That Brooke!(Bonus Edition)  Brooke has painstakingly put together a document that Dan has shredded. It's a car receipt invoice from the dealership. Hmmm...