I Forgot To Remember To Forget(Season 5, Episode 5)

It's a flashback episode! Looks like we get some insight into what happened before the four year jump.

Nathan is playing for Whitey on a team called the Cobras. Lucas is assistant Coach and appears very committed. Coach warns Lucas not to stay awake all night long internet chatting with "blondie." He means Peyton. Whitey wants Lucas to take over coaching duty soon.

Lucas is living with Haley and helping her take care of infant Jamie while Nathan is college-ing. Is that a word? Haley is wearing a wig to cover her new real life short hairdo, and it looks strange, considering she never had hair like that any of the past episodes. BAD, WIG! BAD!

Whitey allows Lucas to make the crucial play during the end of the game. The old man can hardly contain his pride as he walks off the court. The team's win is overshadowed by Lucas' melancholy over his separation from Peyton. He has flashback..within a flashback! That's crazy. This episode is Whitey's swan song on the show as a regular character. Although he does make surprise appearance later on.

Nathan loses his temper after he's taunted by a heckler regarding his point shaving incident. Whitey stresses that maybe it's not a good idea to put random people in choke holds, because it could lead to trouble(serious trouble.) Foreshadowing!

Lucas flies to Los Angeles to visit Peyton at the recording company. Her job in "Marketing and Distribution" is really just delivering mail and food to snooty types. She hopes to move up. Her date(and subsequent hotel room meeting)with Lucas is interrupted when she's called back to said job. 

Peyton arrives at the hotel late and gets spooked when she finds Lucas with an engagement ring. The two of them are unwilling to leave their careers, so they break up. We briefly see Peyton pushing her mail cart and weeping. Way to stick the knife in and turn it, show.

Lucas is at the airport ready to play back home when he gets the call from Lindsay in New York that his novel is being published. Some of the folks at the party give Lucas flack for being the son of a convicted murderer, but Lucas doesn't care... Brooke has arrived!

Brooke chides whiny Lucas for dumping Peyton(he literally does whine)and gives him a pep talk about moving on with Brooke has grown up. But her own problems are just beginning.

Brooke tells her mother she is ready to take Clothes Over Bros to the next level,  unwittingly setting into motion the chain of events that will unleash the monster Victoria on Tree Hill.

Back in present day: Lucas visits Brooke and wonders aloud if he made the right choice by  splitting up with Peyton and getting with Lindsay. Brooke concludes that Lucas is still in love with Peyton and smirks at the crap storm(sorry, "love triangle") that she will soon witness. The mischievous streak in Brooke is still there, regardless of how much she has grown!