What Comes After The Blues(Season 5, Episode 18)

It's that gosh darn Gavin DeGraw! He appears in a cold open and sings "I Don't Wanna Be" with Jamie. This was no doubt done to satisfy the fans who missed the theme song opening credits.

We get a montage of what the characters are doing right now. Brooke marks days off a calendar, in grim anticipation of Baby Angie going home. Lucas is still going on benders sleeping all day. Haley awakens to see Jamie's rabbit Chester staring at her.  Depressed Peyton throws water balloons off the roof of Clothes Over Bros at pedestrians. As for Skillz and Debra...the less said about that, the better.

Lucas was suspended after his little incident at the game. Haley visits him, laughs at his new ridiculous mohawk hairdo, and promptly shaves it off. Then they go for a ride, where Haley asks Lucas to stop at a green light...and the windshield is hit by one of Peyton's balloons. Haley has herd of  Lucas treatment of Peyton, and wanted him to see the outcome of his dickery. What will Haley do about Jamie's mohawk?

Mouth has been demoted back to the editing room. He also has to clean toilets and wash the news van. Obviously everyone at the station hates Mouth now, and he's too humble to admit it.

The student has become the teacher: Quentin trains Nathan. Quentin, now known affectionately as "Q" by Jamie, utilizes his usual charming approach. Basically he calls Nathan a washed up loser. But this time he's doing it out of love. Jamie tells his father that it's all right if he doesn't play ever again. 

Haley attempts to soften Peyton's attitude toward Peyton: She shows Peyton her and Lucas' lunchbox of predictions,  in which Lucas expressed desire to be with Peyton again. I'm guessing that was written before senior year? Anyway, this is a big violation of the "don't show the predictions to anybody else rule."

Lucas' book is finished, and Lindsay bids farewell, forever this time. SHe tells Lucas she made up that she was seeing somebody else.Damn, Lindsay, You deserve better than this.

Brooke has to return Baby Angie sooner than expected. So , she hands Angie back to her parents at the airport, and just like that it's over. Now, there's a big hole where Brooke's heart used to be.

Haley's meddling seemed to work. Peyton leaves a giant love message for Lucas painted on the river court. Lucas is still bummed over Lindsay, so he expresses desire to leave town for  a while. Haley tells whiny Lucas to stop running away from his problems and be man. She says it in a much nicer way than that.

CLIFFHANGER(S) Being reduced to peon status has Mouth reconsider his move to Omaha. He quits his job.  But first... the new sports caster knows nothing about sports and when he freezes up on air, Mouth saves the day by talking the guy through on the headset. At least he went out on top.

Lucas decides to completely ignore Haley's advice, and leave Tree Hill for a while to go to Las Vegas. He makes a call to someone to ask them if they want to get married. We see Brooke, Peyton and Lindsay all receive a call, so we don't know which one he's talking to. That's diabolical!

Dan has been visiting the pastor, biding his time until the poor guy croaks. When it finally happens, our Big Bad can't even hide his joy and excitement. He's so happy he even helps an old man and lady across the street.  Then he gets hit by A FUCKING CAR,  just as his heart beeper goes off. I just realized: something Bad happens to Dan on every season finale! That's crazy.

And, lastly: Haley sings! This should be on the radio ALL THE TIME.