The ongoing saga of Tree Hill, North Carolina friends Lucas (Chad Michael Murray), Nathan (James Lafferty), Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti), Brooke (Sophia Bush), Peyton (Hilary Burton), Skills (Antwon Tanner) and Mouth (Lee Norris) continues as each of them try to make the most of their adult lives.

CRITIQUE

When season six of “One Tree Hill” began I was pretty sure I was going to hate it. Not only did the show’s handlers kill off one of their more charismatic and intriguing new characters (I’m not saying who), they also had Brooke get violently assaulted (apparently at her mother Victoria’s – icily portrayed by Daphne Zuniga – bidding) and resurrected Nanny Carrie (Torrey DeVitto) to abduct Dan (Paul Johansson) and keep him her medicated prisoner in order to continue her plot to kidnap Nathan and Haley’s young son Jamie (Jackson Brundage).

Thankfully, there is more to Brooke’s storefront disaster than meets the eye, while the idiotic return of Carrie is over and done with to a semi-satisfactory resolution by the end of episode five. As for the murder of that season five newcomer, as much as I was saddened to see him go it must be stated that this young adult soap opera deals with grief and death better than just about any other show on network television, his ghostly specter hovering over this season’s storylines with fare more grace, nuance and power than I ever would have expected it to.

What’s most amazing here is that, the Nanny Carrie subplot aside, creator Mark Schwahn’s baby isn’t showing its age near as much as you’d expect after 130 or so episodes. What started as a glossy teenage cult sensation has quietly blossomed into one of the UPN’s most cherished treasures, the complex dynamic between its central characters a constantly evolving organism speaking to the hopes, dreams and desires viewers of all ages can’t help but recognize.

Don’t get me wrong, this is still melodrama and producers almost can’t help but hammer down upon the emotional buttons as if they were part of an X-Box controller. This show loves to make people cry, and while sometimes that’s just fine (as with episode three’s “Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.”), others the manipulation on display is so heavy-handed I almost felt like I wanted to kick every single one of the writers where it would hurt (episode 15, “We Change, We Wait,” and its continuing saga of Keith’s ring comes to mind, as does episode 17 “You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three Tonight” and it’s ridiculous alcohol-fueled bed-hopping).

Still, this season of “One Tree Hill” grew on me more and more as it progressed. I loved the introduction of Sam (Ashley Rickards), a sad, bitter and somewhat shell-shocked shoplifter Brooke takes into her home and essentially adopts. I liked the deepening of Nathan and Haley’s relationship, the former continuing his quest to get to the NBA while the latter rediscovers her joy of music while assisting Mia (Kate Voegele) in the creation of her second record.

Most of all, however, I loved the evolution of Lucas and Peyton’s love affair, the way the two of them have finally woken up to the obvious and realized that they were always meant to be together. It is fairy tale sentimentality, true, but for some reason I can’t get enough of it, and the knowledge that both Murray and Burton have essentially left the show for season seven breaks my heart more than I want to admit.

I’m not going to say that season six lives up to the relatively high standard set by season five. It gets far too silly at times (although I did take rather perverse delight in watching Brooke kick some murderous butt in episode 13, “Things a Mama Don’t Know”) and that Misery-inspired Nanny Carrie stuff in the first few episodes was definitely far more idiotic than I could bear. But the strength of this series remains its core group of characters and their ongoing relationships, and watching them continue to grow remains a heartfelt treat I’m not even slightly ashamed to admit I thoroughly enjoy.

THE VIDEO

One Tree Hill is presented in its original broadcast 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio.

THE AUDIO

One Tree Hill is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 with optional English, French and Spanish subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

Let’s see here, we’ve got the requisite Gag Reel and the collection of Deleted and Unaired Scenes (the majority of which don’t add all that much), both of which are relatively fine if not exactly exceptional. There are also two group audio commentary tracks for episodes 12, “You Have to Be Joking (Autopsy of the Devil’s Brain),” and 18, “Searching for a Former Clarity,” the second of which (featuring Schwahn, executive producer Joe Davola and stars Sophia Bush, Daphne Zuniga, Kate Voegele and Stephen Cooetti) is actually kind of outstanding.

There are also four featurettes, all of which are actually pretty darn good. Of them all, I can’t decide if my favorite is the “OTH Celebrity Soundtrack” one talking about all the sensational musical guests and soundtrack allowances this show always seems to be able get or the short “OTH – The Directors’ Debut” following Murray, Galeotti and Lafferty as they step behind the camera to helm an episode of the series for themselves.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m still stuck on “One Tree Hill,” and while season six isn’t perfect its highpoints are still so strong I’m sure I’ll return to certain episodes again and again with no problem whatsoever.