The world revolving around the smallish town of Tree Hill, North Carolina continues to spin, each of the people trying to make a go of it doing their best to survive gunshot wounds, live without the glory of professional sports, attempt to become parents even when medical science says it’s impossible and otherwise live their respective lives to the absolute fullest.

CRITIQUE

It’s always interesting to consider the fate of “One Tree Hill” and wonder whether or not the long-running young adult soap opera is going to return for another season. At this point, we all know the story, this show originally the lowest rated program on the WB network ultimately saved by a passionate letter writing campaign only to eventually become one of the more popular and enduring programs to travel from its original network to the CW. It’s been one of the benchmarks of the CW’s television calendar, it’s passionate legion of followers willing to follow creator Mark Schwahn’s baby no matter how many times it jumps the proverbial shark.

You get the feeling watching season eight that Schwahn fully believed this one was definitely going to be series’ last as much of the plotlines revolving around these 22 episodes are far more low key, character-based and intimate than they’ve been in quite some time. As such, season eight proves to be one of the best the program has had in years, and while the show is still nothing more than a teary-eyed guilty pleasure that doesn’t mean I didn’t have any less of a happy Kleenex-filled time giving each and every episode a look.

Okay, sure, some of it can get a little silly. Episode 14, Holding Out for a Hero in which Brooke (Sophia Bush), Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti) and a fully healed Quinn (Shantel VanSanten) – her and boyfriend Clayton (Robert Buckley) were shot at the end of season seven – become spandex-clad superheroes, is beyond silly, as is – somewhat surprisingly – Episode 3, The Space In Between, in which Nathan (James Lafferty) struggles with whether or not to donate one of his kidneys to a still comatose Clayton. The first of two appearances by Dan (Paul Johansson) doesn’t go particularly well, while the emotion-fueled and highly melodramatic final episode This is My House, This is My Home feels much too rushed, almost as if Schwahn was sure the show was headed for cancelation and he had to come up with pleasing scenarios for the fans in order to wrap everything up.

But the show is back for its ninth, and officially final, season, tonight’s two-part premiere the actual beginning of the end for our Tree Hill characters. But the thought that season eight could have been the final one focuses the program like never before, centralizes it in a way that feels honest, true and, someone slap me for saying this, real. As daytime soap as some things can get, as silly and as over the top as the show can sometimes be, for once all of our favorite heroes and heroines are dealing with issues and topics those who have grown up with it can intimately relate to. Gosh darn it, but so many elements of this season hit home for me, and while I’m almost embarrassed to admit it I can’t actually wait to see what Schwahn has up his sleeve (which more than likely includes the returns of Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton, hopefully) now that he knows his show is officially coming to an end.

THE VIDEO

“One Tree Hill” is presented in its original 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen over five DVDs.

THE AUDIO

“One Tree Hill” is presented in English (Dolby Digital 5.1) audio with optional English, French and Spanish subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

At this point, “One Tree Hill” fans know what to expect where it comes to bonus features. There are an assortment of Deleted Scenes on a small handful of episodes, Commentary Tracks on episodes two and eleven (arguably the season’s best), the requisite highly unfunny Gag Reel and Three Featurettes, Welcome to One Tree Hill – A Ghoulishly Fun Look at the Magic Behind the Halloween Episode, It’s a Big Deal: The Making of One Tree Hill’s Midseason Finale and Season GrEight!: Memories of One Tree Hill’s Eighth Season.

It’s all fine, and fans will be pleased; everyone else isn’t watching the show as it is anyhow so any dissenting opinions aren’t going to matter.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The low key and character-driven eight season of “One Tree Hill” is surprisingly solid, and fans will be more than happy to add this second-to-last chapter in the North Carolina saga to their DVD libraries pretty much sight unseen.