From CWTV.com Aside from a love for hoops, it seemed that Lucas (Chad Michael Murray, "House of Wax") and Nathan (James Lafferty, "Boston Public") were two young men with little in common, but they were bound by the fact that they share the same father. The star of the high school basketball team, Nathan was
raised to inherit is father's throne amidst popularity and wealth, while his half-brother Lucas was raised amidst modest surroundings, the only child of a single mom. When Lucas joined the Ravens team, his transition into Nathan's world created a love triangle with Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton, "Solstice"). Although she was Nathan's girlfriend at the time, Peyton felt an instant connection to Lucas. Complicating things even more, Peyton's feisty best friend, Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush, "John Tucker Must Die"), quickly set her sights on Lucas. It didn't take Nathan long to notice Lucas's best friend, Haley (Bethany Joy Galeotti, "Bring It On, Again"), an intriguing girl who helped bad-boy Nathan become a kinder person. While the teenagers struggled to find their places in the world, the adults in Tree Hill were left to deal with the consequences of decisions they made years ago. Lucas's father Dan (Paul Johansson, "Alpha Dog") and mother Karen (Moira Kelly, "The West Wing") were high school sweethearts. When Karen became pregnant during their senior year, she was devastated by Dan's decision to put his own life and career first. He went off to college on a basketball scholarship, leaving Karen behind to raise Lucas alone. When Dan's dream of a basketball career didn't work out, he returned to town with Deb (Barbara Alyn Woods, "Picket Fences"), the wife he met in college, and his newborn son, Nathan. There he found his older brother Keith (Craig Sheffer, "Into the West") serving as Lucas's surrogate father and would-be suitor to Karen. Lucas and Nathan's rivalry on and off the court even brought back old emotions for the grizzled basketball coach, Whitey Durham (Barry Corbin, "Molding Clay"). Whitey coached Dan when he was the school's star player, and now he would coach both of Dan's sons. In season three, the teenagers' relationships grew deeper and took unexpected turns. Lucas fought for and won Brooke's heart, only to lose her when she learned of a kiss he and Peyton shared during a moment of crisis. A friend of Lucas' brought a handgun to school, shot Peyton and ultimately took his own life. Meanwhile, still dealing with the death of Ellie, her biological mother, Peyton suffered the loss of Brooke's friendship when she admitted she harbored feelings for Lucas. Haley and Nathan overcame old wounds and mended their broken marriage, ultimately renewing their vows in a fairytale wedding. The lives of the adults were no less turbulent. Keith returned to Tree Hill, intending to be a husband to Karen and a father to Lucas -- only to be murdered by Dan, who believed Keith had tried to kill him in a fire. After learning from Deb that she was the one who tried to kill him, Dan was left only with his guilt and a terrible discovery that someone might know what he did. Karen, alone and struggling with the loss of Keith, discovered that she was pregnant with his child. Season three ended in a harrowing climax when Nathan's Uncle Cooper (Michael Trucco, "Battlestar Galactica") tried to end his dysfunctional relationship with high school bad-girl Rachel (Danneel Harris, "What I Like About You"). In the resulting argument, they crashed off a bridge, plunging into the river below. Nathan, despite Haley's pleas, dove in to save them. In the last moments, Rachel and Cooper were unconscious and Nathan was trapped in the submerged limousine, struggling for air, unable to save them or himself. Above them on the bridge, Haley was left alone screaming desperately for help.
June 17, 2007
