One Tree Hill... seriously?

This week we found out that Peyton (the 23 year old record producer)'s pregnant. Mia (the 18 year old rock star) returned and taught Chase (the born-again 23 year old) how to make a long island iced tea. Lucas (the 23 year old best selling author/high school basketball coach) attended Hollywood meetings about his movie. Ethan (is that his name?- the bartender) started drinking again. Millie (the 22 year old virgin who dumped Mouth last episode for flirting with an intern) slept with Ethan (Ian? Evan? what IS that guy's name?) and Mouth (the world's worst sports reporter) dumped her in return. Jamie (6 years old) wandered around town on his own (and didn't get lost). Nathan (who used to not be able to walk) made a pro basketball team.... Oh, and Sam (Brooke's foster child) ran away and got kidnapped by her friend's brother (who, it turns out, was responsible for everything bad that's happened in the past season that didn't have to do with Nanny Carrie). But don't worry, because Brooke (fashion designer/former head cheerleader/badass) has pepper spray, and a keen sense of danger, and a gun. So Brooke saves the day with some impressive Buffy moves and a dangerous mix of maternal instinct and desire for revenge. 

But I guess, after all these years, all these things are OK. You see, it's One Tree Hill's absurdity that makes it what it is. It is so absurd that it seems almost beyond criticism. It exists in a realm so far away from reality that to demand the same humanism from it as is demanded from other shows somehow doesn't seem fair. So I've adopted a new attitude towards the show, it goes like this: who cares, it's fun!