Spoiler: OTH episode didn't disappoint

First off, this episode was directed by Bethany Joy Galeotti. TVGuide.com has an interview with her about her experience. And I must say, I really enjoyed it. This was the episode where they were casting for the movie based on Lucas' high school experience. I knew going in that this was going to be a good episode and I wasn't disappointed. There were many extremely humorous scenes and even more humorous lines.

But before I get to what I liked about this episode, I have to go on a slight rant. As a feminist, I had a few problems with tonight's episode.

- Was it really necessary for everything out of James Van der Beek's mouth to objectify women? "Audiences like boobs." Seriously? All he talked about was sex and sex appeal while they were trying to cast for the movie. At times it was funny, but at what point is it pushed too far?
- When Peyton and Mia were trying to put together the crib, Mia immediately says, why not just have Lucas do it? Peyton says back that they are two strong women and can do it themselves. But then they fail. They can't put it together. What is that saying about their ability to care for themselves and do "manly" tasks like put something together?

But enough with that. Here are some of the highlights of the night, many of which are examples of why I love this show.

- Jamie tonight was too cute. I love that he wanted to ask a girl over "to play" and when she showed up it was his teacher. And then there was the scene where Jamie thinks Dan is trying to steal her from him. He says to Dan, you're making fun of me. And even when Dan says he isn't, Jamie continues. "You are just trying to make me look bad so that she'll like you better." And he then shouts, "He was in prison!" and stomps out of the room. All he knew was that he wanted his teacher all to himself and would stop at nothing to get it. (As adorable as this was, would a 6-year-old really know anything about this? They write lines that are just too mature for him sometimes.)
- When they are casting for the movie, are they really expecting the person they are casting to look exactly like the original? It was almost too eerie when the camera panned Tric and there were dozens of people who all looked alike. And on a similar note, it was cute to hear the people auditioning reciting lines from past episodes.
- I can't believe Lucas threw a temper tantrum. I don't get why he is being so indecisive. He is making too big of a deal out of making a decision and it honestly annoyed me throughout most of the episode. But lucky for him he won my heart back at the end when he made it to Peyton's sonogram.
- Nathan truly is a team player and I'm glad the coach made him the starter. But I also feel bad for Mr. Tough-guy Basketball player who got fired and actually has, not only a softer side, but also a family to support.
- I'm glad Brooke stood up for herself. As she said, there is so much more to her than just sex and I was happy to see her and Julian work things out at the end.
- When Peyton pointed out to Brooke that they have now shared three guys, I couldn't help but thinking GROSS! With them, the girl code really is shot at this point, huh?
- Hailey, and at the same time Bethany Joy Galeotti, really are the stars of this episode. I didn't realize Hailey was in charge of the school newspaper, but I am so happy she stood up to the principal and stood by freedom of the press, instead of simply cutting the essay and saving her job. She didn't want to take Sam's voice away. She did what she knew was right and didn't care about the consequences. Good for her!

The last few minutes of the episode were especially great. I loved how they spliced between past and present as the "new" characters completed a table read of the movie script. When put into this perspective, we realize the characters actually haven't changed all that much.

Here is the link to another TVGuide.com post that has a few clips from tonight's episode. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.