"4 Years, 6 Months, 2 Days" is the first episode of Season 5 of One Tree Hill and originally aired January 8th, 2008. The episode was written by Mark Schwahn and directed by Greg Prange.
Graduation was four years ago, and everyone’s lives have changed. Brooke became more successful than she ever imagined, but not everyone was as lucky. Lucas, Skills and Haley prepare for their first day back at Tree Hill High, whilst Peyton and Brooke reflect on everything they accomplished in the last four years. Meanwhile, Nathan struggles with the burden of being Jamie’s hero.
Contains examples of the following tropes:
- Bait-and-Switch: Peyton’s reintroduction post-Time Skip shows her sat at a desk, with a wall of gold records behind her… then her boss walks in, and tells her to get out from behind his desk.
- Call-Back: Jamie refuses to let Lucas see his drawing, as it’s unfinished. Lucas understands, clearly remembering how protective Peyton was over her artwork.
- The Cameo: As the episode opens on the closing moments of the previous season, Stephen Colletti, Danneel Harris, and Bevin Prince appear as Chase, Rachel, and Bevin through the use of archive footage.
- Clothes Make the Legend: Tree Hill High retired Nathan and Whitey’s jersey numbers at some point in the time skip.
- Downtime Downgrade: Lucas and Peyton, Brooke and Chase, and Skills and Bevin all broke up over the course of the 4 year time skip between seasons.
- Establishing Character Moment: Victoria Davis finally makes her first appearance, kicking Brooke’s date out of the limo once they’re far enough away from the red carpet event Brooke had been attending, before harshly telling Brooke that they have to fire a specific model despite Brooke’s protests.
- Game-Breaking Injury: Nathan is revealed to have suffered one as a result of a bar fight; he wound up being thrown through a plate glass window, and was left with a large piece of glass embedded in his spine.
- Generation Xerox: Lucas has effectively grown into his Uncle Keith, sharing a similarly close relationship with Jamie as to Lucas’ relationship with Keith. On top of that, Lucas is now sporting facial hair similar to what Keith was known to have.
- Heroic BSoD: Nathan is shown to be in the midst of one, as he spends his days wallowing in self-pity because he can’t play basketball instead of actually rehabbing his injury.
- Honorary True Companion: Jamie is shown to have become this to Skills, Junk, Fergie and Mouth.
- How We Got Here: Nathan is first shown in a wheelchair at the end of the first act; a flashback later in the episode reveals the cause of his injury.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Lucas’ comment about Jamie growing up fast, as he was last seen as a baby in the previous episode.
- No Theme Tune: This episode marks the point in which Gavin DeGraw’s "I Don’t Want To Be" is no longer used as the opening theme tune, with the series cutting the opening title sequence going forward.
- Once More, with Clarity: Peyton is shown on the phone to someone, as she listens to the audiobook of “An Unkindness of Ravens” in the background. The second time around, the viewer is shown that she was talking to Brooke.
- Put on a Bus:
- Karen and Lily are no longer in Tree Hill, and are stated to be travelling.
- Whitey has officially retired, after leaving Tree Hill High to coach at a local college and give Nathan a chance to redeem himself after the point shaving scandal.
- Rachel has left Tree Hill following graduation, and has apparently drifted apart from the rest of the group.
- Bevin and Chase are no longer in close contact with the rest of the gang following their respective break ups with Skills and Brooke.
- Ridiculously Successful Future Self: Brooke has become a massively successful fashion designer over the course of the four year gap.
- Ship Sinking: Lucas and Peyton broke up at some point in the Time Skip.
- Shout-Out: The title of the episode originated from the song "4 Years, 6 Months, 2 Days" by Tree Fort Angst.
- Time Skip: The series skips ahead four years, aging the main characters to their early twenties, and Jamie to four years old.
- Unperson: Dan’s jersey, previously retired in Season 3, has been removed from its place of prominence in the Ravens’ gym following his arrest for Keith’s murder.
- Wham Line: Lucas and Peyton’s reunion at the River Court.Peyton: Hi. How long's it been?
Lucas: …Two years.
Peyton: It's been longer than that. [Beat] God, Luke, I missed you.
[Peyton starts to approach Lucas. He immediately takes a step back.]
Lucas: I have someone. I'm with someone. - Wham Shot:
- The River Court as seen at the end of the previous season, fading into the present day, everyone’s names faded before the caption “FOUR YEARS LATER” appears on screen.
- Nathan rewatching the recent NBA Draft, before a flashback shows an excited Nathan telling Haley that word is he’s a going to be drafted to the Seattle SuperSonics. Cut back to the present, and it’s shown that Nathan wasn’t drafted by Seattle, and he’s now in a wheelchair.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Played for Laughs by Lucas, Junk & Fergie when Skills refuses to let 4 year old Jamie score on him at the River Court.
- Writer's Block: Since publishing his first novel, Lucas has struggled write anything of substance for his second.
- You Are in Command Now: Lucas and Skills take over as coaches for the Tree Hill Ravens.
