With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept (One Tree Hill episode)
Encyclopedia
"With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept " is the 16th episode of One Tree Hill
's third season
. It first aired on The WB television network
in the United States on March 1, 2006. It was written by Mark Schwahn
and directed by Greg Prange. This was a landmark episode for the series, which revolves around a school shooting: "A normal day becomes deadly when a despondent student brings a gun to Tree Hill High; Nathan
and Lucas
put themselves at risk to protect their friends and loved ones."
by John Nordstrom, was introduced for parts of the script where character Lucas Scott
strives to save a dying Peyton Sawyer
.
Mark Schwahn, the series' creator and writer of the episode, "took this old character in Jimmy Edwards [Colin Fickes], who hadn’t been around in seasons, and used his re-emergence" to tell the story about life in high-school as an outsider. Being a controversial topic, Schwahn had to convince executives to allow the episode. The actors "who were locked in the tutor center would file into this little room day after day and film these emotionally draining scenes".
Allison Scagliotti, who portrays Abby Brown in the episode, one of the hostages Jimmy sets free and who is later revealed to have witnessed Keith's murder, said, "I’m so glad the episode garnered the response that it did. I had no doubt, given the subject matter, that it might resonate with a lot of people, so I think I speak for all involved when I say we tried to handle it respectfully." She said the audition process was "kind of a top-secret affair" because she read sides for a character named Michelle in a scene with another character who was not Jimmy Edwards. "After I was cast, the script that production released didn’t have the last page attached! They kept the end of the episode under wraps until the very last second. I was extremely moved by what I read, mostly because the Jimmy character was someone that could be very real."
Also resonating with fans is the episode's closing quote. At the end of the episode, Lucas narrates:
(Chad Michael Murray
), Skills Taylor (Antwon Tanner
) and Mouth McFadden (Lee Norris
), enters the school while smoking a cigarette. He walks down the hallway and sees the thugs who beat him up the night before going through his locker; when they notice him, they move to leave, laughing while one of them bumps him purposefully and makes a rude comment. Jimmy pulls out a gun just as Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton
) and Brooke Davis
(Sophia Bush
) come around the corner at the glass library doors. Jimmy fires one shot as Peyton and Brooke hit the floor for cover and the school is sent into a frenzied panic.
Brooke searches for Peyton outside as the sports bus pulls up with Coach Whitey Durham (Barry Corbin
), Lucas and Nathan
(James Lafferty
) getting off. Brooke informs them of the situation and Nathan and Lucas go into the school, Nathan looking for Haley
(Bethany Joy Galeotti
) and Lucas soon deciding to look for Peyton. Meanwhile, Haley is sheltering a group of students in the tutor center, including Jimmy.
Nathan and Lucas go their separate ways and Lucas finds Peyton, bleeding from a wound in her leg in the library; the wound is assumed to be a piece of glass. Nathan comes across Mouth who had been in the A/V room at the time of the shooting. They make their way to the tutor center. They get there, and, after convincing the group it is them, and not the shooter, they get in. As they try to help everyone escape, Jimmy pulls out the gun and forces them to stay in the tutor center, revealing himself as the shooter. In the midst of the chaos, Brooke is stuck in the school gym due to her parents' absence. She angrily confronts a ruthless reporter who is using the shooting for personal gain.
Lucas tends to Peyton and finds that it is actually a bullet in her leg, and promises her that she will be okay. Peyton is losing a lot of blood, and Lucas does his best to keep her talking so that she has a better chance of survival if awake instead of asleep. Feeling that she does not have long to live, and wanting to confess her feelings for him, she pulls him in for a kiss and tells him she loves him, despite the fact that he is still dating Brooke. Meanwhile, Rachel (Danneel Harris
), Mouth, Haley, and Skills attempt to reason with Jimmy who is fed up with being ignored and made fun of.
Brooke realizes that she has been looking for the wrong things in life when a worried mother comes to her looking for her daughter thinking that her daughter and Brooke are friends. Though Brooke assures the mother that she will find her daughter, she realizes that she does not know her and excuses herself outside to secretly break down into sobs. She later finds the girl and convinces her to find her mother.
In the tutor center, the situation is quickly deteriorating. Jimmy lets Abby (Allison Scagliotti) go due to an illness she has and turns back to find Nathan sending a text with his phone; he threatens to kill whoever comes into the school, just as Lucas carries an unconscious Peyton out of the library. The library door slams and Jimmy goes to confront them, despite the pleas of Haley, Nathan, Rachel, Mouth and Skills.
The confrontation is halted when Keith (Craig Sheffer
) convinces Dan (Paul Johansson
) to sneak him into the school to talk to Jimmy. Keith convinces Jimmy to let Lucas and Peyton go. After a dramatic confrontation, in which Keith reaches out to Jimmy in an attempt to save him, Jimmy decides to end his pain by ending his life. The group in the tutor center hear the shot and Haley and Rachel break down into tears. Meanwhile, Lucas has carried Peyton outside and she is loaded into the ambulance. He meets with Brooke who had been let out of the gym, and his mother, Karen (Moira Kelly
).
After Jimmy commits suicide
, Dan shows up in the hall, picks up Jimmy's gun and shoots Keith, killing him and therefore framing Jimmy as the murderer.
, the episode's initial broadcast received record ratings for the season, with a 2.5/4 in households, 3.6 million viewers, and a 1.5/4 in adults 18-49.
Daniel Fienberg of zap2it.com
called it a "surprisingly earnest and reflective depiction of a school shooting [with Colin Fickes as a troubled teen with a gun] that avoided the 'Very Special Episode
' syndrome by also advancing the season's plot". There was sentiment that the episode added new depth to the series. "Through all the fluff, implausible storylines, and pretty smiles from pretty people, there's one episode that sets itself apart from the rest. It's called 'With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds and Tired Souls, We Slept,'" stated Cynthia Boris of DVDVerdict.com. "To put it simply, it's the Columbine
episode. (And how sad is it that you all know what I mean when I say that word.) For this one episode, the pretty and popular heroes of the show take a backseat to a chubby, bullied young man who has been humiliated for the last time," she said. "When you see the realness of Jimmy (Colin Fickes) balanced against this cast of plastic, perfect people, it's pretty easy to see why kids kill kids." Boris, however, felt the episode would "b[low] right past the core audience" and that "if you asked a hundred fans to list this season's most memorable moments, Chad Michael Murray
dressing up as Jack Sparrow would likely land much higher than this topical episode". In contrast to Boris's statement about the core audience, however, the episode ranked highest in a 2009 pick of the "12 most essential episodes" of One Tree Hill by fans at website starnewsonline.com. "That episode, featuring the shooting of Uncle Keith, is a clear favorite among fans and really was a turning point for the series," stated Jeff Hidek of the website. "This episode proved that the show could reach beyond hookups and hook shots and tap into its audience’s hearts." The episode is considered one of the series’ most pivotal, and the storyline is frequently named among fans as one of the best. TV Guide
said, "Hard as it is to watch, this harrowing school-shooting March episode proved [One Tree Hill] to be smarter — and gutsier — than your average teen drama."
TheCinemaSource.com called the episode the highlight of Season 3. "...[We] call it the columbine episode... This episode is a must-see and should have been the season finale because of its dreadful ending," stated the website. "This was a powerful episode that writers took a risk with because it was a topical issue to tackle that tried to send a message to those who seek hope." Amy Kane of Film.com
, on the other hand, said the episode made her quit watching the show temporarily, because One Tree Hill is a show that is "so campy and tongue-in-cheek
that it seemed like bad taste for it to address such a serious subject".
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
's third season
One Tree Hill (season 3)
Season three of One Tree Hill, an American teen drama television series, began airing on October 5, 2005. The season concluded on May 3, 2006, after 22 episodes. It is the final season that aired on the WB television network...
. It first aired on The WB television network
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
in the United States on March 1, 2006. It was written by Mark Schwahn
Mark Schwahn
Mark Schwahn is an American screenwriter, director and producer. He is best known as creator, head writer and executive producer of The CW Network drama series One Tree Hill.-Career:...
and directed by Greg Prange. This was a landmark episode for the series, which revolves around a school shooting: "A normal day becomes deadly when a despondent student brings a gun to Tree Hill High; Nathan
Nathan Scott
Nathan Royal Scott is a fictional character on The CW television series One Tree Hill, portrayed by James Lafferty. He was the second protagonist during the first six seasons; but following Lucas Scott's departure, Nathan has become the main character and central figure of the show. Nathan is Lucas...
and Lucas
Lucas Scott
Lucas Eugene Scott is a fictional character and formerly the main protagonist from The CW television series One Tree Hill, portrayed by Chad Michael Murray. Lucas is a talented basketball player and writer. He is rival to half-brother Nathan Scott, before the two eventually become close friends...
put themselves at risk to protect their friends and loved ones."
Background
In the DVD commentary and the making-of featurette, the creators addressed their initial "should we?" or "shouldn't we?" reactions to making the episode. Because of the sensitive nature of the topic, they did not want to glorify or make light of school shootings. They wanted to make a statement about how these kinds of incidents affect more than just those directly involved. The music was carefully designed, and a theme called "Saving Peyton," composedComposer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
by John Nordstrom, was introduced for parts of the script where character Lucas Scott
Lucas Scott
Lucas Eugene Scott is a fictional character and formerly the main protagonist from The CW television series One Tree Hill, portrayed by Chad Michael Murray. Lucas is a talented basketball player and writer. He is rival to half-brother Nathan Scott, before the two eventually become close friends...
strives to save a dying Peyton Sawyer
Peyton Sawyer
Peyton Elizabeth Scott is a fictional character from The CW television series One Tree Hill, portrayed by Hilarie Burton. A talented visual and musical artist, Peyton has a heavily-guarded heart due to the number of lost loved ones in her life...
.
Mark Schwahn, the series' creator and writer of the episode, "took this old character in Jimmy Edwards [Colin Fickes], who hadn’t been around in seasons, and used his re-emergence" to tell the story about life in high-school as an outsider. Being a controversial topic, Schwahn had to convince executives to allow the episode. The actors "who were locked in the tutor center would file into this little room day after day and film these emotionally draining scenes".
Allison Scagliotti, who portrays Abby Brown in the episode, one of the hostages Jimmy sets free and who is later revealed to have witnessed Keith's murder, said, "I’m so glad the episode garnered the response that it did. I had no doubt, given the subject matter, that it might resonate with a lot of people, so I think I speak for all involved when I say we tried to handle it respectfully." She said the audition process was "kind of a top-secret affair" because she read sides for a character named Michelle in a scene with another character who was not Jimmy Edwards. "After I was cast, the script that production released didn’t have the last page attached! They kept the end of the episode under wraps until the very last second. I was extremely moved by what I read, mostly because the Jimmy character was someone that could be very real."
Also resonating with fans is the episode's closing quote. At the end of the episode, Lucas narrates:
Does this darkness have a name? This cruelty, this hatred. How did it find us? Did it steal into our lives or did we seek it out and embrace it? What happened to us, that we now send our children into the world like we send young men to war? Hoping for their safe return, but knowing that some will be lost along the way. When did we lose our way? Consumed by the shadows, swallowed whole by the darkness. Does this darkness have a name? Is it your name?
Plot
Jimmy Edwards, a bullied and tormented individual, who was once close friends with Lucas ScottLucas Scott
Lucas Eugene Scott is a fictional character and formerly the main protagonist from The CW television series One Tree Hill, portrayed by Chad Michael Murray. Lucas is a talented basketball player and writer. He is rival to half-brother Nathan Scott, before the two eventually become close friends...
(Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray is an American actor, former fashion model and spokesperson. Murray is well known for portraying Lucas Scott in The CW young adult drama series One Tree Hill, in addition to the commercially successful films A Cinderella Story, Freaky Friday and House of Wax...
), Skills Taylor (Antwon Tanner
Antwon Tanner
Antwon Tanner is an American actor, mostly known for his role as Antwon "Skills" Taylor on the CW drama series One Tree Hill.-Biography:...
) and Mouth McFadden (Lee Norris
Lee Norris
Lee Michael Norris is an American actor, best known for his roles as Stuart Minkus on Boy Meets World and Marvin "Mouth" McFadden on One Tree Hill.-Early life:...
), enters the school while smoking a cigarette. He walks down the hallway and sees the thugs who beat him up the night before going through his locker; when they notice him, they move to leave, laughing while one of them bumps him purposefully and makes a rude comment. Jimmy pulls out a gun just as Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton
Hilarie Burton
Hilarie Ross Burton is an American actress. A former host of MTV's Total Request Live, she portrayed Peyton Sawyer on The CW drama One Tree Hill for six seasons...
) and Brooke Davis
Brooke Davis
Brooke Penelope Baker is a fictional character on The CW television series One Tree Hill, portrayed by Sophia Bush. Throughout her experiences, Brooke grows from a wild and generally carefree girl to a more mature and grounded young woman...
(Sophia Bush
Sophia Bush
Sophia Anna Bush is an American actress, director and spokesperson. She currently stars in the CW television series One Tree Hill where she portrays Brooke Davis. Bush is additionally known for her film portrayals in the 2007 remake The Hitcher, John Tucker Must Die and The Narrows.-Early...
) come around the corner at the glass library doors. Jimmy fires one shot as Peyton and Brooke hit the floor for cover and the school is sent into a frenzied panic.
Brooke searches for Peyton outside as the sports bus pulls up with Coach Whitey Durham (Barry Corbin
Barry Corbin
Leonard Barrie Corbin, known as Barry Corbin , is an American actor with more than one hundred film, television and video game credits.-Early life:...
), Lucas and Nathan
Nathan Scott
Nathan Royal Scott is a fictional character on The CW television series One Tree Hill, portrayed by James Lafferty. He was the second protagonist during the first six seasons; but following Lucas Scott's departure, Nathan has become the main character and central figure of the show. Nathan is Lucas...
(James Lafferty
James Lafferty
James Martin Lafferty is an American actor, director and producer. He currently portrays Nathan Scott on the CW television drama One Tree Hill. In addition to his role on the young adult drama, Lafferty is also known for his appearance as Justin in S...
) getting off. Brooke informs them of the situation and Nathan and Lucas go into the school, Nathan looking for Haley
Haley James Scott
Haley Bob James Scott is a fictional character on The CW television series One Tree Hill, portrayed by Bethany Joy Galeotti. Haley is initially introduced as Lucas Scott's best friend and eventual sister-in-law after her marriage to Nathan Scott in her junior year of high school...
(Bethany Joy Galeotti
Bethany Joy Galeotti
Bethany Joy Galeotti is an American actress, musician, director, writer, and producer.Galeotti is best known for her on screen portrayals of Michelle Bauer Santos on Guiding Light and Haley James Scott on One Tree Hill...
) and Lucas soon deciding to look for Peyton. Meanwhile, Haley is sheltering a group of students in the tutor center, including Jimmy.
Nathan and Lucas go their separate ways and Lucas finds Peyton, bleeding from a wound in her leg in the library; the wound is assumed to be a piece of glass. Nathan comes across Mouth who had been in the A/V room at the time of the shooting. They make their way to the tutor center. They get there, and, after convincing the group it is them, and not the shooter, they get in. As they try to help everyone escape, Jimmy pulls out the gun and forces them to stay in the tutor center, revealing himself as the shooter. In the midst of the chaos, Brooke is stuck in the school gym due to her parents' absence. She angrily confronts a ruthless reporter who is using the shooting for personal gain.
Lucas tends to Peyton and finds that it is actually a bullet in her leg, and promises her that she will be okay. Peyton is losing a lot of blood, and Lucas does his best to keep her talking so that she has a better chance of survival if awake instead of asleep. Feeling that she does not have long to live, and wanting to confess her feelings for him, she pulls him in for a kiss and tells him she loves him, despite the fact that he is still dating Brooke. Meanwhile, Rachel (Danneel Harris
Danneel Harris
Danneel Ackles , better known by her stage name Danneel Harris, is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Shannon McBain on One Life to Live and Rachel Gatina on One Tree Hill.-Early life:Elta Danneel Graul was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and was raised in the small...
), Mouth, Haley, and Skills attempt to reason with Jimmy who is fed up with being ignored and made fun of.
Brooke realizes that she has been looking for the wrong things in life when a worried mother comes to her looking for her daughter thinking that her daughter and Brooke are friends. Though Brooke assures the mother that she will find her daughter, she realizes that she does not know her and excuses herself outside to secretly break down into sobs. She later finds the girl and convinces her to find her mother.
In the tutor center, the situation is quickly deteriorating. Jimmy lets Abby (Allison Scagliotti) go due to an illness she has and turns back to find Nathan sending a text with his phone; he threatens to kill whoever comes into the school, just as Lucas carries an unconscious Peyton out of the library. The library door slams and Jimmy goes to confront them, despite the pleas of Haley, Nathan, Rachel, Mouth and Skills.
The confrontation is halted when Keith (Craig Sheffer
Craig Sheffer
Craig Eric Sheffer is an American film and television actor. He is known for his leading role as Norman Maclean in the film A River Runs Through It and of Keith Scott on the television series One Tree Hill.-Early life:...
) convinces Dan (Paul Johansson
Paul Johansson
Paul Joseph Otto Johansson is an American-born Canadian actor, writer and director, best known for playing Dan Scott on the WB/CW television series, One Tree Hill, and for his role as Nick Wolfe on the short lived Highlander: The Series spin-off Highlander: The Raven...
) to sneak him into the school to talk to Jimmy. Keith convinces Jimmy to let Lucas and Peyton go. After a dramatic confrontation, in which Keith reaches out to Jimmy in an attempt to save him, Jimmy decides to end his pain by ending his life. The group in the tutor center hear the shot and Haley and Rachel break down into tears. Meanwhile, Lucas has carried Peyton outside and she is loaded into the ambulance. He meets with Brooke who had been let out of the gym, and his mother, Karen (Moira Kelly
Moira Kelly
Moira Kelly is an American actress. She is best known for playing single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama One Tree Hill. She also directed two episodes of the series: "Resolve" and "I Slept with Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me"...
).
After Jimmy commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, Dan shows up in the hall, picks up Jimmy's gun and shoots Keith, killing him and therefore framing Jimmy as the murderer.
Reception
The episode received generally positive reviews, and was one of the season's highest-rated. In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the episode's initial broadcast received record ratings for the season, with a 2.5/4 in households, 3.6 million viewers, and a 1.5/4 in adults 18-49.
Daniel Fienberg of zap2it.com
Zap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
called it a "surprisingly earnest and reflective depiction of a school shooting [with Colin Fickes as a troubled teen with a gun] that avoided the 'Very Special Episode
Very special episode
"Very special episode" is an advertising term originally used in American television commercials to refer to an episode of a sitcom or television drama that deals with a serious or controversial social issue...
' syndrome by also advancing the season's plot". There was sentiment that the episode added new depth to the series. "Through all the fluff, implausible storylines, and pretty smiles from pretty people, there's one episode that sets itself apart from the rest. It's called 'With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds and Tired Souls, We Slept,'" stated Cynthia Boris of DVDVerdict.com. "To put it simply, it's the Columbine
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
episode. (And how sad is it that you all know what I mean when I say that word.) For this one episode, the pretty and popular heroes of the show take a backseat to a chubby, bullied young man who has been humiliated for the last time," she said. "When you see the realness of Jimmy (Colin Fickes) balanced against this cast of plastic, perfect people, it's pretty easy to see why kids kill kids." Boris, however, felt the episode would "b[low] right past the core audience" and that "if you asked a hundred fans to list this season's most memorable moments, Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray is an American actor, former fashion model and spokesperson. Murray is well known for portraying Lucas Scott in The CW young adult drama series One Tree Hill, in addition to the commercially successful films A Cinderella Story, Freaky Friday and House of Wax...
dressing up as Jack Sparrow would likely land much higher than this topical episode". In contrast to Boris's statement about the core audience, however, the episode ranked highest in a 2009 pick of the "12 most essential episodes" of One Tree Hill by fans at website starnewsonline.com. "That episode, featuring the shooting of Uncle Keith, is a clear favorite among fans and really was a turning point for the series," stated Jeff Hidek of the website. "This episode proved that the show could reach beyond hookups and hook shots and tap into its audience’s hearts." The episode is considered one of the series’ most pivotal, and the storyline is frequently named among fans as one of the best. TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
said, "Hard as it is to watch, this harrowing school-shooting March episode proved [One Tree Hill] to be smarter — and gutsier — than your average teen drama."
TheCinemaSource.com called the episode the highlight of Season 3. "...[We] call it the columbine episode... This episode is a must-see and should have been the season finale because of its dreadful ending," stated the website. "This was a powerful episode that writers took a risk with because it was a topical issue to tackle that tried to send a message to those who seek hope." Amy Kane of Film.com
RealNetworks
RealNetworks, Inc. is a provider of Internet media delivery software and services based in Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. The company is the creator of RealAudio, a compressed audio format; RealVideo, a compressed video format; RealPlayer, a media player; RealDownloader, a download...
, on the other hand, said the episode made her quit watching the show temporarily, because One Tree Hill is a show that is "so campy and tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
that it seemed like bad taste for it to address such a serious subject".