It finally happened. And when I tell you I’ve waited years for this moment, I mean it.
Honestly, I never thought a One Tree Hill reunion was even possible. Sure, I hoped maybe one or two former Tree Hill ravens would guest appear on Good Sam eventually, but never in my wildest dreams did I think we’d get both Bethany Joy Lenz and Hilarie Burton in the same episode – and playing sisters!
Essentially, my level of excitement was through the roof throughout this episode that I barely knew what was happening. Just kidding. But really, I haven’t been this excited for a television episode in so long.
Anyways, there was indeed more than just this One Tree Hill reunion in this episode so let’s discuss what, in addition to Haley, Peyton, and Brooke being all on the same screen again, happened in this week’s episode of Good Sam.
There’s Only One Tree Hill
If you think I wouldn’t spend the first part of this review gushing about this once-in-a-lifetime reunion then you are sadly mistaken.
Oh, how I’ve missed these three ladies on my screen. There’s a reason so many are attached to this beloved CW series – it’s because the chemistry Sophia, Joy, and Hilarie have is unmatched. We saw them practically grow up on One Tree Hill so it’s a real treat to see these grown women on our screen all these years later.
So what do Joy and Hilarie have to do with the Good Sam universe? Well, playing sisters this time around, they show up at the hospital needing Sam and her team’s assistance.
Amy (Bethany Joy Lenz) comes to the hospital thinking she needs a bypass, and after puking blood, they soon discover that a bypass isn’t what’ll make her all better. Gretchen (Hilarie Burton) informs the doctors that Amy is three years sober so when she starts acting all drunk, things get a little heated between the sisters.
Turns out Amy isn’t sneaking in alcohol to her hospital room but her body is essentially producing its own booze making her drunk. While this story isn’t exactly groundbreaking, it at least puts a smile on my face when Amy drunkenly says she thinks she knows Sam from years ago. I see what you did there writers. I was actually hoping for a couple more One Tree Hill puns or references but I’ll take what I can get (though apparently there was an easter egg thrown in).
And that was basically the gist of the reunion. So while we didn’t get a whole lot of time with all three of them together, it was a reunion I will forever cherish. Because even though One Tree Hill has been over for a while and Good Sam’s future is unknown, this episode and all the hype surrounding it just goes to show how much of an impact these three women have had.
Medical Mystery
One of the main storylines in the back half of this season is what exactly is going on with Griff. Since being allowed back in the operating room, a range of symptoms keeps happening to him including light sensitivity, nightmares, ringing in the ear, etc.
It’s basically up to Lex and Sam to find out what’s wrong. And they’re doing so with the hopes that no one else finds out and discredits Griff in the process. And that, unfortunately, includes Malcolm who is now snooping on behalf of his mother. After all, what’s the point of Sam bowing out of the chief race if Griff is unable to take on the position?
Turns out that Griff’s symptoms may be a result of PTSD but not from the shooting we witnessed in the series premiere. No, this PTSD could be from the accident he and Sam experienced over twenty years ago which left Sam needing major heart surgery. According to Lex, it could take years for PTSD from past trauma to surface and the shooting may have been what caused it to rise to the top.
To get to the root cause, Griff and Sam are going to therapy, seeing his ex-wife’s current husband, Asher Pine. Definitely a conflict of interest but he seems to have Griff’s best interest at heart and actually wants to figure out what’s going on.
I do find it bewildering that Sam tells her mother all this confidential therapy information despite the fact that it is private. Either way, Vivan joined them for their next session which involved Griff dropping the truth bomb that the reason for the accident was because he was driving drunk.
That news has to be very tough for Sam to hear even decades after the accident. And what makes it even worse was she also learned that her mother knew about it and covered it up. So while Griff and Sam’s relationship was on the mend, things have derailed yet again.
Who knows how long it will take Sam to forgive her parents and rebuild that trust. It does leave Sam in a vulnerable position as she kind of has lost trust in a lot of people. Griff, Vivian, Malcolm, and Lex to name a few yet very important people in her life. At least she has Caleb who seems to be someone she can really lean on during all this turmoil.
Elsewhere In The Episode
- Malcolm’s mother is literally manipulating the hell out of him and I just really hope he catches on sooner rather than later. I do give him props for finally telling his father how he feels. It may not have amounted to anything but at least he spoke his truth.
- Even if Griff’s symptoms are explainable, do Sam and Lex really think he should be leading their department if something could be wrong? We don’t know when his symptoms will go away, and in that case he has no right to run such an important medical department. Why can’t Sam and Lex see that?
- Isan is a compassionate doctor who deserves more screen time. I said what I said.
- I am liking Sam and Caleb’s relationship more and more with each episode. They’re seriously too cute but I have a feeling that friends with benefits isn’t going to end well especially when those three words were said in the last episode.
Catch Good Sam on CBS on Wednesdays at 10/9c.
