Ashes of Dreams You Let Die (2024)

"Ashes of Dreams You Let Die" is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season of One Tree Hill and the 86th produced episode of the series. It aired on May 30, 2007. Nathan and Haley grow closer in spite of the recent scandal and Brooke wonders if a spark might be rekindled with Chase. Peyton receives a tempting offer that would ultimately take her away from Tree Hill. Marvin reconnects with Gigi, while Lucas tells Karen that Dan is a murderer, setting off an explosive series of events.

Synopsis

Lucas watches as Karen and Dan kiss. Furious, Lucas pushes his dad away and begins punching him. Dan knocks him to the ground asking what is wrong with him as Lucas tells Karen that Dan killed Keith. Shocked, Dan says he is going and walks out as Karen tells Lucas to stop saying that and that Jimmy killed Keith. She walks out angry as Lucas slouches onto his bed. Nathan goes to meet Haley in the cafe and receives looks as the whole town knows that he shaved points. Haley assures him it will all blow over, as it did when she went on tour. Nathan then asks how her valedictory speech is coming along, but Haley tells him it is coming along slowly but she is nowhere near finished. Nathan then says he hasn’t heard from Duke as Haley suggests talking to Whitey for help. Whitey is packing up his office as the phone goes. He ignores it. Brooke joins Peyton in the school and as they discuss the day being the last Wednesday of high school, and yearbook day, they wonder what they will do with their lives. They look up what they said in their yearbook as their goals, Brooke’s is humorous, whereas Peyton’s is predictably blank. Peyton then tells her she got an apprenticeship for Sire records, but it’s in L.A. Brooke thinks it is great as they can spend the summer together, but Peyton says she needs to tell Lucas first. Meanwhile, Haley is pulled out of class by the Principal and told that she is not able to give her speech due to Nathan point shaving. He apologizes and leaves Haley upset with his decision. Lucas goes to the police station and asks to speak to a detective to report a murder.

In the police station, the cop is trying to understand that he is accusing his father with no proof. He then asks for Abby’s name, and as he does, Dan walks in and asks for her name too as she sounds very confused and misunderstood. Dan tells the cop that Lucas has done this has he found that his mom and him have started a relationship. The policeman explains to Lucas that he was the cop who revealed to him that his brother had died and he owes him an apology for lying. Lucas gets up and looks at Dan, before walking out the room in silence. Nathan walks in on Deb aiming her gun and asks what is going on. Deb explains she is just cleaning her gun but Nathan is not so keen on her having it and is also not impressed that she invited his pregnant wife to a shooting range. He walks off unimpressed by his mom. In high school, Chase goes to talk to Brooke who reveals she has seen his yearbook entry. Chase says that it must be fate, but Brooke assures him it is coincidence. They smile at each other as Brooke asks why he left Clean Teens. Chase admits that he joined the group as he was hiding from getting his heart broken, but then Brooke came along. Brooke apologizes admitting she has been thinking of him and he says the same back. As he offers to write what he has been thinking in her year book, Brooke suggests swapping in calculus and both doing the same, which Chase agrees to. He walks off as Brooke smiles with hope. Mouth picks his yearbook up and looks through the pages. He gets to the ‘Ravens hoops’ page and finds that Jimmy has been cropped out of the photo. He goes to the editing room to find Gigi and he says he is upset with the yearbook. Gigi says she thought he would be upset with her, confusing Mouth as he reveals that he is annoyed about what is not in the yearbook, Jimmy Edwards. Gigi says that she was told to take him out.

Haley is measuring her stomach as Nathan asks whether she has finished her speech. Haley says she is not going to be giving her speech. She tells him that she can’t give the speech because of Rachel, but Nathan knows it is because of him. Haley tries to assure him it is okay, but Nathan says it isn’t fair. Dan goes to see Karen and tells her that he is worried about Lucas and that he needs professional help as he wants to help him and Karen. Brooke asks Peyton for advice about which entry to put into Chase’s yearbook. She says that one is about her true feelings, and the other is about how good he is at skateboarding. Peyton asks if she really wants Chase back and as Brooke says she does as he is declaring how he feels in her yearbook. She leaves Peyton with the options. Karen goes to see Lucas and tells him that Keith is gone and he is not coming back and she needs to get on her with her life, possibly with Dan. She asks him to let her in as Lucas says she won’t believe him. He tells her about Abby and what she saw, but now she is gone and he can’t prove it. Karen then tells him that he needs to go and talk to a professional but Lucas refuses to accept that he is crazy, but Karen says that her and Dan both think he needs to. She asks him to as Lucas starts crying at the thought of his mom being persuaded by Dan. Mouth goes to see Principal Turner and asks why Jimmy is not in the yearbook. The principal says Jimmy is not a student anymore and that the yearbook is for happy celebrations and no one wants to remember the day Jimmy died. Mouth says he should not be forgotten as Turner says he never will be.

Brooke asks Peyton in Calculus if she has told Lucas about her internship yet. As Peyton reveals she hasn’t been able to reach him, Brooke says she should get used to it as Lucas’ girlfriend lives a lonely life. Chase walks in as Brooke says she is gonna tell Chase how she feels. They swap books as she starts writing. Gigi goes to see Mouth and gives him Jimmy’s yearbook. His mom ordered it last fall and they thought Mouth should take it to him. Mouth says his mom will not want a book without Jimmy in it, then Gigi has an idea and drags him off somewhere. The bell goes as Brooke finishes writing. She gives Chase his book back and gets her. She flips open the book and her delighted expression fades to shock and regrets what she wrote in Chase’s book. Nathan is visited by Whitey and told that Duke does not want him at the University anymore. Nathan says it is over as Whitey says that basketball is never over and he needs to fight back and be the player that Whitey claims to be the best player he ever coached. He tells Nathan that people love a person who rises when they fall and to remember it. Dan walks in his house to find Lucas asking why he painted the wall red. Dan lies that he just wanted a change, but Lucas says he knows it was Abby who sent the messages and even though he has no proof, the best he can do is keep him away from his mom. Dan says that he understands he is upset but when he goes to school, his mom needs him and he will see that. Nathan begins making phone calls to the different schools to try and get a place, but constantly gets refused. Haley walks in as Nathan gives up and tells her how upset he is with himself that she can’t do the speech. Haley says that she does not care about the speech, just about them. She tells him they will find a way to get through it together. Gigi and Mouth print a document as they admit they both miss each other, as Gigi says they did make the right decision. Mouth gets Gigi to sign his yearbook. Brooke gives Peyton her yearbook and shows her Chase’s comment about being friends. She tells Peyton she cannot believe that she just poured her heart out in his.

Mouth goes in his locker as Gigi gives him his yearbook back. She says goodbye as they realize it may be the last time they see each other. As Mouth asks what she meant when she said she thought he might be mad at her, as Gigi tells him to turn to page 23. He opens it to find a picture of him and Gigi together with a personal message written underneath saying ‘Mouth, here’s to someday, Love Gigi.’ Mouth smiles at Gigi as she walks away. Haley walks into Lucas and asks where he has been. She gives him his yearbook that she signed, taking up a whole page but declaring it as her right as a best friend. They remember their first day of school, where she made Lucas pretend he was her boyfriend so she wasn’t bothered by others. Lucas asks whether she thought they would end up like this, but Haley says no considering she is pregnant, married and leaving with a person with a gun. As Lucas asks what she just said, Haley tells him that Deb keeps a gun in a cookie jar in their house and that she is out of her mind. Lucas goes to Deb’s house later that day and gets the gun out of the cookie jar.

Haley goes to see Whitey and asks for him to help Nathan as he is the only person who has never let him down. She tells him that she knows what he thinks of Nathan and that he really needs his help to be the person who Whitey knows he can be. Whitey asks to think a bit before he does anything. Brooke arrives in school and begins hiding from Chase. She runs into a classroom as he walks by. She sighs with relief as he passes but turns around to find a Freshman class. Trying to hide her embarrassment, she welcomes them to the school. Lucas comes up to Peyton in the school yard and kisses her. She asks where he has been as Lucas apologizes as he has a habit of crawling into his shell. Peyton tells him about the internship and that it is in L.A. Lucas tells her to take it as she deserves it and he will be waiting for her when she gets back. He tells her she is destined for greatness and this is her first step. He tells Peyton she will always be in his heart as Mouth gets up on a table and tells people that he has Jimmy Edwards’ year book and he hopes everyone will sign it. As he gets down, Lucas is first to sign the yearbook as he tells Mouth what a great friend he is. After Lucas signs it, a group of students line up behind him to sign Jimmy’s yearbook. Nathan goes to see the Principal and tells him that it is not fair for Haley to be punished for something he did. Nathan then asks if he has a wife and if he would want her to pay for his mistakes. He tells him that Haley has worked for 4 years to give the speech and that she deserves it. Dan goes to Karen’s house and is invited in. As he goes in, Lucas gets the gun off the car seat and loads it.

Nathan gets home and Haley suggests going out for dinner. Nathan says it is a good idea, but she will be too busy. As Haley asks why, Nathan gives her the graduation program. She reads the book and finds out under the Valedictory address is her name. Nathan tells her that Turner changed his mind and Haley leaps up for joy and goes to write her speech. Brooke gets back to find Peyton sitting looking at her internship letter. She tells Brooke that Lucas asked her to go, but she admits that she knows something is wrong with Lucas and she doesn’t want to leave him for the summer. Brooke tells her not to worry as their relationship is steady. The door goes, and Brooke answers it to Chase. He tells her that he wanted to write the things she did, but Brooke says it is too late and that it is fine. He tells her he was twice, but couldn’t as he didn’t want to put his heart out there. He tells her everything she wrote, he feels it too and didn’t know how to write it in words. Brooke tells him he just did and kisses him. Haley prepares the speech as Nathan looks at his yearbook goal, to play for Duke. Whitey is on the phone asking to speak to an athletic director. Mouth goes to see Mrs Edwards and gives her the yearbook and Mrs Edwards opens the book to all the personal messages. She cries with happiness and opens the page to find a whole page dedicated to him. She hugs him and thanks him in tears. Peyton puts her Sire apprenticeship letter in the yearbook and turns the page to find Lucas’ message about her always being his heart no matter what, she begins to think about the message and realizes something is not right with him. Dan and Karen are eating as Dan assures her Lucas will be alright, but Karen says something does not feel right and that he looked betrayed when she asked for him to get help. Dan tries to persuade that he did the right thing as he was acting crazy, but Karen says that her son is not crazy. Dan’s phone goes and he gets a text from Abby saying that she is going to the police. He tells her he has to leave. As he gets up, Lucas stands waiting for him in the corridor and tells him that he is protecting his mother. He raises the gun and points it at him telling him he is going to kill him like Dan killed Keith. Karen tries to tell him to put it down, as Lucas reveals that he won’t as he pretended to be Abby and she heard him say that he called her a little problem that he thought he had dealt with. As Dan denies it, Lucas says that he should tell the truth considering he has a gun aimed at his head. Karen begins to panic and that she crouches over in pain collapsing. As Dan goes to see if she is ok, Lucas tells him to stay where he is and not to touch her. Dan says he has to as she may be having a miscarriage, but Lucas denies him to. He tells him that if he moves he will shoot him, and as Dan crouches down to see Karen, Lucas pulls the trigger.

Memorable Quotes

• ”Do you know what today is P. Sawyer?..The last Wednesday of high school”
• ”Oo, the beginning of the end”
• ”Do you always have to put a dark and twisted spin on things? My point is after this week we’re gonna have to figure out what we’re gonna do with our lives”

Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer

• ”Okay, so let me get this straight. You’re accusing the mayor, who also happens to be your father, of killing his brother, your uncle and you’re making this serious accusation without proof?”

Lucas Scott reports the murder to a cop

”The bigger you get, the taller our son’s gonna be”

”So it’s alright if I look like a Weeble Wobble as long as our son can dunk a basketball?”

Nathan Scott and Haley James Scott talk about how big her pregnancy bump is getting

”I need your opinion on something and feel free to be brutally honest”

”Yeah right, cause it really worked out last time I was brutally honest with you”

”Okay, first of all, let’s not go there. Second, as long as you don’t declare your love for Chase anytime soon, we’ll be fine”

”Well, he is seriously cute...too soon?”

”Too soon”

Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer

”I had a dream. There was this girl, on the day Keith was shot. She’s in the hallway, she watched it happen, she saw everything...It was real Mom. It, the girl, I found her. Her name’s Abby and she was there, she watched Keith die. She told me...She told me Dan shot Keith. But now she’s gone, I can’t prove it”

Lucas Scott

”What the heck have I been teaching you for all these years? When somebody says you can’t do something, you fight back, you prove them wrong”

”They took away my scholarship Coach, they don’t want me anymore”

”Then find somebody who does! Nathan, where is the fire that made you the best player I ever coached? Show me it’s still there. If it’s not, then put down that ball and walk off the court.”

Whitey to Nathan Scott after Duke refuses his application

”Did you ever think this is how senior year would end up?”

”What, me? Married, pregnant, living with a recovering junkie who’s packing heat? Absolutely”

Lucas Scott and Haley James Scott reflect on their years at Tree Hill High

”He’s still that person who helped you win all them games. He’s still got a good heart, you saw that, you watched him grow and you know the kind of person that he is. Can’t you just help him be more that person?”

Haley James Scott asks Whitey to help Nathan Scott

”Hi, freshman, great. As your student council president, I just wanted to come by and personally say good luck with the rest of high school. You guys are gonna love the next three years”

”I can’t wait”

”Well maybe not all of you”

Brooke Davis pretends to welcome Freshman whilst hiding from Chase Adams and is spoken to by a Clean Teen geek

”You know I love you Peyton, and no matter what happens to either one of us, you will always be in my heart”

Lucas Scott

”Excuse me everybody, this’ll only take a minute. This yearbook belongs to Jimmy Edwards. Everyone knows his name, but some of you actually knew Jimmy before that day. Maybe you sat with him at lunch, maybe you went to grade school together. If you knew Jimmy, even for a short time, then you probably have some good memories of him and I hope you’ll consider writing them down in his yearbook. Thanks”

Mouth sticks up for his friend, Jimmy Edwards

”I’m sorry, I know I embarrassed you, I embarrassed this school and I’m sorry for that. I am, but please, don’t take this out on Haley...The best student, the best person in this school, can’t gave a speech because she is married to me. Does that sound fair to you?”

Nathan Scott sticks up for Haley James Scott to Principal Turner

”What are you gonna do? Shoot me?”

”Yes, I am. Just like you shot my Uncle Keith”

Dan Scott as Lucas Scott raises a gun to him

”YOU STAY RIGHT THERE! DO NO TOUCH HER!...MOM?!...MOM,ARE YOU OKAY?!...THIS IS MY MOTHER I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL KILL YOU!”

Lucas Scott just before he pulls the trigger at Dan Scott

Voiceover

No Voiceover

Music

• "The Words We Say" - Straylight Run
• "Disasters Are Okay" - Letting Up Despite Great Faults
• "The Way I Am" - Ingrid Michaelson
• "Be By Your Side" - The Storys
• "Burgundy Shoes" - Patty Griffin
• "Something To Believe In" - Aqualung

This episode's title originated from the album Ashes Of Dreams You Let Die, originally sung by B.J Thomas.

Trivia

• Skills and Rachel do not appear in this episode.

Episode References