For nearly a decade, one show has remained a part of pop culture and connected to fans of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life — “One Tree Hill.” As the season, and ultimately, the series, comes to an end, loyal OTH fans can finally reach closure with the show that, for many, has been there since middle school.

I myself have been a fan of the show since its early days, as an eighth grader swooning over the handsome Chad Michael Murray, who played Lucas Scott, the main character the series was originally created around.

In the beginning of the series, it was a story about two half-brothers, with Lucas being from the other side of the tracks and his brother Nathan Scott, played by James Lafferty, as the rich brother who lived with their father, Dan Scott, played by Paul Johansson.

Over the span of nine seasons, a lot has changed in the world of Tree Hill, North Carolina. No longer are two of the original main characters present, as Lucas and Peyton Sawyer, played by Hilarie Burton, took off into the sunset in season six.

While some “OTH” fans disapproved of the one of the main couples being written off, the show evolved and transitioned into the drama it ended with this past week.

The story lines ended with the original cast members Nathan and Haley, played by Bethany Joy Galeotti, remaining a strong couple and family, and Brooke Davis, played by Sophia Bush, having a family as well.

The final episode began with Nathan going to the river court, a main location of the show over the years. As he drives up, he sees the 17-year-old version of himself playing basketball, which the show has always revolved around to an extent.     

We then see Brooke envision herself in the hallway of Tree Hill high school, and Haley watch herself in Karen’s Café making wishes about her future. After the opening credits, we go to Tric, the nightclub where several artists have graced the stage to make the music that has become another defining part of the show.

Performers for the last episode included Haley, Chris Keller, played by Tyler Hilton, and also Gavin DeGraw, whose song “I Don’t Want to Be” has been the theme for the past nine seasons. As he performed the song, the cameras pan to the cast, while they sang along and rocked side to side.

For myself, this episode, including the hour of interviews prior, did a fantastic job at finding a way to tie up the show and have some form of closure. Unfortunately, I had not been following this last season, so I was in the dark for some of the story lines that had preceded it, but over all, it felt nice to see the characters and the stories that were there for me since middle school come to a happy end.