One Tree Hill has always been understood as being a show about the Scott brothers, Lucas and Nathan. But over nine seasons, Lucas's and Nathan's journeys, together and apart, gradually began to receive less focus. Instead, the series spent more time on its wide-ranging cast of characters, most notably Sophia Bush's Brooke Davis.
Brooke was a character whose popularity the series could never have anticipated. But nearly 20 years after One Tree Hill first premiered, Brooke is still the character that fans come back to the most. As a result, it's not hard to find evidence for the claim that Brooke was actually One Tree Hill's main character all along.
The Show Completely Changed When She Arrived
As hard as it may be to believe, Brooke didn't appear in the pilot of One Tree Hill. This episode was much more serious in tone, as both the teenagers and the adults were desperately in need of some positive energy to shake up their lives. Brooke brought that much-needed change to the series when she arrived in episode 2.
For much of the series' early seasons, Brooke was the popular girl who everyone wanted to date or be like. She added real humor and heart to the series, but she also made key contributions in the drama department, too, since her addition would lead to the creation of the series' iconic Brooke/Lucas/Peyton love triangle.
She Overcame Her Mean Girl Origins
There were many times during the high school seasons of One Tree Hill when Brooke was fundamentally an unlikable character. Although it may be an unpopular opinion about Brooke to it such a thing, she could occasionally let her mean girl instincts get the better of her, resulting in particularly cruel acts committed against Peyton, Haley, and Rachel.
As Brooke got older and further removed from the toxic world of high school, however, she learned how to be a better person. She didn't act out based on petty sleights, and she learned how to forgive and forget and move on.
She Refused To Be Defined By Anyone's Expectations
For most of her arc in the series, Brooke constantly struggled with feelings of inadequacy. For instance, she never felt pretty enough even though all the boys wanted to date her.
But even as Brooke struggled with these expectations she felt she didn't live up to, she made a name for herself based on who she was, and what she was good at. She was an excellent cheerleader, a capable student body president, a good businesswoman, and eventually a decent wife and mother. The only expectations she ultimately let matter were her own.
Her Career Was The Most Successful One
The time jump after One Tree Hill's first four seasons is still polarizing among fans to this day, but Brooke's character arguably emerged from the missing years in the most successful position. While Lucas experienced fleeting success as a writer, and Nathan struggled to make it in the NBA, Brooke always thrived in her design business with both Clothes Over Bros and B. Davis magazine.
Even as she transitioned back to living in Tree Hill, Brooke was able to manage her successful business empire. And when Clothes Over Bros went bankrupt as a result of her mother's mismanagement, Brooke was still able to land on her feet, pivoting to creating an infant clothing line inspired by her new experiences as a mother.
Lucas Knew She Was Going To Change The World Someday
There are many unlikeable things about Lucas Scott as a character, but he was always a particularly good judge of character. In the early drafts of his book, Lucas wrote, "In two years, she'd grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday, and I'm not sure she even knows it."
But even from early on in her high school years, it was clear that Brooke knew she was destined for something more. She had ideas about challenging the double standards girls faced regarding beauty and health, and she conceived of Clothes Over Bros while still in her senior year of high school. Brooke would go on to change the world in her own way, and she did so without any boy helping her.
Her Friendship With Peyton Was The Heart Of The Show
Fans are still divided about whether Brooke and Peyton were one of One Tree Hill's best or worst friendships. The series never shied away from exploring the many highs and lows of their lifelong friendship, putting them through the wringer time and again due to typical teenage drama and love triangles.
It would have been easy for One Tree Hill to keep these two apart for good after their first big fight. But that was clearly not in the cards for these two, who loved each other more than they ever loved any boy. Nearly a decade after One Tree Hill ended, it's clear that Brooke and Peyton's complex friendship was the real love story of the series, as their breakups always hurt more than any couple's.
She Was a Survivor
When One Tree Hill wanted to cover serious topics, it often did so incredibly well. In season 6, Brooke was attacked during a robbery at Clothes Over Bros. She spent much of the season dealing with her trauma, including attending therapy sessions, and she eventually got to face her attacker and get the justice she deserved.
Years later, when her attacker was freed from prison, he began to stalk Brooke again. But rather than be intimidated, Brooke was able to fight him off once again, showing just how strong she had become in the years since their last encounter.
Her Love Life Received The Most Attention
Brooke Davis had more love interests than any other character in the series. Out of the core cast, it took her the longest to find her soulmate, which she eventually did in filmmaker Julian Baker. But in the process of finding him, Brooke was always open about wanting to find love and to find someone who loved her the way she loved them in return.
Brooke had her heart broken more than anyone else in the series, but she also had arguably the most conventional happily ever after ending as a result. She found true love with Julian and gave birth to twins she never thought she could have, showing that everything she went through was worth it in the end.
She Never Apologized For Who She Was
"I am who I am. No excuses," Brooke said in season 2. For better or worse, that was always true. Even when Brooke needed to be taken to task for some of her behavior in her younger years, the series routinely sided with her on all conflicts.
Even though she may never have been conceived of as the series' main character, Brooke's role in the series has stuck with fans all over the world due to her unabashed nature, her bravery, and her vulnerability. She taught teenage girls it was okay to be who they were, no matter what that meant.
Out Of All The Main Characters, She Changed The Most
When Brooke Davis first appeared in One Tree Hill, she was a one-dimensional, ditzy party girl who cared about boys and cheerleading. But when One Tree Hill ended, she was a businesswoman, a wife, a mother, a friend, and an inspiration to so many.
Over the course of nine seasons, Brooke learned how to be a good person, a loyal friend, and so much more. She became the person she always wanted to be by learning from her mistakes, which was more than most other characters could claim to have done.