One Tree Hill: 10 Worst Things About Lucas, Ranked

The heart of One Tree Hill lies in the story of Lucas Scott, and while there are plenty of other characters that have their moments in the show’s run and leave their mark, the silhouette of Lucas paints the picture of what this Carolina tale is going to look like.

Alas, while Lucas has plenty of moments in which he comes across as the heartthrob we all believe him to be, he also has a tendency to let himself down. Today, we’re going to point out a few of the reasons why we believe he hasn’t always been the saint that he’s said to be.

10 Cheating

Lucas is forced to grow up pretty quickly when he’s thrust onto the team in the blink of an eye, but when it comes to adjusting to his new social stature, we can’t defend some of his actions. One of the most notable discretions comes in the form of his ‘affair’ with Peyton. Despite Peyton being best friends with Brooke, Lucas’ girlfriend, the two give in to their feelings and make out on several occasions behind Brooke’s back.

Then, bizarrely, he decides to go in an even more bizarre direction when he gets it on with Nicki in the midst of all this chaos. Oh, and he also kissed Peyton again when he was with Lindsey.

9 Final Season Haircut

When Lucas Scott returned to One Tree Hill for its final season, fans couldn’t wait to catch a glimpse of the man that helped put this show on the map.

Unfortunately, while it may have been good to see his face, his haircut wasn’t doing anyone any favors.

It just didn’t look like Lucas Scott at all, and while it may have been for a different role, there’s no real excuse for not resembling the old Luke – especially seeing as Chad Michael Murray still looks exactly the same in 2020.

8 Leaving Then Returning

At the end of the first season, Lucas decides that it’s best for him to start fresh somewhere else away from Tree Hill. He leaves town with his uncle Keith, as the two go in search of true happiness.

Then, within less than one whole episode, he comes back. We understand that the storyline dictated he should probably make his return, but the whole thing was just too quick. If they’d extended the process out over the course of a few episodes, then maybe it would’ve been more plausible – and generally more believable.

7 General Treatment Of Brooke

Lucas becomes interested in Brooke, they get together, he cheats on her, and they break up. He chases after her once again in an attempt to win her back, they fall in love, he cheats on her, pretty much ignores her, and they break up.

Everyone knows and understands that Peyton is the girl he truly wants to be with, but that doesn’t excuse some of his actions. Lucas is supposed to be one of the most honorable characters in the entire show’s run, and that reputation gets tarnished every single time he breaks Brooke’s heart.

6 Snobbery

As much as we want to believe Lucas just isn’t very perceptive, it constantly feels like he chooses to put himself in positions whereby he is considered to be a bit of a snob.

This mainly comes down to his reactions to certain comments and conversations. Perhaps because he reads quite a lot and goes on to become an author, he, therefore, believes he is the judge & jury on any matter of real importance. It impacts how the viewers see him, and in many ways, it allows them to gravitate more towards Nathan.

5 Petty Nathan Rivalry

Speaking of Nathan, it’s worth touching on the bitter rivalry between the two brothers that seemed to go on for an eternity. Both of them are just kids in the pilot, so you can forgive some of their shortcomings, but over the first few seasons, they lie and deceive each other so much that it becomes difficult to root for one over the other.

Lucas allows himself to be dragged down into the nitty-gritty of it all, and it doesn’t exactly paint him out to be the nicest of individuals.

4 Lying About Heart Condition

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a condition that Dan Scott is diagnosed with during the show’s run. Eventually, we come to learn that Lucas also has HCM.

However, for a while, he decides to lie about the diagnosis, opting to not take his medication in order to improve his performance on the court. Every single time he went out there he ran the risk of dying within minutes, and thankfully, he eventually came clean. Above everything else, this is one of the most selfish moves that he pulled during the show.

3 Haley’s Cheerleading Criticism

While we can understand why some people aren’t big fans of the whole ‘cheerleader’ craze, you’d have thought Lucas’ friendship with Haley was a bit stronger than we came to learn at this moment.

Haley made the decision to join the Tree Hill Ravens’ cheerleading squad, and Lucas automatically hated it with a burning passion. He’s had more than a few rough experiences with cheerleaders by this point, but the fact that he chooses to take it out on Haley and her relationship with Nathan just comes across as misguided.

2 Resentment Towards Peyton

When we return to Tree Hill in season 5, Lucas has moved on to a whole new relationship with Lindsey. As a result, things get fairly awkward when both he and Peyton return to town after going their separate ways.

You can tell he harbors a real resentment towards her, probably because he believes she is the sole reason why they’re no longer together. He even winds up telling Peyton that he hates her, and in the wake of that, you can just tell how much he regrets saying it.

1 Leaving The Show

When Lucas and Peyton ride off into the sunset at the end of Season 6, it truly does signal the end of an era.

In our mind, that’s where the show should’ve come to an end, as it was also the episode in which Nathan finally achieved his dream of making it to the NBA. Lucas’ exit, alongside Peyton’s, cut the legs off of the show in a big way. They tried to soldier on for another three seasons, but in reality, it was never going to work in the same way.

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