We all know that One Tree Hill is one of the best shows of all time. Something about it just makes you feel good. Maybe it’s the friendships, the families, or maybe it’s that sometimes it made us feel better about our lives. We know that One Tree Hill certainly had its share of villains. But, what I think we never really address is that One Tree Hill NEEDS the villains. Maybe the villains and the stories they tell make the show great. Maybe how the villain is always overcome makes the show great. This is a list of some of the One Tree Hill villains and why we NEED them.

Dan Scott:

Of course Dan Scott is going to make the list. He had two children just a few months apart that have different mothers. And to make things worse, he only claimed one of them. He only ever claimed Nathan. He could never face Lucas and admit that he was also his. The son Dan Scott did claim, Nathan, couldn’t stand him. Dan was always on his back about basketball, so much that Nathan nearly died because he took drugs to be a better player once. There were even times when Nathan wanted to walk away from basketball, a game that he LOVED, because of his dad. Eventually things got so bad, Nathan got himself emancipated. HE divorced HIS PARENTS. And, we can never get over that he killed his own brother, Keith, whom we loved, in cold blood. This one speaks for itself.

But now, I want to talk about why we need Dan Scott. The first one: the existence of Nathan and Lucas Scott. They’re amazing and we love them. Second, he pushed Nathan to be good at basketball and that’s why he was so good. Nathan’s success in basketball came from anger and trying to prove something to his father, and it worked. Third, when Keith and Lucas were in a car accident, he pulled them both out of the car and got them to the hospital. If it hadn’t been for Dan, Lucas would not have had a fighting chance at survival. Not to mention, from the second Jamie Scott met his grandfather, he loved him. He always wanted to hang out with him and could NEVER understand why his parents hated him so much. Finally, when Nathan was kidnapped, Dan did everything that he could to find him. He ended up getting shot, and was unable to recover and he didn’t make it. But, he saved Nathan. In the end, Dan Scott died a hero. The best part is it shows that Keith forgave him. Keith and Dan’s “ghosts” are seen walking away and Dan asked where he was going and Keith says that he is his plus one.

Lindsey Strauss:

She was Lucas’ book editor and girlfriend, and fiancé, and almost his wife. Basically we hated her because we wanted Lucas to be with Peyton. I mean, from the very beginning he was always meant to be with Peyton. It’s particularly crazy because Lindsey always told Lucas that she was rooting for the couple in the book and then all of a sudden, she wants to date him? Like, what? Anyway, they all end up back in Tree Hill and Peyton wants Lucas back and we can tell that he still loves her, but there’s one problem…he’s with Lindsey now. The entire time Lindsey hates Peyton because she’s jealous of her and Peyton hates Lindsey because she’s jealous of her. We even get to Lindsey and Lucas’ wedding day and we are sure they’re going to get married, but they don’t. Lindsey calls off the wedding. So, we hate her for causing us all that anxiety and keeping Lucas and Peyton apart and we also hate her for breaking Lucas’ heart.

We need Lindsey because she published Lucas’ book. He only needed one person to believe in him and she did and she made it happen. Getting his book published was huge for Lucas’ career. She pushed him to be successful and she helped him keep his mind off of Peyton. Speaking of Peyton, Lindsey realized Lucas and Peyton were meant to be together and pointed it out to Lucas. She walked away so that they could be together.

Rachel Gattina:

Rachel was a mess from the beginning. She came to Tree Hill all full of herself. She called Haley and Brooke both fat several times. Neither Haley nor Brooke were ever anywhere near fat. But, that was just one minor thing. Quite possibly the worst thing she ever did was release the time capsule, which ultimately led to Jimmy Edwards bringing a gun to school, and shooting himself. She also convinced Mouth to go away with her, where he ended up in jail in Honey Grove, Texas. She was always hitting on Nathan and trying to steal him away from Haley and always being mean to Haley. Also, she goes on to overdose on drugs and ended up marrying Dan Scott.

We need Rachel because she really pulled Mouth out of his comfort zone and helped him be more confident. He was no longer shy after spending some time with Rachel. Somehow, they just “got” each other, and it was actually kind of beautiful. She also took the fall for Brooke cheating on a math test so that Brooke could graduate. She really came through and was a real friend. She also let Brooke stay with her at her house when Brooke didn’t have anywhere to go.

Nanny Carrie:

She was absolutely, out of her mind, crazy. She was hired by Nathan and Haley to be Jamie’s nanny. She quickly begins flirting with Nathan and eventually sneaks in the shower with him and Haley catches her and throws her out. She goes on to kidnap Jamie from Lucas’ wedding to Lindsey. Dan rescues Jamie from her, which I forgot to mention when I was talking about Dan. So, another reason Dan was needed. In retaliation, she hits Dan with a car and takes him hostage and plans to kill him. In the end, he escapes from her with the help of Jamie, Haley, and Deb.

The only reason I can even think of that we need this crazy lady is that she made things interesting. She brought a drama and an action to the show that was very entertaining.

Of course this is not every villain ever in One Tree Hill. We can't forget about crazy, psycho fake Derick or Nicki. But, this is a basic list of why the bad guys were necessary.