Top 20 Times Brooke Davis was the Best Character on One Tree Hill

“Between Order and Randomness”
When we first meet Brooke, she’s the popular, rich girl. Early on, it’s a big part of her identity. But that identity gets tested when her parents run out of money and she’s forced to fend for herself. In season 2, Brooke gets a job at a restaurant to keep her head above water. But when she realizes how badly her fellow workers are being treated, she rallies them to fight for their rights. It’s not even a moment of her saying that she deserves better because she’s Brooke Davis. Instead, it’s her realizing they all deserve better because they’re human beings. In a time when it would be easy for Brooke to crumble, she shows us what she’s really made of.

“One Tree Hill”
This is such a beautiful moment between Brooke and Haley. The pair reopened Karen's Café in season 8. And the series finale sees Brooke surprising Haley with the news that she’s also opening her new clothing store, Baker Man, just across the street. When you look back on the show as a whole, it’s striking to see how many important moments happened on that corner. The characters grew up here, and felt safe in their slice of home. Through this nostalgic journey, Brooke and Haley embrace the fact that this part of Grace Street is forever theirs. Seeing Brooke take this step, fostering even more community in the place that raised her alongside one of her best friends, never fails to warm our hearts.

“Truth, Bitter Truth”
Though they have a complicated friendship, Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer have always held a very special place in each other’s hearts. So Peyton starts to develop a friendship with new girl Anna, Brooke maybe gets slightly jealous and even a little bit cruel. But all that animosity soon fades, and seeing Brooke finally accept her into the group is so touching. Though she shows a more vindictive side to herself at first, she’s also incredibly gracious, admitting she was wrong. Sparked by a moment where all the girls open up these profound parts of themselves, Brooke finally sees Anna, and allows Anna to truly see her.

“4 Years, 6 Months, 2 Days”
When we start season five, the show has jumped forward four years. At this point, we discover that Brooke is living in New York, and that her clothing line has blown up. She’s famous, she has money, she has acclaim. What more could anyone want? But when Peyton calls her feeling lost, Brooke admits her own uncertainty about the true meaning of happiness. And that’s not all. She moves back to Tree Hill, risking everything to reunite with Peyton, who’s recently returned home as well. This epitomizes who Brooke Davis really is at her core. When a friend is in need, she’s willing to drop everything to be there in an instant.

“The Search for Something More”
Early on in the show, Brooke has this reputation of being little more than the wild girl at school. Of course, that’s a deeply incomplete portrait, and this moment is one of the first where we see just how layered and caring she is. The season 1 episode sees her and Peyton attending a college party. There, a guy disgustingly sneaks something into Peyton’s drink. But Brooke won’t have any of that. She fearlessly barges into his room, shoves him off, and gets her friend out of there and to safety before contacting Lucas for additional assistance. Who knew Brooke was such a badass? Lucas says it himself — he was clearly wrong about her.

“Racing Like a Pro”
By now we’ve established that Brooke is a fierce friend and protector. This directly translates into the type of godmother she is to Jamie Scott. When he decides to race in the Soap Box Derby, the guys get a bit overzealous in helping him prepare, and forget to listen to what he really wants. But Brooke never loses sight of what matters: Jamie! Whether it’s making a choice about what color to paint the car, or about whether he even wants to race, she teaches him to “take a stand.” It’s a big lesson, and one that she imparts beautifully. It goes without saying, but every kid could use a Brooke Davis in their corner.

“The Search for Something More”
We know Brooke can have a bit of a cruel streak when things aren’t going her way. In season one, she throws a wrench in Nathan and Haley’s budding relationship while intoxicated at a party out of spite. But everyone makes mistakes. What matters is that she’s also deeply kind, and doesn’t only acknowledge her bad behavior, but goes out of her way to right her wrong. It’s so important that Brooke goes to both Nathan and Haley to apologize. And she doesn’t get defensive, instead taking responsibility. What’s more, she puts together a major date for them to fix things, and give their romance a chance. Talk about being a truly good human being!

“We All Fall Down” & "Nobody Taught Us to Quit"
Brooke grows a great deal throughout “One Tree Hill”’s nine seasons, and few instances represent that better than this. Considering her fraught familial situation, it’s easy to see how she wasn’t always the best version of herself. After all, all she really wanted was her parents’ attention and approval. So it’s not super surprising that she hired her mother, Victoria, to help her with her uber successful company. However, after finding out her mom screwed over their investors, Brooke makes the decision to prioritize human lives and connections over business. Giving up her company and her own fortune to pay those who lost everything back isn’t easy, but it’s the right thing. So of course, it’s what Brooke does.

“With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept”
There’s a lot to unpack about this episode. Luckily, Brooke makes it out of the school after Jimmy’s initial display of violence. And though she’s struggling, she never loses sight of what matters. We’ll never tire of seeing her tell off the reporter who’s trying to commodify the tragedy. But we want to focus on the Glenda of it all. B. Davis has always been one of the pretty and popular, but here she sees the disparity between the different cliques at school. The thought that her classmate, Glenda, had to lie to her mother about them being friends hits Brooke hard, bringing the weight of it all into focus. Yet she handles the situation with care and compassion, because that’s who she is.

"The Hero Dies in This One" & “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows”
During the first two seasons of the show, there’s a ton of exposition, as the characters start slowly growing into the people they’re meant to be. This storyline takes Brooke – a natural leader who will always go to bat for her community – leaps and bounds in that direction. Before now, she was mostly seen as the party girl — especially to acquaintances and classmates who didn’t truly know her like us. But here, running for student body president, she simultaneously embraces that side of herself while also proving there’s a lot more to her. She stands up to essentially say she’s not a two-dimensional caricature, or a stereotype. She’s Brooke freaking Davis! To say we’re ecstatic when she wins would be an understatement.

“Unopened Letter to the World”
Brooke has always been one to tell it like it is, and her time capsule video is no exception. While most of the school is reminiscing about memories, complaining about their problems, or making startling confessions, Brooke, instead, makes a plea of hope for the future. She lays down some truths about how hard it is to be a girl in high school these days and wishes that things will be better by the time the time capsule is unearthed. Of course, this profound moment is hilariously followed up with a spontaneous strip show. Sassy and sincere, it’s classic Brooke Davis.

“You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love”
Like most lifelong best friends, Brooke and Peyton have many ups and downs. But it seemed like their fights over Lucas and Nathan might just be the thing to end them. Peyton even goes so far as to write a slur on Brooke’s prom dress. But Brooke sees the glass as half full and goes to Peyton’s house to make up, only to be greeted by Peyton’s fake brother, psycho Derek. With some unparalleled courage, and some eighth grade cheer camp moves, Brooke saves Peyton from a grim fate, rescuing their friendship in the process. There’s nothing like a majorly traumatizing experience to bring people together.

“You’re Gonna Need Someone on Your Side”
From the beginning of the series, Brooke’s mom was this sort of mythical villain that was only spoken of but never seen. After the time jump however, we finally got to see the monster in the flesh, and learned that Brooke was not exaggerating. It was hard to see the strong, confident woman we had watched Brooke grow into over the years still feel so small in the presence of her mother. But that only makes it all the more satisfying when Brooke finally stands up to her and takes back control of her company and her life. The pair’s relationship eventually improves, but we don’t think that would’ve been possible without this moment.

“Remember Me as a Time of Day”
Brooke has had some really bad luck with love, and when Julian comes along, things are complicated between them, to say the least. When he says that he loves her for the first time, she doesn’t take it so well. But after some ups and downs, she’s finally ready to really let him in. She finds him on the set of his film, and says “I Love You” with a little help from some movie magic. It is a beautiful and well deserved moment for Brooke that had been a long time coming.

“Pictures of You”
Out of all the characters on the show, Brooke arguably goes through the most impressive development. The photo lesson in season four is a prime example of this. It’s a big moment for everyone, as they reach the end of their senior year and reexamine themselves and their classmates. Brooke shares a very honest hour with Chase where she admits that she has spent her whole life feeling insecure and inadequate. But by the end of the lesson, she embraces her insecurities and takes control of them rather than letting them control her, and Chase takes a picture of her with all of her self doubts projected onto her. It’s powerful stuff.

“Choosing My Own Way of Life”
After four years away building her business, Brooke returns home to Tree Hill with a new dream. She decides it’s time for the next stage in her life, and wants a child. She proves just how motherly she can be when she looks after baby Angie, but she fittingly takes a deeper foray into motherhood with a troubled teenager. Having had several unpleasant run-ins with Sam, Brooke takes her in and becomes her temporary mom - seeing something in Sam that reminds her of her younger self. Though things are rocky for them at first, it’s amazing to see the pair grow together, into a family that both of them need.

“All Tomorrow’s Parties”
Brooke has the opportunity to participate in a fashion show and jumpstart her future in the industry, but she would have to miss the cheer competition she looks forward to every year. After some deep contemplation, she makes the mature decision that she has plenty of time to achieve her dreams, but only a little time left being a kid. Naturally, things go horribly wrong at the competition. But rather than get angry, Brooke makes the best of a bad situation, and just starts dancing like a goof on stage - inspiring the rest of the Ravens, and the crowd to join in. You just can’t keep Brooke Davis down.

“Darkness on the Edge of Town”
Brooke has always been selfless when it comes to the people she loves. And no moment is more representative of that than when she nearly dies saving Jamie from a car wreck. During a terrible storm, Brooke comes across Jamie and his friends with Miss Lauren in an overturned car. While trying to save Jamie, the car gets knocked into the river with the both of them still inside. Julian finds them and tries to save Brooke, but she demands that he save Jamie first. For a few heart wrenching minutes, it seemed as though we might actually lose Brooke. Though that would have been shocking, it’s no surprise that she was willing to risk her life for someone she loves.

“How a Resurrection Really Feels”
Early on, Brooke spends a lot of time letting herself be defined by both her absent parents and the boys who neglect her. And after a let down wherein her clothing designs are stolen, she’s more dejected than ever. But with some help from Haley, and some artwork from Peyton, she bets on herself and starts her own clothing company while still in high school. Fittingly, she names the company after her and Peyton’s catchphrase, ‘Clothes Over Bros.’ After watching Brooke get torn down so many times, we finally get to witness her start to see herself as the powerful, talented, and driven person we always knew her to be.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Don’t Mess with Brooke Davis

We Can’t Condone Violence, but There’s No Denying Brooke’s Power Here

Never Stop Dancing, Girl!

“Things a Mama Don’t Know”
Brooke had been feeling very vulnerable after being attacked in her store. Who wouldn’t? But upon realizing Sam is in trouble with the same man, she runs head first into danger and unleashes hell on her attacker, Xavier. It’s an awesome, triumphant moment watching Brooke destroy this awful person who’s caused so much harm. She single-handedly takes him out and holds him down until the police get there. Apparently, Xavier doesn’t learn his lesson the first time, and has the nerve to return years later - only for our girl to double down and fight back again. Brooke Davis is truly a queen.