Okay, so here it goes. First of all, I’ll admit that I was not a devoted OTH fan from the beginning, and therefore my opinion or perception of the show might reflect that (mainly in my distaste for Leyton). With that being said, I thought I would take a stab at the Leyton vs. Brucas battle; placing an emphasis on the points of Leyton I feel have been over-looked.
1.    The Idea of “Leyton=TLA”- I see this plastered on nearly every thread regarding the subject, and IMO their relationship screams out the opposite. Watching the first couple episodes, even the first seasons as a whole, I can see the significance of their connection. Some of their most beautiful and realistic scenes occurred during the first season. At the end of that season, I think most people, myself included, would agree that the show was based or created on these two “fated” lovers, and most importantly I could still believe in their ultimate love. However, the show took several turns (in good T.V. fashion) to question the idea of their being “meant to be”. I think the writers intentions were to portray their love as undeniable; that love that can’t be conquered, and do so in a very angsty sort of way by putting up all these “obstacles” in their way. I guess this can be interpreted in two ways: TLA (True Love Always or True Lust Always) Fans of the couple continually point TLA out, usually saying that he always cheats w/ P, or always saves her, “the epiphany scene in S4, state championship in my dreams, writes 2 novels about her, etc. However, the way I see it, all that really shows is that 1. She always needs saving, and he loves to be the Prince charming…2. THEY ARE CHEATERS, and mostly Peyton waits until Lucas is taken to want him…3. Neither of them really know what they want out of love or life, and honestly who can blame them for most of the show they were in HS, but that championship scene to me is over rated considering he initially said he wanted to be next to Brooke! Bottom line: The boy just didn’t know who he really wanted, he should have just kept his darn mouth shut, and guess what S5 shows he still doesn’t get it…5. these novels (which we’ve never read cover to cover, pre edited for that matter) mean very little; they are fiction! Not only that, but they are edited to sell, and I’m not an expert but I would bet that means beefing up the cheese factor of Leyton (if you recall Lindsay was “routing for them”. The list of contradictions can go on forever. It may just be me but I wouldn’t want that kind of love…IMO it’s not epic outside of the literary fiction world. If the writers want to get Leyton supporters they need to focus on true aspects of love…the lasting kind.
2.    Believability- Which brings me to my 2nd point…Why aren’t people concerned about the reality of their relationship: They both require more stability that the other is capable of providing. This is my focal point as to why Brucas and Jeyton make sense to me. And why I LOVE them. Both these pairings complete each other in a way that the alternative cannot. When Brucas was together both characters grew as individuals and as a couple. The same to be said with Jeyton. But to be fair this is my analysis on Leyton, so I will try not to venture over to other couples, unless needed for comparison. So…I haven’t had the stomach to watch much of S4, so please tell me if I am wrong, but where was the explanation, the believability factor that it was “always Peyton,” wtf happened to the last 2 seasons? They mean nothing? All a denial? I can’t believe that. It just makes absolutely NO sense to have built up Brucas only to break them down. Like I said it was believable in S1, but S4, you just don’t fight for someone the way Lucas did for Brooke for nothing. The “everything before Peyton was just denial?” Lucas repeatedly affirmed his disinterest in Peyton romantically, remember he loved Peyton, but was “ in love with Brooke”! No way was he in denial; in fact I think he quite possibly seemed the surest during that time. The denial was in the writers who thought the viewers would believe that crud.
3.    Peyton Issues-Why is Peyton never concerned about Brooke and Lucas’ history…the fact that she gave them her blessing for a 2nd chance and that she wasn’t going to hurt her again? Why…because when it comes to Lucas she is only concerned with herself. How can that justify true love? Her confession of her “feelings for Luke” in the last epi of S3 was absurd; she just proposed marriage to another man! I just find her to be completely delusional at that point, and for the majority of S5 (the adjoining factor: Lucas happy…in love with someone else…and her alone). Yes…I am convinced she DOES have a beeper that goes off when he’s happy w/ someone else! And then when he is and she isn’t his center of attention, she becomes this selfish Luke obsessed, pathetic, depressed individual that is just plain awful to watch. It’s like when they are together it’s not enough for her. I get it…she wasn’t ready to get married, but that’s what an engagement is for! It was 3 whole years before she decided to make a move? For your true love you just sit back and wait? If she was willing to accept L/L at the book signing, why not after 2 years of an honest relationship. Lucas said in 5.05 that Peyton changed…I’d have to disagree. I think that she has always been a selfish person when it came to love, and more likely it was Lucas who had changed, or matured…and that was a defining moment in their relationship for me. At that point I realized that Lucas finally got it…or so I thought…that they had a great love, but it would never work out bc they want different things, and contrary to their exterior alikeness (tortured artist meets tortured athlete) what really matters is that they held different ideals. Peyton simply was and still is not mature enough to be in a committed relationship for the long haul.
4.    Lucas Issues- Conflicted heart? Yes I think Lindsey nailed it on the head. The man just cannot make up his mind. IMO he is way to concerned with females! I mean really, I can’t think of any other male who “needs” to be with someone more than him! He’s NEVER single; a necessary transition for most people! He never has time to reflect on his stupidity. Its just girl after girl after girl. Why is he always confessing his undying love, and proposing marriage? Love and marriage don’t solve the problems at hand; in fact they tend to ignite further ones. Therefore instead of repeating his mistakes in what is hinted at in the S5 finale, he needs to take a break alone! Figure it out, and go at it like a normal person. If any out of his 3 women, he did it right with Lindsey. This is why I respect their relationship. He also did it right with Brooke in seasons 2/3…and the end product of Brucas, up until Peyton drama leads to another heartbreak, is magical. Lucas and Peyton require way too much, they are both in need of a strong and stable partner, which means they can’t fully complete each other. Lucas loves Peyton and he always will. I believe this. I just think that people confuse this love to be something it is not. They are soulmates in that their path and lives are interconnected, but they are not lovers. He knows it, but it is hard to believe in yourself, when everyone around you (the writers included) are pushing him in the wrong direction. As conflicted as he has been throughout the entire show, I’d say he has some serious soul searching before anyone should believe his words.
5.    Chemistry- Let’s just face it…the real “I want you” “love you” connection has not been seen IMO by Leyton since their cheating affair in S1, and take away the intensity of the moment, the betrayal, the sneaking around, and what are you left with…boring! They look like brother and sister, which I try to ignore, but either way their interaction is forced. The most believable scenes in the last season were: 1. Lucas confronting Peyton about her poor timing and knack for ruining his life (i.e. “I hate you”) and Peyton confronting him about why he wrote those things about her in the book if he didn’t mean it. So as much as I enjoyed these moments, I think they sum up their relationship pretty well. Lust…bad timing…Unrealistic expectations…. AND ZERO ROMANTIC CHEMISTRY.
6.    Hints, Hidden Meanings, or just plain BS? One thing that has always stuck out to me that Mark Schwann said was that “he created the show with the intention of Leyton, and a world where they were to be together…but he also said that he initially wanted OTH to be a feature length film. Therefore, if that were true then Leyton would ultimately play out as he thought at the end of S1. But bc it was turned into a series, the Leyton storyline along w/everything else (mostly Brucas in S2 & S3) played out and developed into something else. Over its 5 years running Leyton lost fire, got too far off track, and other pairings ended up flourishing (Brucas) with more intensity. The way I see it, Mark is partial to Leyton as it is almost his vision, but he’s not blind to the reality that things change. So I guess we’ll have to see if he can stay true to his vision, while being true to the dynamics of the show. Another more recent moment, I found profound was at the rivercourt over Peyton’s drawing. Haley to Lucas about “the pain and garbage of it all” and how what’s better is “love”. Not a direct quote obviously, but my impression was that it was her way of helping him to see past drama that he has created in order to get past it once and for all. She names all three women in Lucas’s life, a innuendo to Brooke being back in the picture for the sake of the cliffhanger or more is unknown, but what does give me hope is that with Peyton it is always about the pain and garbage…and I really hope he realizes it.

Wow, once I get started I just can’t stop. But, there you have it, an attempt to condense my very passionate and confused feelings on Leyton, without offending, too much. Let me know what you think.