James Lafferty and Chad Michael Murray recall One Tree Hill’s wildest storyline: dog eats Dan Scott’s heart

In a recent podcast appearance, One Tree Hill stars James Lafferty and Chad Michael Murray reflected on what they consider one of the show’s most outrageous moments: the infamous scene in which a dog eats Dan Scott’s transplant heart.

Both actors described the sequence as utterly “unhinged” and a perfect example of the show’s tendency to push storylines to absurd extremes.

Murray recounted the chaotic chain of events, which begins when a character bakes pot brownies, falls asleep, and the dog eats them.

The intoxicated dog is taken to the ER, where chaos quickly ensues as its long leash tangles across the room. Meanwhile, Dan Scott’s heart arrives in a standard igloo cooler rather than a secure medical container.

The person carrying it trips over the dog’s leash, sending the cooler flying and the heart skidding across the floor. The dog, still high from the brownies, eats the heart in front of Dan, who is inexplicably waiting in the ER for his transplant.

Murray revealed that he personally did not think his character, Lucas Scott, needed to be in the scene at all.

“I remember I begged and pleaded, please, I don’t need to be there. There is no need for Lucas to be there,” he said, explaining that he initially resisted participating in the over-the-top sequence.

Despite his objections, he eventually embraced the moment and became more involved as he matured in his role.

Both Lafferty and Murray laughed about the absurd coincidences and implausible logistics, from a donor heart being carried in a camping cooler to a patient wandering the waiting room during prep.

The actors noted that the writers seemed to have no limits when it came to shocking viewers, but they also expressed fondness for the show’s legacy and its bold, unpredictable storytelling that helped make One Tree Hill a standout teen drama of the 2000s.