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"Most people are stronger than they know. They just forget to believe in it sometimes."
―Keith Scott

Keith Alan Scott was a central character during the first three seasons of One Tree Hill, portrayed by Craig Sheffer. After the character's death in a school shooting during the third season, he continued to appear in visions to his younger brother throughout the remainder of the series.

The older brother of Dan Scott, Keith was the paternal uncle of half-brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott, as well as a surrogate father figure for Dan's unacknowledged eldest son, Lucas. When Karen Roe, Keith's high school crush and the girlfriend of his younger brother, became pregnant after their senior year of high school, Dan left her to pursue a scholarship at college. While there, however, Dan impregnated his college girlfriend, Deb Lee, and married her soon thereafter. While he dropped out of college to raise his second son, Nathan, Dan never acknowledged his firstborn son with Karen, Lucas.

With Karen raising her son Lucas on her own, Keith stepped up and provided her support, becoming her best friend in the process. For more than sixteen years, Keith was there for both of them, serving as a surrogate father for Lucas. While he continued to harbor feelings for Karen, Keith never pursued a romantic relationship with her prior to the beginning of the series. After she became involved with Andy Hargrove in season two, Keith began a relationship with Jules, with the two later becoming engaged. However, it was later revealed that Jules was actually a woman named Emily Chambers, who was hired by his younger brother Dan to break his heart. Despite developing a real connection with Keith, when this deceit was discovered by Karen, Jules was forced to leave Keith at the altar.

In the third season, Karen and Keith finally acknowledged their feelings for one another and began a relationship, with Karen later proposing to Keith. While the news of their engagement was well-received by Lucas and others close to them, Dan became jealous of his brother's happiness, as his marriage to Deb was deteriorating. When Jimmy Edwards brought a gun to Tree Hill High School, several students were trapped in the school library, including Lucas and Peyton Sawyer. Entering the school in an attempt to find Lucas, Keith was confronted by a distraught Jimmy, whom he unsuccessfully tried to deescalate. After Jimmy committed suicide in front of him, Keith was left alone in one of the school's hallways, where his brother Dan appeared. Taking Jimmy's gun, Dan shot and killed his older brother in act of jealousy; while authorities initially believed it was Jimmy who killed Keith, Dan was eventually arrested after it was revealed he was the murderer.

After Keith's death, he continued to appear in dreams and visions of his former loved ones. This was particularly the case with Dan, who was wrecked by the guilt of killing his brother and eventually turned himself into the police. Shortly after his funeral, a grieving Karen discovered she was pregnant, with Keith appearing to her in a dream with their unborn daughter in a field of lilies. Toward the end of the fourth season, she gave birth to their only child, Lily Roe Scott.

Character arc[]

Season 1[]

Keith was introduced as Lucas' uncle and Karen's best friend. He was the one that told Whitey that Lucas should be on the Basketball team. He often hung out at his garage or Karen's Cafe. He was asked by Lucas to play with in the "Father-Son" basketball game. When Karen decided to go to Italy for a cooking class, Keith offered to take care of Lucas while she was gone. When he dropped her off at the airport, they kissed. While Karen was gone, Lucas started dating Brooke and he got a tattoo, Keith was very disappointed in him. The night Karen returned, he was nervous before picking her up so he drank a beer. When he and Lucas were going to the airport to pick her up, they got hit by a car. Lucas sustained several injures, while Keith got some minor injuries. Lucas survived. Karen asked Keith if he had been drinking before he drove Lucas, and he told her he did, and she got mad at him. He payed for Lucas' medical bills. He put up his garage for sale to pay for them. Dan came up with a business proposition for him. At first, Keith refused, but he later rethought it. He signed the contracts, and Dan made some big changes at the garage. He proposed to Karen, but she turned him down. Heartbroken, he decided to leave Tree Hill, and Lucas wanted to come with him. While still hurt from Karen's rejection, Keith also slept with Deb. The two were caught in the act by a very visibly upset Dan.

Season 2[]

Keith and Lucas both resided in Charleston, and Keith was about to start a teaching job at a garage. He then got a phone call from Deb, saying Dan had a heart attack. Both Keith and Lucas went back to Tree Hill. Dan then asked Keith if he could watch the dealership while he was in the hospital. A woman came to the shop, wanting to buy a car. They went on a test drive, and flirted a bit. She told him that her name was Jules, and he sold her the car. They started dating and their relationship was going forward very fast. Keith became vice president at the dealership. Later on, Lucas found out that Jules had made a deal with Dan to make Keith fall in love with her. Jules swore that she told Dan that she didn't want to do it any more and that she was in love with Keith for real. Keith and Jules got engaged. Before the wedding, Karen found out about Dan's arrangement and confronted Jules. During the wedding, Jules ran away and Lucas and Karen told Keith about Jules. Keith got mad and left town.

Season 3[]

Keith returned to Tree Hill, reuniting with Lucas and Karen. He and Karen finally began a relationship and planned to wed. During the shooting, Keith tried to convince Jimmy Edwards to drop his gun to no avail. As Jimmy told him what he had wanted, Keith tried to tell him that everything would get better, but Jimmy refused to believe so. Jimmy then told him that he was sorry before shooting himself. Later, Dan shot Keith as he believed Keith had attempted to murder him in the dealership fire. After killing him, young Keith would occasionally visit Dan as a ghost as a result of his guilt caving in on him. In the season finale, Nathan and Haley's wedding, Karen revealed that she was pregnant with Keith's child.

Season 4[]

In "Songs to love and die by, Keith continued to guide Lucas. When Lucas collapsed after the state championship on the middle of the road because he didn't take his heart medicine, while he was out, he had dreams of Keith and him spending time together. Lucas suggests he should be a bad person but Keith shows him how life would be if Lucas actually was a bad person, meaning Peyton would die in the shooting because Lucas wouldn't save her which would lead to Brooke becoming depressed and gothic. Keith took Lucas around to everyone and the last spot was the hallway where Keith died. Keith told Lucas to "open his eyes," sooner or later, Lucas woke up.

In You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love, At his senior prom, he went back to the hallway and saw Dan. Dan told him "Keith is dead, open your eyes." Lucas saw Abby Brown who saw the whole murder which he visits her and finds out the truth.

In All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, When Karen's heart failed during the delivery of her and Keith's baby, she saw Keith in a dream and he told her he'd be waiting, but she needed to go back to take care of their daughter. Keith rested in peace after everyone found out that his true murderer was his own brother, Dan.

Season 9[]

After almost decade, Keith reappears as he takes Dan to the other side and forgave him after the latter's death. Dan and Keith were last seen leaving the hospital and Dan told Keith he knows where Keith is going but he didn't know where he was going but Keith told Dan that he was his "plus one."

Legacy[]

Keith's death had a huge impact on everyone's life in Tree Hill. Keith would occasionally visit Dan as a ghost until he turned himself in for murder.

Family[]

Dan Scott (Brother): Dan and Keith were bitter rivals since childhood, disagreeing on many things. Though their relationship was never good, Keith still seems to care about his younger brother. However, when Keith went into Tree Hill High School during a school shooting to find his surrogate son, Lucas, Dan murdered him, believing he was responsible for a murder attempt that was actually Dan's ex-wife, Deb.

Lucas Scott (Nephew): Keith had been the father figure in Lucas life since childhood, even offering to adopt him when he and Karen got engaged. Other then Karen, Lucas was the most torn up about Keith's death and went to great lengths to prove Dan guilty of killing him.

Lily Scott (Daughter): Though Keith died before Lily was born, he still seems to have a connection and influence on the young girl's life. Lily often dreams of Keith, though it's unsure whether she even knows what he looks like, though since Jamie had a picture of him, it's likely Lily does too.

Nathan Scott (Nephew): Nathan is the son of Dan Scott, Keith's brother.  Since Dan had always resented Keith, Nathan grew up without Keith's influence for most of his life. It wasn't until Nathan began to grow closer to his brother, Lucas, that he began to know his Uncle Keith.  

Romantic Life[]

Keith was in love with Karen Roe, his nephew Lucas' mother, throughout most of his life in the series (and, it's mentioned, prior to that also). During series two, Keith falls in love with a woman named Jules that he meets whilst working at Dan's dealership. It is later revealed that Jules (real name Emily Chambers) was hired by Dan to make Keith fall in love with her so that she could then break his heart. However, Jules falls in love with Keith too and the two get engaged. On their wedding day, Karen confronts Jules about her dishonesty and threatens to tell Keith if she doesn't. Despite her genuine feelings for Keith, Jules can't face Keith again knowing what she did and leaves him at the alter. Following the event, Keith leaves Tree Hill for a period. When he returns, he and Karen finally become a couple until his death.

Career[]

Keith Scott was owner of "Keith Scott's Body Shop", in which he worked as a mechanic. His nephew, Lucas Scott helped him work on the vehicles from a young age. Keith's shop was eventually bought out by Dan Scott, and Keith worked as manager of the shop. After Dan's heart attack, Keith took over as co-president of Dan's company, "Dan's Auto". Keith then hired Dan's son, Nathan Scott, to work as a mechanic for the company, taking him under his wing as he had done with Lucas.  Eventually, Dan came back to work, and Keith returned to his own auto-shop to work until his death.

Trivia[]

  • Keith was the first main character to be killed off.
    • Dan was the second.
  • Keith is the only original main character to not appear in Season 5, Season 6, Season 7 and Season 8.
  • Keith is the only main character who met an original character, but never met a new character (such as Jamie, Julian, Chase, Rachel, Millicent, Alex, Clay, Chris and Quinn).
  • Keith is the third and final former main character to appear in the ninth and final season.
    • Lucas was the first and Deb was the second.
  • Dan and Keith were both in love with Karen Roe back in high school like it was Legends of the Fall 1994 movie.  
  • Keith Scott is similar to King Simon Henstridge in The Royals and Dan Scott was similar to Prince Cyrus Henstridge in the royals.  That's what the their relationship was like.  Even Prince Liam Henstridge was Lucas Scott.  
  • The reason behind Keith's abrupt exit from the show was revealed by Craig Sheffer that it was due to tension with showrunner Mark Schwhan and reportedly said that he decided to leave toxic work environment.
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