Dawson's Creek - 217 - Psychic Friends

Original air date: March 10, 1999

I just want to start off by saying that the title of this episode is very misleading. At no point do any of the Creek gang develop psychic powers that enable them to communicate telepathically nor do they then team up to become crime fighters in Capeside called The Psychic Friends. Minus ten points, Dawson's Creek, you let me down. 

Seriously though, I really remembered nothing of this episode and the opener didn't stir things up for me either. It opens, of course, in Dawson's room, where Joey and Dawson have just finished watching Dawson's shitty movie. Joey has tears in her eyes and goes on about what a fucking masterpiece it is  but just as I'm about to rage at my TV about how it's just a teen romance movie, Joey starts going on about how Jack is a brilliant director and I realize that this is a dream sequence.

Oh thank god, I don't have to kill anything

Jack bursts onto the scene and Joey calls him a genius and starts kissing him. He goes on about how Spielberg offered him a job in Hollywood and then he proposes to Joey, who accepts. I died of laughter at this scene, it was just filled with so much Dawson misery that my small heart grew about three sizes. 

Ahhh, his pain is my joy

The next day, Dawson makes himself feel better by showing off his movie analyzing skills to his film class. Apparently, Mr. Gold has been replaced by Miss Kennedy as the film teacher. Dawson is completely enchanted by her. All I can think is, writers, if you dare go the teacher/student romance crap again I will track you down and vomit all over each and every one of you. Thankfully, Dawson is far too wholesome and childlike to be into her that way. No, he merely idolizes her for being the "real deal" who actually works in Hollywood. Apparently, she is in Capeside on sabbatical to write a screenplay for TriStar. Which obviously leaves her time to teach a bunch of high schoolers about film making. 

At any rate, Jen asks Dawson if he's going to show Miss Kennedy his film, Creek Daze...

What the hell did he call his movie?

I'm sorry, he called his movie Creek Daze? Creek Daze!? My god that is the most amateur sounding title I've ever heard. I'm not even sure I can articulate why I hate the title so much, it just reeks of trying too hard to sound clever and edgy. "Get it, get it? It's like Creek Days as in my days on the Creek but like spelled Daze because it's like those days were dazed and confused." Ugh. Moving on. 

Dawson isn't sure he wants to show off his film because he's afraid she'll think it's "amateur". Of course, Jen is obligated to tell Dawson that he's super, mega talented and of course his film is amazing and all that. Then Mitch bumps into them because he's apparently a teacher now. Is this a thing in the US? Can anyone just decide they want to be a teacher and just get a job teaching with zero education or training? I really don't get this but a lot of shows seem to treat teaching as this fall back, whatever job that anyone can get. I guess it's no wonder that roughly a quarter of US residents think the sun revolves around the Earth. 

Meanwhile, Joey is trying to become Jack's fag hag by checking out guys in the lunchroom with him. Jack isn't having it though because his true fag hag and soul mate is Jen.

No gay best friend for you, Joey

The next scene completely jogs my memory of this episode. Andie is trying to get Pacey to agree to run the Safety Booth at the fair in town and Pacey is reluctant because last year, he was pelted with water balloons and had his booth knocked over by jocks. I very much remember this part of the episode because Pacey playing a dog puppet was too cute. I guess I must have always missed the beginning of this episode. Remember back in the day, you missed an episode or part of it, you were fucked. Anyway, Pacey doesn't want to do it but Andie wants him to because there is going to be a fortune teller at the fair that she wants to see. 

Andie, why don't you just ask Pacey to take you to the fair? Why does he have to work it if he doesn't want to? Well, she convinces him to go by presumably promising him sexual favours. 

I'm guessing she promised anal. She should have
saved that one for something better.

Jack is helping Joey set up an art booth for the fair because apparently Joey is selling her artwork or something. She is distracted so Jack asks her what she's thinking about. She's thinking about kissing because Joey is just never happy. When she's in a relationship, she wants to be single. When she's single, she wants a relationship. Make up your mind woman! Dawson was throwing himself at you last episode, you could have had all the kisses you wanted but you turned him down. I'm still not seeing the chemistry between her and Dawson, Joey just doesn't seem that into him at all. 

But just to prove me wrong, the writers have him show up so that Jack can then ask Joey her opinion of him, whether he's a "Frank" as in Frankenstein or a "Leo" as in Leonardo DiCaprio. Joey answers that Dawson is "definitely a Leo", of course. Which begs the question, why the hell doesn't she want to date him then? Because she can't be herself when she's with him? I'm sorry but if they were really such good friends, they should have been comfortable being themselves around each other so I still don't buy them as soul mates, not through Joey's eyes at least. Anyway, Jack suggests they go see the fortune teller to find out when Joey's next kiss is going to be. 

Meanwhile, Andie tries to convince Pacey to see the fortune teller with her but he is still very reluctant. Andie argues that it would be good to know what happens in the future so that she could be prepared for it. I think she is expecting a lot out of a small town Fair's fortune teller. 

My thought is proven right when we next see Joey getting her fortune read by the "psychic" who runs through the usual vague psychic crap of "I see someone in your life...name starts with...c? Do you know anyone named Carrie? Crystal? Connie? Caroline?" But the show tries to convince us that she's really, really psychic for reals by making the candles flicker and wind blow while the psychic tells Joey that she has so much pain in her life send that she puts up walls to protect herself but that cuts herself off from new opportunities. Hmmmm, like the trip to Paris she could have gone on but chose to stay with her safe friend Dawson? 

She also tells her that she'll meet a tall dark stranger or some junk. I don't really know what we're supposed to think of this woman, to be honest. It seems like she's a fraud, just looking to make a few bucks but then the show tries to convince us she's real but then goes back to her sounding like a fraud. I guess she's only a fraud until her unpredictable real power kicks in?

Dawson is talking with Miss Kennedy and she asks him about his film. Mitch has apparently been singing his praises which makes Dawson embarrassed. I would be too because your movies suck and Mitch is building you up to be this insightful, genius filmmaker when all you did was make a romance movie about your breakup with your high school girlfriend. 

Joey is complaining to Jack about wasting five bucks to hear a hack spew some bullshit fortune to her but then a tall dark stranger starts admiring her art. Joey is tongue tied but Jack urges her to follow the guy and get the no-strings attached kiss she was looking for. 

Meanwhile, Jen is helping Grams set up a booth when she notices a man checking Grams out. He comes up to talk to her and we learn that his name is Whit and he's an old friend of Grams'. He asks her out to dinner to catch up on old times but Grams declines. Jen tells Grams that she should go for it because Whit was totally in to her. 

Grams is shy

Joey musters up her courage and talks to Tall Dark and Handsome who asks her out for a hot chocolate while Dawson finally asks Miss Kennedy to watch his film. 

Joey learns that Tall Dark and Handsome is a photographer and that he's really only interested in taking pictures of her. She's disappointed but agrees to do it because going off with a stranger to do a "photo shoot" has never been used as an excuse to lure naive girls to an isolated location to be raped and murdered. 

Joey would so get killed in real life. She's too stupid to live

Whit comes back to talk to Grams and to give her a rose. Jen urges Grams to take him up on the offer and Grams reluctantly agrees. She looks mortified afterwards and Jen thinks it's because she feels guilty for dating someone after her husband died but Grams is really just insecure about her looks and the prospect of dating again. Jen then offers to give Grams a makeover.

Pacey is working the safety booth for a bunch of snot-nosed kids who give him a hard time while Andie finally gets her fortune told. We are not privy to whet her fortune is, however, we just know that it upsets Andie. Pacey sees her and tries to talk to her but she's so upset that she wants to go off and be alone. 

Joey tells Jack about her plans to go off with a strange guy she just met to have her picture taken and because Jack actually has some common sense, he insists on going with her. Joey protests because she's probably hoping she'll get lucky and is too stupid to realize what a dumb idea it is but Jack wins the argument. Seriously, Joey is too stupid to live. 

Jen is giving Grams a makeover and giving her dating tips but is also messing around with her and I kind of love their relationship now. I don't know what happened with the Jen is a wild child subplot but I'm glad it's over because seeing these two get along is great. Also, Jen did an amazing job on Grams. 

Grams before

Grams after

We next cut to a Joey is super awesome and the prettiest girl ever to grace Capeside montage that is not too overdone at this point in the series but I'm tired of it anyway because I've seen the whole series and trust me, they really like to drive home how perfect and amazing Joey is. 

But I'm so plain and ugly though!

Pacey walks up to the psychic and gives her a stern talking to, asking her why she can't just say nice things to people. Pacey, I love you but you sound so lame right now. The psychic offers to read his fortune for five dollars but Pacey refuses so she decides to tell him anyway. 

Madame: I see a young man that wears a mask that is not his own. To the world he is strong and confident, but beneath the mask is a little boy. Afraid of the world, afraid of everything. He knows that everything he has is lying on a deck of cards. Even the tiniest gust of wind could knock it all down.

This woman is so bizarre. I don't know what her purpose is but she seems to just love fucking with teenagers. It's kind of hilarious. 

Joey is about to leave the photo shoot when Tall Dark and Handsome finally seems to want to ask her for a kiss but instead he asks her if her friend Jack has a boyfriend. 

Joey needs to develop gaydar

Joey tells Jack about what happened and that Tall Dark and Handsome wants to meet up with him, so she told him Jack would. Jack gets offended by this and runs off in a hissy fit. 

Speaking of hissy fits, Miss Kennedy has finally finished watching Dawson's film and he's anxious to hear her opinion. She asks him if he wants the truth, so you know and Dawson knows that her opinion is not going to be kind. To his credit, he asks her to tell the truth anyway. Folks, she tears him a new one and it is glorious. 

Miss Kennedy: Okay, then I'm not going to sugarcoat it, Dawson. I think your film is completely uninspired. I mean the production line is flat, the storyline is non-existent, even your dialogue is not believable.

Miss Kennedy: It lacks emotion of any kind and sends no message to the audience. 

Miss Kennedy: It's a preposterous soap opera about a bunch of teenagers who talk too much. I mean, we've seen it before. All that self-aware, self-referential, hyperboles, filled with cliches that are disguised as send-ups. It actually borders on plagiarism.

Soul crushing complete!

Holy shit, she destroys him! I know she's now painted as the bad guy in this show but to me, she's awesome because she just told the truth. Dawson's movies suck. 

In the quickest resolution ever, Jack apologizes to Joey and confesses to being scared as shit about being gay. He says he's not quite ready to start dating yet. Joey apologizes for agreeing to a date on his behalf without his knowledge. 

Hug it out, bitch!

Dawson walks around like a sad panda as he sees Mitch and Miss Kennedy leave the Fair together and then sees Joey make a sale and then get hugged by Jack. Shit, this episode is just one giant kick to Dawson's nards. It's kind of awesome. 

Everything is not awesome

Pacey finds Andie and gets her to tell him what the fortune teller said. She tells him that she said the stuff she's been through was merely a preview of what's to come, meaning her life is going to get worse. Man that lady really does enjoy fucking with teenagers. Pacey tells her to ignore the hack and that her future will be brilliant. Andie wishes she could believe him bad he tells her she doesn't have to. 

Awwwww

Joey next makes amends with Tall Dark and Handsome and breaks the news that Jack isn't coming. He confesses that he just got out of an intense relationship and Jack would've been a rebound anyway. Joey immediately projects her relationship with Dawson on their relationship and asks the guy why he broke up with his boyfriend. He tells her he thought he knew at the time but that he can't think of why now; which Joey also identifies with. They both sound like awful people. He leaves Joey alone with her thoughts. 

Grams returns from her date but isn't enthusiastic about it since it turns out that Whit is married. Uhhh, douche! Why the hell did he lead her on like that then? Jen is also mortified and apologizes for pushing Grams to go to dinner with him. Grams tells her she doesn't need to apologize because she showed her that her life didn't have to be over because her husband died and that there were still new adventures she could have. 

Awwwwwww!

Dawson tries to get his fortune told. The psychic of course starts telling him that he has a soul mate who has known him for years and feels his pain because as is usual on the Creek, other characters have to keep telling us what soul mates Joey and Dawson are despite the writers showing otherwise with their actions. I now realize this was her purpose all along, for the writers to jam that fact down the viewers throats. But, she was also shown to be pretty shitty so I'm going with she's a hack who doesn't know what she's talking about. Dawson turns away to get money to pay her and when he turns back, she's walked out of the shot. Er, I mean she mysteriously vanishes. Oooooohhhhhhhh. 

She really does love screwing with teenagers, doesn't she?

We close the episode with Joey walking home to find a strange man at her door and because she's proven that she's too stupid to live, she calls out to him while walking towards him. She lucks out and the guy turns out to not be a homicidal maniac but is actually her father. 

Dun, dun, DUUNNNNNNNNNNN!

And that was Psychic Friends, an episode that is kind of forgettable but ended up giving me a bit of joy in seeing Dawson's soul get completely crushed. Yes, I'm aware I'm a heartless human being....at least where Dawson is concerned.

So, what will become of Dawson and Joey's relationship? What will happen with Joey's dad? Is he going to turn over a new leaf? Will Joey forgive him? I guess we'll find out in the next episode, A Perfect Wedding. 

Dawson's Creek - 216 - Be Careful What You Wish For

Original air date: March 3, 1999

When we last left off, we found out that Jack is gay and that Dawson is actually capable of being a good friend. In this episode, we actually do continue to address Jack's issues with his sexuality but Dawson manages to lose most of the brownie points he's earned in the past few episodes. But, fear not, there is a hilariously bad singing number in this episode to help you get over any Dawson anger you might have...or if you actually like Dawson I suppose there is an...adorable(?) singing scene. I don't know. Were there any fans out there of just the Dawson character?

So, we begin this episode with Dawson blustering around his room for some reason, I assume it's to look as dramatic as possible for when Pacey comes in. I'm guessing that Dawson told him there was some kind of emergency because it's, what I'm assuming is a school night, and he looked concerned as he walked into Dawson's room saying he got there as soon as he got Dawson's message. And it's almost midnight. Hello? Parents? Calling all parents of Capeside, do you still exist? I mean, I get it, the characters all look like young adults but they are still supposed to be 16 and despite what we all thought when we were 16, they are still kids and their parents should have some sort of clue as to where their kids are and would not be happy with their kids accepting guests at midnight on a school night. But, I digress.

Dawson explains his problem to Pacey which is actually a pretty accurate explanation of my problem with Dawson's character, hilariously enough:

Dawson: I'm about to be 16 in a matter of minutes and I'm still....me. The same whiny, adolescent, big-talking, small-doing loser that I was a year ago.

That is quite the problem, Dawson, but I'm not sure the writers know how to fix this, given what you're doing right now is pretty much the thing you're complaining about and will continue to be this entire episode. We're in for a treat, guys.

Hey, remember when Dawson was being pretty cool about Jack's being gay and I was complimenting him for it? Well:

Dawson: But there doesn't seem to be anything ahead of me. More of the same. I'm stagnant. No wonder Joey dumped me. I mean, the only thing I accomplished last year was realizing my feelings for her and I couldn't even hold on to her. She dumped me. For a gay guy. laughs Can we talk about this whole gay-man-straight-woman thing? There's got to be something going on there that we're not seeing. 

Pacey: You're right, Dawson. It's all part of the evil gay plan to keep the species from repopulating. 

Dawson: I would keep an eye on Andie if I were you.

Seriously?

 That's...that's not how gay works, Dawson. It's not hereditary, it's not a disease and goddamn, Pacey was being sarcastic because you were being a douche and you tell him to watch out for his girlfriend? Some friend you are but I guess you're hoping they break up, aren't you? Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself on that last line there but bear with me, you'll understand once we get near the end of this recap.

So, anyway Dawson continues only focusing on his own wants, needs and feelings and proclaims that he is going to get Joey back since Jack is now gay. Because, after a girl has found out that the guy she's dating is actually gay and has her heart broken and feels like shit, that is the time to swoop in and ask her out, ammirite?

Nice Guy Syndrome is back...with a vengeance!

The next morning, we learn that parents do still exist in Capeside as Gail walks into the kitchen to find Mitch making pancakes for Dawson's birthday. That's pretty sweet but he probably should have called to ask/warn Gail that he was coming over first. Not cool, Mitch. You're overstepping boundaries. Mitch gives Dawson his pancakes and then asks Gail to go outside with him so that they could talk about what to get Dawson for his birthday...on his birthday. Little late there, Mitch. Shouldn't you have talked to Gail about this before Dawson's actual birthday, I mean she's probably already gone out and gotten one and she did. She got Dawson a brand new car and Mitch gets his panties in a twist because he wanted to go car shopping with Dawson so that they could get a fixer upper that they could work on together. I'd sympathise with Mitch but if he really wanted this, then why the hell didn't he talk to Gail about it sooner? The day of his birthday is not the best time to bring the subject up.

Dawson hears them arguing and is a sad panda

Meanwhile, Joey and Pacey are going over plans for a surprise party they are planning for Dawson. Pacey is apparently going to ask Dawson to go to dinner with him and Andie, which seems kind of awkward but oh well, and Joey is going to have a surprise party set up at Dawson's house. Jack walks in just then and Joey becomes visibly uncomfortable. This prompts Pacey to ask her if she's OK, because he's a caring friend. Why are all of their friend scenes together so much more genuine than either of theirs with Dawson? Answer, Dawson is shitty.

Abby bursts onto the scene with two lackeys because the show has decided that she is now a Queen Bee type instead of a loner bitch. Jack serves them and the unknown girls ask him if he's the gay guy and then proceed to gush about how cool it is that he's the only gay person in Capeside.

Jack is clearly ecstatic to hear this news

Andie is talking to her therapist about how she has always felt the need to step up and be responsible to keep her family together. The therapist then says that she's going to write her a prescription and it's honestly sad to watch Andie's face light up at this and then watch it go to a sad face when the therapist clarifies that it's not a prescription for drugs. Really sad. The therapist actually wants to prescribe her one night of imperfection, i.e. to do what she wants to do instead of what she should do.

Andie, pictured here

Joey laments to her sister about being single at Dawson's party and how even though she knows that Jack's being gay had nothing to do with her, she still feels like she wasn't desirable enough and wonders what she should do now. Bessie slaps her with some truth that I was screaming since the episode she got together with Jack:

Bessie: You paint. You concentrate on your art and yourself. I mean, you broke up with Dawson because you wanted to find yourself...and then you went straight into a relationship with Jack. Now's your chance to do what you set out to do. 

Bingo, Bessie. But before Joey can really consider what her sister just told her, Dawson comes striding in wanting to talk to her.

We then cut to Jen being all flirty with Ty still and I'll be off in the corner not caring because Ty is a douche. Why is this still a thing? I don't want to watch them be flirty. Jen starts to kiss him but Ty stops it by saying that Grams is still at home, which I guess I can get as being uncomfortable. No teen wants to suck face in front of someone's relative...well, no normal teen. But, Jen is clearly upset by this and you just know that this guy is going to get douchier.

Jen, you can do so much better than this!

So, Dawson lays it out on the line and says that he hopes that they can get back to the way things were between them. Joey, unaware of what he's talking about says she wants them to be friends again too. Dawson then spells out to her that a friendship is not enough for him and that he wants them to jump right back into a relationship. Joey obviously objects, stating that they broke up because she needed to find herself, not because she wanted to date Jack. I'd take this point a little better if she didn't jump right to Jack after dumping Dawson, so I'll give Dawson a tiny pass for his confusion and frustration on the matter of her being able to find herself while dating Jack but not Dawson. Joey says they can't talk about this and Dawson storms off, leaving Joey to be upset about having to throw a surprise party for someone who hates her right now.

Cut to later that night as Pacey is driving Andie and Dawson to where ever they are going to hang out before going to the party. Andie is fully embracing her therapist's prescription by being as annoying as humanly possible. It literally kills me to say that because I love Andie but my god, she's being infuriating screeching in the back to mimic police sirens when Pacey tells her he can't turn them on and then talking like a 40s cop ("Book 'em, Dan-o!") and cooing about being in the back seat of a police car. It's so distracting that I'm not even going to question why Pacey is being allowed to drive his brother or father's police car instead of the truck he had or the station wagon he borrowed in season 1. It doesn't seem very responsible to let your son use your work car but whatever. That is what they are doing. Andie also bellows for them to stop and turn around because she saw a place that looked "cool."

Jack enters the party and apparently his coming out has also made him change his style. No longer is he sporting a doufy do, he now has spiky hair and cooler clothes. Abby also points this out to us as she and her friends compliment him on his new look.

Jack is creeped out by Abby's attention

Jen once again kisses Ty but he again pulls away so this time, Jen wants an explanation. Ty explains that they are getting close which Jen says is the purpose of dating but then Ty says she turns him on and the closer they get, the more she turns him on. Jen is confused about how that's a bad thing, as am I. He says that he doesn't want things to get "out of hand" which Jen takes as cute but I take as the biggest flipping warning sign that this relationship is doomed.

Don't hide behind your false kisses. You're doomed!
DOOOOOOOOOOOMED!

Andie reveals that she is wearing a slightly more revealing dress than she normally wears and Pacey is obviously happy about that but also maintains that her good girl image was part of her charm. Andie starts explaining that it's time for her to shed that image and let her Id out for a bit. Dawson asks her what she is talking about and she explains that her therapist told her to cut loose for one night and not worry about what everyone thinks. Dawson wants to get in on the action. Pacey leaves to go to the washroom and tells them not to get into too much trouble while he's gone. Cue them getting into trouble almost immediately by tricking the bartender into thinking they were drinking rum in their coke.

Back at the Leery household, Abby is flirting up a storm with Jack. Jack is having none of it until she starts in on her diatribe about there being no such thing as being gay. Jack, clearly still has issues with his sexuality and his curiosity gets the better of him. Abby explains further that she thinks that everyone is bisexual and naturally wants to experiment with both sexes.

But now, dear blog readers, we are in for a treat. We are back at the unnamed club that may or may not be the same one Ty hangs out at and Dawson and Andie are clearly drunk while Pacey is somehow oblivious. And then...oh god, and then someone from the club, the owner I guess, gets up on stage and announces that it's "Open Mic Night" and he asks if anyone wants to come up and sing the blues...and then this happens:

I'm embarrassed on behalf of both James and
Meredith for having to do that scene.

What the hell was that? Where do I begin? The singing was awful towards the end and more on Meredith's part, the lyrics were awful it was just awful. I know we could argue that they are drunk and that's why but no, the crowd seems to love it. They think it's legitimately good and therefore, one would have to argue that we are supposed to believe it is good too, and I'm so not buying it. Also, side-eyeing you hard, Andie that your blue because your brother is gay. Fuck. You!

Pacey tries to get them the hell out of there and to Dawson's not-surprise party since he indicated he knew about it in the song, but Dawson and Andie refuse. Pacey still hasn't clued in and takes a sip of Andie's drink before figuring out that they've been drinking. Now he really wants to get them the hell out of there but the waitress has caught on to them and demands to see IDs from them. Uhhh, a little late for that one, dumb ass. Andie also calls her out for being dumb and not IDing them five drinks ago so Pacey quickly ushers them out before cops i.e. his family get involved.

Jen and Ty are making out in Dawson's new car which is kind of creepy and not nice for Dawson but, given what Dawson is about to do, he kind of deserves it. Also this happens:

Because Titanic happened and that was a thing in the 90s

Ty pulls back and says they have to stop which causes Jen to get angry again. Ty accuses her of tempting him and Jen says that's a load of crap, which it is. Ty then launches into a spiel about being against premarital sex and nothing she says or does can convince him that it's not wrong. Jen asks who said anything about sex and Ty stupidly brings up her past. This is a running theme with her character, guys hear she's had sex so she must always want sex, and I feel really bad for her. Ty continues being a jerk off by saying that he goes to Sunday school whereas Jen, "is more like a Saturday slut" Jen finishes for him. He tries to claim that that's not what he was going to say but then Jen throws down with this:

Poor Jen. Why does this show love making her sad?

Abby continues her slow seduction of Jack by continuing with her spiel about everyone being bisexual deep down and that there is no need to choose to be either or. Jack is buying it hook, line, and sinker.

Meanwhile, Dawson crashes his own party by shouting surprise as he bursts through the door. Joey asks Pacey if they are drunk and Pacey says they are and that they got it past him. Joey tries to calm Dawson and Andie down before his parents notice. She takes him up to his room to try and sober him up a bit and they walk in on Jack and Andie making out. Dawson treats us to more blues as a result: 

Every dead blues singer ever rolls in their graves. 

Dawson goes back downstairs after he's finished butchering the blues and is grabbed by his mother who wants him to blow out his candles. He rambles about getting to make a wish and Gail immediately asks if he's been drinking.

Dawson ignores this and proceeds to make a long rambling speech about all of his friends and I know we're supposed to feel bad about what he says about Joey or that what he does to her is his lowest point, but I actually argue that he was the harshest to Pacey. I was more upset by what he said to Pacey then what he said to Joey. Here:

Dawson: I wish that my friend Pacey would just end this transformation into this A-student, do-gooder, all-around sanctimonious angel and would go back to what he does best which is make me feel good about my life because his is supposed to be worse.

Waaayyyy fucking harsh

Really, Dawson? That's what you have to say about your best friend? That you want his life to suck so that you can feel better? You are a selfish, horrible, duckweed of a friend. Now, compare that to what he said to Joey:

Dawson: And then, of course, there's my Joey. My sweet, precious Joey. The only 16-year-old in the world that needed to find herself. But you know what? That's okay. I accept it. You need to find yourself, and I accept it.

He then proceeds to pretend that he can't find her as he calls out her name, then goes back to her and says that she's found and kisses her. It's at that point that she pushes his face into his birthday cake.

I approve of his humiliation

I mean he called his mom out for cheating and both parents out for bickering while not being adults, I get him being mad about that. I get him being mad at Jack and calling him out for being in and out and stealing his girlfriend. I get that. He was harsh to Jen by saying she's a drunken girl with revolving boyfriends but then follows it up with "I want to party with you!" so that's not even that harsh but what he said to Pacey? What kind of friend says that, especially when Pacey had done nothing wrong to him to deserve that much venom. At least Joey had broken his heart which sort of explained why he would be calling her out, it doesn't justify it but still it wasn't nearly as harsh as it could have been and she gets to shove him into cake while Pacey gets nothing. Not cool.

Both Dawson and Andie are now at the sink and toilet respectively emptying their stomachs of all the alcohol they drank. They promise to never drink again and to stop the other from drinking if they ever forget what it felt like tonight. Thus ends the PSA for the episode on teen drinking.

Mitch and Gail realize how shitty they've been and patch things up. They agree that they will take back Dawson's brand new car and get him a junky one instead and force him to work to pay for some of it. They also agree to try and make decisions together and be more adult. We'll see if this lasts.

Jack catches up with Joey and tries to explain to her about what she saw. She is rightfully upset that she caught him kissing another girl, Abby none the less, after dumping her because he is gay. He tries to explain that Abby was saying things to him that made sense and made him feel "normal" for once but that he knew, the minute he started kissing her that he was gay. Joey forgives him and tells him that everyone is trying to feel normal but rarely feels like they are.

Ty tries to make amends with Jen but she, thankfully, isn't having it this time. She tells him that she really liked him and her kissing him was not a desire to immediately jump his bones but to have something pure that she hadn't felt in a long time. Ty tries to say that they could maybe work things out when he works through his baggage but Jen shuts him down:

You tell him, Jen!

Joey walks into Dawson's room to see if he's OK. Dawson immediately apologises for whatever he said and Joey says she forgives him, just like that. What kind of irks me though, is that she says this:

Joey: Don't worry about it, Dawson. I forgive you. I mean, even you are allowed to make a few mistakes in this world and I'm sure that everyone else will forgive you eventually, too. You pretty much told the truth anyway.

Emphasis, mine. Pacey needs new friends. How was what Dawson said to him the truth? Do they both enjoy that he's a failure because it makes them feel better? Is that really all they want for their supposed friend? Dawson and Joey are a couple of ass hats.

Anyway, Dawson says that he's OK with her finding herself but asks her to do it fast because of how much he loves her and then passes out. Then Joey admits to loving him to and a bunch of teen girls squee even though they are two of the shittiest people on Earth who get their joy from their friend being a fuck up because he makes them look better without them having to try so hard. Sorry, that just really pisses me off.

That was Be Careful What You Wish For, where we are supposed to be enthralled with Dawson and Joey admitting their love for each other but I can't get over the fact that Dawson never fucking apologises to the one person he was harshest to this episode, Pacey. I am not a fan of this episode and I don't feel bad for Dawson at all.

Next episode recap is Psychic Friends which I haven't re-watched yet and I actually do not remember what it's about. I hope that Dawson apologises to Pacey but the show will probably pretend that what Dawson said about him never happened and therefore will ignore it. Joy.

Dawson's Creek - 215 - ...That is the Question

Original air date: February 17, 1999

So, when we last left off, Jack declared that he was completely straight but may have been lying about that. I also stated that when the episode first came out, I had a hard time buying that Jack was suddenly gay after all his mooning over Joey but this episode is what sold me on the idea and re watching it now, I don't think the issue came up as out of the blue as I thought it did when I watched the first time as a teen.

For starters, I think the writers, whether intentionally or unintentionally set up this story arc for the character really well. We have this shy, awkward guy who does not look comfortable in his own skin. He is not great with talking with girls and in the beginning is set up with Jen, who is pretty darn experienced in the boy department. He rejects her, she intimidates him. This could have been because of how shy he was or it could be that she intimidated him because he was so unsure of his sexuality and she was so sure. Next we have the milkshake incident, where Jack spills milkshake all over Joey's drawing of a naked man. Now it could be that he was nervous talking about her drawing because he's a guy who's not supposed to be comfortable talking about another man's body, or it could be that he was nervous because of the feelings it brought up in him, which made him get really clumsy. Jack's an art nut, at least that's what the show tells us, and believe me, guys into art are pretty mature about things like drawing naked men. I was in a class with a bunch of them and they had no problems with it and why should they? I certainly had no problems drawing naked women. I think the reason he spilled his milkshake over the drawing was because he was so surprised by his feeling of excitement at looking at the drawing, not in an artistic way but in a sexual way that he hadn't let himself feel before. Then, let's not forget his failed attempt to go all the way with Joey where we find out that he couldn't get it up, as much as he wanted to. Could it be the nerves of having sex that got to him or was it just that Joey was not quite his "type"? To be silly about the whole thing, he does go for the sexually naive girl with the guy name...just saying.

It all culminates in this episode where Jack finally comes to terms with his sexuality and it is handled really, really well. Surprisingly well, actually. So without further ado, let's get on with the recap.

We start the episode in Dawson's room, of course. But the person on the bed is Pacey, who is watching Jerry Maguire because that was a thing in the late 90s. Apparently, Pacey identifies with the movie because he stood up for what he believed in too and got burned. Dawson looks like he just wants his room back but Pacey refuses to go back to his own house until his suspension is over. For the top cop in Capeside, Pacey's father is pretty damn useless at keeping track of his son.

Pacey then asks how everyone is doing while really wanting to hear how Andie is doing and Dawson surprises me again with his solid advice:

My God! Dawson is using...logic.

Pacey says it's not that easy because he's a teenager and the easiest things are just never easy at that age because angst. Seriously though, I do get why he was hurt but Dawson is right, he should just call her and sort things out already.

We next cut to Jen and that Ty guy making out in front of the school. They part ways and Dawson walks up to Jen, bugging her about being in love. She laughs and says that she feels silly, like she has a "stupid Junior High crush" you know, as opposed to a "sophisticated high school crush"? I mean, high schoolers are so much more mature than junior high kids, everyone knows you are a kid until high school and then you are automatically 20 and gorgeous.

At any rate, Dawson proves once again to be a good friend by saying how happy he is for Jen and...he actually sounds like he means it. What the hell is going on guys? Did Dawson's body get taken over by aliens?

It is a refreshing change for Dawson to not be so whiny and petulant all the time and be a supportive friend. Jen has noticed how awesome Dawson is being too and invites him to come out with her and Ty. Dawson asks if it's a bible party but Jen and the audience know better.

Joey is searching in her locker for a book and unloads her purse onto Jack to free her hands. Of course, some jocks make fun of Jack for having a purse which upsets Joey. Jack blows it off and tries to joke about it but Joey wants to angst over it and proclaims that Jack is straight so why would people get joy out of saying he's not? Um, because some people are morons? Jack still cracks jokes which makes Joey laugh and send him off to class but then her face drops.

 Enter Dawson, champion friend of the hour, to ask her what is wrong. Joey snaps that she doesn't want to talk, so Dawson immediately drops it and invites her out with he, Jen and Ty instead. Nice move, Dawson. He's seriously growing up this season. Joey says she can't and Dawson is fine with it, so she thanks him for the invite and explains that she and Jack are going to study and complains that they haven't been focusing on fun tonight. Dawson earns even more brownie points from me by inviting both her and Jack to come along to Ty's thing or even better, that Joey should plan something fun for her and Jack to do, even something romantic. Joey is as surprised as I am that Dawson is willing to give her good relationship advice. 

Slowly evolving into an actual, real nice guy

Pacey is back in Mr. Peterson's class and Mr. Peterson starts harassing him immediately. You'd think that he would learn his lesson and not push the kid that spit in his face but, whatever. He hands back Pacey's poetry assignment and Pacey sees that he got an "F".  Pacey asks what was wrong with his assignment and Mr. Peterson unhelpfully tells him it stunk. When Pacey asks for advice on how to write something more to Mr. Peterson's liking, this is the advice he gives:

Mr.Peterson: Yes. Write better. From now on, people, your grades will be subjective, whim to my personal taste. Those of you with talent, intelligence, and ability will have no problem and the rest of you should come to terms with your inevitable failure.

Douche-tacular

Pacey complains about it to Dawson in the cafeteria until he spots Andie. Dawson tells Pacey to go talk to her but Pacey wants to give it a moment.

 Joey tells Jack that she is making dinner and gives him a menu so he can let him know if there is anything he doesn't like. Jack is thrilled and thanks Joey for being so supportive.

Pacey finally walks up to Andie to try and talk to her. Both end up being petulant jerks waiting for an apology from the other but refusing to give their own. Since they aren't making any progress, Andie opts to abandon the conversation.

 She bumps into Jack and explains she's on her way to meet the guidance counsellor and Jack says that he was called there too.  They wonder why they were both called in until they reach the office and see a man standing with their counsellor. Andie excitedly rushes over as it is their dad but Jack does not look as enthusiastic.

I sense a bit of tension here...

Joey is packing for the romantic picnic she's planned when she gets a call from Jack explaining that he can't go because his dad just came into town. Joey is obviously upset by the news but you'd think she'd understand a bit about how estranged fathers coming back into your life could be difficult to deal with. Instead, she decides that since Jack ditched her, she should be free to go out with her ex. 

Indeed she does as the next scene she is at the club with Dawson and saying that being there is better than "feeling dumped." Uh, Joey? You weren't dumped at all. Your boyfriend had, essentially, a family emergency come up and couldn't go out with you just for tonight. Shut up and stop whining! 

Everyone should do things when I want to do them!

Dawson asks Ty if he comes to this club a lot and Ty says it's "practically home" which is punctuated by a waiter asking him what everyone will have by name. He is then asked by the singer to play piano for them and...I'm so fucking confused by this storyline, you guys.

 Who the hell is this kid? Why can he get into this club in a small town so easily and why does everyone in the club cater to him? How does no one realize he's not of legal age? Is the singer supposed to be his mother? Why was religion a thing with him? Why does everyone question why he can go to a club and be religious? This isn't exactly the most risque looking club, it looks like a high class lounge for adults. I guess it could be his lying that they are objecting to with regard to religion but why? Why is this happening? Why won't this goddamn show explain this?? It's like the writers just went, "we want to have a religious boy be into Jen but he's got an edge to him." "what's his edge?" "uhhhhhhh.....he hangs out at a bar, where he's this head honcho there and he's buddies with everyone!" "great! Let's write this!" But I'm sitting at home, thinking "how the hell is any of this happening in a fucking small, supposedly religious town?" HOW!?

Shhh, don't question it. It's easier that way

Pacey, meanwhile, has decided to stop by the library and look into codes of conduct for public workers and teaching guidelines. There are a lot of thick books he has to look through but I think it's pretty safe to assume that Mr. Peterson is not following guidelines given that he announced to the class that he was grading on his own personal tastes, rather than the merit of student's writing.

At dinner, Andie is babbling to their father about how she made honour roll and how Jack is working at the Icehouse but Mr. McPhee is having none of it. He is here for one reason and that is to talk about the rumours that Jack is gay. He basically tells Jack that as his only son, he has to not be gay which cements in my mind that Mr. McPhee is a duckweed.

Joey and Dawson are dancing at the club. Dawson mentions how he's happy that Joey came out and says that Jack is missing out which makes me side-eye him a bit but he has been good this episode so I'll cut him some slack. Joey then projects her own thoughts on to Dawson by suddenly exclaiming that Dawson thinks Jack is gay. Dawson admits that the thought crossed his mind but admits that Joey would know better. Joey says she does know Jack but not as well as she knows Dawson.

This strokes Dawson's ego

As I predicted, Ty finally shows his douche-tacular side by crowing on about what a great couple Dawson and Joey make and questions why Joey would want to be with a "fruit fly." Jen takes immediate offence to this, as does most of the audience. He aggressively states his religious views on how it is a choice and how the gays want to make you believe that it isn't but no one has to be gay if they don't want to be. Everyone in the audience then makes the same faces Jen does:

A mixture of disgust and...

"What the fuck you on?"

Meanwhile, Andie goes to Jack's room to apologize for the things their father said. Not up to you Andie, it's up to your father to apologize for his own behaviour. Jack is used to Mr. McPhee's behaviour by now and brushes it off. This upsets Andie because she clearly still wants him back and thinks that Jack is scaring their father away by resisting loving him. Jack says there is no point trying to list off accomplishments to see if they can get approval from their father when they can't even say they are proud of their father. Andie is upset by this.

 Back at Jen's house, she is quietly helping Grams clean up some dishes. Grams tells Jen how much she likes Ty just as Ty comes in and thanks her for making him a sandwich. Jen remains quiet until Ty asks her if something is wrong. She then tells him how upset she was by his remarks regarding Jack and homosexuality. Ty says he never said it was wrong, just that it wasn't a choice so Jen asks him if he thinks it's OK then. Ty then responds by saying that it's definitely wrong and is condemned in the bible. Uh, so why did you bother with the "I didn't say it's wrong" bullshit if you do think it's wrong?

You said it, Kat

He then asks Grams what part of the bible says that homosexuality is a sin but Jen interrupts Grams' answer asking them not to gang up on her. She rightfully calls Ty out for not being a saint himself but Ty just glosses it over by saying he will answer to the Lord when the day comes but being gay is damaging to the world or some junk. Then Grams interrupts to lay down her opinion despite Jen complaining that she is going to side with Ty. Grams, tell it like it is:

Grams: What I have to say is not directed at you, Jen, what I have to say is for Tyson. If Jack is gay, he does not need your judgement, young man. The Lord above will judge him, as he will all of us. What he needs from you, from me, from everyone else in this world is love and tolerance. If anything, that boy is feeling scared and alone and he will need the understanding of his fellow man to help him through this. Let's save judgement for someone much more experienced than you.

You just got schooled, Grams style

Dawson is walking Joey home and Joey asks him if he thinks she's "sexual". He tells her he does but she denies it because he picked Jen over her and then Jack might be gay and probably picked her because she was safe. Dawson says that he was just stupid and that she is sexy and that the question isn't why did Jack pick her but why did Joey pick Jack? He leaves her to think about this.

Pacey confronts the principal the next day with his research. She asks him what he's handing her and my immediate response was "the work you should have been doing, you lazy ass hole." Pacey confirms that he researched professional ethics for teachers and discovered, shock of all shocks, that Mr. Peterson is in violation of almost all of them. The principal appears just as shitty as Mr. Peterson as she asks Pacey what she's supposed to do with the document ("your fucking job, perhaps?"). Pacey says she doesn't have to do anything but that the document also contains testimony from other students affected by Mr. Peterson's lack of teaching ethics. The principal then has the gall to say that she hopes he knows what he's doing and again, I have to say "he's doing your fucking job for you!"

Now this next scene is my absolute favourite and totally sold me on the concept of Jack's character being gay. I'm just going to show you the whole scene because you need to see it all to see how good it is and how powerful Jack's coming out was. Kerr really sells it.

Really solid acting there. I especially love how Meredith portrayed Andie's change from wanting her father to stay to just a sudden realization of what a useless ass he is. Andie standing up for her brother and asking their father to leave was great. A+ scene.

The next day, Jack makes plans to see Joey that night and thanks Pacey for everything he did for him with Mr. Peterson. Pacey is happy that he helped Jack out, but I'd also argue, despite my love for him, that he was happy to have his hero complex fed. He really does have a hero complex.

Pacey then discovers that Mr. Peterson's class is not in session. He spots Mr. Peterson sitting at his desk though and this show actually has the gall to try and make us feel sorry for this cartoon villain. Like, laying on the guilt trip for Pacey getting a man fired just because he's old and close to retirement. I'm sorry, no. Regardless of a teacher's age, he does not have the right to treat students the way he did and keep his job just because he's close to retirement. No show, you will not make me feel sorry for this ass hole, you spent too long making him an absolute ass to redeem him now.

My reaction to the writers trying to make me feel bad for Mr. Peterson

Ty walks up to Jen and begs for a second chance. I hate Ty by this point, he's a douchey loser but for some reason, Jen decides that he's charming and obliges him by giving him a second chance. Jen, you seriously make the worst decisions on guys. You know his religious views are just going to get in the way again.

No, no he doesn't. At all

Pacey and Andie finally meet up and both apologize for their behaviour. Pacey claims that Andie's apology was so much better and asks why she always wins. Then they kiss.

Awwwwwwwwww!!!

Meanwhile, Jack shows up with Joey and realizes that he shouldn't have been so vague with his asking to meet up with her tonight because she's gone out of her way to set up her romantic picnic for them. He immediately feels like an ass, rightfully so. He finally tells Joey the truth, that he's gay and she takes it pretty well, but is still shell-shocked. I think that's pretty realistic. It cannot be easy for a girl to hear that the guy she's been dating is actually gay. Jack thanks her for being her and the scene fades out.

We are left with these two images of both Joey and Jack seeking comfort from the people they care about most:

Yay, sibling love!

Dawson continuing to be a good friend!

And that was That is the Question. I think it is probably one of the better done, character coming out episodes. I'd dare say it's better than Willow's coming out episode on Buffy but I'd argue that Buffy handled the aftermath of Willow coming out better than Dawson's Creek did with Jack. Still, it's a pretty great two-parter for a character's struggles with their sexuality and I'd definitely recommend it to people as one of the stronger episodes of Dawson's Creek.

So, where will the show go from here? How are the characters going to handle Jack's coming out? Will it continue to address this issue or will we have to suffer through an awkward blues singing scene featuring Dawson and Andie? You'll find out in the next recap, Be Careful What You Wish For.