Dawson's Creek - 222 - Parental Discretion Advised

Original air date: May 26, 1999

So, here we are at the end of another season. Last episode left us with some pretty interesting cliffhangers so let's see if this episode gives us some great conclusions and sets us up with even better cliffhangers, shall we?

We open on Dawson and Joey watching a movie, what I gather to be The Age of Innocence given the fact that Dawson name drops Michelle Pfeifer and Daniel Day-Lewis not ending up together. Yes, I figured out the movie they were watching based on that. I sometimes do research on these recaps. Sometimes. Anyway, Dawson shuts off the movie because he doesn't like movies that don't have happy endings. Joey thrives on them because she's an awful harpy who enjoys other people's misery. OK, in reality, it's because she likes that in spite of their tragic circumstances, they never stop loving and she thinks that that is romance. Dawson disagrees because he thinks their love should overcome circumstances. He then asks Joey if she would always love him in spite of circumstances and Joey says that it doesn't matter because they get the happy ending. Ooooh, I sure hope that this opener doesn't play with our expectations and offer us something completely different at the end of this episode because that would really upset the Dawson/Joey shippers. On second thought...

The next day, Dawson tries to ask his mother for advice on how to handle the Joey situation but he doesn't tell her anything about it just a vague "what if you know someone who did something bad..." type of thing. Gail tells him he has two choices, he can either tell the person he cares about what the person they care about did, or he can confront the person who did the bad thing directly and hope that they do the right thing. She then drops the bombshell on him that she is taking the job in Philly. Dawson asks her if that's what she really wants and she just says that since Mitch doesn't care about her then she has to go or some junk. I maintain that Gail is a selfish parent. At the very least, she's at least not trying to uproot Dawson in her petty war with Mitch. So there's that.

Dawson goes to pick up Joey and weakly and bizarrely confronts Mr. Potter about his illegal activities. Basically, Mr. Potter is all "how are you doing, Dawson?" and Dawson is all "I'm good, how are you?" and Mr. Potter responds with "Doing good." to which Dawson then says "And legal?" Then Joey comes out so they can't really get into anything then and there so it was pointless and weird to me. Who says that? What did that accomplish? I guess it kind of made Mr. Potter nervous that Dawson knows something but it wouldn't make him stop what he's doing or anything.

Fail

Mr. Potter does offer up the IceHouse as a place that the gang can study for their exams as a way of...silencing Dawson? Making it up to him? I don't really know but Joey is excited about the idea.

Jack asks Jen about the paper she was writing all the previous night. She reveals that it was about teen suicide which she had a lot to say about. Jack becomes concerned because he's a good friend and asks her if everything is OK. Jen reveals that she's contemplated suicide but is not on the verge of actually going through with anything. Before they can get into their conversation, Grams comes up to them and tries to make amends with Jen. Jen doesn't think they can make it work and says that there would still be serious issues between them. Then she bails to go to class leaving poor Grams alone.

Awww, poor Grams

Pacey is riding to school with his father and it is not going well. His father rides him about doing well on his finals and that his life is not worth throwing away over a girl. Now, Mr. Witter's point is valid but his harshness and uncaring is not called for. Mr. Witter sucks.

Pacey exits the car and runs into Dawson who still remembers the lesson he learnt in Uncharted Waters, and tells Pacey to forget about his father. He also tries to change the subject by asking if Andie has called him yet but we learn that she apparently hasn't. Awkward. Well, at least you tried Dawson  that's more than you usually do. 

Pacey is then shown in class being handed his exam but instead of opening it and beginning the exam, he just closes it and puts his head on the desk. Now, this is where he loses me. I get it, he misses Andie, but his father does make a good point. He can't just give up on life because Andie isn't around. Also, what does he think Andie dill say when she gets back and finds that he just gave up? That would definitely not impress her, it would probably piss her off. She leaves to better herself for their future and he's just given up? I mean, it's not like she left forever, so why is he giving up? 

Andie will be so disappointed in you

Dawson actually confronts Mr. Potter this time about trafficking cocaine through his daughter's business. He makes it clear that Mr. Potter should find a way out of drug dealing for Joey and Bessie's sakes. Mr. Potter looks worried about Dawson knowing and about whether he can get himself out of the deal before he gets caught again. 

Meanwhile, Gail is discussing her move with Mitch. She is asking him to move back into the house with Dawson so that Dawson can finish school and that she'd like Dawson to intern at her station in the summer, if he'd like to. Mitch is unhappy about her leaving and tries to guilt her by mentioning that she is abandoning Dawson and only thinking of herself and not Dawson. I know I'm on that kick with Gail but when Mitch says it, it pisses me off. He's not the best at putting his son before himself either, Mr. I'm Going to Date My Son's Teacher. She says that Dawson is fine with her decision to leave and is supportive but she lies because Dawson has been shown as not wanting her to go and keeps asking her to stay. She also informs Mitch that she's leaving...tomorrow. 

What is with this show and dramatic departures? First Andie and now Gail. Whenever people have to leave for something, it's never in a week or two, it's always the dramatic tomorrow. I don't know how these things normally go, but wouldn't you want a bit of time to plan your move and pack everything when you are making a major move?

The entire gang are studying at the IceHouse when Pacey's dad barges in to talk to Mr. Potter. Joey tries to ask Pacey if he knows what's going on but Pacey says his dad's business is his own. Joey follows Mr. Potter and Mr. Witter to the back room. 

In the back room, the two dads discuss Mr. Potter's friendship with the guy Dawson saw him handling cocaine with. Before the conversation can go any more in depth, Joey interrupts them by getting all persnickety with Pacey's dad. Surprisingly, this works as Mr. Witter then leaves, I guess he didn't want to talk drugs in front of a teen when he doesn't have much solid evidence to go on. 

Joey is scared that the cops will never leave her father alone. Mr. Potter tries to play it off like it's no big deal and goes into a back office. Dawson comes in to check on Joey and she complains about Pacey's Dad. Dawson rightfully tells her that he is just doing his job but he gets sidetracked when Joey tells him that he is part of their family and should be mad too. 

Well, as long as I'm getting some action, the real issues can wait

Jack tries to talk Jen into trying to reconcile with Grams since she seemed like she sincerely wanted Jen to move back. Jen takes offense to this as she thinks Jack wants to get rid of her. Jack accuses her of twisting his words around like she probably did to Grams. Except, in the instance where Grams kicked her out, Jen was not changing her words around. Grams very much meant that she wanted Jen to move out, she had even packed up Jen's stuff. There is no misinterpreting that. 

Yeah, no misreading involved. She was pretty clear

Jack tells her that they can't stay in his house forever because his dad is going to sell it and he will have no place to go. Excuse me? Mr. McPhee is just going to let his son be homeless? I get selling the huge house since it will just be Jack but, like, he didn't make any arrangements to make sure his don had a place to go? What a douche! You know what? I've been too hard on Gail and Mitch, Mr. McPhee is one of the worst parents on the Creek. Actually, compared to most of the parents on this show, Gail and Mitch are probably the best parents on the show and they still suck. That's kind of depressing. No wonder this show tries not to focus on parents. 

Jen threatens suicide for the second time in this show.

Wow, Jen really is emo

Jack tells her not to talk like that but she tells him that she'll be out of his place tonight.

Meanwhile, someone has thrown a pipe bomb through a back window in the IceHouse. Mr. Witter's Police cruiser is in the front at this exact moment. That takes some serious balls to set a building on fire with the police right out front. Mr. Potter sees this but instead of telling anyone about it or getting out himself, he starts opening up his bags of cocaine and flushing the contents down the toilet.

Pacey tries to talk his father out of harassing Joey's dad but Pacey's dad doesn't want to hear it. He wants to talk about Pacey's performance at school. Pacey claims he has it under control but Mr. Witter points out that his Guidance Counsellor called and said that Pacey didn't write a single thing on two of his exams. He says Pacey is giving up and that is stupid and before I can actually get in Mr. Witter's corner, he becomes an insufferable jack ass again by telling him he's not allowed to hang out at the IceHouse with his friends because of Joey's dad and worst of all, this:

Boo, Mr. Witter, boooooo!

Before things can escalate from that punch, the gang smells the smoke. Joey makes a run for the back to find her father but the fire is too intense. Pacey sees the fire and runs inside to help his friends while his father calls it in on his radio.

Joey yells after her father but her father tells her to get out of the building. Pacey grabs her and gets her out while Dawson grabs a fire extinguisher to try and get to Mr. Potter. Jen is staring uselessly at the fire and Jack has to grab her and pull her out of the building. Mr. Witter rushes into the building and helps Dawson get Mr. Potter out.

After the fire trucks arrive, Dawson confronts Mr. Potter about the dangerous situation he put them in. He tells Mr. Potter that he needs to go to the police and tell them everything he knows but Mr. Potter says that is too dangerous. Dawson points out the obvious, that the situation is already dangerous but Mr. Potter is clearly a weak man who is too used to his old ways of making money to change for the better. It's actually pretty tragic.

Joey comes up to them and tells Dawson that the reporters are waiting to talk to the hero and says that they are talking about him. Dawson says that he's not a hero because sometimes stories are too tragic to have one. He then walks off and leaves Mr. Potter feeling ashamed and Joey feeling confused.

It's kind of funny

Pacey tries to convince his father that Mr. Potter had nothing to do with the fire, which he didn't but his shady dealings definitely led to the fire, it's heavily implied. Mr. Witter is not convinced, he's sure that Mr. Potter is in over his head with drugs again and he's actually right. Pacey says that he'd prefer to walk home and Mr. Witter continues to compete for the Worst Parent of Capeside Award by ridiculing his son to his friends by saying that his son finally grew a pair after getting his heart broken by a crazy girl.

Pacey loses his shit

Not to be outdone by Mr. Witter for the Worst Parent of Capeside Award, Mr. Potter decides that it's best to keep lying to his daughters about what is going on. Joey asks her father point blank if he had anything to do with the fire or if he knew who set it and Mr. Potter says, swears, that he has no idea. Joey is completely satisfied and happy with his answer and I actually feel kind of bad for her. I think she sort of got my sympathy here, in this episode. She wants a family back, a parent back so badly, that she's willing to overlook the obvious and believe her father's lie even though she probably knows deep down that he is involved somehow. What other reason would there be for someone to torch the IceHouse?

Mitch and Gail have surprisingly stopped competing for the Worst Parent of Capeside Award, in a surprise move that sees them giving helpful advice to their son, together, in spite of their marital differences. Dawson wishes that he never saw what he saw because he knows that going to the police will only drive Joey away from him. Gail says that Dawson was meant to see it because Joey is in danger and he needs to be strong for him, even if his strength doesn't come in the way she wants it to. Nice one, Gail. You and Mitch are really stepping up your game this episode after faltering most of the season. I'm thinking that once the other parents were introduced, Mitch and Gail realized they'd have to be a lot shittier than they've already been and just couldn't do it. I mean, they are in competition with an abusive father, a father who abandons his kids and is homophobic, and a father who is running drugs through his daughter's business. They really had no chance of winning, petty divorce antics be damned.

Best parents in Capeside by the simple fact that they are not the worst

Jack confronts Jen about not doing anything to escape the fire and asks her if she really means it when she makes her little suicide comments. Jen tries to explain that she doesn't want to die, not really but when she was staring at the fire, she just didn't care enough to run. Jack tells her that he understands the pain of not liking yourself but says that she needs to let people in rather than push them away. They hug.

Best Friends of Capeside Award for them

Dawson goes to tell Joey that her father is still dealing drugs and she does not take it well, like at all. She starts yelling at Dawson to stay out of her business and stop putting his nose into everything. It's totally unfair since Dawson saw what he saw and is only looking out for her but I do get it. No one wants to hear that their loved ones are doing shitty things that are putting them in danger. Joey threatens that if he doesn't leave it alone, their relationship will not survive. Dawson stands his ground because he won't protect someone who isn't protecting her and he tells her that if she doesn't do something, he will.

You know what? I don't know how they've managed to do this for a second season finale but they have. Once again, the person with the most critical decision to make at the end of the season, is not our main character but is Joey. Sure, Dawson struggled with whether or not to tell Joey about what he saw her father doing, but the meat of it, the most drama, and the resulting conclusion hinge solely on Joey's decision. Joey is once again the centre. Poor Dawson.

Come on, you know it's true

Dawson manages to get her to the police station to talk with Mr. Witter but she acts like a petulant brat about the whole thing. Again, I do understand her anger this time but like, why even go to the police station then? I guess maybe she knows she has to do it but doesn't want to because it means she has to give up the father she just got back. Dawson tries to talk to her and reassure her that she is doing the right thing but she is cold towards him and reluctant to agree to anything that will put her father away. 

Gail and Mitch discuss how well they did raising Dawson, their one success, as they put it. I argue that they still have a long way to go with him but in this episode, he's actually doing the right thing and doing it for the benefit of Joey even though it will tear their relationship apart. He did well this episode, so I'll give them this victory. After all, they are the Best Parents in Capeside by default. 

Mitch now, finally, tries to win Gail back and asks her to stay but she stands her ground and says that she needs to go to Philly because she has finally come to terms with the fact that they can never get back what they had but they might be able to rekindle something if she puts some real distance between them and sorts herself out. You know, I gave her a hard time for making this decision and called her selfish but actually, I kind of respect her for it now. I don't know why, but when she explains it this way, it does actually seem like the mature and sensible thing to do. 

Jen has finally decided to make amends with Grams and I couldn't be happier. Jen says she has three conditions to moving back in though and they are quite reasonable. She says that they need to acknowledge why they didn't work in the first place, she knows that she made mistakes but she also needs Grams to realize that she has been through a lot in her life, more than most girls her age, and that she needs Grams' understanding, not her judgement in that regard. Grams agrees to be able to manage that. Jen also says that she is fully capable of living on her own and doesn't need a legal guardian but what she wants is to live with Grams and for them to be a family and to not be alone anymore. Grams is moved by this and obviously agrees and they hug.

Awwwww

Jen's third condition is that Grams provide a home for Jack as well, since his father is an ass hat who seriously agreed to let his son stay behind but didn't bother to find him any place to live. Grams agrees to this because she's awesome and the power family has now been assembled.

Mr. Witter confronts his son and once again these two deliver a tear jerking scene that is just too awesome to merely summarise, so here it is:

One of the most powerful scenes this season was Pacey talking to his father as he was passed out on the beach and asking why he had given up on him. They didn't follow up with it after that, which was sad but boy did they deliver another powerful scene to redeem his father somewhat. Seriously, how tear-jerking was that scene? I was just so happy that his father finally acknowledged his son for once, apologized to him and even offers his son a shoulder to cry on. I love this scene. This was a wonderful payoff for the Uncharted Waters storyline. 

Wow, there's a lot of dust in this room, I think I need a tissue

Once again, the writers show us that they really wanted this show to be Joey's Creek as we end the big season two finale with Joey confronting her father about him selling drugs again. He finally admits that, yes, he is selling again and Joey tearfully begs him to tell her why. He tells her that he wanted to get ahead for them and thought that if he sold for just a bit, he could give them a better life, she points out to him that he served his time and was supposed to come back to them and change his life. Mr. Potter admits to being a weak man who was consumed by feeling like a burden and that he failed his daughters, without realizing the irony that selling drugs again meant that he really did fail his daughters because now he won't be there for them in any capacity. Joey reveals that she is wearing a wire and Mr. Potter accepts his fate pretty gracefully. Joey apologizes to her father but he tells her not to feel sorry. It's a nice scene that shows that Mr. Potter accepts responsibility for what he's fine and doesn't want his daughter to think that she should have to apologize for going what's right. 

At least he tried to let his daughter off the guilt hook and
accept responsibility for what he'd done

And now, the moment we've all been waiting for, well us non-Dawson/Joey shippers anyway, the moment that Joey lays a beat down on Dawson's heart once again. Dawson asks her if she's ok or if he can help her, as her father is being taken away by the police, and Joey coldly rebuffs him. Then, this:

You can actually hear his heart breaking with this line

Now, you want to know something interesting and kind of hilarious about this? Apparently, they weren't sure if Dawson's Creek was going to be renewed. That's right, Dawson's Creek could have finished its run with Joey dumping Dawson's ass. That's pretty awesome. What an end to a series, right? I mean, there isn't really a cliffhanger here, it sounds pretty damn final. Dawson even says "See ya, Joey" in response.

Yeah, we're done here

Like he just resigns the fact that he's lost his best friend for life. Everyone else's endings are pretty positive. Jack finds a place that he's accepted, Andie gets the help she needs, Jen makes amends with her grandmother, and Pacey gains the understanding of his father. The only ones to get a shit deal were Dawson and Joey and...I'm kind of OK with that. Mainly because I'm not a huge fan of theirs and largely watched the show for everyone else. 

Stay tuned for my season 2 wrap up as well as the beginning of, what I think of as, the brand new Dawson's Creek in season 3's opener, Like a Virgin. 

Dawson's Creek - 221 - Ch-Ch-Changes

Original air date: May 19, 1999

So, here we find out if time has changed the people of the Creek even if we can't trace time. OK, sorry, I'll stop referencing the David Bowie song. No, I probably won't because David Bowie is awesome.

And I stop referencing Bowie for no one

Anyway, Dawson hasn't changed much because we open the episode with him whining about his film class final and writing about how Miss Kennedy is totally evil and sadistic because she dared to not like his movie. No seriously, his assignment is to "compare and contrast Humphrey Bogart's character arc in Casablanca to one in your own life. Use examples." To which Dawson starts writing this:

Dawson: Number one...Mrs. Kennedy. The character starts out as a sadistic film teacher/father's new girlfriend who maliciously conjures up a finals assignment for the sole purpose of slowly torturing her helpless nemesis, played by Dawson Leery, to death. An example of a purely evil character...with absolutely no arc whatsoever.

No, sweetie, you're thinking about yourself again and lolz to that whole quote, just wow. Is Dawson supposed to be ten? I was joking, last recap by continually referring to Miss Kennedy as Dawson's Arch Nemesis but apparently, that's exactly how Dawson thinks of her, that they are nemeses. He's being completely melodramatic, which is in character for him, I guess but is he really going to consider anyone who gives his movies a bad review his nemesis? Dawson is going to have a lot of enemies. A lot.

So Dawson angsts to Joey about his film final and complains about wanting to please Miss Kennedy even though she's his arch nemesis and hates him. Joey suggests interviewing someone which Dawson thinks is a great idea and wants to put it on camera. He thinks he will get points for ingenuity but it's film class, probably a lot of students are going to have this idea. He starts to try and interview Joey because she's had a character arc this year but she refuses. I love that he says she's had a character arc, as opposed to himself, who is pretty one note. 

This is literally the most accurate description of 

Dawson's character I've ever heard. 

Andie comes downstairs to find her father has come home again. She is not pleased to see him this time and says he's not welcome. Jack admits to calling him and Andie is outraged that he would do that. I kind of get this reaction and kind of don't. Jack had the way harder relationship with their father, shouldn't that have clued her in to how worried Jack is about her that he'd call their father? But anyway, their father explains that they are packing up their things and leaving Capeside so that Andie can get the help she needs. Andie freaks out on both Mr. McPhee and Jack and Jack looks shocked that this was their father's plan.

Meanwhile, Dawson is pestering everyone he knows to be his topic for his film final but they blow him off because fuck Dawson for wanting to treat them like their serious issues only matter to him when his grade depends on it. Both Jen and Jack turn him down, Jack is looking distressed and Dawson doesn't even bother asking if he's OK because Dawson is horrible. And yeah, you can argue that they are barely friends and Dawson shouldn't have to because they aren't really friends but then, Dawson is the one that was trying to ask him for a huge favour so I argue that if they are friends enough for Dawson to ask Jack to air his personal life on camera, then they are friends enough for Dawson to ask if Jack is OK.

Dawson is just a shitty person

He resorts to asking Joey for a second time but she stands her ground and refuses. Then and only then does Dawson think to ask Pacey. Huh, were they ever really best friends, really? Think about this for a second, he asks his girlfriend twice, asks his ex and asks a guy who, up until a few episodes ago, he hated before asking Pacey. Pacey also had a great arc this season but Dawson didn't want to acknowledge it because, let's face it, drunk or not, everything Dawson said about Pacey at his birthday was probably true. Dawson resents the fuck out of Pacey, first because he is more sexually experienced and now because Pacey has turned his grades around and has been in a happy relationship for far longer than he and Joey, his supposed soul mate, lasted. Dawson hates that Pacey has improved his life because Dawson hasn't changed at all. To cap it off, Pacey is completely willing to do Dawson's interview because he's a good friend to Dawson and Dawson doesn't even appreciate it.

Now, to give Dawson a minuscule amount of credit, he does cut off the interview when he realizes Pacey is upset about something and actually asks him if he wants to talk about it. Pacey admits that he thinks he's a fraud and has been trying to be the person that Andie wants him to be, despite not feeling like he is that person. Hmmm, what would have put that thought in his head?

*cough*Dawsonisadouche*cough*

Pacey is so upset by this realization that he says he can't do Dawson's interview either because he's not really a hero. Way to go Dawson, your callous attitude towards your friend came back and bit you in the ass.

Pacey leaves and bumps into Andie who is looking distressed. He pulls her into an empty classroom to talk and she confesses that her father is back in town and wants to take her and Jack back to Providence. Pacey is mortified and says that they will fight it but Andie says that there is no way because they are leaving tomorrow. As much as I love this couple, watching this scene as an adult kind of makes me want to pat them on the heads. Especially because of this:

Pacey: That's fine. Andie, it's fine! It's fine. Because when he hears what we have to tell him, he's not taking you anywhere.

No, no, you're right. I'm sure her father will reconsider getting his daughter
professional help because of your teen romance.

Don't get me wrong, I love Pacey and Andie. Love them. It's just, this type of thing is one of those age difference issues. When you're a teen everything is so intense and real that you are one hundred percent on their side and the grown ups are the bad guys that are trying to rip apart true love. However, when you gain some perspective, life experience, and distance from your high school years, you tend to not buy into this type of drama as easily. This is one of those scenes that can't possibly hold up on repeated viewings because Mr. McPhee actually isn't the bad guy in this situation. He's just not. Andie is incredibly unwell in the head to the point that she is seeing hallucinations of dead people and talking with them, essentially she's talking to herself. This is serious fucking business, not high drama. She has serious mental issues that cannot be solved by the magic of true love and it should not be presented as being that easy either. Thankfully, the writers understood this so I just get a mild chuckle out of the storyline with Pacey trying to convince her father to let her stay rather than getting sent into a blind rage over their simplification of a serious mental problem.

Jack is sitting by the docks when Jen walks up, sits next to him and asks him if he wants to vent his problems to her. Excuse me for a second...

The true soul mates of Dawson's Creek have just arrived!

Oh, it does my heart good to see her and Jack starting the blossoms of their close friendship. This was truly the best friendship on this show from what I remember, and I'm so happy it's finally beginning and they can stop pretending that Joey is going to be his bestie because no. Jack and Jen forever!!!!! 

Anyway, Jack tells her that he called his father to come back because he was worried about his sister and didn't know what else to do. Jen assures him that he did the right thing because she's awesome and is pretty consistently the voice of reason and logic in this show. Jack isn't so sure he did so Jen tells him to look on the bright side, that them moving back to Providence could mean that Andie gets better and Jack and his father could reconcile. Damn, she's awesome. Jack, in turn, asks her what she's going to do about her situation. Jen doesn't think that she and Grams can make up so Jack suggests she go back to her parents. Jen says that she's pretty sure they made their feelings clear when they sent her off to live with her grandmother and Jack tries to encourage her by reminding her of how much she's changed this year. You know, aside from that night she got drunk with Abby by the docks and Abby drowned? Jen kind of points the same thing out and Jack tells her that maybe she's not the only one who changed, maybe her parents have too.

Dawson meets Joey at the IceHouse which is undergoing some serious renovations. Apparently, all of the fix-ups and new style is her father's idea and Joey is thrilled about it all suddenly. Last time her father tried to change things, she whined the whole time but I guess she's now OK and thrilled with him being back because the plot needs it for these last two episodes. Joey is going on and on about how amazing her father is lately and that she's shocked because the father she used to know was a grumbling mass of negativity and before I can say anything, Dawson lays on the burn I was going to:

Scorch, pow!
Damn, Dawson, I didn't think you had it in you.

Love it. It was just so accurate and kind of mean that I'm surprised the writers gave that line to Dawson who is usually going on about how awesome and flawless Joey is. She runs off to do something and Dawson walks up to her father and asks if he'll be the subject of his film final. Mr. Potter is flattered and agrees but only if Dawson will do something for him. Dawson agrees and Mr. Potter hands him a level. Dawson stands there like an idiot with it and Joey comes back in and starts laughing. Dawson looks at her quizzically and is like "what?" and Joey keeps laughing and responds "nothing." And...I kind of feel like Dawson at this moment because I feel completely left out of the joke. Is there some significance to him holding a level that I'm not aware of or is she just laughing at the thought of Dawson doing manual labour?

It is kind of funny trying to picture Dawson being useful

Pacey goes over to the McPhee household to try and convince Mr. McPhee to let Andie stay. He argues that she could get help in Capeside and that she has a whole support system here but Mr. McPhee shoots it down saying that he is not here. Now Pacey offers up one valid argument, that Mr. McPhee knew what Andie's condition was when he left her in Capeside in the first place so why does he have to take her now? Mr. McPhee comes back with the fact that Pacey is too selfish to let her go so that she can get the help she needs and yeah, way more valid. I mean, Capeside is supposed to be a small town, they probably wouldn't have the type of care available that Andie needs right now so it kind of makes sense for her to go. Pacey admits to being selfish and begs her father not to take her away but Mr. McPhee says his mind is made up.

 Jen has decided to try and call her parents to see if she can go back to New York and live with them. We just hear her side of the conversation so we don't know what the verdict is yet.

 Dawson is failing miserably at doing manual labour, no shock there, when Joey comes up behind him. She starts toying with him by saying that his working man thing is a turn on for her. Mr. Potter shows up and says that he's ready to do the interview and Dawson immediately runs away from working to go set up his camera. Joey and her father look at his work and agree it sucks balls but Joey tells her dad not to say anything. Mr. Potter reveals how ashamed he was when he got caught dealing drugs and worried that his daughters would never forgive him for what he did to their mother. Joey gets upset by this and does what she does best.

Run away!!!

Jack tries to argue for them to stay to his father but Mr. McPhee still won't hear it. Jack then starts in with the fact that Andie and Pacey belong to each other and I'm just like "no, step back, step back, your argument is going in the wrong direction! This will not convince him because..."

Exactly

Then Mr. McPhee loses me when he starts talking about Jack getting the help he needs to cure him of his gayness because obviously he's just confused. Hey, Mr. McPhee?

Go fuck yourself

Andie is packing up her things when Pacey suggests that they go on a date, one last date, to get their minds off her leaving. She is reluctant at first but then sees him getting upset and she agrees. Dawson is still interviewing Mr. Potter when Joey storms in and tells him to bring dinner to Bessie and Anthony like he promised. Once he's gone, she turns to Dawson and yells at him for making her father relive a painful time for himself. Dawson tries to explain that he wants to show how much Mr. Potter has changed but then Joey throws back at him that he should just turn the camera on himself for a change. Dawson reveals that he's afraid to because he feels that it will reveal that he hasn't changed at all (truth) and that she'll realize that she's grown way past him and he'll lose her again. 

Andie reveals to Jack that she talked to their father and that he's agreed to let her stay if she really wants to. Jack is happy for her but she doesn't seem so happy with this news. Jack asks her if she's really thinking about leaving and she says that she, in fact, is. Very cool of the writers, it's her choice and she acknowledges that she needs to get serious help for herself. She says that the more she stays around Jack and Pacey, the more she wants to get better for them. Jack says that neither he nor Pacey feel burdened by her but Andie says that she feels burdened with the knowledge of how hard it must be for them to look out for her all the time. She doesn't want that and so, she's decided to leave but she wants Jack to stay in Capeside, where he's happy.

 Mr. Potter is teaching Dawson how to use the level and Dawson apologizes to him for making him dredge up painful memories. Mr. Potter says it wasn't anything that he doesn't think about constantly anyway, so he's fine with it. Joey walks in and Mr. Potter gives them time to talk. Dawson apologizes to Joey for saying what he said, I'm not sure why he's apologizing for saying how he feels but he's often kind of whipped when it comes to Joey. Joey says that Dawson has it all wrong, that her life is finally perfect because she has him in her life and she is not only proud of him, she's proud to be with him. All she needs is a white picket fence and her fairy tale is complete.

Did I mention I'm not a fan of the Dawson/Joey romance?

Jack confronts his father about wanting to stay. Mr. McPhee tries to talk him into going and to get some help for being gay. Jack refuses because he doesn't need help, he is who he is. Mr. McPhee feels like it's his fault but Jack says that he's gay for the same reasons Tim wasn't, it just happened that way and there is nothing that can change it. Jack won't go because if he does, he may start to sacrifice his happiness to make Mr. McPhee proud and he doesn't want to do that.

 Pacey and Andie are on their date and Pacey has taken her to the place where they shared their first kiss. They reminisce about their journey from hatred to lovers and how much they'll miss each other. This could be schmaltzy too but for some reason Pacey and Andie sell mushiness better than Dawson and Joey. Probably because they are more awesome. Andie admits to Pacey that she can't hide from the truth anymore, she's not getting any better. She says that she is leaving tomorrow because she has to and Pacey agrees. They promise each other no goodbyes.

*sigh* I used to believe this but I know better now...

After this gloriousness we cut back to Dawson and Joey being schmaltzy and it's just so not even as good. Dawson has built her a white picket fence so that her idea of perfection is complete. She thanks him and he jokes that he might climb in her window for a change and she says that change can be good.

 Jack is running through the streets to the bus station where he catches Jen. He tells her she's not getting away without a sendoff. Ahhhh, these two are awesome together. Jen reveals that her parents did not actually want her to come back but Jen is leaving anyway because she doesn't need them as a destination. Jack tells her that it's sad when parents don't love their kids unconditionally but that it's better to not be loved by them than to be like them and be incapable of love. He then takes her bags from her and asks her to come live with him because he needs a roommate. Jen agrees and they walk off together in glorious friendship.

Soul mates for life

Meanwhile, Dawson returns the tools he borrowed to the IceHouse when he catches Mr. Potter and his friend Pete looking over a bag of, what looks like, cocaine. Just then, Joey bumps into Dawson but she's completely oblivious of what her father is doing. Dawson stays quiet about it.

Mr. McPhee admits to not being the best father but that he does want Jack to be happy and they shake hands. Pacey runs up to say his good byes to Andie. Andie told him that they weren't supposed to say goodbye to each other but Pacey says he just wanted to look at her and to thank her for giving him a reason to become a better person. He tells her to get better and then to hurry back to him. Awww, it's so sad because this isn't going to happen.

Dawson monologues over the ending scenes about people perhaps not changing because they fear it and he's talking about Mr. Potter but he really could be talking about himself because I don't think Dawson has changed at all this season. I mean think about it,

 Pacey bettered his grades in school but also developed a bit of a
hero complex, thinking he could save Andie with the power of his love.
He only truly became a hero to her in this episode when he learnt to let her go
so that she could get the help she really needed.

Jack faced his sexuality and came out, Jen tried to better herself even though
she felt she couldn't be loved by anyone and yet finally
accepted Jack's love and friendship

Andie admitted that she had a serious issue and made the mature
decision to deal with it and get the help she needed.

Hell even Mr. McPhee, a side character who appeared in two episodes, got
an arc where he at least admitted his faults as a father. 

Dawson and let's face it, Joey too, have not really changed at all.
She still runs away from her problems and pushes people away and
Dawson well, as we learnt, he still cries and films the videos.

So, it's funny that this episode seems a lot like a season finale to me. I mean, Andie is being sent away, leaving Pacey in turmoil, Jack is being left alone, Jen has been abandoned by her family but is taken in by a lonely Jack to form their own family, and Dawson has stumbled upon a pretty cliffhangery secret that Mr. Potter is still dealing drugs. This would have been a perfect place to leave off because the audience would be left to wonder what Dawson will do with his new found information and what Joey will do when she finds out. Well, not to worry, we don't have to wonder about this at all because most of this will be answered in the next episode, Parental Discretion Advised.

Dawson's Creek - 220 - Reunited

Original air date: May 12, 1999

Welcome back, folks. When we last left off, Andie thought she saw Abby in the mirror but that can't be right because Abby is dead and this show doesn't have supernatural elements in it. I have to admit, when I was younger and I saw that scene, I was stoked. I loved anything to do with creepy stories and ghosts and I was most disappointed to tune in for this episode and find that it was not about Abby 's ghost haunting Andie. I think that would have been fairly interesting but what we got was quite a bit different but pretty interesting none the less. 

So, we start off the episode with the entire gang hanging out in Dawson's room. Before I can get too excited about this show actually developing friendships between our characters, they immediately start arguing about whether or not they are actually friends and Joey seems absolutely disgusted by the idea. 

Ew, does this mean I have to be nice to you guys?

This kind of disappoints me. Why can't our gang be friends? Why do the writers seem to hate this idea or seem to make our characters hate the idea of friendship? Is this the way they think teens really are? Because I had friends in high school and I never competed for guys against them. I just don't get this weird thing with this show not liking friendships. Romantic relationships are all they care about exploring. It's sad. 

But, I digress. Pacey makes a comment about them being one step away from the Peach Pit, (for those unaware, the Peach Pit was the popular hangout spot for the gang of 90210) and for some reason, this results in everyone attacking Pacey with really feathery pillows. 

Pillow fight of non-friendship!

Next day, Pacey bumps into Andie only to find that she's not quite the same as she was before. She has...gasp...brown hair! Pacey is taken aback by her drastic change and Andie is offended that he doesn't like it. I'm super excited about it because I just realized that this is the episode about Andie's breakdown and I remember it being pretty cool. Then I get sad because this is the episode about Andie's breakdown which means, spoiler alert, it is almost the end of her relationship with Pacey. 

Team Pandie forever!

Andie is extremely agitated and won't take any compliments about her hair since Pacey was surprised by the change first. She's also forgotten her textbook and is overly angry about this as well. Pacey tries to cheer her up by saying it's in her locker but she just storms off. He turns to Jack who just says she's overly sensitive about her hair because she did it herself. 

Cut to Dawson and Joey who are trying to figure out what to do that night. Surprise, surprise, Joey is complaining that they only watch movies together and Dawson whines that she thinks he's boring. Ugh, I can totally see why people think these two are soul mates. That was sarcasm, by the way. To be fair to Dawson/Joey fans this is, at least, playful banter but I still find them boring together. Anyway, Dawson finally lets it slip that he's actually taking Joey to a fancy restaurant for their one month milestone which was supposed to be a surprise but Joey kept harping on what they were doing and complaining about watching movies so he had to tell her to get her off his back. Feel the romance. Also, I kind of chuckle at the fact that one month together is such a milestone for teens that they go so far as to call it a "monthaversary." This isn't a condemning of Dawson and Joey, just an observation about how all teens and emotionally immature adults think. Here's a hint, one month together is not an achievement, you're still in the honeymoon phase so everything is still easy and new.

This is how adults feel about anything other than an actual anniversary
In other words 1 full year

Gail tries to talk Jen into making up with her grandmother but Jen doubts it will work at this point and says that sometimes people just can't work things out, much as they'd like to. Jen realizes who she's talking to and apologizes to Gail trying to say that she didn't mean to insinuate that her and Mitch couldn't make up. Gail has supposedly accepted that they won't be getting back together and brushes Jen's apology off, saying that it is not needed. She then suggests a girl's night for them.

Speak of the devil, Mitch is clearly on a date with Dawson's Arch Nemesis again. She shows off her French skills and then kisses Mitch who is taken aback which means that I guess up until this point, they really had just been hanging out and hadn't kissed before. News to me. They step into a fancy looking restaurant. Dawson and Joey show up at the same fancy French restaurant as Mitch and Dawson's Arch Nemesis. I sense shenanigans are afoot!

But you're not Dawson's Creek so these shenanigans will be contrived and forced

So the host seems to not have Dawson's reservation because he didn't realize there were two Leery reservations. What a shitty host. Anyway Dawson spots his father and Mitch spots Dawson. Awkwardness and shenanigans to follow.

Back to the serious drama, Andie is talking to her therapist about her issues that have arisen since Abby's death. It appears that Andie told her therapist that she saw Abby after her funeral because the therapist is very concerned with this and wants to focus on it. Now this is juicy drama. She asks Andie if she's seen Abby since the incident at the end of last episode but Andie says she hasn't and then says that she probably didn't see her at all. The therapist wants to prescribe Andie some real medication this time, no free night for Andie this time.

Andie leaves the therapist's office and gets in her car where a guy is waiting for her. He is a stranger to us but Andie seems to know him. He asks Andie if she told the therapist about him and she says she couldn't. He tells her that it's good that she didn't tell because what they have is secret. Ooooooohhhh things are getting interesting up in the Creek. Is Andie cheating on Pacey? We'll have to wait to find out, unfortunately.

The mysterious other guy

Gail and Jen are hanging out at the Leery house and Jen brings up the subject of Mitch again. She asks Gail if she's tried to get Mitch back. Gail claims to have made a few attempts here and there but I haven't seen any indication of this all season other than last episode where she claimed she was going to win him back only to not try at all because Mitch showed up with Dawson's Arch Nemesis. Gail says that she can't force love, love has to find her and says that she's waiting for the right sign. Jen says she smells smoke because apparently Gail was attempting to cook a pot roast and sucks at it.

So, since the host sucks and the plot says so, Dawson, Joey, Mitch, and Dawson's Arch Nemesis decide to share a table. Dawson's Arch Nemesis claims that she can find an agency or production company that Dawson could intern at over the summer and Dawson snarks back that he thought she said that Hollywood would "eat him for breakfast." She tries to apologize to Dawson for being hasty with her analysis of his film but Dawson does not accept her apology. I demand an apology from her for going back on her truthful analysis of his film making skills and drinking the "Dawson is super talented kook-aid"

Mrs.Kennedy: You asked me to be truthful, Dawson. Now I may not be a fan of your work, but I am a fan of your enthusiasm. There are plenty of opportunities in the film business, not just creatively speaking.

OK, you're partially forgiven. Dawson then gets pissy because she insinuated that he wasn't creative enough but she has a point. The most creative we've seen Dawson was in season one with his creature feature movie and even then he horse-shoed in a major plot-point from a way better movie. You know, if this year he made the equivalent of The Room and last year he kind of ripped off Alfred Hitchcock, do you think the title of his unnamed movie from last year was Psychodemic: Shock and Terror?

It's totally a romantic thriller, guys!

Joey pulls Dawson aside and yells at him for ruining their romantic date celebrating their one month of dating by being a whiny douche. He whines some more about how she trashed his super awesome movie that he worked months on and how she crushed his Hollywood dream before finally giving in and promising to be good. Just then Gail and Jen walk into the restaurant.

Did I not tell you shenanigans would ensue?

Pacey and Andie are studying when Andie claims she needs to go for a drink. The mysterious guy from before is in her kitchen waiting for her. Andie, you hussy, Pacey is right upstairs! Andie calls him Brown and tells him that he has to leave because she's not ready to tell Pacey yet. Brown tells her that she has to choose but Andie doesn't want to. Pacey hears her talking and goes downstairs to investigate. He listens to her for a bit and then pops into the kitchen.

But she's by herself! Dun, dun, DUNNNNNN!

Joey confronts Jen about being at the restaurant with Gail and points out to her that Mitch is there with Dawson and Gail's Arch Nemesis. Jen agrees that this is a bad thing but then she reconsiders it and thinks it may be a good thing. You see? You see? Shenanigans, they are brewing, I tell you. 

Dawson goes to confront his father about Gail being at the restaurant while his Arch a nemesis is in the bathroom. Dawson is upset that Mitch acts cool about the whole thing. 

Cool as Icccce!

Dawson begs him to ask Gail to stay if he thinks there is even a small chance that he wants to work things out. Mitch points out that he is not relevant in her choice to stay or go which it shouldn't be but totally is. 

Gail bumps into Dawson's Arch Nemesis in the bathroom and the two have a catty exchange where Gail actually comes off more bitchy. I mean, she's mad that this woman is dating her ex-husband but that's not her fault. Mitch made the choice to ask her out and Mitch wouldn't have been in a place to ask her out if Gail hadn't been...how did Abby put it? 

Thank you, Abby

Back with the more interesting storyline, Pacey confronts Andie about who she was talking to and Andie denies that she was talking to anyone. So Pacey asks her flat out if she is seeing anyone else and she says she isn't and Pacey asks her if she's having mental issues. Andie freaks out about this because it is a sensitive topic for her but Pacey points out that it's the logical place to go. He then asks her about a photo album that she was looking through and if it has any meaning since, in the pictures, she has the same hair that she's changed to now. Andie claims that it doesn't mean anything and demands to get her photos back. Pacey ignores her and keeps asking questions so she tries to rip the photo album out of his hands and ends up breaking a vase. She claims she's tired and runs upstairs to bed, leaving Pacey to clean up the mess. But what's this? TWIST!

The guy Andie has been seeing was her dead brother all along!

Pictured: Andie McPhee

Back at the French restaurant, Gail pretends like she hates romance but Jen isn't buying it. Jen then asks Gail if she and Mitch had a song that they danced to. Before Gail can answer, a waiter brings them some wine which was apparently sent over from Mitch. Do I sense...shenanigans?

Meanwhile, Dawson's Arch Nemesis is being bitchy about Dawson not making movies that "try" to make money once he becomes a Hollywood big-wig. Uh, lady, I like you. You ripped apart Dawson's dream and that was cool by me but right now, you are coming across as a phony.

Exactly

Joey uses her powers of bitchyness and making catty comments that she honed to an art with Jen last season, to put Dawson's Arch Nemesis in her place. Dawson is confused by this as he thought he was supposed to make nice with them to save their romantic evening.

1. I argue that their romantic evening is ruined by having to share it with a parent already and
2. Dawson should know by now that rules never apply to Josephine Potter. She can call you out for doing something but she can do the exact same thing because she says so. 

Can we go back to the interesting storyline, please?

Pacey is cleaning up the broken vase when Jack comes home. He asks what happened and Pacey explains that Andie is a bit off. Jack looks worried and then extremely concerned when Pacey mentions that she was talking to a guy called Brian or Bron or something. Andie has been listening to them and she confirms what we already know, Brown was her name for her brother, Tim. She explains when she was younger, she couldn't say Timothy, so she called him by her favourite colour, Brown. I argue that Tim is a perfectly simple and easy to say name, who said she had to use his full name? But whatever, the writers wanted to keep who she was talking to a mystery so, Brown it is. Andie then gets upset that they don't believe her and she runs and locks herself in a bathroom.

Back at the boring restaurant, Joey is stirring things up with Dawson's Arch Nemesis, getting her to admit, in front of Mitch that she disliked his precious son's perfect film. She tries to brush it off but Mitch jumps in by saying that as a teacher, it is her job to encourage kids to pursue their dreams. Not really, it's her job to prepare them for their future and pass down knowledge, Mitch. Dawson's Arch Nemesis says that is a "cosy fantasy" but that "life has a much meaner bite." Joey points out that people who focus on life's meaner bites, tend to be bitter about something. After all, she supposedly made it in Hollywood but is for some reason now slumming it in a small East Coast town teaching high school. She probably flamed out. Dawson's Arch Nemesis gets offended by this and excuses herself from the table.

Dawson asks to talk to Joey and points out the fact that not ten minutes after asking Dawson to behave, she has been pushing every button at the table. Joey plays coy about the whole thing but won't let Dawson in on what's going on. Jen then comes up and says that "Operation Reunited" (Ooooh, episode title drop!) is underway. Dawson is now upset because Jen knows and he doesn't. Then the Maitre D' shows up and asks them if they got the wine they asked for. Now Dawson is really upset because the Maitre D' knows and he still doesn't know.

Aw, honey, it's probably because you're useless

Anyway, the song Reunited starts to play because apparently that is Gail and Mitch's song. That's a horrible song to be their song because it sucks. But, they love it and Mitch actually goes over to Gail and asks her to dance, so success, I guess. Mitch thanks Gail for the bottle of wine that she apparently sent to his table and Gail quickly figures out that it was Jen and Joey's doing and plays along. Mitch then asks Gail about her decision to move away and she points out that it's none of his concern since he's obviously moved on with Dawson's Arch Nemesis. Mitch says that he's making a plea on Dawson's behalf for her to stay but she shoots back that Dawson could ask her to stay and look, I understand that they are talking about Mitch while using Dawson but Dawson did ask Gail to stay, she just made it clear that she didn't care if her son wanted her to stay as long as Mitch didn't want her back. So, no I don't buy that she would stay if Dawson asked her to but I do buy that she'd stay if Mitch asked her to which is what she's implying. I forget what my point was so the song ends and they both go back to their respective tables, having nothing really resolved.

Bang up job, guys

Back with the infinitely more interesting storyline, Pacey and Jack are trying desperately to get Andie to open the door and come out of the bathroom but she refuses. She is yelling at Tim to go away but Pacey thinks she is talking to him so he refuses. She clarifies that she means Tim so Pacey tells her that he does believe that she's seeing Tim and that it's not fair that he can't see Tim. So Pacey asks Andie to tell her what Tim is saying. What follows is a really engaging scene and I am going to post it for you below because it's that awesome.

Notice how most of the really great scenes I've shown 

have involved Pacey?

The only thing about that scene is that it's really awkward having Jack stand idly by offering up nothing to talk his sister out of the bathroom. I get why he had to be there, to set up the next episode's conflict, but I wish they'd given him a little something else to do. I mean as it stands it's like:

Uh, yeah...what Pacey said

Uh, me either 'cause I'm your brother...and stuff

Yay, you came out and...you know what, you guys should just have your moment
It's cool. I'll just hang back here until you need me...

It's just kind of sad and a bit awkward to watch him standing uselessly in the background while Pacey gets to save the day. I love the scene but it's staged awkwardly. It would have played better if Jack wasn't there, but I guess he kind of had to be because of what follows.

Jack says that he got Andie to go to sleep and Pacey asks what they should do. Jack says sensibly, that he should call his father. Pacey is livid at that idea and Jack says he's not thrilled about it but his sister clearly needs more help than they can give her and his father can afford that help. Pacey tries to say that she'll get better with time but Jack, rightfully, slaps Pacey with some truth and his first hand experience with this type of psychosis. Andie will not get better with time, untreated. She will get worse, like her mother did. Jack doesn't want her to get as bad as their mother did to the point where nothing could help her. So Pacey agrees that Jack should call Mr. McPhee.

Gail thanks Jen for the evening, even if the shenanigans were a little too much for her tastes.

But it's such a fun word to say

Jen asks Gail if she decided to stay in Capeside and Gail admits that she really wanted to leave, to run away from her feelings for Mitch but that she could move 10,000 miles away and still be connected to him. She thinks that Mitch felt it too and seems happy but then she spots Mitch with Dawson's Arch Nemesis looking intimate and she runs away. Uh-oh, looks like Gail probably will move to Philly.

Dawson and Joey are hanging out in a row boat, talking about their evening. Joey asks Dawson if he planned the romantic evening specifically so that they'd close the deal on their relationship. IE: fuck. Dawson plays innocent but then admits that he didn't think the idea was that preposterous. She says that it isn't and that she thought about it too. Dawson tells her that the night is young and Joey counters that so are they. Sorry, Dawson/Joey shippers, their love is not to be consummated.

We fittingly end on the true tragic and romantic couple, Pacey and Andie. Andie is scared about what will happen to her and Pacey says that he is scared too. She admits that she doesn't want to lose him and he says that she won't "not now, not ever" and then they say "I love you" to each other.

Awwwww!

This scene just breaks my heart and angers me because of what is going to happen next season but we'll get to that drama when it unfolds. For now, they are team Pandie and they are the strongest and most endearing couple on this show.

Stay tuned next time for Ch-Ch-Changes, yes that actually is the episode title. I guess the writers figured it was time for our fellow Creekers to turn and face the strange.

Ba-dum TISH!

No, but seriously, it's really obvious that the episode is named after this song. We'll see if they do encounter any real changes or face anything strange, next time in the Wastelands.