May 3, 2012
BSC #99, Stacey’s Broken Heart: When One Door Closes, Another (Hotter) One Opens
Like Stacey would date a guy who wore those pants
Summary: The Walkers, Stacey’s favorite clients in New York, ask her to come visit for the week and look after their kids while they put together an art show. Stacey agrees but is sad to leave Robert, who’s been acting kind of funny. For example, he’ll say he’s playing basketball with his friends, then wind up doing something else. Andi, one of the bad girls, is hanging around him a lot, too. Someone sees him out with another girl and lets Stacey know, so Stacey and Claudia stalk him but don’t see anything particularly incriminating.
While Stacey’s in New York, Claudia calls to let her know that Robert’s been hanging out with Andi. Well, not just hanging out. Making out. Stacey’s surprised to find herself less upset than she’d expected. It may have something to do with Ethan, a guy who’s been working with the Walkers and hanging out with her and the kids while she babysits. Ethan and Stacey have more in common than Stacey and Robert did anyway. (Sounds like he’s hotter, too.)
When Stacey gets back to Stoneybrook, Andi’s waiting for her, wanting to tell her about the cheating. Stacey tell her she already knows, adding that Robert isn’t hers to control, so if they want to be together, they can. She then tells Robert that they’re done, obviously. He pulls that “I hope we can still be friends” crap, but fortunately, Stacey isn’t ready for that. She’s totally ready for some Ethan lovin’, though.
In other storylines, Kristy’s off to Hawaii with her family, and Abby’s the acting president. She wants to throw a big Mexican festival to benefit an orphanage, but she’s not as organized as Kristy and doesn’t do well with the budgeting aspects of the event. The other BSC girls try valiantly to help out, but things barely come together. Because, you know, Kristy is the best at everything, so don’t even pretend you’re better than her.
Thoughts: Someone majorly screwed up – in Dawn Schafer, Undercover Baby-sitter, Kristy had just left for Hawaii. At the beginning of this book, she’s about to leave. But Dawn isn’t in this book, and in the previous one, there was no mention of Stacey and Kristy being gone at the same time. So it’s like the two books are set in the same time period, but none of the events are the same.
Freaking A, this summer just WILL NOT END.
I guess unicorns, like sheep, are in, because that’s what Claudia has on her shirt.
I love this exchange:
Henry (five years old): “The Rice Krispies fell on the floor and I spilled the milk.”
Stacey: “Bummer. What did your mom do?”
Henry: “She looked up at the ceiling and said, ‘Give me strength!’ How could the ceiling give her strength?”
Grace (three years old): “Cereal is not heavy.”
Ghostwriter, it’s 1996. It’s time for Stacey to stop getting perms.
April 21, 2012
Dawson’s Creek 5.5, Use Your Disillusion: Sleeping Dogs Lie
"No, I will not wait to be seated! Coffee needs to be poured on laps NOW!"
Summary: Gail is straightening up Lily’s nursery while Dawson does other house-related chores to solidify his position as man of the family. His mother encourages him to spend some time with Joey instead. She assures him that he can leave Capeside for a couple of days; she can take care of Lily on her own. At Worthington, Joey and Audrey go for a jog and discuss Dawson’s visit. Joey’s overthinking everything, feeling a lot of pressure to comfort Dawson. They won’t be discussing anything deep.
Professor Wilder finds the girls and chats with Joey about how the school just received the estate of a famous writer. He’s been chosen to go through all of the writer’s works and see if there’s anything worth publishing. He wants Joey and some other students to help. Joey accepts but can’t attend the party Professor Wilder is throwing to celebrate because of Dawson. Wilder tells her to bring Dawson along.
Jen hangs out in Charlie’s room and asks him to see a play with her the next night. He’s working at the radio station but invites her to stop by afterward. Then there is making out. Danny helps Pacey with his quarter-playing skills at the restaurant; they’re interrupted by Karen, who taunts them for their form of male bonding. Danny asks to borrow Pacey’s boat the next night so he can take his wife, Emily, out for a date. In exchange, Pacey gets the night off.
Jack plays pool with some other Sigma Epsilon pledges, discussing the tasks they might have to undergo before they can join the frat. Tobey arrives for a surprise visit as a pledge gets a call to participate in a hazing task. Jack’s happy that Tobey’s there, but he’s worried that they won’t have much time to spend together.
Dawson’s now at Worthington, and Joey’s all awkward. She gives him a book called How to Deal With Your Parents [sic] Death. She suggests watching movies all day, and though Dawson seems like he wants to do something else, he agrees that that’s probably a good idea. Jen has convinced Pacey to go to the play with her, though he’s not that excited about Shakespeare. Tobey comes to Grams’ house, confused about where he was supposed to meet Jack. Jen thinks Jack ditched him for the frat brothers.
Joey and Dawson watch movies on her tiny TV, and Joey panics when a scene shows a car accident. She thinks she’s “robbing” him of his time to freak out by making it about her. Dawson assures her that he doesn’t feel that way. Joey thinks Audrey was right and they should have gone out. Dawson jumps on that idea, and Joey tells him they could go to the party at Wilder’s.
Downtown, Jen and Pacey chat about Karen, who he definitely has a crush on. He’s all excited to have Danny as a mentor. Jen finds it funny that Pacey thinks of Danny as an older version of himself. As they pass by a restaurant, they see Charlie inside with another girl. Pacey tries to rush Jen off, but she wants to go inside and confront him. Pacey tries to convince her to wait until the next day so she can calm down. Jen pretends to agree, then starts to run inside, so Pacey throws her over his shoulder and runs off with her.
Jack and Tobey are at another restaurant, and Tobey’s upset that Jack didn’t tell him he would be late. (Tobey doesn’t have a phone because he’s worried about brain tumors.) He also can’t tell Tobey what he was doing as it’s against the frat’s rules. Jack tells him not to act like a girl, which Tobey finds offensive. Just as they’re working things out, Jack gets summoned for another task. Tobey tells him to go do it.
Jen grumbles her way to the play, which is, appropriately enough, Othello. She storms out before it starts. Joey and Dawson go to Wilder’s, and Dawson makes it clear that he doesn’t need her to be with him every second. He’s clearly not ready for this, though. Jen takes Pacey back to the restaurant and pretends they’ve just stumbled upon Charlie and his lady friend. Then she spills coffee on him. Charlie introduces her to the other girl, his sister, as Pacey cracks up.
Jack and the other pledges are stuck waiting around for instructions; they think their initiation is the next day. Jack’s worried that he’s hurting his relationship with Tobey. The other guys are in the same situation with their girlfriends and encourage Jack to set boundaries. They think Tobey’s there to make sure Jack doesn’t get involved with any new people. They tell Jack to dump him and move on.
Dawson hides out in Wilder’s kitchen as Joey talks with her classmates. A girl comes in to talk to him, but he seems to be having a kind of anxiety attack. He pulls Joey out of the party and tells her about a similar experience he had days earlier at the grocery store. Dawson doesn’t like feeling out of control or where the feeling came from. He really did want to go out, but as soon as they went, he changed his mind. Joey tells him that’s allowed. She agrees to go back to her room, clearly concerned about him.
Jen and Charlie walk home together and he explained that he wasn’t working because his shift was switched. His sister called before Charlie could let Jen know. She offers to do his laundry for a month to make things up to him. He tells her he needs to learn to trust her. He points out that he didn’t jump to conclusions when he saw her with Pacey because he trusts her and knows they have something special.
Jack finally makes it home to Grams’ and apologizes to Tobey, who’s really angry. He asks Jack to admit that the frat is more important than Tobey is. Jack points out that he’s going to be in college for four years and needs to have a social life, especially when he and Tobey can’t see each other all the time. He wants to be himself with his friends, rather than compartmentalize his life.
When Jack first moved to Capeside, he was Andie’s brother, then Joey’s boyfriend. When he came out, he was Jack the gay guy. He came out to the frat so he wouldn’t have to hide who he really was, and they didn’t care about his sexuality. He figured Tobey would understand.
Jack says under his breath that the other guys were right. Tobey’s angry that Jack talked to someone else about their problems. Jack accuses him of being jealous. Tobey says that he wants to be Jack’s main priority. Jack comes first to him no matter how far apart they are or what he’s doing. He’s always thinking about Jack and how to make him happy. He can see that Jack doesn’t feel the same about him.
Pacey flirts with Karen at the restaurant and she wonders if he’s arranging his schedule so they always work at the same time. A woman comes in looking for Danny; she’s his wife, Emily, and she spent the last night home sick. Pacey realizes that that means Danny and Emily didn’t spend the night on his boat. Dawson packs to go back to Capeside, thanking Joey for helping him out. He leaves the book behind.
Tobey and Jen wait for Jack to come back and make up with Tobey before he leaves Boston. Jen says Jack will regret not trying to make things work. Tobey says everyone gets hurt in a breakup, encouraging her to stay with Charlie. Danny thanks Pacey for the use of his boat, saying Emily had a great time. Pacey says nothing.
Jack comes home in his new frat blazer, happy to have been inducted. Jen tells him he sucks and broke Tobey’s heart. He should think about what he gave up today. Jack already knows. Jen admits that she feels like she and Jack don’t know each other that well anymore. He blames that on her new relationship with Charlie, which Jen finds unfair.
Jack continues that they’re all growing apart, and he wanted to spare Tobey some pain. He wants to meet new people without having to worry about hurting someone else. Jen says he should have said something to Tobey, but Jack is telling her instead. Jen heads off to take Charlie a basket of fruit and flowers, but when she starts to turn the corner to his dorm room, she catches him making out with another girl.
Joey confides in Audrey that she feels relieved now that Dawson’s gone. She only got him the book because she wanted him to know how she felt but didn’t know how to say it. She wrote a message in the book but Dawson will never read it. Audrey tries to cheer her up with coffee and glitter lipstick. After Joey leaves the room, Audrey reads her message to Dawson, which talks about keeping loved ones close after losing someone. She loves him and is always here for him.
Thoughts: The Pacey/Jen scenes are awesome, especially their exchange when he tells her Danny’s like him. Jen: “When you grow up, you basically want to be yourself?” Pacey: “Yeah. I’m very well-adjusted.” Hee.
If I were Tobey, I’d be less annoyed by Jack telling me not to act like a girl and more by him calling me a “friend” when the frat brothers call.
The other girl was Charlie’s sister? What a shocking twist that has never, ever been used on TV before! It’s worth it for Pacey’s reaction, though.
Tobey’s upset that Jack talked about their problems with a neutral third party, but doesn’t everyone do that? It’s called venting, Tobey.
April 8, 2012
BH90210 3.16, It’s a Totally Happening Life: Hark! The Herald Angels Bore
And then something really stupid happens
Summary: Up in the cosmos over the Walshes’ house, an angel named Miriam whines to an angel named Clarence that something horrible is going to happen and she needs his help. They look in on West Beverly High, where the madrigals are singing Christmas carols in the hall. The kids wrap presents for a party they’re throwing for underprivileged kids at another school. Clarence questions how any of them could have problems since they’re so good-looking.
Steve complains to Andrea about having to serve detention, though he should be glad that’s all he got. The girls need a Santa for the party with the underprivileged kids, and the job falls to Dylan. Miriam tells Clarence that all this actually happened two days ago. Now the kids are on a bus, and they’re not happy or talking to each other. Clarence doesn’t care.
Miriam takes them back two days, when Andrea (now healed) gets a call from her grandmother telling her she got a letter from Yale. Unfortunately, it’s a small envelope. Brandon and Gil try to cheer her up and decide to bet on the outcome. The three of them go to Andrea’s apartment to find out for sure what the letter says. It’s an acceptance letter. Andrea decides that Gil will have to shave because he lost the bet. She also has a letter from Jay, but it doesn’t have good news.
At the Walshes’, Brandon blasts Jay for dumping Andrea via letter, saying he never liked the guy anyone. His family guesses that he never said anything because he never wanted to sound jealous, petty, or bitter. Brandon says it doesn’t matter since he’s with Nikki now. Kelly and Dylan show up to help the Walshes trim the tree.
Back at school, Gil has to shave his beard, though Andrea tells him at the last minute that he doesn’t have to. David and Donna are there as well, and she notices that he seems upset. David’s sad that his friends are all going to graduate before him. (I thought he was working on graduating early?) Andrea asks Brandon to see a movie that night, but he has plans to see Nikki, who’s been in San Francisco.
Brandon and Nikki make out on his bed, getting interrupted by Cindy, who should really start making her children keep their doors open. It’s for the best anyway, since Nikki needs to tell Brandon something important: She’s moving back in with her parents in San Francisco. She only came back to L.A. to get her things and say goodbye to Brandon. Clarence says Brandon will be fine, but Miriam says he won’t if he gets on the bus.
Later that night, Brenda complains to Brandon about the Dylan/Kelly deception. Brandon tells her about his break-up with Nikki. Miriam takes Clarence to the Peach Pit a few nights earlier, when Brenda and Kelly had a come-to-Jesus meeting with Dylan about admitting their feelings and getting back to being friends. Basically, no one will be dating Dylan for the immediate future. Dylan thinks that’s for the best.
The arrangement works for a while, until Dylan and Kelly come over to decorate the tree and study Shakespeare. Kelly goes downstairs to get some sodas, passing the living room, where the other Walshes are watching It’s a Wonderful Life. (Clarence has never heard of it, har har.) Kelly thinks Jimmy Stewart is Cary Grant. Upstairs, Dylan and Brenda suddenly start making out, then stop just as suddenly, blaming old habits.
At the Peach Pit the next day, Kelly tells Brenda and Dylan that David’s mother has decided to move to Oregon. After she leaves, Brenda and Dylan discuss their “little accident” the day before, reaffirming that it won’t happen again. Brenda and Donna leave to finish planning the Christmas party, and Kelly winds up going to Dylan’s place. He doesn’t think he’ll make a convincing Santa. Kelly tells him her favorite visit to Santa at the mall happened to be to a Chinese one. The two start making out, and when Brenda comes by with Dylan’s Santa costume, she catches them.
Brenda confronts the two of them and brings up her own make-out session with Dylan the day before. Now both girls are mad at him. Kelly tries to excuse her behavior as trying to convince Dylan to play Santa. The girls realize they can’t all be friends. Dylan blames them for starting all the kissing.
At school the next day, Brenda tells Donna that Dylan and Kelly can’t be part of the party. Donna balks, so Brenda says she won’t go instead. Dylan also backs out, telling Donna that he doesn’t think the party will make a difference for the kids anyway. Kelly’s next to try to get out of the party, so Donna tells her Brenda isn’t going. David also drops out, saying he’s not a senior and has been “tagging along” with the others for too long.
Steve’s not supposed to go to the party – he’s been banned from school activities – so Donna tries to convince him to go in disguise, specifically as Santa. He won’t. Even Andrea isn’t up for the party, saying she does enough charity work anyway. Mostly she doesn’t want to be around Brandon. Donna wonders if all of this is some sort of message. Brandon tries to back out, saying that he’s not in a festive mood. He believes Gil, the party’s faculty sponsor, will support this.
Too bad Gil isn’t the sponsor – Ms. Teasley is, and she’s not going to let any of the volunteers drop out. Everyone has to go unless he or she has pneumonia – “and I want to see that chest x-ray.” This takes us back to the kids riding the bus, all upset with each other. Clarence interrupts to ask for more information on Brandon and Andrea. (Thanks a lot, Clarence.)
Miriam goes to the Peach Pit, where Brandon is complaining to Nat about his break-up with Nikki. Andrea shows up and Brandon asks her to see a movie, like she’d wanted to before. She has to babysit, so she invites him along. (Andrea, what would Kristy say?) After the sitting charge is in bed, Andrea and Brandon watch It’s a Wonderful Life. She brings up the time he tried to convince her to stay in Beverly Hills for the summer. Then they make out. Andrea stops the kissing to accuse Brandon of thinking of Nikki. He in turn accuses her of thinking of Jay.
Miriam tells Clarence that the bus is about to crash with a truck driven by a drunk guy. Clarence has already taken care of it, or so he thinks. He’s actually diverted the wrong driver. While the kids are on the bus, Steve goes to the party anyway and meets up with Gil. Miriam begs Clarence to stop the truck, asking him to “call upstairs” if necessary. Clarence says they have to “let destiny run its course.” This involves everyone sniping at each other while the madrigals sing Christmas carols.
Donna finally puts the smackdown on everyone, asking if they plan to be grumpy when they get to the party. Kelly says they’ll pass out presents, but probably won’t enjoy themselves. Donna notes that this is a good time of year to stop thinking about themselves. If they can’t appreciate all the good things in their lives, they should just get off the bus right now. Miriam supports that idea. Now everyone wants to make up.
Steve and Gil are entertaining the kids at the party when they spot the bus and truck both approaching. There’s nothing Clarence or Miriam can do, which makes this whole thing pretty pointless. Steve sees the truck going the wrong way on a one-way street and tries to stop the driver. Instead, the truck heads for an intersection as the bus comes from another direction. But instead of crashing, they pass through each other.
Gil and Steve welcome everyone to the party, where Ms. Teasley punishes Steve by giving him the Santa costume. The kids all get presents, and Dylan shows a little girl how to play with a yo-yo, because he is wonderful and adorable. David tells Donna that if he takes extra courses (as he’d previously planned), he can graduate early. Another non-problem solved!
Ms. Teasley approves of Steve’s portrayal of Santa. Brenda and Kelly inform Dylan that he needs to pick which one of them he wants to be with on New Year’s Eve. Donna hears a bell ring, which means an angel got its wings. Yes, it was Miriam. Bleh.
Thoughts: You’d think that in an episode with a title playing off of It’s a Wonderful Life, the plot would be about how things would be if, say, the Walshes never came to Beverly Hills. Andrea even mentions that briefly. But no, we got this junk instead.
So…that’s it for Nikki? Good. Her presence meant nothing.
Donna calling in Ms. Teasley to yell at everyone was awesome.
For two girls who tend to be melodramatic, Brenda and Kelly deciding to let Dylan choose between them is really anticlimactic. I mean, are we really supposed to believe that the girl he doesn’t choose is just going to be okay with it?
March 18, 2012
BH90210 3.12, Destiny Rides Again: Danger! Danger!
Sorry I couldn't find one of Dean Cain's face. Or abs
Summary: Brenda, Kelly, and Donna are at the video store (remember those?), trying to find something to watch. David’s wandering around in the adult section. As Donna pulls him away, they run into her priest, Father Chris, who jokes, “So I see you’re looking for musical comedies.” He suggests that she stop by for a talk sometime. Suddenly another familiar face appears: Rick. Brenda can’t leave the store without encountering him, so she asks her friends to play along with whatever she says and does.
Rick has transferred to UCLA, and Brenda tells him she’s visiting a relative. He tells her he waited a long time for her in Paris. He wants to give her a tour of L.A., but she says she’s only in town for a couple of days. Rick thinks it’s fate that they’ve run into each other. Brenda says she’s staying with her aunt and uncle, the Walshes. He calls her there that night, and she has to play French in front of Jim, Cindy, and Brandon.
Kelly paints her bedroom black, leading Jackie to think something’s wrong. Kelly admits that she feels alone since she’s single. She adds that she keeps falling in love with the wrong guys. Jackie notes that she’s been married five times and knows you can’t control who you fall in love with. David and Donna make out on her bed, and the discussion turns to taking things further. Donna still isn’t sure if she’s ready for sex. She always thought she would wait until she was married, but her body feels differently. David warns that he probably won’t be able to wait that long.
Everyone discusses their SAT scores at school, and Steve admits to Brandon that he did really badly on his and probably won’t be able to go to USC. Brandon isn’t all that sympathetic. Steve spots his freshman buddy Herbert fixing a computer and offers him a ticket to a Raiders game. They start talking about computers, then the grade banks at school, then the possibility of Herbert breaking into a grade bank. Herbert would only need an active server, which would mean breaking into the school. Steve notes that he can make that happen (thank you, legacy key).
After putting in some time on the Blaze, Andrea walks home. Or she would walk home if she weren’t hit by a car that then drives off. She winds up in the hospital with casts on both legs. Brandon visits and surprisingly doesn’t arrange a posse to go after the hit-and-run driver. Steve bugs Herbert about helping him, noting that he could be the next recipient of the legacy key. Herbert gives in, so Steve uses his ultra-’90s cell phone to get the password he needs, then runs off laughing hysterically.
Nikki tells Brandon, Donna, and David that she has tickets to a televised AIDS benefit Rosie O’Donnell is hosting that night. They all agree to go together. Dylan goes over to the Walshes’, where Brenda’s finalizing a date the next day with Rick. Dylan’s SAT scores are in, and they’re so good that he’s being accused of cheating. Jim thinks he should just take the test again. Dylan refuses since he has nothing to prove.
Brandon, Nikki, David, and Donna visit Andrea, then go to the benefit, where Rosie gives a little PSA about sex. She asks the teens in the audience to share their first sexual experiences. Brandon and Nikki are put on the hot seat, and they admit that they’ve had sex, just not with each other yet. Donna announces that she’s a virgin and plans to wait to have sex. Rosie asks her to tell her mom that she did a good job raising her (ha! Clearly Rosie has never met Felice), and she shouldn’t let David pressure her.
At Dylan’s, Brenda bugs him about retaking the SAT. He asks if she believes that he didn’t cheat. She does, since he’s always been honest with her. That’s part of the reason she told him about Rick (or part of the truth about Rick, at least). Dylan comes clean that there was “a girl” over the summer. Brenda’s mad that he didn’t tell her sooner. She wants to know who the girl was, but Dylan says it doesn’t matter.
David and Donna wind up back at her house, and since her parents are out of town, he’d like to spend the night (but not do anything). They fall asleep together and she dreams about going with a Communion class to the adult section of the video store. One of the girls tells Donna she can’t go in because she’s “just a little girl.” Donna goes to church with the girls and asks Father Chris if God will still love her if she sleeps with her boyfriend. He says God will love her but her parents will be disappointed. Donna wakes up and tells David he has to go home.
Brenda gets ready for her date with Rick, asking Cindy to play along. She promises she won’t be seeing Rick again after today. Rick wants to go to the Peach Pit, and of course Brandon is working that day. He and Nat play along with Brenda’s story that Brandon’s her cousin. But Brenda finally snaps and tells Rick who she really is. She storms out but comes back a few moments later to apologize for lying to Rick. He apparently doesn’t care and just wants to make out.
Donna goes to church to get some counseling from Father Chris. He asks her what her heart wants her to do. He tells her that love and virginity are gifts; she needs to decide who to give those gifts to. He promises that God will still love her no matter what she does. Donna remembers that he told her the same thing when she was younger.
Rick takes Brenda home and asks to see her again the next day. He doesn’t see Dylan as any kind of obstacle. He thinks he and Brenda have something powerful, and he doesn’t want to lose her a second time. Brenda tries to get him to leave, and Rick guesses that she’s seeing Dylan that night. He tells her to make sure it’s worth bucking the odds.
David’s upset that Donna talked to a priest about their sex life. She tells him she wants to wait until they’re out of high school, then discuss sex again if they’re still together. David promises that he’s not going anywhere and is okay with just making out. Brandon visits Andrea again and learns that the police still don’t have a suspect in her hit-and-run. He assures her that her friends will take care of her while she’s wheelchair-bound.
Brenda bugs Dylan again about retaking the SAT, asking why everything has to be a battle with him. He tells her to leave him alone if she’s not going to support him. Brenda notes that their problems obviously aren’t about the SAT. She tells him Rick came to L.A. and she spent the day with him. She loves Dylan, but they need a “rest.” And just like that, Brenda and Dylan are no more.
That night, Steve and Herbert use the legacy key to get into the school and subsequently the grade bank. Herbert starts to change Steve’s grades, but the computer locks him out, then goes black. Kelly can’t decide on colors for her room, telling Jackie she’s going through some changes. Jackie notes that paint colors aren’t that important.
Brenda calls to tell Kelly that she and Dylan broke up, and that Dylan dated someone over the summer but didn’t tell her who. Kelly wonders if they broke up because Brenda wants to be with Rick. There’s a knock on Kelly’s door, and she thinks it’s David, but it’s actually Dylan (not that she tells Brenda that). He agrees with Brenda that they should start seeing other people, and he specifically thinks he should start seeing Kelly.
Thoughts: The priest is played by Gregory Itzin (24, The Mentalist, Big Love, Covert Affairs, Murder One, The Ides of March). I wouldn’t have recognized him without seeing his name in the credits.
The irony of Dylan insisting “I did not cheat” isn’t lost on me, show.
From what I’ve read, the breakup came about because Luke Perry couldn’t take working with Shannen Doherty anymore. If it’s true, he hid the animosity well in their scenes together.
When the computer freezes, Steve smacks the monitor and all I could think of was Zoolander.
Kelly, I know he’s cute, but a guy who would make a move on you five minutes after breaking up with your best friend is not a guy you want to be with. Not that you were any better for hooking up with him while he was still dating your best friend. I’m just saying, you’re putting a lot on the line here.
March 11, 2012
Dawson’s Creek 4.20, Promicide: What’s With This Show and Boats?
The calm before the storm
Summary: Bessie’s altering Joey’s prom dress, though Joey thinks prom is a bad idea, considering what happened last year. Pacey asks her to pick up their tickets since he isn’t allowed to buy them due to his poor grades. He wants to make prom night perfect for Joey, who tells him he doesn’t have to go overboard. Then he accidentally rips her zipper.
Over at Jen’s, Tobey tells her and Jack about a past prom experience where he came out to his date and she tried to turn him (quite aggressively). After he leaves, Jen urges Jack to ask him to the prom since they’re getting along so well. She’s sure Tobey wants him to ask. Jack was burned too badly by last year’s drama and doesn’t want to lead Tobey on.
Jen and Gretchen try on dresses while Dawson and Jack try on tuxes. Gretchen is excited to revisit her high school years with Dawson before heading to Boston. Joey thinks Jen has been sad since they got back from New York, though Jen claims she feels good about her life. Jack warns Dawson to “be careful” if he and Gretchen decide to have sex on prom night. Joey confides in Jen about her pregnancy scare, adding that she feels like Pacey’s being hands-off.
Dawson and Gretchen run into each other and she tells him she didn’t get the job in Boston partly because she doesn’t have a college degree. Now she’s not sure what she’s going to do. Dawson tells her she can skip prom, but she wants him to have a good experience. Jen tells Tobey that Jack wants to ask him to the prom but is afraid of being rejected. Tobey doesn’t think Jack’s interested, so Jen says that Jack begged her to come talk to Tobey.
Joey and Pacey wind up alone at the B&B, but Pacey’s uninterested in taking advantage of the circumstances. Jack calls Jen, who scrambles to excuse her actions, noting that Jack set her and Henry up. Jack assures her that he’s not upset, though he was a little ticked when Tobey called and said his answer (to an unasked question) was yes. Jack has decided to enact revenge, in the form of telling Drue that Jen wants to go to the prom with him.
On prom night, Mitch and Gail take pictures of Dawson as he tells Lily that their parents may seem weird but they’re actually cool. Joey arrives and Dawson’s parents take pictures of the two of them together. Dawson tells her that he’s glad they’ve wound up where they are after the past year. Gretchen and Pacey meet their significant others, but Pacey feels bad because he didn’t refrigerate the corsages. Dawson takes flowers from Gail’s garden instead.
As Drue joins the others at the Leerys’ house, Jack nervously picks up Tobey. When they get to the Leerys’, Jen complains to Jack about Drue, but he tells her she should have thought about the consequences of her actions ahead of time. Both of them announce that they’re going to have fun tonight no matter what. Jen gives herself a little liquid courage to help with that. Pacey also promises Joey a good night. Then the kids’ limo (arranged by Pacey) arrives, but it’s a piece of junk.
The kids stop at a convenience store, where Drue tries to get Gretchen to buy some alcohol. Jack and Tobey realize they both love Sno-Balls. Jen offers Pacey some booze, but Pacey tells her his dad and brother will make him take a breathalyzer later. He thinks she’s drinking because of Drue; she says she has other things to worry about. Pacey doesn’t get how their friends can be so care-free when their future plans aren’t going to work out. Inside, Joey catches Dawson buying condoms.
Everyone heads to the boat where prom is being held, and Dawson jokes that if anyone questions why Gretchen’s there, she can say she’s a chaperone. Jen snaps at Drue for following her, and he tells her Jack gave him $50 to stalk her all night. Jack and Tobey talk about their exes, and Jack is clearly loosening up.
Speaking of loosening up, that’s what Joey tries to get Pacey to do, since she thinks something’s wrong. He denies this, though she’s noticed that he’s been pretending everything’s perfect since he got back from his “camping trip.” Pacey says he’s trying to be who Joey wants him to be so she can have the perfect prom experience. She reminds him that she hasn’t said anything about wanting things to be perfect. Pacey blasts her for getting mad whether he’s acting happy or unhappy.
Drue finds a drunk Jen on the deck and tries to take her booze. She sits on the railing and tells him she won’t confide in him because he doesn’t care. Drue encourages her to talk, so she tells him about her visit to New York. He’s worried about her sitting on the railing but can’t convince her to come down.
Gretchen goes outside so Dawson can talk to Joey, who’s upset about her argument with Pacey. Joey insists she’s fine and doesn’t want to talk, especially about the condoms. Dawson admits that he and Gretchen haven’t had sex but might tonight. Joey asks if he’s in love with her. Dawson only knows that it “feels right.” Joey’s glad that his first time is going to be with Gretchen. Dawson says he waited so long because he wanted to find someone he loved as much as Joey, then realized that wouldn’t happen. Joey says she’ll probably never love anyone the way she loved him either.
Pacey finds Gretchen trying to drown her sorrows; she’s upset because she graduated high school four years ago and is still at the prom. For the first time since she and Dawson got together, she feels too old to be doing what she’s doing. Pacey says that since he’s technically still a junior, he shouldn’t be there. He admits that he’s been angry with Joey, though he’s not sure why. Gretchen urges him to talk to her, noting that they’re trapped on a boat together, so he might as well try.
Tobey wants to dance with Jack, but Jack’s insistent that everything remain platonic. Tobey thinks he’s trying to fight his feelings, telling Jack to figure things out or risk losing something great. Pacey and Gretchen see Joey and Dawson dancing together comfortably, so of course there’s going to be drama about that.
When the song’s over, Pacey tells Joey that when she was with Dawson, she looked happier than she has in weeks. The problem is that Pacey didn’t feel angry or jealous – in fact, he didn’t feel anything. He just has one question: “Why are you with me?” Pacey feels like a charity project. Joey tries to tell him that it’s not about him, but he yells that it obviously is. He feels inferior when he’s with her, but he’s realizing that that’s not his fault.
Pacey rants that the whole evening almost collapsed because he screwed up. Joey says again that she didn’t ask for anything and doesn’t care about the problems. He yells that he wants her to care. He doesn’t feel like he’s trapped on the boat, but that he’s trapped in their relationship, and he can’t take it anymore. “When I’m with you, I feel like I’m nothing!” he says. Pacey has stopped touching her because it reminds him that he’s not good enough. Joey tells him to go to hell.
Drue keeps trying to get Jen down from the railing, but she still refuses. She almost pulls an Abby, but he catches her and pulls her back onto the deck. Joey cries to Dawson that she doesn’t know why Pacey said what he did since that’s not her. Drue thinks Jen should go back to New York since she’s become a lightweight. She doesn’t want to go back, and she feels like she’s changed but doesn’t want to admit it. Drue tells her not to go backwards when she can go forward. He suggests Boston for college since he’s going to be there.
Jack apologizes to Tobey, admitting that his feelings took him by surprise. When they first met, Tobey was so out that it was all Jack could see about him. Now he’s seen more, and the one thing that turned him off before is just another thing Jack likes about him. They kiss, then go dance.
Dawson finally gets back to Gretchen, who has figured out what she needs to do with her life: go back to college and figure out who she is. Capeside isn’t her place, and Dawson isn’t for her. He’s still chasing after Joey. They need to tie up their loose ends. Dawson isn’t ready for them to be over, but Gretchen says they have an “impossible situation.” He may be good at them, but she’s not.
Pacey tracks down Joey and tells her that he used to think he could give her what other people couldn’t: a wall, a summer on his boat, the night on the ski trip. Now he hates himself, and being with her makes it worse. The more Joey loves him, the angrier he gets. Pacey’s failures don’t have anything to do with her, but if they stay together, he’ll keep taking them out on her. Joey notes that the way he treats her is in his power.
Pacey continues that their senior year is basically over, and they’re different people on different paths. They won’t have a boat trip this summer. Soon one of them will be in Boston while the other stays in Capeside. Joey’s spent her whole life trying to get out of Capeside, but that’s who Pacey is, and she deserves better. She doesn’t like this reasoning and tells him to leave her alone.
As the limo takes the kids home, Jack offers Drue his agreed-upon dating fee, but Drue declines it. No one’s talking to anyone else. The driver asks if they want to go to an after-party, but no one responds.
Thoughts: Yeah, I bet Gail lost the baby weight that fast.
I like Joey’s prom dress. It’s kind of simple, but it makes sense that she wouldn’t want anything too flashy. And I love that shade of purple.
Drue: “Oh, cool, a baby. Can I hold it?” Dawson, Joey, Mitch, Gail, Gretchen: “No.” An easy joke, but I laughed.
I can’t believe none of the girls got her hair done. Maybe there wasn’t enough money in the budget for a hairstylist?
This episode aired in May, but you can see everyone’s breath. Couldn’t they have edited that out in post-production? Maybe they still didn’t have enough money even after not paying hairstylists.
No way would Jen not have been searched for alcohol before getting on the boat, after what she pulled on the ski trip.
December 3, 2011
Dawson’s Creek 4.2, Failing Down: Wrecked
Dawson's hair is doing him absolutely zero favors here
Summary: School has just started and Pacey is already expected in the guidance office at the end of the day. But first he wants to discuss PDAs with Joey. He notes that without kissing, they don’t have much left. Then they make out in the middle of the hallway, and of course Dawson sees them. After school, Joey tells Andie she needs a job, and Andie recommends the Capeside Yacht Club. Joey thinks her family is too scandalous for that to work out. Andie tells her to act like one of the rich people, giving her some names to drop.
Dawson runs into Gretchen downtown, where she’s looking at ads for a place to live. She expresses sympathy over the Dawson/Pacey falling-out and offers encouragement. Then she makes fun of the CDs Dawson’s trading in at a music store. (Two words: Vanilla Ice.) Gretchen chastises Dawson for turning in a Grateful Dead CD, which he says his parents got him but he was never interested in. Jen tells Jack that she thinks Henry’s seeing someone else; he called and e-mailed her all summer, but now he seems to be avoiding her. Jack gets a seemingly disturbing e-mail himself.
Joey interviews with Mrs. Valentine at the Ice House, hilariously telling her that her father’s in pharmaceuticals. Mrs. Valentine’s surprised that the Potters aren’t members at the yacht club. Joey is able to truthfully tell her that she spent her summer sailing. However, Mrs. Valentine is on to her. Joey calls her on her “thinly veiled b$#%@ery,” learns there’s no job opening, and starts to leave, then drops the name Andie gave her, Ross. Suddenly Mrs. Valentine wants to give her a second chance.
In the guidance office, Pacey learns that Mitch is filling in since the previous guidance counselor has retired. Mitch questions his choice of summer activities, since he should have spent the months he was at sea in summer school. He failed science, history, and English the previous year. Mitch warns that Pacey’s in a lot of trouble and should retake the classes he failed after school. Pacey needs money and was planning to get a job. Mitch tells him that if he doesn’t take the classes, he won’t graduate in May.
Gretchen takes Pacey to a beach house she thinks they can fix up and live in. Pacey’s grumpy and eventually tells her about his academic troubles. She tells him he’ll be able to do all the work. She asks how Joey reacted, but he hasn’t told her yet. He’s worried that she’ll see him as an idiot. Joey gets right to work at the CYC, chatting with a diner who basically calls her trashy and then says he was joking. He complains about the other rich people and Joey lets him know she doesn’t care what he thinks. At least until she finds out he’s Owen Ross, a member of the family whose name she dropped to get the job.
At home, Mitch tells Dawson that Pacey’s struggling at school. He thinks Dawson’s still a good enough friend to try to help him. He’s not. Mitch urges him to turn to someone who is willing to help Pacey. Jack shares the contents of his disturbing e-mail with Andie: Henry wants to break up with Jen. Andie’s shocked, since Henry basically stalked Jen and wouldn’t shut up about how much he loved her. She doesn’t think Jack should talk to Jen about her relationship with Henry; it’s Henry’s job to deal with the situation himself.
Pacey and Joey have dinner on his boat, discussing the fact that they’re almost done with school. She asks about his guidance meeting but he doesn’t want to talk about it. They discuss Joey’s new job, and she promises that she’s not going to become a “townie.” Pacey accuses her of being a snob and looking down on people who spend their whole lives in the same place. Joey senses that he’s trying to pick a fight to make himself feel better. After that, they’re done talking.
Pacey skips a class the next day, making Dawson worry. Joey works at the CYC again, this time being overly nice to Owen. He smoothes things over by telling her some of the club gossip. One of his gossip subjects is Mrs. Valentine, who used to be married to a rich guy but got a job at the club after her divorce. Joey isn’t surprised that Mrs. Valentine is such a witch. Owen tells her that no one in the club has any class.
Jack and Jen meet up by the water and he brings up Henry, who Jen still hasn’t heard from. She’s basically convinced herself that everything’s fine, though. Jack asks her what she would do if things weren’t actually fine. This makes her suspicious, and she figures out that Henry asked Jack to break up with her. Dawson goes to the B&B under the pretense of returning some of Joey’s CDs and tells her she needs to talk to Pacey about school. He lets her know that Pacey skipped and is in danger of flunking out. Joey thinks she would know if that were the case. Dawson says that when you love someone you don’t want to disappoint her.
Joey goes to the beach house to confront Pacey over skipping. She’s mad that Dawson knows more about Pacey’s problems than she does. Pacey thinks Dawson’s happy to give her information about his ex-best friend. He downplays his problems, which doesn’t surprise her, since he runs away from everything. Joey assures him that he’s not a loser, but he’s also apparently not the great guy she thought she spent the summer with.
The next morning, Gretchen tells Pacey to go apologize to Joey so he doesn’t lose her. He notes that he’s heard Sheriff Witter and Doug tell him how horrible he is for his whole life, so no one should be surprised that he’s listened. Gretchen thinks Dawson is his real problem. She reminds Pacey that Joey chose him, and now he needs to go with it. At the CYC, Mrs. Valentine brings up some of Joey’s receipts which were signed by Owen, who’s supposed to be in Europe. Owen arrives, defends Joey, and reveals himself to be Mrs. Valentine’s son.
Later, Joey goes after “Owen,” whose real name is Drue, and blasts him for lying about his identity. He was just having fun with her since he knew she wasn’t friends with the Rosses. He also wanted to show her how much fun he is. Dawson tries to comfort Jen, who’s upset that her first real boyfriend got her best friend to dump her for him. He tells her all the anger isn’t worth it. Loving someone will hurt if you do it right, and the sooner Jen accepts it, she’ll be able to move on. Dawson reminds Jen that she’s helped him through difficult times before. He’s learned a lot from her, especially about how friendships can be stronger than relationships.
Jack arrives and Dawson passes Jen off to him so they can make up. Jen would have preferred to get sympathy from Jack rather than bad news. Joey waits for Pacey on his boat, where he tells her that she’s “wrecked” him. He fell in love with her knowing he could never be with her (because of Dawson, of course), and when he got everything he wanted, he didn’t know what to do with it. Pacey keeps waiting for her to realize what a big mistake she’s made. He’s a disappointment and Joey will realize she made the wrong choice.
Joey notes that Dawson has nothing to do with Pacey’s school issues. Pacey says that Dawson would never screw up like he did. Joey agrees, adding that Dawson never would have inspired her to run away with him for the summer. She notes that they both ran away from their problems, but it couldn’t last forever. Their great summer together isn’t the only part of their relationship. Now they have to focus on the real-world parts of it. Pacey admits that he’s scared that he screwed up his whole high school experience, then asks for Joey’s help. She promises that they’ll fix everything.
Thoughts: Mrs. Valentine is played by the fabulous Carolyn Hennesy, AKA Barb on Cougar Town and Diane on General Hospital.
Does Drue really have to spell his name like that? It’s annoying.
I’m pretty sure they don’t recruit substitute teachers/football coaches as guidance counselors. Especially since they can’t be trusted to keep their mouths shut.
How in the world is Gretchen able to afford that gigantic beach house? No matter how bad she and Pacey claim it is, it’s actually very nice.
Andie’s right, the Henry thing makes no sense. He also doesn’t give any reason for wanting to break up. It sounds more like they couldn’t get Michael Pitt back for a final episode.
Best clothing-related taunt of the episode: Gretchen telling Pacey, “Button up your best bowling shirt.”
November 13, 2011
Dawson’s Creek 3.20, The Longest Day: “There’s No Going Back”
I know, things would be so much better without Dawson in the picture, right?
Summary: “Ever had one of those days you wish you could live all over again?” Joey asks in voiceover. Dawson, Mitch, Jen, Andie, Jack, Doug, Will, and Buzz are at a pier, ready to christen Pacey’s boat. Dawson thinks Joey’s at the library, but she’s really making out with Pacey in a boathouse. He wants to tell Dawson that they’re together, but both of them know it won’t be easy. Pacey decides to take the bullet for Joey. He thinks honesty is the only way he can save his relationship with Dawson. He just wants one day.
Post-christening, Pacey makes Doug look after Buzz while he goes off to take care of something. Grams is going out of town and is worried that Jen will get into trouble with Henry. Jen spots Pacey standing outside Dawson’s house, unable to make himself go inside. She tells him that she’s sure Joey wants to be with him. Pacey’s imagined version of the conversation with Dawson is much more positive than it will end up being. Mitch leaves the house, telling Pacey that Dawson is at the library.
Pacey heads to the library, running into Andie and Will, who are kind of dating. Unable to find Dawson, Pacey goes home, where Doug is fed up with Buzz, who’s broken his answering machine. He confides in Doug that he and Joey are basically together and he’s working on breaking the news to Dawson. Doug chastises him for sneaking around with the love of his best friend’s life. He thinks Dawson and Joey will eventually wind up together and Pacey will end up alone.
Pacey returns to Dawson’s house, but Joey runs up and stops him from going inside, saying she needs to be the one who tells Dawson about them. Pacey admits that he was chickening out on his way over anyway. Joey sees that as a sign. Dawson’s always been the one person she can count on, and the news is going to kill him. Pacey realizes that Joey didn’t come over with the intention of telling Dawson. Dawson sees them outside and asks what they’re arguing about. “Us,” Pacey tells him. “There’s an us here now.”
Joey reasks the question from the beginning, and we return to the first scene. This time we see Pacey and Joey arrive separately for the christening. Afterward, Joey and Jen go to the library, talking about Joey and Pacey. Joey admits to having feelings for Pacey and being unsure of what to say to Dawson. If she tells Dawson the truth, he’ll be hurt, but if she tells Pacey not to say anything, he’ll be hurt. Joey feels like a villain and wishes she were more like Jen and Pacey, who acts on their feelings and see fearless. Jen warns her not to see Pacey as invincible.
Joey watches Pacey and Andie talk at the library, then talks to Andie about Will. Andie really likes him, but she regrets that she’s not with Pacey anymore. Running into him at the library brought everything back. On her way out, Joey runs into Dawson, who invites her to come over for a movie night. She begs off, acting flustered. Later, she leaves Pacey a message on his answering machine, asking him not to talk to Dawson.
Dawson’s watching The Last Picture Show by himself when Joey goes through his window. She remembers that they saw the movie on their first date. They didn’t see the ending, so she asks about it. In an amazing coincidence, the movie is about friends whose friendship is destroyed by a bad relationship. Joey quickly goes back out the window, circling around the house and intercepting Pacey at the front door. Dawson hears them talking from his room. After the conversation we saw earlier, Pacey apologizes for telling Dawson like this. Dawson says Pacey didn’t tell him, and Joey realizes he already knew.
We go back to the beginning again, and Dawson compliments Pacey on his successful boat restoration. Pacey thanks everyone for helping out and christens True Love with a bottle of champagne. At the library, Dawson encounters Will, who asks what he and Joey did on their first date. Dawson advises him not to take Andie to a movie on their first date since they won’t be able to talk. He suggests that Will take Andie out on the creek, inviting him to borrow his boat.
Henry comes to Jen’s house, but she won’t let him inside, per Grams’ rules. She changes her mind when Dawson comes over, since she thinks she’s going to need to comfort him. Dawson says he’s had a rough day, and Jen says that in the long run, it’s better that Pacey told him. Dawson has no idea what she’s talking about. He does, however, guess that it has something to do with Joey.
Dawson’s mad that Jen knew and didn’t say anything; she says she wanted to protect him. Dawson insists that he’s fine, telling Jen to keep quiet again. Joey comes through Dawson’s window, and this time his side of the conversation contains the hint that he knows what she’s there to talk about. He tells her the movie ends with everyone alone and hating each other. After Joey leaves, he starts crying.
Dawson confronts Pacey and Joey, revealing that Jen spilled the beans, and blasts that the two people he trusted the most lied to him. He asks if they were bored or malicious. Pacey tells him to be mad at him, not Joey. Dawson says that Pacey clearly values sex more than friendship. He feels sorry for Pacey because when it’s all over, Pacey will need friends, and he won’t have any. Andie and Will show up to return the boat and Dawson tells them that Pacey and Joey have been sneaking around.
We rewind to Dawson leaving Jen’s house, seeing her go inside and tell Henry what happened. He tries to kiss her to make her feel better, but Jen thinks he’s trying to make himself feel better. He tells her he wants to put the two of them in front of whatever drama her friends are dealing with. Jen angrily tells him to leave.
Will takes Andie out on the creek, telling her the story of Orpheus and Eurydice (she died, he played music in the underworld to get her back; he wasn’t supposed to look at her until they got back to the real world, but he did and she died again). Fast-forward to the two of them interrupting the Dawson/Pacey/Joey confrontation, and Andie blasts Pacey for being dumb enough to risk his friendship with Dawson. She tells him that Dawson is Joey’s first love, and she’s never going to love Pacey as much as she loves him.
Joey follows Dawson up to his room, telling him she didn’t intend for things to happen this way. She reminds him that they broke up almost a year ago. Dawson points out that she keeps saying she wants to find herself – is Pacey what she’s looking for? He doesn’t get how Joey and Pacey can be together when they supposedly hate each other. Joey says things between her and Dawson are complicated, and he says that’s on her.
Joey can’t explain things, but she knows she needs Pacey. Dawson asks if she needs Pacey the way she needs him. Joey says the two things are different. The way she feels about Pacey is completely separate from her friendship with Dawson. Dawson tells her that they can’t be friends if she’s going to be with Pacey. She has to choose between them. He adds that if Joey chooses Pacey, he won’t be around to pick up the pieces when things don’t work out. “This ruins everything. There’s no going back.” Then Dawson tells her to leave.
Jen comes by later that evening, telling Dawson he shouldn’t be alone right now. He asks why she didn’t tell him about Joey and Pacey. Jen says that if she’d tried to stop them, they just would have gotten closer. She tells Dawson to let things run their course and let Joey decide what she wants. He doesn’t think he can let her go, so he’s going to fight for her.
Pacey and Joey meet up at the pier and she asks the question from the beginning. He asks what she would do differently her second time around. She doesn’t know, saying they’d probably wind up back where they are, wherever that is. Joey admires True Love, but Pacey notes that he’s not sure it’s actually seaworthy. After a few moments, he realizes that they’re over. Joey says it has to be. She starts to leave, and when she turns around, Pacey’s gone.
Thoughts: Oh, Joey. You have to choose between your boyfriend and your best friend, and you pick the one who made you choose? What kind of friend makes you make a decision like that? Not the one you should want to be with.
Alias did an episode kind of like this. Only it had less teen angst and more car chases.
For a small town, Capeside has a pretty big library.
Doug is the worst older brother ever.
Nice continuity: Gwen’s painting of Dawson and Joey from Stolen Kisses is now on his wall.
November 12, 2011
BH90210 2.15, U4EA: “I’d Like to Exchange an Egg”
Hee, I love shirtless Brandon standing on the car in the background
Summary: Emily has given Brandon the high school equivalent of a drawer in her dresser: a shelf in her locker. Brenda, Kelly, and Donna are out of ideas for what to do over the weekend. Brandon is, too, but Emily has plans and invites the others along. She knows about a really cool underground club that changes locations every week. You go to an address, hand over an egg, and get the location of the club. Brandon, Brenda, Kelly, and Donna are up for trying it out.
Andrea’s harder to convince. Steve is jealous that he doesn’t already know about the club. Andrea wonders why there’s so much secrecy, and Emily tells her it’s because cops like to bust up places like the club. She asks if Andrea’s scared, and Andrea says she’ll come along and write about it for the school paper. Brenda tries to figure out what she’ll tell her mother about her plans for the evening. Kelly plans to tell her mom the truth.
At home, Brandon suggests that he and Brenda tell their parents they’re studying. She notes that it’s Friday and they’re not dressed for studying. He comes up with other ideas and she makes him get the details down. Over at the Taylors’, Kelly tells Jackie exactly where she’s going. Jackie saw a news story about underground clubs, which are illegal and in bad neighborhoods. She tells Kelly she can’t go. Kelly thinks she should get a pass because she told the truth. She also laments the time when Jackie was too drunk to care what she did.
The twins tell Jim and Cindy they’re going out; the elder Walshes don’t pay attention, just making sure they’ll be together. Jackie goes to see Mel, thinking she’s leaving Kelly to study on a Friday night. Of course, Kelly’s just going to sneak out. Brandon and Brenda go to the Peach Pit to meet up with their friends, and Brenda admits that she’s nervous. She feels like everyone’s going to the club because Emily told them to. Brandon guesses that Brenda doesn’t like his girlfriend. Everyone meets up (minus Steve and Andrea), and Kelly complains about Donna bringing David along.
The gang heads to a convenience store, where Emily hands over an egg and $10. In exchange, she gets a map. Donna, Kelly, and David take the opportunity to buy some other stuff, including a bottle of whiskey that David jokingly asks for. The gang heads to the club, where Dylan warns Brenda that there will be drugs inside and assures her that he’ll be okay. Kelly continues to be mean to David, who starts drinking his little bottle of whiskey. Brenda admits to Dylan that something about Emily rubs her the wrong way. (You and me both, girl.)
Steve and Andrea show up at the Peach Pit, having been held up by her talkative grandmother (and her cooking). Emily has left them an egg and a map, which Andrea accidentally spills coffee on. Brandon tells Emily he’ll do anything she wants other than dance. He points out a guy who’s not dancing and notes that he’s pretty popular. Emily informs him that the guy is selling a drug called U4EA. Kelly complains about being single with a bunch of couples, so Brenda tries to get her interested in some guys in the club. The only one Kelly likes is the drug dealer.
Andrea and Steve bicker on their way to the convenience store, lost because she’s unable to read Emily’s map. When they find what they think is the right store, the woman working there doesn’t understand why they want to exchange an egg. Emily buys some U4EA, proving that she doesn’t know Brandon very well if she thinks he’s going to take it. By this point, David’s drunk off of half a bottle of whiskey and tells Brandon that Donna likes him (David, not Brandon). Over at the bar, Emily gets drinks and puts U4EA in them.
The drug kicks in and Emily tells Brandon what she did. He’s not happy and she’s not remorseful. Steve and Andrea are still lost, and she’s complaining about Emily. David now thinks Donna doesn’t like him, saying that Brenda does. Brenda’s more concerned about the fact that she and Brandon only have 45 minutes left before their curfew. She and Kelly see Brandon dancing with Emily and note that someone finally got Brandon to loosen up. Emily tells Brandon that the first rush from U4EA is the best, and he notes that she told him she’d never done it before.
Steve wants to try the egg exchange again, but Andrea’s ready to give up. He thinks she just doesn’t want to have to see Brandon and Emily together. He tells her to stop apologizing for who she is and “get in the game.” Andrea spots someone going into a store with an egg, so they’ve found the right place. Brenda and Kelly come across some drug paraphernalia and decide it’s time to finally get the heck out. Dylan won’t leave without Brandon, so he sends the girls outside with Donna and David while he looks for him.
Brandon and Emily are already outside, making out on Brandon’s car. David throws up a bunch (thanks for the sound effects, guys) as Kelly freaks out about not getting back before her mother. She heads off with Donna and David while Dylan and Brenda stay behind to deal with Brandon and Emily, who Dylan quickly guesses are on something. Brenda takes Brandon’s keys, but he doesn’t want to leave. Dylan gives Brandon some money for a cab, telling Brenda they can’t do anything right now because Brandon doesn’t care.
Kelly complains more about Donna bringing David to the club as she rushes to beat Jackie home. She fails. Steve and Andrea finally reach the club…just as the police do. They find Brandon and Emily (still on the car), and Emily realizes the club is being busted. Steve is at least smart enough to make her get rid of the rest of the U4EA.
Brandon stumbles into the house early the next morning to find Brenda waiting up for him. She chastises him for violating their parents’ trust. At first she doesn’t believe that he didn’t take the drugs voluntarily. Brandon tells her about what it’s like to be on drugs, and how nothing makes sense now. Brenda says that her biggest fear was that he’d changed. He assures her that he’s still his “same old boring self.”
Brandon has to work in an hour, and his car is still at the club, so he has Brenda call Dylan to take him to pick it up. The car is basically still there, but it’s been stripped and defaced. Brandon laments that Emily gave him the U4EA because she thought it would bring them closer together, but it actually tore them apart. Dylan asks what he plans to tell Jim about his car. Brandon decides he’ll have to tell the truth. He does so, leaving out the part about Emily being the one who drugged him.
Speak of the devil, Emily shows up and rats Brenda out for leaving Brandon at the club. She follows him up to his bedroom and tries to make out with him. He blasts her for drugging him, saying he can never trust her again. He adds that all she got from him was a chemical reaction. Emily offers to pay for the car damages, but Brandon tells her they’re done. She asks why she isn’t allowed to make a mistake. He reminds her that he said he didn’t want to do drugs. Emily says he said he’d never had such intense feelings for a girl. Brandon replies that he must have been on drugs.
Andrea visits Brandon at the Peach Pit and he apologizes for the way he acted the night before. He asks what he’s supposed to do now that he knows Emily isn’t who he thought she was. For no apparent reason, Andrea does the drug PSA “this is your brain on drugs” thing.
Thoughts: Wow. Emily is just…wow. Drugging your boyfriend? Psycho. PSYCHO. And the fact that she felt no remorse leads me to believe she’s a psychopath.
The lesson of this episode isn’t so much that drugs are bad, but that your girlfriend is insane.
Is there a painting of Brenda in Kelly’s bedroom? Freaky.
Dear Kelly, I love you, but you’re really annoying in this episode. Shut up about David already.
From now on, eggs are just going to make me laugh.
October 25, 2011
Dawson’s Creek 3.17, Cinderella Story: You Remind Me of Me
Geez, freaking finally
Summary: Pacey’s driving Joey to the train station so she can attend a dinner where A.J. will receive a writing award. She predicts that this will be the most romantic experience of her life. Pacey notes that she only refers to A.J. as a friend. Joey says that long-distance relationships have different rules from regular relationships. He thinks that’s perfect for her since she gets to have a fairy tale. Her romantic evening is only an “eyes-closed wish.” Joey replies that wishes come true sometimes. Pacey tells her reality always comes back.
Dawson helps Gail at her restaurant, where there are printer and food problems. Gail, however, is sure things will work out. Also, the sign that’s supposed to go outside doesn’t have a name on it. Pacey meets his mentee (his punishment from his fight with Matt in “Crime and Punishment”), Buzz, who’s basically a miniature version of himself. A.J. sends his friend Morgan to pick up Joey when she arrives in Boston and take her rollerblading. Pacey takes Buzz to an arcade, where the imp demands Pokeman cards, then smacks a kid with a Whac-a-Mole mallet.
Joey and Morgan meet up with A.J. at a coffeehouse, where he’s trying to figure out what to read at the ceremony the next night. They’re basically Joey and Dawson, though Morgan studied in Paris, where Joey has always wanted to go. (And could have, if she hadn’t chosen to stay with Dawson.) Jack and Andie help Dawson with some tastings at the restaurant, as he and Gail are trying to find a chef. Jen shows up and apologizes for being MIA recently, as she’s been spending a lot of time with Henry. She asks for a waitressing job and Dawson happily agrees.
Joey asks A.J. why he didn’t mention Morgan to her before she arrived. He points out that Joey doesn’t talk about her friends very much either. She wants to know if A.J. and Morgan ever dated, but A.J. doesn’t answer the question. They start kissing, but Morgan interrupts to give A.J. advice about what to read and wear. Pacey takes Buzz to his boat for some free labor. Buzz talks about his father, who’s dead, and accuses Pacey of having authority issues because his father’s a cop. Pacey lectures him about violence, then has to admit that he had to become a mentor because of a fight.
Morgan’s an artist, in case we didn’t already get the Morgan/Joey similarities. She also knows way more about A.J. than Joey does. Morgan admits that she and A.J. kissed once, but they felt weird afterward and realized there’s no mystery there, so there’s nothing between them. Joey invites Morgan to the ceremony, telling her that both of them can be part of A.J.’s life. Jack and Andie complain about the poor offerings from the auditioning chefs while Jen fails to be good at waitressing. Mitch arrives, having been summoned by Dawson, and offers to help out.
Buzz sees Pacey’s True Love sign and asks who the boat is named after. He mocks Pacey for being unable to tell the supposedly nonexistent girl how he feels about her. A.J. panics a little before reading his piece, which Joey quickly realizes is about Morgan. Pacey complains to the head of the mentor program that Buzz hates him, and she tells him that the kid is smart but an underachiever. His father isn’t dead, he left the family for another woman. Buzz lashes out because he feels rejected and wants to test people to see if they’ll leave as well. Pacey decides to stick it out.
Gail confronts Dawson for calling Mitch in behind her back. He reminds her that the restaurant is supposed to open soon and she needed the help. Gail says that she’s the director and she needed Dawson to be an actor. Dawson replies that he just didn’t want to see her fail. She always tells him to ask for help when he needs it, but she’s not taking her own advice.
After the reading, Morgan heads off alone while Joey announces that she wants to go to A.J.’s room. When they get there, she tells A.J. to go after Morgan, since she’s his muse. Joey continues that she doesn’t want Morgan and A.J. to realize their feelings for each other too late, like she did. He wants to get to know her better, but she knows what they have isn’t real, unlike what he and Morgan have. She knows Morgan came back from France to be with him.
A.J. says Joey’s reading too much into the situation, but she saw the way he looked at Morgan during his reading. He and Joey are a memory, but he and Morgan are reality. A.J.’s worried about leaving Joey with a broken heart. “There are worse things than a broken heart,” she replies. Pacey stops by Buzz’s house and cooks him the dinner he wanted his mother to cook for him. Buzz admits that his father isn’t actually dead, and Pacey finally tells him the name of the girl he’s in love with. Joey heads to the train station, but there’s no train back to Capeside until the next morning. After some hesitation, she makes a phone call.
Jen finds Dawson moping by the water; she admits that she heard his fight with Gail. He says he was trying to help, but Jen thinks he had ulterior motives. Dawson claims he wasn’t trying to get his family back together. Jen says people always go back to what they know. She reminds Dawson of the time he asked her to dance, saying he was honest and sweet, though he thinks he was naïve. Jen says he’s been through too much to still be naïve, but part of him will always reject reality and be eternally hopeful.
Pacey picks Joey up at the train station in Boston, but she doesn’t want to talk about what happened. The next morning, Dawson apologizes to Gail about his behavior the night before. She and Mitch announce that the restaurant will be called Leery’s Fresh Fish, the name Mitch always wanted to use. Gail has hired him as a general manager, and Mitch’s first act was to recommend that she hire Bodie to help her out. Oh, and Jen has to be fired. Dawson notes that his parents work well together.
On the trip back to Capeside, Pacey tries to get Joey to talk to him about her weekend. She tells him he was right about reality encroaching on her fairy tale. He encourages her to keep looking and she’ll eventually find the right person. Joey says there are only two people who know her better than anyone else: Dawson and Pacey. Pacey pulls the car over and demands to know what that means. He wants to know why she called him. Joey says he was the first person she thought of, probably because she knows she can talk to him. Pacey’s tired of talking, so he kisses her.
Thoughts: Buzz is played by Jonathan Lipnicki. Hey, why are you laughing?
I wonder what Joshua Jackson thought when he got the script for this episode and saw that almost all of his scenes were with the kid from Jerry Maguire. I wouldn’t have been happy.
The restaurant is opening in a week with no chef or staff? Yeah, no.
YEAH, JOEY AND PACEY FOREVER! Ahem. Sorry.
October 12, 2011
SVH #102, Almost Married: Playing House
I feel your pain, Jess
Summary: Ned and Alice are going out of town, as are Todd’s parents, so he decides to move into the Wakefields’ house for the week for a sort of practice marriage with Elizabeth. (Don’t freak out – he’s sleeping on the couch. You know Elizabeth Wakefield would never share a bed with someone unless they were married or both wearing five layers of clothes.) Jessica will only keep quiet about it if he does all her chores and makes her dinner every night.
Elizabeth is flipping out because of the picture she found of Hank and Alice, which she’s told Jessica about. She’s sure that Alice and Hank were once married, and Bruce is sure that they’re now having an affair. Elizabeth and Bruce keep meeting up to talk, and they start to think they’re developing feelings for each other. Because Elizabeth is spending so much time with Bruce, Todd feels jealous and lonely. Also, people keep finding out about him living at the Wakefields’, so it’s not so much of a secret anymore.
Todd gets clingy, and Elizabeth gets frustrated, so she starts avoiding him and making up reasons to see Bruce. Todd also complains when the twins decide to throw a pool party, acting like he really lives there and gets a say in what happens at the house. Pamela has also noticed all the Liz/Bruce closeness, and at the party, she decides it’s time to cut her man loose. Bruce pouts for about two seconds, then immediately goes to make out with Elizabeth. Which Todd sees, of course.
There’s a big fight, Todd leaves, and Elizabeth decides to go for a swim. She almost drowns but Todd comes back and saves her. He’s realized that he wasn’t listening to her or communicating with her in an appropriate way. Seriously, zero real teenagers act like Todd. Anyway, Liz’s near-drowning solves everything, so they’re okay. Then Alice comes home early and the twins confront her about the photo and her possible affair. She tells them the real story and promises that she’s not cheating. Now Bruce wants to get his parents back together. Like anyone cares about them.
Thoughts: I can’t believe Ned and Alice are okay with leaving the twins home alone after what happened the last time. Oh, right, horrible parents. I forgot.
First of all, there shouldn’t be a wedding picture of Alice and Hank if they didn’t get married. The bride and groom usually wait until after the wedding to take photos together; otherwise they break the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride in her dress before she walks down the aisle. Second of all, would you keep a non-wedding picture of yourself with a guy you didn’t marry after you’ve moved and married someone else? Does Ned know about this picture?
Sweet Valley now has a Laundromat/video store/cappuccino bar. Quick, name three things no one associates with each other ever. But actually, it’s a great idea for a business: You can watch a movie and have coffee while you wait for your laundry to finish.
Apparently Bruce knows some Latin dance moves. Who knew?
