November 17, 2012
Dawson’s Creek 6.17, Sex and Violence: Coitus Interruptus
“Yeah, this is totally just as good as sex. I don’t feel dissatisfied at all”
Summary: Pacey walks Joey to her dorm after a date, and despite the fact that they just spent a whole evening together, he’s just now telling her that he recently got a promotion. He now has an office and a secretary. Joey, however, has had her hours cut because everyone’s on spring break and no one’s going to Hell’s Kitchen. Pacey asks her out again and they kiss awkwardly.
C.J. spends the night with Jen at Grams’, though they didn’t have sex. In fact, they haven’t had sex for a week. Jen says her sex drive isn’t the same as his, and they can be intimate in different ways. He’s disappointed to realize that she means by cuddling. Joey brings Pacey an office-warming gift and briefly meets his secretary, who Rich has just fired. Rich is a jerk to Joey (I know, shocking), then suggests that she fill in as Pacey’s secretary while she’s on break.
In L.A., Dawson pitches a movie (I guess it’s his stupid Creek Daze thing) to Heather Tracy, and though she thinks it’s a good idea, she doesn’t think it’s right for the studio. It needs more sex. Dawson thinks the lack of sex makes it unique. Heather won’t back down, telling him to add in an affair with a teacher or something. He doesn’t think that will be a problem. Jen and C.J. work at the helpline; she tells someone on the phone that C.J. won’t stop talking about sex.
Joey is immediately popular with the guys at Pacey’s office, because she’s just that hot. Later, he reminds her that he likes coffee in the morning, but she tells him to make it himself. Pacey complains to Rich that the guys are all over her, and he feels uncomfortable telling a friend what to do. Rich tells him a reporter is coming in for a newspaper interview and seems interested in Pacey. Joey’s interested in the reporter’s interest.
C.J. chastises Jen for using their own relationship problems to counsel other people. She points out that if a girl called to say that her boyfriend was pressuring her to have sex, C.J. would counsel her about that. He’s basically upset that Jen had sex with jerks but won’t have sex with him. She thinks he’s calling her a slut.
Heather prepares Dawson for another meeting with Larry (the studio executive from “Day Out of Days”). He remembers Dawson and is happy that he got Natasha into bed. (Heather told him about that.) Dawson pitches his stupid movie, trying to describe it as a coming-of-age story, but Heather blurts that it’s a teen sex comedy: “American Pie meets Stand By Me.” Larry just wants the actresses in the movie to take their clothes off.
Dawson continues, saying that the lead character is a good guy but it gets in the way of his interactions with girls. Larry quickly loses interest, so Dawson says the lead falls in love with a girl from school who’s actually a stripper. Larry likey. He tells Dawson he has a deal and doesn’t want to hear any more about the movie. In fact, Dawson should stop talking because any more information could work against him. But Larry would like to hear more about Natasha.
Joey gives Pacey some numbers he was waiting for (and which she should have given him earlier), then accidentally hangs up on the person he was talking to. She tells him she didn’t want to learn secretarial skills because if she was too good at those tasks, she wouldn’t be able to move forward in her career. (Shut up, Joey.) The reporter, Sadia Shaw, arrives, and Pacey’s already met her: She’s the mystery woman from “All the Right Moves.” Joey’s displeased.
Dawson visits Todd (Todd! I missed you!) on the set of a music video and accidentally interrupts his attempts to seduce someone. Sadia interviews Rich and Pacey about Stepatech; Joey tells Pacey he has a call from Jack and expresses surprise when he doesn’t want to talk to his own roommate. Then she loads Pacey’s sugar with coffee and spills cream on Sadia. Rich takes Sadia to his office so Pacey can deal with Joey.
Todd doesn’t get why Dawson is torn about his movie – work is work, and he wants to direct. Dawson already feels morally compromise after some of the things he did for Todd. Todd tells him to decide what kind of filmmaker he wants to be. If he wants to do it his own way, he should reject the studio’s offer. Todd worked hard enough to get where he is, even though it meant making some bad stuff in the process.
Things are tense between Pacey and Joey, and she finally asks how he knows Sadia. He chastises her for not acting professionally. She blasts him for just treating her as a girl who pours coffee. All the assistants in the office are hot and no one respects them. Pacey says he doesn’t pay attention to them; he comes to the office to work, and Joey made that difficult for him today. He doesn’t have to respect her or be nice to her because she’s his secretary.
Joey’s upset about that, of course, and Pacey tells her to just do her job and accept the money happily. She tells him that his secret nickname in the office is Witless. Then she makes comments about Sadia, letting Pacey know that she’s jealous (which, of course, she denies). Pacey asks her to take dictation so he can write Sadia an apology for Joey’s behavior: “She’s new and very bad.” This leads to a makeout session that’s interrupted by Rich.
Jen and C.J. have a silent dinner with Grams, finally blurting out their problems. Grams says that Jen is trying to have her first well-rounded relationship, and C.J. is worried that Jen will always like bad boys more than her. Jen says that “nice pecs and a good six-pack only go so far.” C.J. replies that that didn’t help: “I have nice pecs.” She tells him (through Grams) that she’s had the best sex of her life with him. C.J. apologizes and promises to cuddle whenever Jen wants.
Dawson meets with Larry and Heather again, having added a fire in a strip club to his script. Larry suggests the title Sunset Stripped and requests a minimum of three nude scenes. Finally Dawson has had enough and gives a speech about wanting to write about growing up and falling in love and blah blah blah. He can’t take the studio’s money. Larry still wants to make the stripper movie, though.
Joey goes back to work at Hell’s Kitchen, and Pacey visits because he wants to be abused some more, I guess. He also informs her that she’s no longer his secretary. She thinks it’s because she sucked at the job, but Pacey says it’s because she’s a distraction. Joey makes him tell her why. They make out some more, then agree to meet at Pacey’s place after she closes up. But right after Pacey leaves, Eddie arrives.
Thoughts: I didn’t mention in his first episode that Larry is played by Paul Gleason, the principal from The Breakfast Club, which is just one more John Hughes reference for the series.
Joey objects to Pacey calling her a secretary, like, hi. You’re a secretary. There’s nothing wrong with it. You’re the one making a big deal of it and saying it’s a job that doesn’t require a high level of training or allow a lot of room for career development. I work for a company that provides a lot of resources for secretaries/administrative assistants, and it’s NOT an easy job. And there is a career there, and room to take on more responsibilities and projects. So Joey can just shut up.
In case there’s any question about the kind of movies Larry makes, there’s a poster in his office for one calls That’s What She Said.
Another Jack-less episode. Who did Kerr Smith tick off?
I imagine that right after dinner, Grams went to church to pray for Jen and C.J.’s souls.
October 13, 2012
Dawson’s Creek 6.13, Rock Bottom: Get It Together
“Hi. I’m Bob. I add nothing to this episode”
Summary:Audrey’s finally going to rehab, mostly because Joey’s making her. Audrey thinks she’s being overdramatic about her blackout. She’s also mad that Joey called her parents. The girls joke around, but Joey makes it clear that she cares about Audrey’s well-being. She also wants to know if Audrey hooks up with Ben Affleck in rehab. Audrey thanks her for not giving up on her.
Sometime later, Joey starts to head to class but is held up by a visit from Eddie. He wants to say goodbye, and to admit that she was right when she said he never takes chances. He’s going to California to stay with his sister while he looks into the writer’s workshop Hetson is recommending him for. They hug goodbye, then start to kiss, but are interrupted by a call from Audrey’s mother reporting that she never made it to California.
Dawson directs the reshoots, getting a lot of crap from the director of photography, who should really be more respectful of the guy who’s having such a major effect on his future. Natasha asks Dawson why the scene they’re working on sucks so much. Then he randomly takes a phone call from Gail. Natasha throws another wrench in the works by telling Dawson she won’t be getting naked for the movie.
Grams comes home angry and tells Jen and her still-horrible hair that she and Clifton may have just broken up. He wanted her to convert to Judaism, which she has no interest in doing. Joey and Eddie track down Audrey in a hotel room where she spent the night with a guy named Bob. Bob is currently smoking pot and Audrey is currently asleep in the bathtub.
Joey tells Audrey that Eddie’s on his way to L.A., and he’ll drive the two of them to rehab. Audrey doesn’t want to go, but Joey talks her into a road trip. Her one condition is that Bob comes along. The four of them spend the first few hours of the drive mostly silent, until Joey and Eddie start fighting about how she hasn’t thanked him and he left her in the first place and blah blah blah.
Heather arrives on set to criticize Dawson for running behind and turning in weak work. She reminds him that his work on the reshoots will define the rest of his career. Dawson calls Todd for help but can’t reach him. Natasha overhears and mocks him for looking for rescue. She also questions the exposition he’s written into a scene, since she thinks it can all be dispensed with and condensed into a look. She refuses to do the scene if she has to do the exposition.
During a pit stop, Eddie tells Audrey not to stand on the hood of his car since she may be rich but it’s all he has. She insults him for being poor, then asks Joey who she was talking to on her cell. Joey denies that she made any calls, but Audrey sees that Joey called her mother. She’s mad that her mom didn’t put forth much effort to get her daughter into rehab. She also thinks that for Joey, the road trip is about Eddie, not Audrey.
Joey finally thanks Eddie for putting up with everything during the trip. He tells her it’s more interesting than going on his own. Then Audrey takes off in his car. Meanwhile, Jen and C.J. work a boring shift at the helpline, and she brings up Grams’ breakup. C.J. can sympathize since his widowed Uncle Bill is mopey and lonely. Jen suggests setting the two of them up.
Eddie tries to hitchhike, but Joey’s uncooperative. She seems more upset over having to be with Eddie than she is about Audrey being in trouble. Eddie says Joey can’t help Audrey if she doesn’t want help. Joey accepts this, saying she’s having a hard time letting her friend go. He admires her for being a good friend. Joey wonders what he’s getting out of this. Eddie notes that he gets to spend time with her.
Joey says that Audrey thinks the road trip is about Joey, too. She admits to having trouble letting go of Eddie. She feels like she’s dragging out the inevitable end of things. Eddie tells her he’s never cared about anyone the way he cares about her, but it’s too late. Even though he screwed up, he still loves her. Joey doesn’t get why he would leave her in that case.
On the set, Natasha bugs Dawson some more, then reminds him that directing a real movie is completely different from directing a film with his friends. He needs to show some authority and command respect. Jen and C.J. double date with Grams and Uncle Bill, but it quickly goes downhill when he learns that she’s “one of those religious broads.” They bicker until it looks like Grams is going to cry, but she actually starts laughing.
Dawson finally puts on his big-boy pants, fires the director of photography, and announces to everyone that he’s the director so he’s in charge. He makes sure Natasha knows she needs to stay in line, too. Heather approves, telling Dawson that he has no idea how close he was to getting fired.
Audrey and Bob wind up at a bar, where some guy hits on Audrey and invites her outside to “see his truck.” He actually means have sex with him, and when she declines, things get violent – on Audrey’s part. Joey and Eddie arrive to find Audrey beating the guy up, and when they pull her off of him, she says she thinks it’s time to go to rehab.
The double date ends much better than it started, and C.J. praises Jen for her good idea. She wishes she could be more successful in her own love life. After all, the last guy she liked slept with her friend. C.J. says that if he’d known then what he knows now, he wouldn’t have slept with Audrey – he wouldn’t have wanted to hurt someone as amazing as Jen. He starts to kiss her and she pretends to reject him before kissing him herself.
Dawson wraps for the day and Natasha invites him to get a drink. Meanwhile, the world’s worst road trip finally ends in L.A. Audrey finally apologizes to Eddie for being a jerk, and he admits that she’s not so bad when she’s not being one. Audrey and Joey say goodbye, and Audrey says that Joey needs to let Eddie go. She doesn’t know what to do with Bob, but she plans to tell her parents that they got married in Vegas.
Dawson’s drink with Natasha appears to have turned into a night together, and she suggests getting together to talk in a couple weeks. He tells her it’s not necessary; he always takes relationships too seriously, and now he’s learning to have fun. Natasha’s sure that someday he’ll be a big director and will do her a favor by giving her a role. She’s proud of how Dawson took control on set.
Joey and Eddie walk around the writer’s workshop campus, then start to say goodbye. Eddie decides, however, that instead, they should make plans to meet up in a year, possibly in Paris. In case they don’t make it there, Joey wants him to know that she’ll never forget him. In other words, she loves him, too, and will keep doing so as long as she can. Then there’s, like, a full minute of kissing.
Thoughts: As you can see from the picture, Bob is played by Seth Rogen, who’s reuniting with Busy Philipps, his Freaks and Geeks co-star.
Don’t actresses have nudity clauses in their contracts? And what happened to Dawson’s belief that nudity in movies isn’t necessary – his thing that since Spielberg doesn’t use it, he doesn’t need to either?
Jen wears an orange sweater with a pink elephant on it. So along with the hairstylists, Michelle Williams must have also ticked off the wardrobe department.
I wish Pacey had been in this episode – we haven’t seen his reaction to Audrey’s drinking.
Um…how is Joey getting back to Boston?
September 29, 2012
Dawson’s Creek 6.11, Day Out of Days: What a Difference a Week Makes
THANKS A LOT, EMMA
Summary: It’s Monday, and principal photography on Todd’s movie has just been completed. Dawson and Natasha make small talk about returning to L.A. She wishes him luck because she thinks he’ll need it. On Tuesday, Joey’s at Hell’s Kitchen, back from winter break, and trying to get in touch with Eddie, who she hasn’t talked to since Christmas. As she leaves, she runs into Harley, who’s now living with Hetson full-time.
Pacey’s at an aquarium at his lunch hour, and Emma’s also there, being artistic. Meanwhile, C.J.’s training Jen so she can be a peer counselor. She’s still ticked about the whole Audrey thing. She decides she can’t handle it, and he tells her to make the decision based on herself, not him. Elsewhere, Jack and David get blood tests.
Todd and Dawson have a meeting with a studio rep who brands the movie “unwatchable.” He orders Todd to do reshoots. Todd makes it clear that he isn’t happy about it. Dawson ducks out of the room and calls Todd’s phone so he can tell him privately to stop talking before he makes things worse. Instead, Todd tells the studio reps (including Heather Tracy) that he has to go deal with another idiot in the hallway.
Dawson lectures him, reminding him that they need the studio’s money to make the movie. If Todd pushes too much, they’ll hire a new director for the reshoots. Dawson knows they both want to make the movie as good as it can be. Back in the meeting, the studio head says Heather is backing Todd, so obviously there’s a chance that he can succeed. Now they just need Todd’s decision. He rants about the guy being critical and announces that he’s not doing the reshoots.
Wednesday. After a class, Hetson notices that Joey’s one of his students again and notes that the D he gave her didn’t get her tossed out after all. She tells him she ran into Harley at Hell’s Kitchen during a school day. He thinks she’s criticizing him for not paying enough attention to his daughter. Hetson proposes that they agree to stay out of each other’s lives.
Pacey and Emma hang out at the aquarium, and she explains her love of the place by telling him about the fish tanks her family had when she was growing up. She encourages him to spend the rest of the afternoon there with her. He gives in and calls in “sick” to Rich. C.J. trains Jen some more, this time with help from David, who ditched Jack to play peacemaker. Jen tries to change the subject by asking if Jack and David are officially dating yet.
Dawson meets with Heather and the studio rep, who think Todd will be joining them to agree to the reshoots after all. Dawson tells them Todd doesn’t even know he’s there. Heather guesses he called the meeting to smooth things over in Todd’s place. Dawson knows Todd can work out the movie’s problems without reshoots, and for free. Instead, Heather suggests that Dawson do the reshoots.
Dawson protests, but the rep tells Heather to call his agent. (He doesn’t have one, so the rep says to call Dawson’s mother and get her to sign a permission slip. Heh.) Dawson continues to protest, but Heather advises him to get on board for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She even hits him where it hurts, pointing out that he’d be fulfilling his dreams.
Thursday. In L.A., Audrey and Jack Osbourne are on a beach after some party, talking about how she’s broke but totally not on drugs. Dawson’s there and Audrey tells Jack not to say anything to him about substances she may or may not be under the influence of. She’s surprised that Dawson came when she called him, considering she recently drove a car into his house. She confides that her parents don’t know she’s not at school, or about anything else that’s happened.
Back in Boston, Joey tries to reach Eddie again; she’s now freaking out because he won’t get in touch with her. Jack and David try to come up with comforting things to say to her. After she leaves, though, they agree that Eddie probably won’t call back. Jack admits that he hooked up with a few guys over the summer who he never heard from again. Now things are a little awkward. Harley’s back at Hell’s Kitchen, but Joey makes her leave.
Pacey still doesn’t get Emma’s love for the aquarium, since she’s been there every day that week. Emma wants to know why he’s changed his entire life. He says it’s part of growing up; as a teenager, he was always chasing after things (read: girls) he could never have. Emma doesn’t think teenage Pacey sounds so bad. He admits that he’s been thinking about reverting to his past self, so she challenges him to come back the next day in a Hawaiian shirt.
Jen starts working with actual helpline callers, but it doesn’t go well. C.J. calls her high-strung. Joey takes Harley to Eddie’s building, quickly realizing that Harley is basically the high school version of her. (She even asks if Harley lost her virginity to “a trucker named Bubba,” as she told Jen she did in the pilot.) They go up to Eddie’s apartment, but he’s moved out.
Friday! Pacey goes to work in one of his hideous Hawaiian shirts, earning some well-deserved teasing from Rich. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to take a lunch break, since he’ll have to make up the work he didn’t do while he was “sick.” Pacey notes that he’s the best of all of Rich’s employees. Rich responds by giving him his W-2. Poor Emma’s on her own for the afternoon.
Jen’s bored at the helpline since the phones aren’t ringing. She won’t let C.J. leave to get coffee since she knows she can’t handle a call on her own. He notes that this is quite a change from earlier in the week, when she couldn’t stand being alone with him. As soon as C.J. leaves, Jen gets a call and gives helping someone a shot.
Jack and David get their tests results and are both healthy. David assures Jack that he doesn’t see him any differently after hearing about his summer activities. Jack shows his relief by kissing him. Hetson calls on Joey in class, hoping to bug her, but she actually interprets a story correctly. It’s about how there are cycles in life that happen over and over.
After class, Hetson gives Joey $50 for looking after Harley the day before. Harley told him that Joey helped her out with a crisis. Joey doesn’t know why he’s being nice to her. Hetson reminds her of what she said about it not being about him. They negotiate a deal for Joey to spend three days a week with Harley. Then she gives Hetson back his $50, calling the previous day a freebie.
Dawson tracks down Todd on a beach and learns that the studio rep apologized to him after Dawson turned them down for the reshoots. He’s in favor of Dawson directing. Todd adds that this doesn’t mean Dawson’s more talented than he is. Dawson agrees, saying Todd’s his mentor. Todd just wants one thing: a picture of Natasha’s face when she finds out Dawson’s her new director.
Thoughts: No way would a studio hire someone with zero experience to do anything other than fetch coffee.
Pacey’s cell phone with the little antenna cracks me up.
So why did Audrey call Dawson? I thought maybe she and Jack needed a ride, but Jack leaves without her. It was a totally random scene.
Thank you, Emma, for trying to get Pacey to shave. I’m disappointed he put on a Hawaiian shirt instead.
Dawson and Todd’s frienship > Dawson and Pacey’s friendship.
August 27, 2012
Dawson’s Creek 6.5, The Impostors: Faker! Faker!
Go away! I need to brood in peace!
Summary: Joey’s working at Hell’s Kitchen but is annoyed that Eddie keeps making her wait for her orders. Emma encourages her to show a little more skin. Joey finally gets Eddie’s attention and asks him to agree not to talk about their kiss. Eddie isn’t onboard. Emma heads off to rehearse with her band, which is supposed to debut at Hell’s Kitchen the next night. She tells Joey and Eddie to “kiss and make up,” making Joey realize that Eddie told her about their kiss.
Natasha and Todd are at a hotel, though she leaves when Dawson joins them. He bugs Todd about funding for the movie, warning that Heather Tracy has been calling insistently and will be in town, too. The guys are surprised to learn that she’s already in town and isn’t going to let Todd put off their conversation any longer.
Pacey and Audrey hang out at his place, and he notes that she’s become studious all of a sudden. He wonders what happened at the party she went to with Jen and Jack (Jack doesn’t know). Audrey mentions that they ran into C.J. Pacey wants to take advantage of the empty apartment to have sex, but Audrey rebuffs him.
The next morning, Emma complains that Pacey drank all her coffee (and is now super-hyper). She’s also annoyed that Audrey slipped into the shower before she could. She’s impressed by Audrey’s singing voice, though. Jen asks Jack how his conversation with Professor Freeman went at the party, but he doesn’t let on that anything strange happened. Jack is shocked to see that Freeman gave him a C- on a paper he said he enjoyed at the party.
Joey runs into Eddie on campus, where he’s hanging up fliers for Emma’s band’s performance. She says she thinks they’ve been acting immaturely since “the incident.” Well, she’s been acting immaturely, at least. Eddie warns her not to back down when she gives a class presentation in front of Hetson later that day. They banter some more about the kiss, but I’m sure no one cares.
Heather quickly takes over on the movie set, working to get Todd on schedule and under budget. The problem is that the studio hates Natasha. Dawson and Todd both promise that she can play the lead. Todd notes that Dawson’s in the film’s target demographic, so he would know. After Freeman’s class, Jack approaches Freeman to ask about his grade; Freeman says he enjoyed the content but not the structure. He thinks Jack’s expectations were too high.
Todd asks Dawson to talk to Natasha, admitting that he’s completely fine with firing her if he needs to. After some awkwardness, since Natasha’s changing clothes, she tells Dawson that she knows she’s in trouble. Dawson gives her some pointers on how to do her next big scene. Audrey visits Pacey at work, but he’s not too thrilled to see her. She just wants to tell him that Emma asked her to be in her band. She’ll be debuting with the band at Hell’s Kitchen.
Joey gives a presentation on Lolita to Hetson’s class; you may be surprised to know that he’s a jerk to her. Eddie comes to her defense, telling Hetson to leave her alone. The two guys end up having a fight about a Russian writer who may have been a doppelganger or, to borrow from the episode title, an impostor. Eddie ultimately walks out of class and Joey follows him, but he snaps at her to mind her own business.
That night Eddie doesn’t show up for work, and Joey asks Emma if she knows where he lives. She’s surprised to hear that he lives two hours from Boston. Oh, and he doesn’t actually go to Worthington. Dawson, Todd, and Heather watch dailies of Natasha’s big scene, which Heather isn’t impressed with. Dawson tells Todd to have her watch the scene again, this time highlighting Natasha’s strengths.
As Dawson and an editor quickly recut the scene, Todd and Heather yell at each other, revealing that they once had a thing. She threatens to shut down the entire movie. They watch the scene again; this time Natasha’s the focus instead of the location. I guess Dawson’s an editing genius or something, because Heather calms down.
Joey stops by Freeman’s office and asks straight out if he would have gotten a better grade if he hadn’t been so shocked by Freeman’s admission that he went to the party to see him. He blasts Freeman for putting his marriage on the line when he’s supposed to be a respected adult. Freeman says he doesn’t want to have to be part of a “despised minority.” Jack replies that he should ask himself who’s doing the despising.
Audrey gets punked up for her debut, which will be in front of an excited audience. Jen tries to bring up the party, but Audrey says she doesn’t really remember what happened. Emma warns Audrey not to screw up the performance. The band is called Hell’s Belles, and their first song is a screamy version of “California Dreamin’.” It’s awful but the audience loves it.
Joey goes out to Eddie’s and lets him know she knows he doesn’t actually go to Worthington. He lets her into his apartment but doesn’t really want to have a civil conversation with her. She tells him she just wants to help. He tells her to go back to Boston and try to get back together with her preppy boyfriend.
Audrey, Jen, Joey, and Emma celebrate after the band’s performance, and it’s only then that Audrey realizes Pacey didn’t make it. Todd introduces Natasha to Heather, who acts super-enthusiastic and tells Natasha that the studio loves her. Natasha thinks she only got the role as a fluke, though Dawson ensures her that she earned it. They talk about the first time they met, when she was about to quit acting and he approached her because she seemed smart.
Audrey and Emma head home to the apartment, where Pacey fell asleep before he could go to Hell’s Kitchen. Audrey asks him to drive her home so she can sleep in her own bed. Eddie goes to Hell’s Kitchen to help Joey close and banter with her a little more. He explains how he first got started as an impostor. Joey apologizes for getting him singled out in class, since he was trying to be nice. He tells her he was actually trying to show off.
The next day, Freeman runs into Jack at a coffee kiosk (or he’s stalking him – whatever) and gives him a better grade. He talks about how unheard of it was for people to come out when he was Jack’s age. Their cultures are completely different. Jack asks Freeman to have a TA grade his papers from now on. Jen sees them talking and asks Jen if he got things with his paper straightened out. Jack assures her that everything is straight.
Thoughts: It’s clear that Hetson knew Oliver wasn’t really a student at Worthington, so why did he let him audit the class? Why did Oliver stay after he was found out? Nothing here makes ANY SENSE.
Freeman, you’re an idiot, and you’re just asking for Jack to report you for inappropriate behavior. (Not that anyone on this show would report an inappropriate relationship with a teacher.)
I love that Audrey, who’s complained about California, sings “California Dreamin'” in the shower. But why would Emma think she’s right for a punk band? And what happened to their original singer? And what’s the show’s obsession with people singing with bands? Again, nothing makes sense here.
If you travel two hours to talk to a guy you barely know when he clearly doesn’t want to talk to you, you might be crazy.
Natasha underwent a complete character transformation between the last episode and this one. I guess that’s the magic of Dawson. However, Heather also underwent a complete character transformation; originally she was just a producer who seemed normal, but now she’s a horrible person. Maybe it’s because she hasn’t spent enough time with Dawson yet.
April 2, 2012
Dawson’s Creek 5.1, The Bostonians: Past, Present, and Future
This dorm room is bigger than my apartment!
Summary: Dawson and Joey ended the previous season by kissing, and they start out this season doing the same. Only this time there’s voiceover, as if it’s a story. Which it is – she wrote what happened as a story for a college class. It gets mixed reviews, and a C from her teacher, Professor Wilder. After class, Joey asks if she can improve her grade, and Wilder tells her she can rewrite the story. If the boy in the story really exists, he can help. Joey isn’t sure what’s wrong with it. Wilder tells her the story ends just when it should be starting.
Joey goes for a run (so we can get a nice view of Boston), then gets a phone call from Dawson. He’s landed an internship, but that means he can’t come visit her for the weekend. They’re both disappointed. Dawson arrives at a movie backlot for his first day of interning; a security guard warns him not to get lost. Jen and Jack are at their school, lamenting the fact that one of them is in a long-distance relationship and the other is single. Jack wants to get Jen some lovin’ since she’s more fun when she’s seeing someone. Some guy invites them to a frat party that night.
Audrey Liddell, Joey’s roommate, asks her to vacate their gigantic dorm room so she can hook up with some guy. Joey’s frustrated that it’s barely October and Audrey has sexiled her to the library numerous times. Audrey offers to repay the favor when Dawson visits. Joey tells her he’s not coming, and Audrey offers to ditch the guy if Joey needs her. Joey decides to go see Wilder instead, though Audrey thinks she should wear something nicer since he’s so hot. The line of girls outside his office agrees.
On her way out of the building, Joey spots Wilder leaving through his window so he doesn’t have to encounter the girls. She tells him nothing happened after the story ended; she and Dawson went their separate ways. He says she stopped before she had to make a decision. Joey claims the kiss meant nothing. Wilder wants her to dig deeper and find out if it was a kiss of passion or a way of saying goodbye.
Out in California, Dawson’s on cloud nine just walking through the backlot. He meets Heather Tracy, a producer working with Todd Carr, the director Dawson will be interning for. She wants Todd’s next project to be a movie based on 7th Heaven (no, seriously), and she wants Dawson to help him out. But not really, since she thinks Dawson is someone else.
Joey hangs out with Jen and Jack at Grams’ new house, talking about Pacey, who they haven’t heard from in a while. Joey complains about the guys Audrey constantly brings over, and Jen jokes that it’s the same thing at her place. Jack thinks they should all go to a frat party that night. Dawson goes to Todd’s set to deliver the script Heather wants him to do, and Todd tells him to read it. Dawson can’t believe he’s in the exact place he always wanted to be.
Joey goes back to her room and is surprised to see that Audrey’s there alone. Unfortunately for her, Audrey wants to talk about sex. She also doesn’t think Joey’s having “the proper college experience.” She studies a lot and never goes out with Audrey. Joey notes that everyone has a different experience. She wants to get good grades so she can get a good job. Audrey thinks she’s afraid to have fun or meet someone she likes, which will force her to let go of the past. Maybe Dawson not visiting is a sign.
Jen heads to a marina and reunites with Pacey; Doug told her where he was. She invites him over for her, Grams, Jack, and Joey’s ritual Sunday dinner at Grams’ house. Pacey admires Dawson for getting an internship that will help him move forward rather than looking back. He asks Jen to keep his presence in Boston quiet.
That night, Jen and Jack stop by Joey’s room and quickly make friends with Audrey. They also invite her to come to the party with them. Dawson gives Todd his impressions of the script, which sucks, not least because it includes a monkey. Todd tells him film school won’t get him where he wants to be. Dawson tells him about the movie he made about Mr. Brooks, but Todd doesn’t want to have to make up something nice if it’s bad or be jealous if it’s good.
At the party, Joey chats with a guy from one of her classes but doesn’t want to extend the conversation. A guy flirts with Jen, but she calls him out for just trying to get in her pants. The guy who invited Jack and Jen to the party encourages Jack to join his frat. Dawson makes a coffee run, then drops everything in front of everyone. Todd mocks him, then gets on his case when he complains under his breath. Dawson loudly tells him to screw himself, giving a monologue about how Todd should be happy that he has such an awesome job. Unsurprisingly, Todd fires him.
Audrey finds Joey sitting off by herself at the party. Joey admits that Audrey was right about her being stuck in the past and not letting anyone get to know her. Part of her still feels 15, stuck back in Capeside and in love with Dawson. Audrey tells her about her own high school boyfriend, Chris, and how hard it was to say goodbye to him. She knew that they would end up hurting each other if they stayed together, so she cut the cord. Audrey just wants to have fun and live her life, even if that means hooking up with lots of guys.
Joey calls Dawson from the frat-house bathroom and leaves a message telling him she misses him. She spent the summer acting like he would show up to get back together with her, but he’s out there following his dream instead. She thinks it’s time to let him go. Joey will probably be in love with him for the rest of her life, but it’s not healthy if she doesn’t move on.
A guy approaches Jen and she tells him before he can even speak that she’s not interested. He tells her he’s crazy (which isn’t a deal-breaker), and also not the kind of guy who would use a stupid line to pick up a girl. He’s at the party because he’s in the band. The guy, Charlie, starts to walk away, then comes back to tell Jen he just wanted to know why the cutest girl at the party is sitting alone. She’s totally charmed.
Dawson leaves the backlot, telling the security guard he won’t be back the next day. The guard notes that there are worse things that could happen. Dawson says his friends are in Boston but he came to California to follow his dreams. The reality doesn’t measure up to what he’d imagined. Joey goes home with Jen and Jack to tease Jen about her new crush. They tell Grams about Charlie, who thinks it’s about time Jen met a nice guy.
The next day, Joey heads back to her dorm room, looking hopeful and somewhat happy. Someone knocks on the door and Joey tells Audrey to get it, since it’s most likely one of her male visitors. Instead, it’s Dawson. At first Joey is happy to see him, but she quickly realizes they’re in for some heartbreak.
Thoughts: This episode is full of actors who are recognizable from other roles:
- Audrey is played by Busy Philipps, who was Kim on Freaks and Geeks and is now Laurie on Cougar Town
- Charlie is played by Chad Michael Murray of One Tree Hill fame
- Prof. Wilder is Ken Marino, who’s been in a bunch of stuff, namely Childrens Hospital, Party Down, Veronica Mars, and Wet Hot American Summer
- Heather is played by Nicole Bilderback, and the roles I recognize her from tell you a lot about my viewing habits: She was on Buffy, House, and Heroes, but is probably most known for playing Whitney in Bring It On
Kerr Smith got a tan and a better haircut between seasons, and he’s looking a little bit hot.
I love everyone’s early-’00s cell phones with the little antennae.
Didn’t we already do this “my dreams are crushed” story?
'90s Flashback 