Date of airing: October 7, 1998 (WB)
Nielsen ratings information: 7.93 million viewers, 5.2/9 in Households, 3.2/9 with Adults 18-49
14 episodes into this extremely hot and attractive series with a soundtrack I was devouring during my teenage years, and two episodes bore the same title, only with the “the” added for this episode, because the writers cannot be this lazy, can they? I would also call this a little confusing, especially since the writers must have had alternate titles for the episodes, let alone this one could have easily been titled “The Date” instead, which this hour was mostly about, as the characters were doing what everyone does on their first date: going to see a movie. I do not know who to blame here, or why I am caring so much, but consider me slightly enraged that 14 episodes of a series have two episodes with the same title.
So much for my bitching and moaning. This was a solid season premiere. Things did not fit quite together when you think of continuity, but I got a good laugh out of the barbershop scene, considering Joshua Jackson and James Van Der Beek went into production of this season with new hair-dos (in Jackson’s case, because he dyed his hair blonde for the slasher feature URBAN LEGENDS), and the producers could not just allow that without making sure that the continuity fits, since this episode is set the day after the previous season finale. It is somewhat funny that the producers thought of doing that continuity thing with the two guys of the series, but decided not to get into Jen’s new hair-do, and explaining where most of her hair has gone, since it could not all be behind the claw clip. So, did Jen go to the barbershop as well between the death of her grandfather and her arrival at the school the next day? Also, who goes to school the day after a family member dies?
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| How many laws is Pacey breaking right now? |
Consider this me being done with the nitpicking portion of this review because seeing Dawson and Joey on their first day as a couple was cute and it kind of gave me life, even if I still do not understand what Joey sees in Dawson (and I never will). Although that has changed a little, since Dawson was a bit rewritten as a character to be more “deserving” of Joey’s heart and soul. He needed to be less annoying and egotistical to be allowed to date her, so he developed for the better in this episode. Dawson and Joey did not know what to do on their first date though, they were kind of pressured by the romances and relationships they have seen in movies and television shows, but here they are, completely clueless about what is coming next and how they should behave, now that they are official. Will they kiss again immediately, or will they take one step after another, just to not screw everything up right at the start? It is especially funny because Dawson already had a girlfriend before Joey, and he seemingly has learned nothing. Okay, that is kind of realistic, since 16-year-old boys never learn, and a kid like Dawson should not know everything there is to do when you have a romantic partner in your life. Maybe Dawson is going to be the same boyfriend to Joey that he was with Jen, which means it will be the same old stuff: thinking about how to score and when to make out all the time.
Pacey’s story was weird, however. First of all, Meredith Monroe is a darling, and I just remembered I always liked Andie when I watched the show the first time around, but Pacey imitating a law enforcement officer was all kinds of BS, especially when that was the way he found out who she was and where she lives. I guess the Capeside police department does not have an issue with a teenager driving one of their police cruisers around town? I understand that Pacey’s father is the Chief of Police in this little town, and brother Doug may be the Deputy (has that ever been established before, or am I just remembering the show as a whole right now?), but it does not necessarily look good when Capeside police are giving a 16-year-old their car to drive around willy-nilly and have some Capeside residents be confused over this young boy with fancy sunglasses and frosted tips being a cop or not. Even if it happened to lead to an amusing scene with Andie, I cannot get over the fact that Pacey came over as a creep. That was not the only moment in which he shined as an idiot though. The way he was rhyming together words about himself and Kristy, his object of affection, I could only roll my eyes and say to myself that, if this were not a scripted TV drama, Pacey would slowly develop into a very unlikable and dangerous person who thinks he can have anything he can set his mind on. Andie should have bitchslapped Pacey for what he did to her, but I guess she is a much better person than I assume she is, judging by her revenge plan involving Kristy.
By the way, let’s rather not mention too often that Meredith Monroe was the oldest cast member among the teen characters. She was 28 years old when this episode premiered on the WB. She was a year older than Keiko Agena was when GILMORE GIRLS premiered, and she was known for playing an unnaturally young character, thanks to her Asian young looks. So much for adult persons playing teenage characters on television...
Then there was Jen, who got the best story of the episode, as the trauma of losing her grandfather manifested itself and served up some great emotional drama, which I hope will be ongoing. It was a good idea that the story removed the religious angle from the previous season finale, and it seems quite convenient that Jen had a meaningful-enough connection with her grandfather that she would lose herself this way, even if it was dramatically the best thing the writers were able to create here. Having to lose Dawson first, then her grandfather, and then she has to realize that she may have never played first fiddle in her relationship with Dawson, the floor has essentially removed itself from under her feet and now she is suffering from all the things that have been taken away from her. One can only hope that Jen will go through this heartbreak a little longer and that it might continue to define her character, It is time for some emotional and hard-hitting drama that removes the character from being the “girl next door.”
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| Jen is all alone with her grief. |
And finally, there was the story of the soon-to-be-divorced Leerys. I was kind of surprised that it was a story separated from the loving adventures of the teenagers (since Dawson will most likely want to say a few words about this), but it showed that the writers cared about the story, and wanted to move along with the divorce arc that was teased a few times during the previous season. As I said before, to keep some of the realism of the show, and to experience drama in his own life that does not have anything to do with the girls he dates, Dawson needs to get through the event of a divorce. He is a teenager after all, and it is going to be a defining moment in any teenager’s life who goes through that. In addition, it is a surefire way for the writers to not forget that the show is not just about the kids – it should also be about the parents every once in a while, especially when their actors are credited during Paula Cole’s opening theme song.
