Date of airing: March 17, 1998 (WB)
Nielsen ratings information: 7.05 million viewers, 4.8/8 in Households
There was something about the final image of the episode that made me jealous: I never had a girl waiting for me in my bedroom to return home and have a conversation about what the last 24 hours of my life have been like. The only being that waited for me in my room every day was my cat, but you can’t really compare that, because in the most obvious twist that will shock you out of your socks, cats aren’t human and you can’t have conversations with them. You can certainly try, but when you are expecting responses from a cat, there isn’t anything more than a “meow” that comes out of their cute little mouths. So here I am, watching DAWSON’S CREEK, falling in love with the idea of Joey Potter – my teenage crush – all over again, and being reminded that I was never even close to having a life that looked similar to Dawson’s. The dude could talk movies with whomever he discovered also liked movies – I couldn’t even do that as a teen, because all the kids around me were jerks with interests that I didn’t possess. DAWSON’S CREEK is the show that puts a lot of effort into being sexy and talkative about sex, but it turns out it’s something of a wish-fulfillment show for me.
This episode was pretty solid. I was sort of surprised that the hour felt like it could have been two hours, because a lot of stuff happened for the characters: Joey had a relationship, had sex, got pregnant, and discussed babies and having a family with teachers, all while Dawson went through an AMERICAN GRAFFITI-type adventure and forgetting Jen for a while as he was flirting with a college student who would later become Carol Peletier in THE WALKING DEAD (so much for old actors playing high school or college students on this show). And both stories didn’t even directly involve Jen or Billy, who may have been present spiritually or physically in the narrative, but it turns out that it may have been a good idea to separate the characters for an hour and witness them do stuff that doesn’t necessarily bring them back to their same old friends.
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| This is as far as broadcast network television can go to depict teenage buttocks. |
In the beginning, I was a little bit annoyed that Billy was still in the show for some reason (didn’t he say he was about to go back to New York?) and apparently dumb and horny enough to just climb into Jen’s room like a stalker who is about to turn into a rapist (then again, Joey does the same when climbing into Dawson's room, eh?). Midway through the episode, however, I appreciated his appearance here, because he was right when he told Dawson that the two boys (they are fully grown men, let’s not lie here) had something in common. Also, it helped that Billy was the villain for these two episodes, while at the same time helping out Dawson enough to let him see his way ahead, making Billy not necessarily a villain, but just a man who has seen some stuff and was interested in giving Dawson some life lessons. And if it so happens that Dawson loses all interest in Jen, it’s a win for Billy. Yes, Dawson needed time away from Jen and I needed time away from the Dawson/Jen romance, and yes, Dawson needed to forget that she existed. And it seemed obvious that Dawson had to naturally go back to thinking Jen is the woman for him, that he can’t forget her or get over her, that he isn’t ready for a teenage life beyond Jen.
By the way, I’m just realizing how realistic Dawson’s immediate reactions are after the break-up: As a teenager, everything goes down the toilet and absolutely everything is a nightmare to live through when you break up with the teenage love of your life after three months or less. For teenage lovers, everything they do is the world for them, and when you take it away, there is no more world. It might be annoying to see Dawson this ludicrous sometimes, but it seems to be realistic behavior. Although I do have to say that I can’t relate – I never behaved like that, because I never felt that way, because I never experienced the life Dawson has.
The trip to Providence was okay. It didn’t have a lot of “road trip” in it after the episode’s title promised me one (since the story mainly focused on Dawson and never intended to have him and Billy clash heads and possibly fists), but there was something about Dawson finding a little confidence in himself, while Pacey proves to himself that he is not at all a good flirter and that his sex fling with his English teacher may have been a freak outlier. Although the realization that the girl he was talking to misunderstood him was kind of funny, and I felt just a bit sorry for Pacey. In addition, I came to realize what a good wingman Billy can be if he has Dawson’s immediate happiness at heart. If I ever see a boy and a girl talking in a club, about to make a move on another, but can’t quite seal the deal whether or not to go home together, I shall come in-between and behave like a dick, just so either of the two thinks about leaving with the other because the place we are all at is turning creepy and they need to bond over something. And voila, best wingman in the world.
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| Two girlfriends share ice cream after a victorious high school rumor battle. |
Back in Capeside, rumors were going around, and I was amused by how they developed over the course of the hour. Once again, a white Capeside high school student behaved like someone needed another food tray in the face, and once again, the girls of Capeside High had to deal with the bullcrap that came out of the boy’s mouth. What a shame that Warren didn’t get plastered with more baby stuff throughout the day – I would have loved seeing him drowning in baby toys and wipes and diapers filled with chocolate pudding, just so he could have seen the error of his mean and idiotic ways. I wanted him to suffer and I wanted him to lose all of the statuses he hoped he was gaining after revealing he had sex with Joey. Oh, and maybe he should have been kicked out of the school for that as well, but I guess that is a topic for a wholly different series.
The story was also super good in bringing together Jen and Joey again and having them try each other out as friends once more. I want this to happen, especially now that Jen has removed herself from Dawson, clearing the road for Joey (I may have just realized that Joey was also a reason for Jen’s decision to break up with the neighbor kid). Seeing them as friends instead of enemies could enrich both of their character arcs, even if it means that no one from the main cast is considered a villain. It’s a good thing then that you can write recurring characters like Amy or Billy.
