Date of airing: November 25, 1998 (WB)
Nielsen ratings information: 6.76 million viewers, 4.4/8 in Households
written by: Shelley Meals, Darin Goldberg
directed by: Joe Napolitano
This was a clear middle-of-the-season filler episode, as the narrative did not have a lot to offer in the form of storylines, but did not hesitate to give its cast something to bite their teeth into. It may have been the best episode of the series so far when it comes to acting, as Michelle Williams delivered an A-class performance as a puking drunk who just got carried out of a “fun” threesome, while guest star Caroline Kava performed a dramatic rendition of "a parent gone over the edge," almost making me cry during her scene with Pacey in the grocery store. I have no idea where that level of acting came from all of a sudden, but it was a great watch. An unexpected watch as well, because who would consider DAWSONS CREEK a masterclass in acting? We may all know that Williams is the better actor amongst the bunch, but watching her deliver in the late 1990s already gave me a sense of “Yes, that is why we love her.” It is almost like we only know DAWSON’S CREEK for its romantic storylines and couples that came out of the six years, but every once in a while, you get surprised by a whole bunch of great performances.
Jen continued to spiral out of control, losing herself in the moment so she can forget all the happiness and hope that surrounded her for a season, closing in on the moment that will screw her up greatly, as long as Dawson did not come too late in carrying her out of the threesome in progress. This was essentially the biggest storyline of the episode, since the rest of the hour took its time to reshuffle some of its characters (bringing Jack and Joey closer together, reforming a bond between Dawson and Mitch, and Pacey becoming something of an impromptu social worker) and slowed down the storytelling in the process, only giving information that the viewers already knew beforehand. It is like nothing new has been revealed in this episode, no twists and turns enriched the experience of watching this series, but it did a damn good job focusing on the drama of the story without necessarily having to twist the story into a new direction, just so new drama can be milked out of it. Okay, maybe we got to learn a little something extra about Jen in this episode – she told someone what she was feeling, and it sounded like she was more than just slightly over the edge. She was already falling.
 |
| The night is bright and full of lightning. |
And here I was, thinking that the show would put the pedal to the metal for a couple of episodes, so that the world looks a whole lot different at the halfway point of the season, and we are not necessarily talking about the Dawson/Joey break-up again. Granted, it is only a few episodes ago that the two broke up and created new drama for the writers to take care of, but this is a story the show cannot carry for all of eternity. Either Dawson and Joey move on from their failed romance (she seems to be successful in that regard, while he turns into a knight in shining armor for a troubled youth) and create new storylines, or they will continue to attract each other and fight over what they have done and could have done, which would be repetitive and annoying after a short while. It already was during the previous episode, when Dawson and Joey could not stop fighting. Then again, Dawson and Jen’s breakup had this long-lasting aftermath, so Joey dumping him should also have this kind of aftermath.
By the way, I just came to realize something: Dawson was dumped twice. Sort of comical, considering he is the hopeless romantic of the series.
Pacey and Andie’s story was solid. It was clear that he would show off his emotional side at one point, while the writers continued to draw out the McPhee family backstory and use it to emotionally manipulate the viewers, and I must say, I liked it when Pacey connected with Andie’s mother and got her back home. I liked that this was the moment Pacey showed his true self, begging the question of why none of that was evident in his career aptitude test, which he apparently did not score high enough to be considered a future for society. Is there no career aptitude test that can tell that you will become a great social worker? Because Pacey definitely has some talent in that regard – connecting with people is not easy and he seems to be thriving at it. And Andie seems to be having the hots for that version of Pacey. This means now is the time for him to change into a different person, so that she can see that he is not what she thought he was.
Dawson’s story was solid as well. When it became clear Jen was going to the party to get smashed with alcohol and by a bunch of boys (the latter came over pretty much as soon as they arrived, and she was dancing with them, beer bottle in hand). It already seemed like a dramatic story enough, considering the way Jen was about to fall towards rock bottom, which is probably why she was in luck to have Dawson here, turning into her own little Pacey. And yes, it is sort of intriguing that the girls’ love interests turned out to be the titular reluctant heroes. Pacey became one because he could not think of anything else to do, or it’s his secret nature. But Dawson really cares for Jen, and he cannot stand seeing her stumble and ruin her life and mind. Maybe it is because he is already suffering enough through his parents’ separation and does not want to see anyone else below him on the scale of depression and having a crappy life, or maybe it is just his hope and happy-go-lucky attitude that never fails him and will always pull him back up when he is down – something Jen does not have because she never had someone telling her anything resembling “I love you” or “I believe in you.”
 |
| When you are drunk and horny, you look like you are sweating constantly. |
And finally, Joey and Jack went out on a semi-date, and it was anything between “Yes, let’s get the two together” and “Let’s wait a minute until we have cooled down from Dawson and Joey.” First of all, I liked that the budding romance is being kept real and on the downlow. It is nothing fancy or steamy, it is almost something chill and mellow, almost introverted. And I love that because I am an introvert myself, so I can connect with Jack here, instantly making me like him more even though he is supposed to be the villain in the story. Plus, the staring moment between Jack and Dawson floored me just a little. I was expecting something more aggressive and testosterone-heavy, but it is almost like Dawson simply could not deal with a villain right now, and Jack was too introverted to even do anything about it if Dawson made him a villain. They just said “Hi” to each other. It was a moment of conflict without the conflict. This may have been the best scene that did not involve any great performances by the cast.
