Date of airing: January 20, 1999 (WB)
Nielsen ratings information: 6.43 million viewers, 4.8/7 in Households
written by: Mike White, Greg Berlanti
directed by: Nick Marck
This episode was very wet, both literally and metaphorically speaking. Literally, because it was raining in Capeside most of the time, with the climactic classroom scene even accompanied by repeated thunder and lightning. Metaphorically, because this episode was also about steamy sex. The aftermath of it, or what you think about when sex does not happen for whatever reason.
The three couples, plus Abby and Chris, were horny for one another, and if there ever was an XXX parody of this series, the classroom scene leading to a clash of the Capeside titans would be the moment when things get a little naughty and busy. But because this is a series that aired on a broadcast network watched by millions of people in 1999, there could not be anything else but the talk about sex. No make-out sessions behind closed doors or in dark corners of the school hallway, no quick grabbing of genitals under the table between lovers, not even a serious attempt at making sex the most casual thing imaginable for the characters. In DAWSON’S CREEK, sex is such a huge topic for these teenagers, they have to write letters about it, otherwise, they will not be able to work through their feelings.
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| Abby's cruel intentions can be devastating for various romantic couples. |
I got a little worried at the beginning of the episode whether the
whole hour turned out to be a mystery about which one of the three
couples did the deed, especially when the resolution of that storyline
could have simply led to a random fourth couple (one that never had
screentime before) being the author of the letter. This way, the simple
existence of the piece of paper was enough of a plot device to kickstart
the drama of the episode, with a resolution of the story not even
needed. In fact, maybe I was a bit disappointed that the episode’s
premise was about finding out who wrote the letter, turning it into a
crime mystery in the process, when the couples drama was far more
intriguing for me.
This episode could be an example of how the success of the show and the fame of its cast pressured the writers to go into storytelling mode that explored the fear and excitement of the watching audience, by having them wonder which one of these couples had sex when the answer to that question was not necessary and overwrote all the drama at times, instead of focusing on the story naturally. Questioning which one of these couples had sex was absolutely not necessary for the narrative, but here was the show titled DAWSON’S CREEK, which happened to be a success that just entered a new year, so the writers had to begin the new year with a mystery and some major sex-related development. This is what the show was known for after all, right?
Abby Morgan became a plot device once more this season, as her involvement in the mystery shook the couples to the core and changed certain things. Although she was more of a main character than ever before in this episode, making me wonder for a second or two what the show would have looked like with her as one of the central characters (her backstory must have been dramatic and traumatic, considering her villainous behavior). Apparently, the couples were unable to move up in their relationships without the involvement of an outside character. Dawson could not be bothered talking about what happened with them that night if it had not been for Abby probing their relationship back and forth and upside down. Pacey would never have been able to jump over his fear and tell Andie about his A grade on the history test (and the fact that he is falling in love with her) if it had not been for Abby humiliating him and breaking Andie’s heart in the process. Jack and Joey could not have been able to move on from their stiff night of making love through art and conversation if it had not been for Jen asking the question, going into a story that did not need development at all (plus, Abby was the least interested in Jack and Joey, so there’s that). Without Abby, we would not have gone through all of this mystery drama, which makes her the inciting incident in this episode, not the sex that happened somewhere during the previous episode. And the worst thing about all of this is that Abby is still a one-dimensional character. Written like a villain who has gotten the codes to the nuclear bomb, and decided to scare the living crap out of everyone by threatening to use them, but not at all treated like a character, because nothing about her past is known, nothing about her vile behavior sticks except the fact that she is vile.
However, the dark and rainy atmosphere of the episode was working well. The bad weather in Capeside sets the mood, so you can forget to walk in short skirts and tight shirts. It is probably a good thing that this fictional version of Massachusetts was not snowed in, or else, Joey and Dawson walking home from school in the closing scene of the episode would have led to a moment way too romantic for the story. At least a thunderous weather cycle means chaos and danger, so the producers knew what they were doing here, using the weather as part of the narrative theme. With the dark and rainy atmosphere, tears were about to float down people’s faces more realistically, because it looks like dealing with sex and emotion and betrayal is probably something the main characters could not handle right about now, so they need to hide their disappointment and sadness behind the face of rain (you cannot distinguish a tear out of your eye from a raindrop on your face). This is kind of weird when you think about it, considering the characters are way too smart for their age and would have been perfectly capable of handling the situation with their words.
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| Joey's artwork is too scandalous for the Parents' Television Council. |
What was interesting about this episode was how it barely changed the three relationships that began in the previous hour. Granted, maybe Jen and Dawson’s changed for a bit, but it is not like they were ready to do anything anyway, and Abby’s involvement cemented that fact, preventing both people to stop their advances toward one another and just remain best friends from here on. Without Abby’s involvement, who knows how chaotic that rebound relationship would have gotten? But at least a few truths have been spoken, which makes Abby something of a Cupid-type person, even if she would rather use scandals and threats to make her points and couple up people romantically. Again, she was the best plot device the writers could have worked with. That might be the reason why Abby never got any character development of her own, since the writers realized her purpose as the story engine that roared.
