The opening scene sets the stage for all future episodes. 15-year-old Dawson and Joey (the latter a girl who refuses to go by her proper name of Josephine), alone in Dawson's room (which is adorned wall-to-wall with movie memorabilia of a mostly Speilbergian variety), stretched out on his bed, smiling and sighing contentedly after spending the past couple of hours engaging in the same activity they pretty much have been done every Saturday night for years ... watching E.T., a sacred tradition of their Movie Night. As Dawson clicks off the film, Joey inquires if it won the Oscar when it came out. "Ghandi," Dawson mutters with contempt. "Speilberg was robbed."
Agreeing with his assessment of the situation, Joey gets up and puts her shoes on. Time to go. "Where are you going?" Dawson asks, puzzled. "Home," she replies with a small shrug. Dawson can't understand this, and asks her to spend the night. (Right off the bat, the Religious Right is offended ... we aren't a full minute into the pilot episode of this show and already Tipper Gore and all her friends are having kittens at the notion of the two lead characters, teenagers, sleeping together!) But wait, these two clearly aren't a couple, as evidenced by Dawson's next words -- that Joey's been sleeping over since she was seven years old.
Joey insists that things have changed now, evolved even. It's a key statement, and one that is revisted throughout their entire relationship. In fact, it's a neat little summary of the whole main plotline of the show. "We're fifteen now," she reasons. "We start high school Monday." (at age 15? And wait, if they "start" high school as sophomores, what happened to their freshman year?) "So?" Dawson prompts, not understanding where she is going with this. "I have breasts now!" He laughs in embarrassment at her words. "And you have genitalia!" (Yup ... I can see the switchboard at the WB lit up like a Christmas tree right now, full of complaining conservatives from the Bible Belt.) More embarrassed laughter. "I've always had genitalia!" Dawson counters, slightly pink-cheeked. "But you have more of it," Joey observes. That floors him. "How do you know?" "Long fingers," she shrugs, heading towards the window. (Another thing we notice about this strange and wonderful relationship between them, Joey doesn't use the door. Ever.)
"Wait, Jo, don't hit and run!" Dawson begs her, wanting some explanation for her perverse reasoning. She sighs and states her point, using a loftily-constructed vocabulary that defies her age. "I just think our emerging hormones are destined to alter our relationship, and I'm trying to limit the fall-out," Joey reasons, a little too logically. Dawson is amused. "Your 'emerging hormones' aren't developing a thang for me, are they?"
He's joking, but without realizing, he's hit the nail squarely on the head. Joey does indeed have a thang for him, a major, huge thang in fact, and by putting some space between them, she's trying to process her feelings and emotions (a concept which, ironically, is repeated in the second season, after they ... you know -- didn't want to give it away for anyone who hasn't seen Season Two yet!). "A 'thang' for you? No, I am not developing a 'thang' for you Dawson, I know you too well!" (More irony, as this is exactly why she has the thang in the first place.) She rattles off all the reasons why such a thing, ... er, thang ... could never be possible: "I've known you too long. I've seen you burp, barf, pick your nose, scratch your butt (ah yes, the mating call of the pre-pubescent boy ... charming) ... no I am not developing a 'thang' for you," she finishes, disgustedly. (Methinks the lady doth protest waaaay too much!)
Dawson wants to know what is with all the "When Harry Met '80s crap" referring to the film "When Harry Met Sally," (a personal fave of mine) where two allegedly platonic best friends discover a mutual 'thang' for each other and live happily ever after ... after 10 years of dancing around their feelings. Dawson doesn't want the whole male / female thing to get in the way of their long-time best-friendship. Joey wants to know how he thinks this is possible, to which Dawson firmly declares, "We transcend it, despite any mounting sexual theoretics." (And we stumble across another major plot point of the show ... Pollyanna, I mean Dawson's perpetual state of cluelessness and lack-of-touch with reality when it comes to affairs of the heart.)
She isn't buying it, though, and gives him a doubtful look. "Come on Joey, don't get all female on me," Dawson grins, "Or else I'll have to start calling you Josephine." This is important because it sets up the notion that not only Dawson, but Joey too, thinks of herself as just "one of the guys" and not at all the type of girl Dawson could ever be interested in romantically.
But his dig at her real name proves to be a bit much for her, she dives on him and they start play-fighting / tickling (a sure sign of subliminal sexual tension ... trust me on this one). "Josephine this!" she giggles as she dives on his bed and they roll around for a bit. Finally, it gets to be a bit much for her, and she concedes defeat, breathless and flustered.
"We're friends, okay?" Dawson ventures. Joey nods. "No matter how much body hair we acquire." More nodding from Joey: "Deal." "And we don't ever talk about this again, okay?" (Dawson, meet Denial. Denial, this is Dawson. I'm sure you two will get on just famously from here on in ...) Still more nodding from Joey. "Now can we just get some sleep?" he asks her. Yet more nodding, and the first flash of that patented, lop-sided half-grin that Katie Holmes does so well.
They climb into bed, albeit fully dressed, and scoot as far apart from each other as possible, exchanging "goodnights" as airily as though the previous conversation never took place. After a moment or two of tossing and turning and a very pregnant pause, Dawson sighs and looks over at Joey's back. "Why'd you have to bring this up, anyway?"
Next, we have Joey reclining on a deck chair on the dock. All is right with the world ... until a Sea Creature From the Deep, er, Creek, rises out of the water beside her, grabs her and pulls her in with him. They thrash about for a moment or two, then she shrieks "Pacey!" What the ... "CUT!!" a voice calls from off camera. It's director Dawson, filming a scene from his latest film, and like all greats behind the camera, having some difficulty coaxing the optimum performance from his two stars. "I can't help it, he grabbed my ass!" Joey hisses with outrage. "You wish," Pacey the sea creature chortles, as they traipse out of the water. When Dawson chides him, Pacey replies, "Hey it's Meryl Streep's fault, I'm doing the best I can."
Before they have time to settle their bickering, though, all three are distracted by the arrival of a taxi at the house next door. To the appropriate strains of "Hey Pretty Girl," Capeside's newest resident has arrived on the scene, and strides over to the trio in soft focus slo-mo, her golden hair windblown, a dimpled smile on her face. (and her dress cut up to there as she strides across the lawn ...)
"You're Dawson, right?" The blonde vision asks the slightly dumbfounded director. "We've met before, I'm Jen." "You look different," is all he can manage to splutter out. "Puberty," barks Joey, who has keenly noted her best buddy's new-found interest in the girl-next-door."I'm Joey, I live down the creek ... and we've never met before," she says coolly, as she gives Jen the once-over. "Ever." Pacey introduces himself, too, all charms and smiles.
Dawson asks if Jen is going to be living next-door and she replies that she is -- her grandfather's aeorta collapsed and she's been sent in from New York to help her grandmother out. "So you'll be going to school here then?" he asks brightly, as Joey shoots him (and Jen) a dirty look behind his back. "10th Grade," she replies, as Dawson and Pacey fall over themselves to reply that they, too, are in the 10th Grade. "Well, I guess I'll see you at school, then," Jen smiles. "If not sooner," Dawson pipes up. Joey is really unimpressed now. Instant hatred. (We females are so good at that! :p)
As Dawson and Pacey enter Dawson's digs, Pacey mentions Dawson's hesitation and shyness when it comes to girls. Referring to Jen, he muses that "finer men would be nailing right now." Dawson will have none of it, though. "Tact," he answers crisply. "Look it up."
In the living room, Dawson and Pacey are treated to the beginning of a live sex show, courtesy of none other than Dawson's parents. Predictably, Dawson is disgusted, but apparently the sight isn't an uncommon one. As his mother and father break apart from their make-out session on the coffee table, his mother falls onto the floor. "Mom! Dad!" Dawson shouts, horrified. He's more embarrassed than they are.
As they regroup and redress, Dawson's mother greets her son's friend. "Mr. Leery ... Mrs. Leery," Pacey nods, smiling lasciviously and adding that he admires Mrs. Leery's new hairdo. (what a little charmer!) She primps and giggles at Pacey's compliment, then gets up to leave for work, throwing a parting greeting to her husband. "I'll see you later, Mr. Man Meat," she coos. "MOM!!" Dawson groans, outraged, while Pacey chuckles.
Over at Joey's humble abode (humble being the operative word), which she pulls up to in her rowboat, Bodie, her sister's black boyfriend, comes out stirring his latest concoction from the kitchen, which Joey pronounces "orgasmic" upon tasting. A very pregnant Bessie, Joey's older sister, waddles out behind Bodie. She tells Joey she doesn't mind if Joey borrows her clothes, but doesn't want to find them on the floor in Joey's room. "So, stay out of my room then," Joey barks at her sister, who in turn tells Bodie she's going to kill her younger sibling.
To avoid a further argument, Bodie shoves some of the same gastronomical creation he fed Joey into Bessie's mouth. She, too, pronounces it "orgasmic." (Okay, so we haven't reached the first commercial break yet and we've had two mentions of orgasms, coffee-table foreplay, a co-ed teenage sleepover and the wry gauging of the size of a certain part of Dawson's anatomy by Joey ... no wonder I love this show!)
Dawson and Pacey are working together at Screen Play Video -- appropriate, given "Mr. Man Meat Junior" (as Pacey calls him)'s love of the cinema. But they aren't alone ... blonde-haired, bubblebrained Nellie, the boss's daughter, is their co-worker from hell. She demands to know if Forrest Gump goes in the comedy or drama section. "Drama," Dawson answers politely. Pacey is less so -- "Can you say 'wet brain'?" he snickers to Dawson under his breath.
Too late, she heard him, and insists on knowing if Pacey just tossed a "negative, disparaging remark" her way. She hopes not, because if he did, she might feel compelled to respond to his little one-liners, and in her (highly-inflated) opinion, it isn't worth it. She reminds him that in the "huge, rotating world of life," Pacey is nobody. He doesn't even exist and is a "non-existant nothing," according to Nellie. He's vapour. She makes a ridiculous vapour-like noise and gestures with her hands to indicate just how insignificant Pacey is.
Before he can respond, however, the bells above the door jingle and a new customer walks in, to an overlay of very sultry jazz music. The camera pans up her long, tanned legs, short summery floral dress, trim figure and long auburn hair (not bad for an older broad!). "Suddenly, my reason for living walks in," Pacey whispers to Dawson. "Have some respect, dude, she's somebody's mother!" Dawson hisses back, to which Pacey replies that he has it on pretty good authority that mothers have excellent sex lives.
Not one to miss an opportunity, Pacey asks if he can be of assistance. The stranger replies that her name is Tamara, she's new in town and she would like to rent a video. Pacey (and Dawson, to a lesser extent) are fawning over her and falling over themselves to help, Pacey asking if he can find a specific title for her. Tamara wryly states that she's "in the mood for romance" (can I have a double entendre, please?) so he points out where the new releases are kept. Tamara doesn't want one of those, though, as she tells him, "Oh, I'm vintage all the way." (and another?) In fact, she asks for The Graduate (oh, what the heck, gimme another one!).
When Pacey is unsure of exactly which film that is (Dawson, ever the film buff, cocks his head around the corner, wide-eyed -- he knows exactly which film that is ...), Tamara refreshes him on the plot: The older woman, Anne Bancroft, seduces the younger man, Dustin Hoffman? Dawson locates the film, Tamara pays for it and leaves, telling Pacey it was "very nice to have met you." "Likewise," he grins. After her departure, Dawson tells him to "wipe the drool" but Pacey insists the drool was coming from Tamara, not him: "Did you see the way she was flirting with me? I'm telling you, man, she wanted me!"
And speaking of wiping the drool, when Dawson comes home after work, he spots Jen sitting on the docks near their houses. Beaming, he sits near her, and they chat about various things. It's established Jen's grandmother is religious, a trait that hasn't been passed down the genetic lines to Jen. She checks out the videos, all horror films, that Dawson has brought home from work. He explains it's his life's ambition to be a filmmaker, and the flicks are research for his latest project. She's impressed by his lofty aspirations. Dawson confesses that he's a Speilberg buff, and that his attraction to celluloid is because he "reject(s) reality." Then, in the cheesiest pick-up line I've heard in a while, he asks Jen if she'd like to see his studio.
It works. Dawson takes Jen on a tour of his room, pointing out his Speilberg posters and paraphenalia. He tells her he pretty much worships the man in a God-like way, and that he believes all the answers to life's questions can be found within a Speilberg film. If Dawson has a problem, he just looks to the right film and all is revealed. (hey, it's better than a psychic hotline, I suppose ...) "Are you familiar with obsessive-reality disorder?" Jen teases.
Meanwhile, outside his window, Joey has climbed the ladder, her ladder, which is propped up against Dawson's house. She's just about to make an entrance through the window when she hears a female voice in the room. In Joey's mind, other than Dawson's mother and herself, there simply shouldn't be any other females in his bedroom. She pauses to eavesdrop and overhears Dawson and Jen talking about his horror film, which he is planning to enter in the Boston Film Festival. Much to Joey's relief, Jen's grandmother shouts from across the way for her, and Jen leaves (through Dawson's bedroom door).
Now that the coast is clear, Joey enters the room. Dawson invites her to watch a tape of his mother, who is the local newsanchor, and her co-anchor Bob. He's suspicious his mother is having an affair with Bob because of the way she pronounces her b's: "They're too soft." Joey chides him and asks why on earth his mother would have an affair, seeing as Dawson's father is "the perfect male specimen." (If Dawson was really clever here, he's read between the lines of that statement ... if his father is perfect, then 'like father, like son,' right?) Joey tells Dawson everything is a potential script to him, and that he's just looking for conflict where none exists. "Accept your perfect life, Dawson!" she scolds.
Over at Jen's grandmothers', Jen goes into her grandfather's room and watches him continue his perpetual deep sleep. She holds his hand and traces the angry pink scars on his chest, where his heart operation was. Her 'Grams' announces breakfast is ready. In the kitchen, Jen tells her how glad she is that she came to stay with her grandmother, but the older woman brushes it off and tells her to hurry her breakfast so she won't be late. Jen replies she usually doesn't eat so much, just a quick coffee fix in the morning. It's a small, subtle example of how little her grandmother knows about her.
Jen asks her Grams about Dawson, her own memories of him from earlier visits are of someone "short and compact." Grams warns that the boy is trouble, to which Jen cynically replies, "Aren't they all?" She then asks about Joey. Grams is equally unimpressed with Joey, and tells Jen that "that girl from down the creek has been climbing in the window of that boy next door for the past ten years," adding that both of them are "the wrong element."
Grams doesn't wish to speak about Capeside's teenage heathens anymore, instead she asks Jen to say grace. Jen tells her to do it. Grams wants to know if there is some reason Jen doesn't want to thank God this morning, and Jen replies that she doesn't do very well with the Bible and church and religion, in fact ... she's an atheist. She says she didn't wan to get into it so early in her stay, because she's prone to headaches. (I hope she has a large supply of Tylenol, in that case) The news almost sends Grams into cardiac arrest, and she splutters that while Jen is under her roof, she is responsible for Jen, and that Jen will do as she is told, which includes coming to church with her on Sundays.
In the hallway at school, Nellie (Dawson and Pacey's rocket-scientist coworker) approaches Jen. She introduces herself (her last name is Olson, and yes, she is named after the Little House on the Prairie character), and offers her sympathies to Jen regarding Jen's grandfather. Nellie mentions he is still on the prayer list at church, then in the same breath asks Jen if she likes to party. "Party as in, 'have a good time,' or party as in 'drink and use drugs'?" Jen wonders. Nellie looks at her as if she's grown a second head. Jen tells Nellie she likes to have a good time, substance-free.
After Nellie the one-woman welcoming committee dashes off down the hall, Dawson strolls up to Jen and asks how she's managing. Jen tells him she really could use a cigarette (ironic, cause nicotine is probably one of the most addictive "substances" there is). Dawson seems upset that she smokes (of course, it shatters his perfect image of her), but she tells him she quit, and he walks her down to biology.
Pacey, is trying to learn through literal osmosis in another classroom -- he's walking around trying to balance a textbook on his head. Suddenly, the teacher enters and calls for order. The class settles in, and Pacey turns around to discover his new English teacher is none other than Tamara, the video store vixen. "Tamara?" he gulps, and she replies that during school hours, she would prefer to be known by the moniker "Ms. Jacobs."
Jen walks into her crowded new class to find one familar face -- Joey's. She makes her way over to her, and Joey is visibly less than enthused. "I was hoping we'd have a class together," Jen smiles. "Here we are," Joey frowns. (Ah, the beginning of an ugly friendship ...)
Dawson enters an empty classroom to find a teacher watching the Hitchcock classic Psycho. He tries to impress the teacher with trivia about the movie and knowledge about film in general. When the teacher asks if he knows film, Dawson enthusically demonstrates just how much he does, indeed, know film. The teacher incorrectly assumes Dawson is in his film class, and when Dawson replies he isn't, the teacher correctly assumes Dawson isn't an upperclassman, because those students get priority. "Well, that's stupid!" Dawson laments. "Who made that rule up?" "I did." (heh heh ... oops.)
Dawson apologizes and tells Mr. Gold, the teacher, that he knows he must be coming across all wrong, but that he can't help it, he just has a "pure, mad, driven passion" for film, that movies are his life and that he's going to be a filmmaker, and how many of Mr. Gold's other pupils can say that? He appeals to Mr. Gold's compassion, telling him that it's a small town, and that there aren't many opportunities for him. Dawson begs Mr. Gold to override the rule that denies him admittance to the class, but Mr. Gold insists the class is maxed out and he can't make a case-by-case exception. His answer is no, and when Dawson protests, Mr. Gold reiterates it, telling him it's a complete sentence.
In the hallways, Jen asks Joey if there's something going on between her and Dawson. Joey says no, that they are just friends. "Like we're going to be," Jen (wrongly) assumes. "You know, my Grams says you're severely troubled," she tells Joey, who replies something along the lines that Grams is not one to talk.
Joey explains her "severely troubled" life: she lives with her pregnant, unwed sister and her black boyfriend, her mother died of breast cancer a few years back and her father is currently in prison for trafficking marijuana in excess of 10,000 lbs. Jen is a little stunned at Joey's revelations. "He likes you, you know," Joey concludes. "Who, the black boyfriend?" Jen asks in confusion. "No, Dawson. Don't abuse his feelings," Joey warns (threatens?) her and walks away, leaving Jen stunned yet again.
In the caf, Joey, Dawson and Jen are sitting together. Jen and Dawson are making up stories about the lifes of various teachers and students that pass by, much to Joey's disgust. (The look on her face is priceless.) Dawson tells Jen she's quite good at this stuff, and would really appreciate her help in his latest film, in Act 3, because he's having a "climax issue." (Yeah, I'll just bet ...)
Back at Screen Play Video, Tamara returns her copy of The Graduate, telling Pacey it was exactly how she remembered it. He asks if she's "looking for romance" again tonight (foreshadowing and double entendres just abound in this show, don't they?), and suggests The Summer of '42. When she asks for a synopsis, he tells her it's where an older woman seduces a young boy on the brink of manhood. Pacey's done his homework, and clearly is hoping for life to imitate art. Tamara tells him she's going to check out a movie at the Rialto, Capeside's movie theatre, and Pacey mentions he may just do that, too.
At school, Pacey springs his plan on Dawson: "We are stalking a faculty member!" he grins, explaining that "video woman" is his new English teacher. Dawson wants no part of it, and tells him to "go home ... walk your dog ... (at first, I didn't understand what taking Fido for a run around the block had to do with anything, but then I realized he isn't actually referring to a real canine ...) ... this is not going to happen."
Pacey is undeterred, however. "I just wnat to familarize her with the gaze, the stare, the old Witter charm ..." "Don't do this to yourself!" Dawson groans. Pacey insists he knows what women want, because he reads Cosmo magazine (which is sad, actually ... most females I know wouldn't touch it with the proverbial ten foot pole). "You read Cosmo? Dawson asks in disbelief. "Hey, I have three menstrually diverse sisters," Pacey argues. "It's my saviour."
Pacey won't let up on the idea of following Tamara, er ... Ms. Jacobs, to the movies. He tells Dawson to ask Miss Teen New York (a.k.a. Jen, who is being chatted up by one of the school jocks down the hall) "unless someone beats you to it."
Plucking up his courage, Dawson approaches Jen as her new friend leaves. He glibly tells Jen her departed companion has a "Tori Spelling complex: jock by day, transvestite by night." (huh?) Clearly, he's jealous, and wants to deter Jen from thinking about socializing with any other guys. He tells her Pacey is cruise directing a trip to the movies, a group thing, and asks if she wants to come along for the ride.
After school, Joey is walking home and Dawson rides his bike up to her. He wants a favour, and asks if she'll come along to the movie trip to even out the boy-girl ratio. The idea of double dating with Dawson and Jen, while having to spend the evening as Pacey's "date" is not her idea of a good time: "Did you have an aneurysm? I'd rather go down in a plane wreck." Please? Dawson begs. Fine, whatever ... she'll do it. She won't like it, but she'll do it. "Thanks Joey, you're the best!" Dawson hugs her.
The look on her face says it all -- if she's the best, then why does he like Jen? He must have realized Joey's discomfort, because he tells her he knows she's worried things are weird between them, but that's simply not the case, they can still talk about anything. Without opening her mouth, it's perfectly clear Joey doesn't share this sentiment.
Over at Jen's Grams' house, Jen asks for permission to go out for the night. Grams wants to know what she has planned for the evening, and Jen replies she was going to get a tatoo and knock over a few liquor stores. Grams doesn't even find this remotely funny. Jen admits she's really just going to the movies, and Grams is okay with that, she tells her to have fun, even ... just as long as Jen accompanies her to church Sunday morning. When Jen protests, Grams insists. "I'm firm about my beliefs," Jen states. "Please respect them."
Grams tells her granddaughter that she knows what happened in New York (piquing viewers' curiosity), and that it would do Jen the world of good to go to church. Jen replies that while she is living with Grams, the best she can offer is to keep an open mind and respect her beliefs, and that she would like the same in return.
But Grams won't have any of it, as long as she is Jen's guardian, Jen will do as she says, which includes weekly visits to worship God. "All right, Grams," Jen says coyly, trying a different angle. "I'll go to church when you say the word 'penis.'" Grams splutters and huffs and puffs, which gives Jen her escape route. "I love you Grams, but you really have to lighten up a bit," Jen tells her before leaving.
Next door at the Leerys', Dawson's father is working on a scale-model version of an aquatic restaurant, something he hopes to build one day. He even has miniature models of waitresses, dressed in scuba gear, something his son finds impractical. Suddenly he notes the time, and asks Dawson to scoot over so he can see the TV. It's time for the news, as presented by Mrs. Leery at the local TV station, and according to Dawson's dad, "watching her work is the best foreplay." Again, Dawson is grossed out and leaves, but not before his father tosses a "play safe!" at him.
Dawson stops and tells his father the "condom chat is a little premature." Mr. Leery is relentless though, and continues to discuss sex, which flusters his son. "What is up with the sex?" he splutters. "When did every one get so obsessed with it? (What a switch from the season two version of Dawson!) You don't see Speilberg putting any sex scenes in his movies! He keeps it in his proper place in film, as should we in life!" Mr. Leery smiles wryly. "I'll be home early," Dawson admonishes.
Over at Joey's, she's about to leave to meet the gang for the movie, when her sister grabs hold of her. "That attitude has got to go," Bessie warns her, and traces Joey's lips with a red lipstick, which she gives to Joey to use throughout the evening. It's a sweet gesture, and an example of how Bessie has had to take on the role of mother to Joey. Joey runs off towards her row-boat, but not before stopping and tossing Bessie one of her trademark lop-sided grins.
Downtown Capeside, Dawson and Jen are walking ahead of Pacey and a lagging Joey, who is sulking and scowling. In an attempt to make friendly conversation, Jen asks Joey what shade her lipstick is. "Wicked Red," Joey replies, then asks what number Jen's hair colour is, in a sly dig designed to show that Jen isn't a natural blonde. "Joey!" Dawson warns sharply, but Jen says it's okay, and that she just does highlights.
Joey scowls more and gets even more sulky when she realizes Jen didn't take the bait. Time to take it a step further. "So Jen, are you a virgin?" she asks, to the horror of Dawson. "Because Dawson here is, and well, two virgins makes for a clumsy first encounter." This is obviously a bit of a sore spot with Jen, who defensively answers, "Yes, Joey, I am. Are you?" "Please," Joey snorts. "Years ago, trucker named Bubba." She thinks she's being very clever, but no one else does. Dawson drags her aside and tells Jen to ignore Joey, because she was "born in a barn." He angrily asks Joey what's going on, but she shrugs and insists all is well.
Inside the movie theatre, Pacey spots Tamara and heads over to visit with her. This leaves Joey forced to sit with Dawson and Jen. As the lights dim, Joey looks over and spots Dawson debating and hesitating over whether to hold Jen's hand or not. When she thinks he's about to make a play for it, Joey blurts out, "So Jen, are you a size queen?"
Jen's had enough. She stares at Joey in angry astonishment and says that as she's a virgin, no, she isn't, but "how about you?" "Mmm ... I'm torn," Joey replies as Dawson has a coronary. He's as deep a shade of purple with anger as Joey is green with jealousy. "Joey! You, me, outside, now! I'm going to kill you!" As he drags Joey out of the theatre, she turns to Jen. "Did you notice the long fingers?" she grins.
Pacey, meanwhile, has settled in next to Tamara, who seems a bit put-off that he's there. She asks if he's alone, but he tells her he's come with friends. She seems a bit relieved about that and tells him to go sit with them. He senses she's trying to get rid of him, so he reaches deep down into his bag of pick-up tricks and comes up with this classic: "Wanna Milk Dud?" Tamara doesn't know what to say to that one, so he continues, telling her that the Summer of '42 is officially reserved in her name, and perhaps they could watch it together some time?
Alas, along comes Tamara's date to shatter Pacey's dreams. "Tammy, is this kid bothering you?" "No Benjie," she tells him, then turns to Pacey. "Look, I was only renting a movie, you've obviously gotten the wrong idea." Benjie, big he-man that he is, tries to escort Pacey out of the row and back to his own seat with his friends, but Pacey angrily jerks away from him, which in turn, sends Benjie's popcorn flying all over the guy in the seat behind him, which in turn, earns Pacey a mean right hook from said guy.
In the lobby, Dawson and Joey are having it out. "Are you tweaking?" he shouts at her. "What is wrong with you?" She shouts back that all his blood is rushing downward and he's totally been ignoring her, in fact, he hasn't said a word to her since little Miss Highlighs showed up. "I like her!" he yells, adding that Joey just doesn't understand. "Oh I understand!" she counters. "I understand everything! I'm tired of understanding!"
The argument isn't really about Jen, though. Jen's just the catalyst (in a neat flip of the Jack-Joey-Dawson thing in season two). What's really ticking Joey off is that Dawson can't see her and how she feels about him. It's frustrating her that he lives in his own little microcosm and can't clue in to anything in the outside world ... namely her. "You're so far removed from reality that you can't see what's right in front of you!" she shrieks. "Your life's a frigging fairy tale and you don't even appreciate it! Stop living in the movies and just grow up."
Fast-forward to the end of the night. Dawson and Jen have walked home, and he comments on what a really repulsive evening it's been. Jen says she feels responsible for it, but Dawson insists he is. Jen tells him she thinks he's sweet, smart, cool and very talented (how would she know? She hasn't even seen anything from his movie yet!). He's pleased, but embarrassed, and flushes pink as he manages a modest "thank you."
Jen tells him things weren't so great for her in New York, but that she had a great time tonight, so it is her turn to thank him. He hems and haws and thinks about leaning in to kiss her, but Grams casts a shadow in the doorway. Jen pulls back before he can do anything. "I should go, but thanks ... I'm just gonna pretend we kissed, okay?"
Meanwhile, Pacey's walking along the waterfront, sporting a mean shiner in his eye. He comes across none other than Ms. Tamara Jacobs, who is horrified to see his swollen face. "I'll live," he tells her tersely. She asks if he'll talk to her, then launches into a discussion of how he misunderstood where she was coming from.
Pacey's a lot more savvy than she gives him credit for, though, and cuts directly to the chase: "I understand you perfectly well, Ms. Jacobs. You're a liar! How can you say there's nothing going on here? You're a well put-together, knockout of a woman who's feeling a little insecure about getting older, so when a young, virile boy such as myself flirts with you, you welcome it. You fantasize about it, because it makes the ageing process a little more bearable. Well, let me tell you something, lady ... I'm the best sex you'll never have."
He storms off, but stops when he hears her words. "You're wrong about one thing, Pacey ... you're not a boy." Tamara finally gives up her fight against the attraction she's felt for him since they first met, and they come together in a smouldering kiss. After a moment or two, she pulls away, horrified at what she's done. She apologizes and runs off, while Pacey sardonically mutters after her, "See you in school, Ms. Jacobs."
Dawson enters his room and opens his closet door to find Joey, who is "hanging with the clothes." He's weary from the evening's events, but cares too much about her to just dismiss it all. "What happened tonight, Joey?" She gets up and lies down on his bed, away from him. "I wigged out," she sighs. That's not a good enough answer for him, though, and if she thought that question was tough, she absolutely squirms at his next one.
"What is going on between us?" "I have no idea," she replies miserably. Dawson apologizes for behaving like such an "insensitive male" and tells her that he knows he underappreciates his life, but that "what we have is the only thing that makes sense to me." (it's an interesting sentence -- he doesn't call it a "friendship" or a "relationship," in fact, he isn't quite sure himself of exactly what it is they "have" ... and in weeks to come, he'll realize it doesn't make any "sense" to him at all.)
He continues, telling Joey that when he saw her wearing lipstick he thought it looked pretty. "Yeah?" she asks, hopeful. "Yeah," he nods. "But that was it. It didn't go any further than that." Joey decides to open up a little too, now that Dawson's apologized and is being a bit vulnerable himself. She partially explains her actions: "When I saw you going for Jen's hand ... I didn't want to be the one holding it, I just didn't want her to."
Dawson wants to know where that leaves them now. (so much for it making sense to him!) They agree it's complicated, although Joey notes that they're simply growing up, and "even Speilberg outgrew his Peter Pan Syndrome eventually." (lock that one into your memory banks, folks ... it's a key sentence, and comes back to haunt the Dynamic Duo in the season one cliffhanger.) She perches on the windowsill, ready to leave, because "there are just some things we can't say, and can't talk about." She states that she can't sleep over anymore.
Dawson will have none of it. Desparate to resist change on any front, he tells her that simply isn't true, and they can talk about anything. "All right," Joey nods. "How often do you walk your dog?" (again with the dog-walking! Only this time, I suddenly clued in as to exactly what kind of dog and what kind of walking she was talking about ...) Naturally, Dawson's embarrassed. "What?!" he asks incredulously, cheeks flushed. "You know what I mean," she replies. "What time of day, how many times a week?" He sits there miserably, in silence, debating whether or not to impart such highly personal information to his best friend. Finally, he offers her a feeble "good night" by way of an answer.
Joey leaves, gets in her row-boat and sets off across the creek for home. Tears roll down her cheeks, she's sad beyond words that their relationship is changing in ways she doesn't like. Suddenly, Dawson's head pops out of his window: "Joey! Usually in the morning, with Katie Couric!" It takes a minute for her to twig onto what he means ... but when she does, she grins from ear to ear, laughter mixed in with her tears. She's relieved, they're going to be okay after all.
She continues to row across the creek as a car pulls up into Dawson's driveway. It's his mother, who has gotten a ride home with co-anchor Bob, and thanks him for the lift in a very non-professional manner by giving him a long kiss on the lips. Seems Dawson's theory about the soft b's was true, after all. Mortortified she's been a witness to this little scene, Joey glances quickly up at Dawson's window, but there's no one there, just the curtains blowing softly in the breeze.
Fade to black ...