But anyway ... the season ends where it began: in Dawson's bedroom. The Michelle Pfeiffer and Daniel Day Lewis period piece, The Age of Innocence is playing on the television, and everyone's favourite couple is cozily coupled up on the bed, watching. All is right with the world. Only, Dawson's a little distracted. He's carrying a fairly big secret on his shoulders regarding Joey's father, and it's manifesting itself as restless, fidgety behaviour.
Impulsively, he picks up the remote control and snaps off the set. "Hey, there ... abrupt!" Joey teases, but Dawson's not in the mood for joking around. "I've had enough unrequited love for one evening, okay?" he grumbles. "It's too torturous."
Joey comments that she wonders what sick part of her it is that seems to thrive off these particular kinds of love stories. "The kinds that end unhappily?" Dawson queries. "No," she replies. "The kinds that never really end. I mean, think about it -- to continue to love somebody when there's no promise of that love ever thriving? That is romance."
"That is tragedy," Dawson corrects. Joey, is quick to refute him, though. "Not all love stories have a built-in happy ending, Dawson," she offers. "True," he concedes. "But why revel in those that don't?" "I'm sorry," Joey sighs, "but sad stories are just more powerful. I prefer them."
As usual, Dawson tries to take a concept from film and apply it to (his) real life. After a moment's silence to chew on Joey's statement, he sighs, clamouring for the right words to tell Joey about her own soon-to-be sad story. "Do you think that ..." He trails off, not knowing what to say next.
"Speak!" Joey smiles. If only she knew what she was asking him to say, I bet she'd have preferred him to remain silent. Finally, Dawson awkwardly asks her if she doesn't think that preferring sad stories and unhappy endings will affect her own love story. He's a bit taken aback though, when instead of the negative response he expects, Joey catches him off guard, telling him, "It absolutely does."
"And that doesn't ... worry ... you?" Dawson asks her slowly. "No," she smiles self-assuredly. "Because the effect is positive. I mean, it's movies like this that remind me how immutable and strong love can be." "But they don't end happily!" Dawson insists, adding that Daniel Day Lewis never gets Michelle Pfeiffer in the film they just finished watching.
Joey shakes her head and continues to smile, explaining that it isn't the characters' fault, it's just circumstances. Dawson's not convinced, though. "What good is love if it is not strong enough to overcome circumstances?" "Be-cause," Joey sing-songs, "in spite of the circumstances, they never stop loving."
She cuddles up to Dawson on the bed as she finishes speaking. Her words seem to reassure him somewhat. In a half-serious / half-joking manner, he asks her if she will always love him, no matter what the circumstances? After a long kiss, Joey smiles up at his earnest face and tells him it doesn't matter -- because "we get the happy ending." (Hmph, who CAN'T already see how the episode is gonna end right now?!?! See? This is what I meant earlier ... sometimes the whole foreshadowing thing gets a bit too heavy-handed, I mean, the writers could not be more obvious if they spelled it out in giant neon letters ...)
Despite Joey's reassurances, Dawson is unconvinced they will get the happy ending. So much so that he turns to Gale for help. "I need some father / son advice," he asks her at breakfast the next morning. "What do you do when you know something really bad about somebody who is really close to somebody you care about?" Gale looks on, puzzled, as he continues. "Do you tell the someone that you care about, or do you just try to forget that you know the bad thing in the first place?"
"How bad is 'bad?'" she wants to know. Dawson sighs. Let's say ... beyond bad, bad." "Well then," Gale answers, "you have two choices. You can either tell the someone that you care about what the someone they care about has done ... or, you can go straight to the someone who did the bad thing and confront them directly, in the hopes that they will do the right thing."
"Wow!" Dawson is impressed. "Dad's got nothing on you," he smiles. At the mention of Mitch, however, Gale's smile fades from her face. "Speaking about your dad ..." she segues, "... I've decided to take the job in Philly. I'm going to fly down there tomorrow and officially accept, sign the contract and firm up my plans to relocate."
Now, Dawson is unimpressed. "Is this what you really want?" he asks her quietly. "Well," Gale sighs, "the someone that I really care about has done nothing to even remotely suggest that he cares about me." She smiles at her son with sad eyes.
Dawson has the same sad eyes when he arrives at Joey's to walk her to school. She's just coming out of the door as he walks up to her porch. "Hey, I just need a minute," she says happily, walking over and presenting him with a good morning kiss. After they both realize neither one has the geometry review they need for school that day, Joey disappears back into the house for a second look.
As she leaves, her father walks up to the porch and notices Dawson there. When he asks his daughter's boyfriend how he is going, he receives a curt "Good" as a reply. They make small talk about upcoming exams for a moment or two, after which Dawson asks his girlfriend's father how he is doing. "I'm doing good, doing really good," Mike Potter answers with a smile. "And legal," Dawson remarks pointedly. Mr. Potter stares at him, startled, but before he can ask Dawson what he meant by the comment, Joey comes out of the house, geometry review in hand, and griping about how much she hates exams.
"You know," Mr. Potter tells his daughter, "Since the Ice House is closed for the last stage of renovations, you can use it as a study haven if you want to. There are plenty of old menu items to eat up -- you can invite your friends." (Ah, the mind of a guilty man ... always trying to over-compensate ...) Joey is pleased by the offer and thanks her father with a kiss before they leave for school. "I'll see you Mr. Potter," Dawson says quietly, but in a slightly threatening manner. "See you Dawson," Mr. Potter replies, in a slightly fearful tone. (This whole situation reminds me very much of the first season, where Joey discovered Gale's affair but didn't tell Dawson about it? Same exact thing.)
At school, Jen and Jack are walking across the campus, coffees in hand. "If this doesn't help me survive the morning, I don't know what will," Jen says as she takes a swig of her java. "You're gonna need a lot more than coffee after that all-nighter you pulled in the den last night," Jack scolds, adding that even study-geek Andie never put that much effort into a paper.
Jen admits she had a lot to say on the subject, hence the length. When Jack asks what the paper is about, she replies, "Teen suicide." "You had a lot to say about teen suicide?" Jack marvels. "Should I start to plan the intervention?" "Well, not just yet," Jen smiles tersely. "I'm not on the window ledge right now." "Right now?" he echoes. "This conversation just took a decidedly gruesome turn."
She replies it hasn't, it's just realistic. "To whom?" Jack wonders. "Well," Jen thinks a moment. "To most teenagers. The materials I read said a high percentage of teenagers have considered suicide at least once." Jack is taken aback by the statistic. Noticing the look on his face, Jen asks him if he hasn't ever thought about it himself.
"Maybe at one time, yeah," he admits. "But since I've been dealing with everything, it hasn't really crossed my mind. It doesn't scare me as much as it used to." Which admittedly, speaks volumes for Jack's character -- with an absentee father, a delusional mother, a dead brother, and a borderline mentally unstable sister, not to mention the fact that he himself was publicly "outed" while still a teenager ... all that to deal with, and yet he never wanted to pack it all in? Impressive. He must be made of stronger stuff than we mere mortals are.
As Jen is about to give him her take on it, she is distracted by her name being called from the sidelines. Grams is standing a few feet away, anxious. Jen stops in her tracks and sighs. "Hi Grams," she says flatly. Eager to start a conversation -- any conversation -- with her granddaughter, Grams asks how Jen is. "Late for class," Jen snarls, brushing past her.
"Jennifer, wait!" Grams calls out after her. "I've thought about how we ended things, and I've given it a great deal of consideration, and despite our differences, I want you to come home." "I have a home now," Jen tells her grandmother. Grams pleads with her. "I know you want your independence, but this situation isn't right."
Jen replies calmly. "Jack is used to taking care of himself, and that is something I am determined to learn how to do. Together, we're gonna be fine." Ignoring the fact that Jack is just standing mere feet away, taking it all in, Grams tells Jen that "Jack has no alternative. You do." (how rude!)
Jen, apparently, thinks it's pretty rude too, cause she berates Grams for coming there to allegedly welcome her home, but not even acknowledging why she left in the first place, something Jen doesn't want to get into with her right now anyway. Conversation over. Jen walks away angrily towards the school with Jack in tow, who turns around and gives Grams a small, shaky smile and nods towards Jen in an apologetic fashion.
Grams isn't the only relative dropping by the school this morning. Pacey's transportation to higher learning is courtesy of his father in a squad car. As they pull up to the main entrance, the police radio crackles and a call comes in from unit seven, stating that surveillance is continuing on Pier Avenue. Pacey stops unbuckling his seat belt and turns to his father. "That's the Ice House," he notes. "You guys staking it out?"
"That's none of your concern," Sheriff Witter announces crisply. Pacey shakes his head in disgust. "Pop, if this means you're gonna start harassing Joey's dad again --" "I'm not harassing anyone," his father interrupts. "I wear a badge and I do a job." "Mr. Potter's finally putting his family's life back together. The guy deserves a break," Pacey pleads.
Sheriff Witter scowls at his son. "I'll be the judge of that. In the meantime, you've got a final to get to. Now, don't screw it up." Pacey shakes his head, snickering sardonically to himself. "Is there any possibility your advice will ever take on a positive tone?" he asks sharply. "I am positive you better not screw it up," his father says coldly.
"Gee Dad, it's really great we can have these little talks every morning," Pacey mutters. He begins to get out of the car, when his father grabs him by the wrist. "Since your little girlfriend left, your attitude has gone from bad to worse and I don't approve of it," he barks. "No girl is worth messing up your life over, you hear me?"
"May I go now, sir?" Pacey asks bitterly, slamming the squad car door behind him just as Dawson approaches. "Try to run you over with the car this morning?" he asks Pacey sympathetically. "May as well have, the bastard," Pacey mutters angrily. "Screw him," Dawson shrugs, then asks if Pacey has heard from Andie yet. "No, no ... I haven't. She'll call," he tells Dawson, half knowingly, half hopefully.
A little while later, Pacey is in class, getting ready to write one of his finals. Mr. Milo, the guidance counsellor, is proctoring the exam and spouts the usual exam-time rules to his students. As he distributes the answer booklets to the class, Pacey pushes his away and puts his head on the desk, as Mr. Milo watches, curiously.
After school, Dawson heads over to the Ice House to see Mr. Potter. "I suppose you want to know what the hell I think I'm doing?" Joey father sighs. Dawson stares at him, stony-faced. "No. Not really. I'm just here to tell you that whatever it is, I don't believe it." Mr. Potter looks downcast as Dawson continues. "I saw you in the back room with Pete when I was returning your tools the other day. I don't believe it. I don't believe a man who claims to love his children with all his heart and soul would traffic cocaine through the family business."
"Dawson ..." Mr. Potter begins, but it's all he can manage to get in. Talking over him, Dawson continues. "I do believe that anyone engaged in such a blatant criminal activity would put the well being of his family ahead of his own selfishness, and remove himself from the situation."
Mr. Potter sighs. "And what if that man found himself stuck ... would you believe that?" "Well, if that were true," Dawson counters calmly, "a smart man would do everything in his power for the sake of the people who love him to unstick himself. And he'd do it fast." With that, Dawson walks away, his message delivered loud and clear.
Cut to Gale and Mitch, who are out in their back garden, discussing Dawson's uprooting as a result of Gale's plans. "So Dawson will stay here with you, I think," she tells Mitch. "It's a mistake to uproot him with school and everything." "I agree," Mitch tells her quietly. Encouraged, she proceeds to fill him in on the rest of the details. "I was hoping you'd move back into the house and in the summer, he can come down to Philly and maybe intern at the station."
"If he wants to," Mitch offers lamely. Gale sighs at him. "If he wants to, yes. Mitchell, I know he's happy here." "But you're not," Mitch suggests. Gale shakes her head. "I didn't say that. I have a job opportunity I want to take. You know I've outgrown my career here."
Mitch is still a bit put out by the whole idea. "So what you're saying is, your decision is based on what's best for you and not what's best for our son," he says indignantly. Gale sighs again. "What I'm saying, is what's best for me is ultimately what's best for our son, and he -- believe it or not -- understands this, which is more than I could hope for you." Mitch fumes, "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" "Only that I'm leaving tomorrow," Gale replies with a small, sad smile. Mitch's face drops.
Later that evening, Dawson, Joey, Pace, Jen and Jack are gathered around a table at the Icehouse, engaged in high-speed cramming mode. Their silent studying doesn't last long, however. Sheriff Witter enters, and spotting his son in the one location he told him explicitly to stay away from, asks in a booming voice what Pacey is doing there.
"Signing a peace treaty," Pacey answers sarcastically, but the joke is lost on his father. "Studying, Pop, ... studying." Ignoring him, Sheriff Witter asks Joey if her father is around. Before she can answer, Mr. Potter enters the room from the other end. "Hello, John," he smiles tightly at Sheriff Witter. "Restaurant's closed." Sheriff Witter greets him, then asks to speak to him for a second. The two men disappear into the back room.
Sensing something is up, Joey turns to Pacey and whispers, "What's going on?" Though Pacey probably has an inkling of what's going on, or at least, what his father thinks is going on, he's disgusted at his father for pursuing it all in the first place. "Hey, don't look at me," Pacey mutters, not wanting to hurt Joey's feelings or get into it with her. "My father's crusades are his own deal."
In the back room, Sheriff Witter and Mr. Potter exchange pleasantries and dance around the subject at hand, until finally, Sheriff Witter pulls out a picture of Pete and hands it to Mr. Potter. "Have you seen this guy around?" he asks, staring into Mr. Potter's eyes, searching for any hint of hesitation or deceit. "Pete Lewis," Mr. Potter answers coolly. "He's an old friend."
"With an alleged history of narcotics, Mike," Sheriff Witter finishes cynically. "Well, I wouldn't know," Mr. Potter replies, still keeping his cool. "We have a strictly social relationship. He stopped by for a visit to catch up." Just then, Joey enters the room and glares at Pacey's father defiantly. "Find everything you need Mr. Witter?"
Sheriff Witter smiles at her politely. "Yes, thank you." Joey nods, then turns her attention to her father. "Need anymore help back here, Dad?" Sheriff Witter looks over at Mr. Potter pointedly, answering for him. "No, we're done." After an uncomfortable silence, he changes the subject. "This place is looking great, Mike," Sheriff Witter says, a little too enthusiastically. Mr. Potter smiles broadly. "Thanks. Come back next week when it's done. I'll get you a free dinner." Sheriff Witter smiles and nods, thanks him for the offer and leaves.
The moment he exits, Joey demands to know what is going on. "He's just giving me an official welcome. That's all, Jo," her father replies. "Go back to your friends." Joey sighs dejectedly. "They're never going to leave us alone, are they?" "Not for awhile," Mr. Potter agrees. "Well," Joey tells him with a look of determination, "I guess we'll just have to ignore them."
Her father touches her cheek and smiles sadly as Dawson walks in. "Are you okay?" Joey closes her eyes and exhales. "Why is Pacey's dad doing this?" "Because it's his job," Dawson answers with a sympathetic smile. "No," she replies. "It's his job to serve and protect Capeside from criminals, not my dad! He doesn't belong in that category anymore!"
Dawson's face is crestfallen as she says that, but Joey is too upset to notice. "I know you're mad --" he begins, but she cuts him off. "You should be mad, too! You're part of his family now." That notion, the concept of Joey and he actually having some sort of family tie to each other is enough to temporarily dispel the larger issue at hand. "Well," he grins, "when you say it like that I'm furious." Joey smiles broadly and kisses him.
Not twenty feet away, Mr. Potter sneaks into the restaurant's storage room and rummages through a hidden canvas bag, pulling out one of many packets of cocaine. Apparently, he's graduated to the big leagues now. He picks up the bag and retreats to a small office with large windows, where he closes the door and shuts the blinds.
Meanwhile, Jack and Jen are taking a study break by the coffee pot. "You know, it sounds like she wants to reconcile your differences," Jack suggests. Jen takes a sip of java. "To the untrained ear, maybe. But to me it's just the same double-speak, and I'm not the same girl she wants around." "Well, she did ask you back," Jack says tactfully. "I don't want to go back," Jen answers firmly. "No one's saying that you have to," Jack agrees. "But she is right. Your situation isn't mine."
Jen gives him a cold stare. "What?" Jack says, surprised. "You don't think I've been under the same kind of scrutiny? It's a lot of rough hours, Jen." Instead of seeing what he is trying to do for her, Jen snaps at him. "I thought that we had developed a closeness." "We have," Jack nods. "So then why do you want me to go?" she asks coldly. "I never said I wanted you to go!" Jack replies, frustrated.
"Bringing up my grandmother ... talking about me moving back ... it's obvious where that leads," Jen tells him. Jack is exasperated. "Is this what you did to her? You turned her words all around until you were convinced that she wanted you to go?" Jen dismisses the idea. "You have no idea what you're talking about." "I think I do!" Jack shouts. "You act like moving in with me is like some sort of great salvation. Well, let me tell you something, it isn't. My dad is going to have to sell the house soon and we're both gonna be homeless."
"Well, by then I will put myself out of my misery," Jen tells him with an ounce of smug satisfaction. Jack takes her idle threat very seriously. "Don't say that," he cautions. "Don't worry, Jack," she replies. "The statistics are on my side, but I'll be gone by tonight." With that, Jen stalks out of the room and Jack sighs deeply, not knowing what to do next.
Suddenly, in the back room where, not moments ago Sheriff Witter and Mr. Potter were talking, a pipe bomb comes crashing through the window, already on fire. It lands on the floor, and the fire spreads instantly throughout the room.
Outside the restaurant, Sheriff Witter is walking towards his squad car, his son in tow. "You stay outta this, Pacey!" his father shouts. "You and I got a whole other problem to deal with!" "Of course we do," Pacey answers sarcastically. His father disregards the remark, and tells Pacey he got a phone call at the house today. "Andie?" Pacey asks, hopefully.
"Mr. Milo!" Sheriff Witter yells. "He's worried about you. He told me that you've blown two of your finals!" "I've got it under control, okay?" Pacey mutters, but it doesn't reassure Papa Witter any. "Pacey, he said you didn't write word one on either exam! That true?" He gets silence as an answer. "What were you thinking?"
Pacey looks at his father with pure contempt. "I was thinking that it doesn't really matter, okay?" "The hell it doesn't!" Sheriff Witter splutters. "You get your things, you're coming home." "No." "I don't want you hanging out here, Pacey," he orders his son. "Mike Potter is a known felon, it doesn't make me look good."
"Is that what this is about?" Pacey asks incredulously. Sheriff Witter ignores the question. "Get your stuff!" "I said no!" Pacey yells. "I said, get your stuff!" Sheriff Witter shouts, grabbing Pacey's arms and trying to steer him back towards the Icehouse. "Get your hands off me!" Pacey shouts back, and receives a punch in the face for his demand. He falls to the floor, holding his face and gasping from the pain. "I'll be in the car." Sheriff Witter mutters through tight lips and walks away.
Inside the office, Mr.Potter opens the blinds and immediately sees the fire. He panics, picking up the bag full of drugs, and runs to the bathroom, where he proceeds to rip open the packages of cocaine and flush them down the toilet.
At the study session, Dawson lifts his head from his books and sniffs the air. "Does anybody smell that?" "Smoke," Jack nods. Jen asks where it's coming from, but Joey has the answer. She spots the flames rising from beyond the entrance to the back room. "There's a fire!" Joey screams, running towards the blaze, Dawson hot on her heels. "Dad!" she shouts.
Pacey, meanwhile, has managed to pick himself up off the ground and is about to say something to his father when he notices the flames. "Dad!" he points, running back into the restaurant, as Sheriff Witter calls the fire in on his radio.
Inside, the others have joined Joey and Dawson in the back room. Joey is hysterical. "Dad? Dad!" she shouts frantically, as Dawson cautions her to be careful. The group spots Mr. Potter trapped inside the office, flames all around him. "Joey!" Mr. Potter shouts to his daughter. "Get her out of here!" he urges Dawson.
"Dad! No! Dad!" she screams, fighting Pacey's efforts to drag her out of the room. Dawson picks up a nearby fire extinguisher and begins to battle the blaze as Jen just stares at the flames, transfixed. "Jen, come on!" Jack yells, pushing her towards the exit, where Pacey has successfully managed to bring Joey.
Dawson, though, is still playing junior firefighter and sprays as much as he can over the flames, but it's like emptying out the ocean with a tea cup. "I can't get in there!" Dawson tells Mr. Potter. "Stay back!" Mr. Potter ducks for cover, as Dawson breaks the glass with the extinguisher. By this time, Sheriff Witter has arrived, and he and Dawson pull Mr. Potter out of harm's way.
Outside, Joey, Pacey, Jen, and Jack are anxiously waiting and watching the Icehouse entrance. Finally, Dawson, Sheriff Witter and Mr. Potter come out, as the fire brigade pulls up. "You all right?" Pacey asks his father gruffly, while Joey rushes towards hers and hugs him tightly as Dawson looks on, coughing and sweating. The fire in the background is nothing compared to what's raging in his eyes.
When Joey leaves to get checked out by the paramedics, Dawson approaches Mr. Potter, who is watching the firefighters douse the charred remains of his restaurant. "Is this your idea of taking care of things?" he hisses. "It's not that simple, Dawson." Mr. Potter replies wearily. Dawson will have none of it, though. "You need to go to the police and tell them everything that you know," he insists, but Mr. Potter won't do that. "I can't," he tells his daughter's boyfriend. "It's too dangerous." "This is too dangerous," Dawson replies angrily.
Just then, Joey returns, embracing her father once again. "I'm all checked out," she manages to smile, then addresses Dawson. "They asked for the hero next. That'd be you." "I'm not a hero, Joey," Dawson answers bitterly. "Don't be modest, Dawson," Mr. Potter says. "You saved my life. You're a hero." "Some situations are too tragic to have a hero," Dawson tells them coldly. "This is one of them." Joey looks up at her father, confused, as Dawson walks away and into the arms of his parents, who have just arrived on the scene. Bessie and Alex have arrived too, and they rush into Mr. Potter's and Joey's arms.
Inside the Icehouse, Sheriff Witter, Pacey and a couple of paramedics are discussing the evening's events. "That bastard was lying to me," Sheriff Witter tells them. "He's in it up to his neck and he knows it." "Come on, you don't even know if this has anything to do with him," Pacey replies in Mr. Potter's defense. "A random arson incident in the middle of Capeside?" Sheriff Witter hoots. "Let's consider the chances of that, Pacey. If God hadn't blessed you with my good looks, I wouldn't know whose son you were." The paramedics laugh.
Feeding off his audience, Sheriff Witter continues. "Why don't you drive yourself home before you make another embarrassing comment?" He throws his son the patrol car keys. "I think I'll walk," Pacey replies curtly. "As if I care," Sheriff Witter retorts. Pacey snorts contemptuously. "Nobody assumed you did, Pop." Sheriff Witter apologizes to the others for Pacey's behaviour. "You'll have to excuse my son, boys. His girlfriend moves away and all of a sudden it's his time of the month." He's hit a raw nerve. "Screw you, okay?" Pacey snaps at his father.
Sheriff Witter won't stand for being put-down in front of other professionals, though. He grabs Pacey by the arm, but Pacey jerks his father's arms away quickly. "Get your hands off me!" he barks. "You don't touch me again! Ever!" Sheriff Witter is amused by his son's outburst. "Finally, my boy gets a pair, (I'm guessing he means a pair of, um, testicles ...) and all it took was getting his heart broken by some girl with a few screws loose."
That's it. Sheriff Witter's been stomping on his son's hot buttons all night long, but taking a potshot at Andie was the final straw. In a fit of rage, Pacey punches his father squarely in the jaw. "Andie did more for my life in 6 months than you did in 16 years, you rotten son of a bitch," he says with cold fury. "So if you want to make fun of me, if you want to bust on me, that's fine. But if you so much as make one more even slightly disparaging comment about the woman I love, you're going to policing this town from a hospital bed, you hear me?" Pacey lets his words sink into the silence before continuing. "And one more thing, even if Mr.Potter was involved in all this, he's still 10 times the father you ever were."
Later that evening, Bessie and Mr.Potter are sitting at the kitchen table, reviewing their insurance records, when Joey enters. "There's no reason that, if we get an inspector out there tomorrow, that we can't file a claim and start the procedure --" Bessie begins, but is interrupted by her little sister. "What's going on?" Joey asks with a frown. "Your sister and I are going over the insurance papers," her father explains.
"No," Joey replies with a touch of suspicion. "I mean, with the police. Why is the Ice House taped off?" Without skipping a beat, Mr.Potter answers that as the fire was arson related, it is merely typical investigative procedure. "So there's nothing else going on?" Joey quizzes him. Bessie is upset by her sister's insinuations, and asks Joey what she is trying to say. "I'm asking Dad if he knows why the police are so interested in the fire or why there was a fire in the first place," Joey answers.
"As God is my witness, I have no idea," Mr. Potter states solemnly. "You're positive?" Joey insists. Bessie's had enough. "Josephine Potter, you stop that right now!" she exclaims sharply, but Joey won't budge. "No. I want him to swear." Mr. Potter calmly tells his daughter he did just that, but she isn't satisfied. "I know, but I need you to swear again. I need to know that you're telling me the truth. Do you know who started that fire?"
After a microsecond of hesitation, Mr. Potter looks into his youngest daughter's eyes and calmly and firmly says no. "Okay," Joey sighs, extremely relived, and gives her father a warm embrace.
Over at the Leery home, things aren't so chipper. Apparently, confronting Mr. Potter wasn't enough to clear Dawson's conscience and soul, so he confronts his parents next, sharing the burden of what he knows. "There's no question," Mitch tells his son. "You have to go to the police." Gale is quick to back her husband up. "And immediately," she urges. "Honey, whoever these men are that Joey's dad is dealing with -- if they are capable of burning down a building then they are capable of much worse."
"I realize that," Dawson sighs. "But how can I do this to Joey? I mean, she finally gets her family back and I'm gonna be the one that's going to take it away from her?" "Joey's father is responsible here, not you," Mitch insists. It doesn't make Dawson feel any better, though. "What if ... what if I just gave him some time? Maybe he could change things," he suggests. Mitch shakes his head. "The man's been out of prison less than a month ago and he's already committed the same crime that landed him there in the first place!"
Dawson stares at the floor dejectedly. "I just wish that I never saw what I saw." Gale smiles sadly at her only child. "There's a reason that you did, honey. Joey's in danger and she needs your strength. Even if that strength doesn't come in a way she may want." "You have to go to the police," Mitch urges again. "There's really nothing much left to do." Dawson hasn't give up, though. "There is one thing," he tells his parents, with a glimmer of hope in his eye.
At the McPhee household, Jack is grilling Jen on her strange behaviour earlier in the evening. "You didn't make a move tonight," he states, very agitated. "You stood there and you watched that fire and you didn't even run away from it. Why?" Jen is weary and doesn't want to have this discussion. "Because I was just in shock, all right?" "No," Jack persists. "I don't believe you." "I don't remember what happened," she whimpers, on the verge of tears, and Jack's next comment pushes her over that edge.
"I want the truth, Jen," he asks softly. "All your little comments ... how much do you mean them?" Jen closes her eyes and struggles to keep her composure before answering. "I'm not the kind of person that would take their own life, if that's what you're thinking, Jack," she replies in a broken voice. "But ... but when I was standing there ... looking at that fire ... I just kept thinking that maybe ... maybe this is fate's way of providing me with an out." The tears begin to roll down as she continues. "Jack, I don't want to die but ... I just didn't care enough to run," she sobs.
Jack sighs and looks at his friend sadly. "I understand what you're going through. I know how numbing the pain of hating yourself is, you know? It makes you just want to push everybody away especially the people who care about you the most. But you can't. Not if you plan on ever being happy." He holds out a hand to her and slowly, she takes it. Jack pulls her up and into a tight hug as she cries against his shoulder.
In her back garden, Joey sits alone near the creek as Dawson approaches. "Hey," he begins gingerly. "Hey," she smiles at him, then frowns a little. "You called?" "Yeah," Dawson nods, shifting uncomfortably. "Uh," he sighs, then stops, not knowing where to begin. "What I have to tell you you're not going to like ... so I'm just going to say it really quickly. Joey, your father's dealing drugs again."
Joey's face falls. "You don't know that," she says defensively. "Yes," Dawson replies sadly. "I do. I caught him. And that's not all ... this fire tonight was not all, but partially, his responsibility. I talked to him about it, I talked to my parents about it ... I didn't want to talk to you about it because I didn't want you to know ... but now it's gone too far."
"He told me he had nothing to do with the fire," Joey shakes her head angrily. "He swore to me." "He's lying to you," Dawson answers softly. "Well, I believe him," Joey says firmly, in full denial mode. "I know you want to believe him --" Dawson begins gently. "No," she insists stubbornly. "I do." "Joey," Dawson sighs, "Why would I lie about this?" Close to tears, Joey demands to know why Dawson is doing this to her.
"Because you need to know the truth, all right?" Dawson answers, slightly frustrated that she can't understand his intentions. "This is a very dangerous situation right now! If your father could help apprehend the people who are responsible for this -- if we went to the police, maybe you could work something out for your dad," he suggests.
Joey can't believe what she's hearing. "You want me to turn my own father in? What kind of a person do you think I am?" she shouts. "Why are you doing this?" "Joey, this isn't my fault!" Dawson shouts back, frustrated even more. "Yes, it is!" she cries, jumping up out of her seat. "There's no other option!" he yells despondently, but Joey refuses to see his point of view.
"You just couldn't keep well enough alone, could you?" she demands. "You had to get involved!" "Joey, I love you!" Dawson pleads. "I'm not going to let you risk your life to protect somebody who isn't protecting you." But even that isn't enough to sway her. "Dawson, this is my father. I am begging you, just stay out of it," she urges. "I can't," he insists. "Yes, you can," Joey orders. "I mean, not just for me or my family's sake but for us. I'm telling you, Dawson. We won't survive this." It isn't a threat, as far as she's concerned, it's a fact. "That's a risk I'm willing to take," Dawson sighs. "Because I care about you more than I care about myself. And somebody has to do the right thing. If you can't, then I will." Joey closes her eyes and slowly sits back into her chair, feeling her entire world shatter before her yet again.
Fast forward to the next day, in Sheriff Witter's office, where Joey, Dawson, Mitch and Gale are seated. In his usual sensitive, compassionate manner, Sheriff Witter is discussing Joey's dad with her. "If I have to wait until I have enough proof to arrest your father, then he's going away for life," he announces crisply.
"You don't even have proof?" Joey shakes her head incredulously. "Then why should I go along with this?" Sensing her resistance, Sheriff Witter takes a different approach. "Joey, the men who tipped me off to your father's dealing are his competitors. They're also responsible for that fire last night. If your father doesn't help me get them, they're going to keep helping me until I get him."
Joey doesn't seem to comprehend the big picture, and who could blame her? "You guys have no idea what you're asking me to do," she says miserably. "He's putting your entire family in danger," Sheriff Witter tells her as gently as possible (for him). "Yeah, well, it's my family, Mr. Witter," Joey replies in a cold, defensive voice. "And what benefits my family is being together and trusting each other." "Don't you think your father's betrayed that trust?" the Sheriff asks her. "Well, right now I think I trust him a lot more than I trust any of you," she replies hotly.
Seeing that this method is going nowhere, Dawson interrupts and asks for a couple of minutes alone with her. Sheriff Witter nods, and he, Mitch and Gale leave the room. As soon as the door closes behind then, Dawson turns to his girlfriend. "He wants to help, Joey," he says softly. "He cares. We all do."
"I appreciate the concern, Dawson," Joey replies in a voice that would freeze molten lava. "What I don't appreciate is having the solution forced down my throat." Dawson looks miserable. "I tried to talk to your father --" he begins. "That's just it, Dawson!" Joey interjects angrily. "You tried! But he's not your father -- it doesn't matter if he goes off to prison for the rest of your life, does it?" Her eyes blaze at him. "That's why I came to you," Dawson replies sadly. "Yeah, with the decision already made!" Joey shouts.
Dawson is slowly running out of patience with her. "Joey, I wish there was another option but there isn't! You have to understand that!" he pleads. But Joey doesn't understand anything, except that her whole life is about to fall to ruins, yet again. "I understand, Dawson, that in that black and white world in which you live, you didn't see any choices. But that's not my world. I see things in grey, and that's what makes us different, and that's what made me fall in love with you, and that's what is tearing us apart." She storms out of the room without a backward glance as Dawson runs a hand through his hair and sighs deeply. He knows in his heart that no matter what the outcome is with her father, it's all going to end badly for the two of them as a couple.
Speaking of couples whom things are ending badly for, Mitch and Gale sit in their back garden on a picnic bench after returning from the cop shop. "We did well with our son," Mitch notes. Gale smiles sadly. "Our one success." Mitch is hurt by her comment. "We've had more success than that, Gale. The past 24 hours have reminded me what I love so much about being a part of this family. Dawson was able to count on us when he needed to, and I felt like a father again. And if you can believe it, a husband."
Gail is moved by his speech. "Oh, Mitch ..." she begins, but stops when he gets down on one knee in front of her, as if he's going to propose all over again. "Stay here with me. With us. Please," he implores her. But strangely enough, even though Mitch is telling her what she so desperately wants to hear, her reaction surprises herself probably as much as it does him.
"You see," she says, "Ever since you left I have prayed for the day that you'd come back. And when that didn't happen, I started seeing Philly for what it was. And oddly enough, it felt more right than anything had in a long time." "But we can be right again, too, Gale!" Mitch begs. "I want my old life back. I want us."
"No, you want what we had back," Gale corrects. "We'll never have that again, Mitch." She smiles sadly at him before proceeding. "So ... I'm going to do something that's right for both of us. I'm going to take the unplanned route for a little while in hopes that whatever we lost, we'll be able to stumble upon again." Mitch is heartbroken. "Did Dawson understand?" he whispers. Gale is heartbroken, too. "He understands how much I love him," she answers quietly, close to tears. "That's enough, I think." The pair of them sit there in silence.
Next door, Jen slowly climbs up the steps to her Grams' porch, where Grams is folding laundry quietly. The screen door squeaks as Jen opens it, and Grams turns to see her granddaughter standing there, bags in hand. Before she can speak, however, Jen tells her calmly, "I have three conditions."
"What are they?" Grams asks softly, with tears in her eyes. Jen takes a deep breath. "One ... that we address the reality of why this didn't work out before. I know I made some mistakes. But even on my best behaviour, I never felt like I was comfortable living here with you. I never felt I was good enough."
"Oh, Jennifer ..." Grams says sadly, but Jen keeps talking. "Two ... I need you to acknowledge that I've been through a lot in my life. More than most girls my age, and what I need is your support, not your judgment. Especially not Biblical judgment."
"Okay," Grams nods calmly. "I think I can manage that." Jen sighs in part relief, part weariness, and proceeds to explain herself. "What you need to understand, Grams, is that I don't need a legal guardian to be able to survive, and I that can handle a lot more than you think." She stops for a moment, her voice faltering. "But what I want is to live here with you. I want a family. I want us to take care of each other and I don't want to be alone anymore."
"Neither do I," Grams says, smiling through her tears, and gives her granddaughter a long hug. When they part, she asks Jen what the third condition is. "There's somebody else who doesn't want to be alone anymore either," Jen tells Grams and looks over towards their lawn swing, where Jack is sitting, a small bag on the ground beside him. (You know, I have never felt as sorry for Jack as I did at that exact moment, he just looked so lonely and helpless -- like nobody wanted him, he had no place to go, no family -- and I suddenly just felt this huge burst of pity towards him)
Grams follows Jen's gaze and sighs. "Well," she smiles. "I've been meaning to clear out your grandfather's room for a while now." Jen nods, too emotional to speak, and the two embrace again.
Cut to another family with troubled relations, the Witters. Pacey is leaning on the railing by the dock, lost deep in thought, as his father walks up to him. "What are you doing here?" Pacey asks him bluntly. "Well, for starters, you punched me," Sheriff Witter replies, to which Pacey tells him if he came looking for an apology, "you're barking up the wrong tree."
"No," his father answers slowly. "I don't need one. I deserved it. Good for you for doing it." Pacey stares up at him, in great confusion. Sheriff Witter keeps speaking. "You got another phone call today. It was Andie. We talked for a long time. She's, uh, kinda chatty, that one," he chuckles. "Yeah," Pacey smiles, for the first time since she's been gone. "She is."
"She sounded sweet as hell, Pacey," Sheriff Witter nods in agreement. "So I'm sorry what I said yesterday, I really don't know anything about her." Pacey is satisfied with this. "Apology accepted," he notes, and begins to walk away, but his father stops him.
"No, I'm not done," Pacey's father says. "As little as I know about her, I know even less about you ... my own son. I realized that as Andie was trying to fill me in on what you two had been through." Pacey turns away, trying very hard not to cry, as his father continues. "I didn't know about any of that. She said you were her hero. That was nice to hear." He pauses for a moment, and Pacey struggles even more to contain his emotions. "Anyway, I called your school and explained things to them. They said they're going to let you make up the finals next week, when you feel up to it."
"Thank you," Pacey manages, his voice thick with emotion. "It's the least I could do," Sheriff Witter replies, and they settle into an awkward silence, which he breaks a few moments later. "I'm sorry I'm not the kind of father that you felt you could share your story with."
The dam begins to burst. Pacey's lips tremble as a tear runs down his cheek. "There is one other thing," Sheriff Witter tells his son. "Andie wanted me to give you something." Awkwardly, he hugs his son, as Pacey looks at him in confusion. They break apart, and Pacey cries openly, unleashing all he feels inside. He throws his arms tightly around his father. "Oh, God," he sobs. "I miss her so much ... I miss her so much it's killing me, Pops." "I know you do, son," Sheriff Witter holds him tightly. "I know."
At Joey's house, her father is sitting in the living room, smiling down at a picture he holds of Joey and her mother several years ago. (It really is a younger Katie Holmes in the picture, so I'm guessing the woman in it is her real-life mother, too) Joey enters the house, interrupting his train of thought. "Dad," she says nervously, and begins to walk towards him slowly and stiffly.
"Joey," Her father smiles warmly at her. "Where'd you run off to this morning? I cooked you breakfast." "I was with ... I was with the police," she blurts. Her father's face falls. "Are you dealing drugs again?" she whispers. Mr. Potter begins to cry silently and slowly nods, his face contorted with grief. "Yes."
"Why?" Joey whispers, crying herself now. Her father looks down, fumbling for the right words. "Joey, I wish I had an answer for you. I wanted to provide for my family -- not just survive, but provide. I thought that if I just made a little extra money, get ahead, that maybe there'd be a chance for us --"
"Yeah but you served your time!" Joey cries. "You were supposed to start a new life!" "I wanted to, Joey," her father sighs through his tears. "But what you don't understand is the burden I felt." "We were a burden?" she asks, feeling betrayed and hurt. "No!" he replies quickly. "You girls are my gift. The burden was self-inflicted." He sighs. "Ever since I moved back in here with you, I have been haunted by the knowledge that I have failed you."
"Then why didn't you tell me about this?" she shouts. "We could have found a way. We could have done something!" "I was just too weak, Joey." Mr. Potter admits sadly, trying to reach out to her, but she pulls away sharply. He tries to explain himself. "I have been up night after night after night wondering what compelled me to take that road both times, and I don't have an answer for it."
That won't do for Joey, though. Her disappointment at his deception is so deep and so raw, she cannot begin to understand him. "But I trusted you!" she sobs. "And you lied and you ruined everything Bessie and I have worked so hard for! I mean, we could have died in that fire and it would have been your fault!"
"I know, I know, I know and I hate myself so much for it that I wish I had died in that fire!" her father shouts. "I just ... I don't know what to do ... I don't know how to fix this ... all I know is that I am so, so sorry." His voice breaks and he begins to cry again.
"I'm sorry too," Joey whispers, strangely calm. "I took care of it for you." With a shaking hand, she lifts up the bottom part of her shirt, revealing a small tape recorder taped to her body. She looks up at her father, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm so sorry ..." Joey starts to shake and cry, closing her eyes. Just as he has betrayed her, now she must betray him, and while the two are certainly under different circumstances, she can't see that. But he can. "Don't be," her father whispers back, with a tiny, tragic smile.
A few minutes later, the pair emerge from the house. While Joey stands woodenly on the stairs, her father walks over towards Sheriff Witter and a waiting squad car. He stops to look at Bessie, who is a few feet away, holding Alex, but she can't meet his eyes, and looks down at the ground. Mr. Potter gets into the squad car, and as it pulls away, Bessie walks over to the house. She climbs the porch steps and stops a moment when she reaches Joey, as if she is going to say something, but changes her mind and hurries inside the house.
Joey looks around and spots Dawson standing in the distance, hands in his pockets, looking very sad. She walks over to him slowly. "How are you feeling?" he asks quietly. Her reply is as cold as her eyes. "Like hell." "Is there anything I can do?" Dawson whispers. "No, thank you," Joey replies, colder still. "You did the right thing, Joey," he tells her softly, hoping to make her feel a little bit better, but it doesn't work.
"No, Dawson," she replies crisply. "You did the right thing. What I did, the word right doesn't even come close to." "We both did what we had to do," Dawson tries to reason with her, but it's too late. For everything.
Joey glares at Dawson, repeating his words from the previous night. "What I have to say, you're not going to like, so I'll say it quickly." She pauses. "I hope one day that I'll be able to forgive my father for all of this ... and I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive myself ... but I know that I will never forgive you." Her voice is cold and hard and brittle, seething with anger. "See, Dawson, there are certain circumstances that love can not overcome. And from now on, I don't want to know you."
(Okay, time out here! I'm sorry, but come on! Joey Potter is too rational, level-headed and sensible of a character to actually realistically think Dawson would want to break up her family, even under the stress she's under now. How ridiculous! Totally, utterly unconvincing and unrealistic. This whole plot only served as a weak way of getting them to break up for the cliffhanger, and just illustrates yet again how the writers took the easy way out this season. Are you listening, Kevin??)
After her proclamation, Joey turns and goes inside the house without so much as a backwards glance, while Dawson stands there, just as devastated and heartbroken as she. "See ya, Joey," he manages to whisper, staring off into space and completely in shock that she could do such a thing to him. And they all lived unhappily ever after ... for now.
Fade to black ...