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Drinks Taken: 12
Follow the whole rewatch here!
Welcome back to the Dawson’s Creek Rewatch Project, where everything’s out in the open, everyone acts like an adult and then Joey Potter is A TOTAL BLAST.
Let’s drink to the Other Joey! I love her.
The Dawson’s Creek Drinking Game
Drink Once every time:
Joey purses her mouth or chews on her lip
Joey tucks her hair behind her ear
Sex makes Dawson and/or Joey extremely uncomfortable
Grams says “Jennifaaah”
Pacey wears a shirt that makes you want to blind yourself
Audrey declares something risqué or insane with utter confidence
Drink Twice every time:
You have literally no idea why Joey is mad
Pacey gives someone a really good hug
Cool Jen Lindley is totally crapped on by the universe
Onto the episodes!
5.10 “Appetite for Destruction”
Jen and Dawson have returned from New Hampshire all lovey-dovey and on Cloud 9, but they’re not ready to tell anyone about their newfound relationship just yet. I’d say that’s a good idea, except it’s moot because everyone immediately finds out anyway. They walk in the door of Grams’ house all smoochy-smoochy, and Pacey, Joey, Jack and Audrey are all there, jaws agape. Poor Pacey intended to make a fancy, multi-course dinner that is immediately derailed by drama and by the rather picky eating habits of his ingrate friends. They hate everything except for dessert. They call his risotto “fancy/gummy rice”! Poor Pacey. I’ll eat your risotto.
This is one of those bottle episodes, all filmed in one location with no real action to speak of. While bottle episodes are hard to write about in terms of something actually happening, usually these episodes serve (aside from the budgetary perks) to resolve emotional arcs among our characters, because they can’t escape until everything’s been said. And “Appetite for Destruction” sure is great for that! What a hilariously awkward episode! But real relationship progress is made:
First course: Joey is amazing. She does her best to set Dawson and Jen at ease here. Despite Audrey’s glorious attempts to separate Joey from the group so they can talk (she keeps belting poor Pacey’s food at her shirt and then insisting Joey help her clean up), Joey promises she’s okay. She stepped aside and let Jen take care of Dawson after his dad died, and this is the natural progression of that decision. She’s a little hurt, and a little disappointed, but also a little relieved, and a LOT gracious. She tells Jen, “You’re a good person, Jen. That’s exactly what Dawson needs right now.” I’m SO RELIEVED this won’t translate to Jen and Joey drama. We’re all beyond that. And Dawson admits that he feels more like himself around Jen, like he can breathe around her, and while Joey seems mildly stricken that this isn’t true of her, we all know she’ll bounce back just fine.
Second course: Jack and Jen make up, of sorts. Jack takes her aside to lecture her on what a terrible idea this is, but eventually it comes out that he’s really just upset that they’ve been fighting since Jack broke up with Toby. Jack admits that it bothers him that Jen keeps dismissing him as a meathead fratboy, and Jen admits that she misses him, misses how close they used to be and the way they’d make each other coffee in the morning. After dinner, Jack makes Jen’s coffee the way she likes and hands it to her, and she looks so touched. This is progress!
Third course: Stupid Charlie (sorry, I mean ChaMM) shows up to apologize to Jen and maybe try to win her back. She’s not having the “win her back” part, but accepts his apology with more kindness than he deserves. She tells him she always chooses the wrong guy, but right now, with Dawson, she thinks she’s finally chosen the right one.
Fourth course: Joey and Pacey leave Grams’ at the same time and have a wonderful talk. She’s so honest with him about the way she feels about this revelation, and he’s so honest and supportive back. He tells her she’s stronger than he’s ever seen her, and she repays the compliment. I love it when Pacey and Joey are friends! (I love it even more when they’re more than friends. I even kinda like it when they’re frenemies!)
Fifth course: Jen takes Dawson up into Grams’ attic and promises him she’ll help him make it into a home. They reflect over the evening and laugh and then cuddle. Jen calls Dawson her boyfriend and he smiles. WHO ARE ALL OF THESE ADULTS AND WHAT HAVE THEY DONE WITH THE IDIOT CHILDREN OF DAWSON’S CREEK?!
Sixth course: Oh yeah, and I think Audrey’s somewhat responsible for this new, refreshing attitude among Dawson’s crew. At one point in the evening, everyone’s ready to throw in the towel on their friendship, and Audrey schools them but good. “Do you guys know how lucky you are? I mean, I can’t even name two people that I still talk to that I knew when I was 15. Maybe you shouldn’t be taking it for granted.” By the end of the evening, it’s clear these cuties won’t be taking their beautiful friendships for granted any longer.
How many times did I have to drink?
7
Audrey’s greatest hit
Audrey’s relationship feedback is based on long hours of research. “I’ve been studying you people for months.”
What it takes
Jack and Pacey are bugging over the realization that Jen and Dawson had sex. Pacey tells Jack that he and Jen almost did it, and Jack retorts that he and Jen almost did it, too. Pacey asks, “What do you think it takes?” and Jack answers with no hesitation, “Virgin and a straight guy.”
Amen, sister
All night, Audrey’s asking, “Where’s the Grams? I was promised Grams, where’s the Grams!” Grams finally shows up at the end of the night, reads the room, and takes her dessert upstairs. Smart woman.
The Te of Pacey
Pacey Witter’s best hug
Poor Pacey
After everyone rushes Pacey to bring out the chicken before it’s ready because they’re trying to get this nightmare evening over with, Jack asks, “If I spot a vein, do I win a prize?” Pacey’s never going to cook for these dummies again!
Poor Joey
Audrey finally gets her to open up about how she’s feeling, and how she’s feeling breaks my heart but also makes me proud of her.
Yes, there was a point where there were possibilities, I guess. I don’t know. I guess I’ll never know. And we both thought that things were going to happen, but what happened is that Dawson lost his father. What kind of a person would I be if I didn’t understand that? So, yeah, maybe if this broke my heart, I wouldn’t have any right to say so.
The truest thing anybody said this week
Audrey replies, wonderfully, “Honey, you have the right to say anything you want when it comes to how you feel.”
5.11 “Something Wild”
Joey’s home on semester break for about five minutes before she’s going stir-crazy and bickering with Bessie. When Pacey tells her he’s heading back to Boston in his fancy new/classic red Mustang, she about jumps out of her skin to join him. Poor Bessie! (Nah, Bessie doesn’t care.) Audrey’s thrilled that Joey’s back at their dorm early, because Audrey left home after a silly fight with her mom, and it feels like they’re the only kids in Boston during this break. Pacey and Audrey keep teasing Joey about her grades, because of course she’s DYING to find out how she did, and she keeps pretending she doesn’t care but the very first second she gets a chance, she goes to the office to see her grades. And naturally Joey Potter got all As after her first semester at Worthington. Get it, girl! She’s thrilled! She’s so thrilled she hugs Professor Wilder for about ten minutes while he appears to smell her hair. This is not appropriate!
So Audrey and Pacey decide to take Joey out to celebrate her grades, plus they have their own reasons to celebrate: Pacey got a big Christmas bonus and a promotion at the restaurant, and Audrey got a waitressing job at Civilization, herself. They go to a club where ChaMM’s band is playing, and Audrey’s just a blast and sings onstage and makes friends with everyone, and it’s clear Pacey’s getting a crush. She might be getting a crush back, because who wouldn’t? Both of these people are immensely crush-worthy.
They’re also equally matched in their desire to get Joey Potter to cut loose tonight, in part because they’re proud of her for her great grades, but also probably because they understand she needs some R&R after watching Dawson and Jen make out in Grams’ foyer. Pacey tells Joey he wants to see Other Joey, and I AGREE. I looooove Other Joey.
It is seriously so fun to see Joey and Pacey drinking together at a bar, just high-fiving and teasing each other and having a blast. I love it!
Meanwhile, ChaMM keeps eye-fucking Joey from the stage, to her displeasure, and in between sets he tries to work his magic, using all of the same aww-shucks crap he used on Jen. Joey lets him dangle for a few minutes before telling him she knows who he is: “The boy who dicked over Jen Lindley.” I like this sassy mouth, Joey Potter! ChaMM does, too, and it’s clear he sees Joey as a challenge, and he’s dying to meet that challenge. Ugh.
He makes some accidental headway by calling her “uptight” mere moments after Pacey dared her to bring out Other Joey, so she does! She gets onstage and sings “I Want You To Want Me” with a real sexy, vibrant energy, and it’s AWESOME. Less awesome is afterwards, when she lays a kiss on ChaMM and tells him, “Never call me uptight.” Sure, kiss him. That’ll teach him. (Still: it’s pretty awesome.) (Still again: I guess we’re just not getting rid of ChaMM any time soon, are we?)
Aww, and then Audrey and Pacey leave the club together and have a great talk about bad parents. It turns out Audrey never even went home because she didn’t want to deal with her terrible mom, and Pacey tells her his cool new ride came courtesy of his dad, along with the words “I’m proud of you,” words Pacey never thought he’d hear – but he’s too busy worrying about when he’s going to screw it up to be able to enjoy it. Oh man, these two. I’m glad they know each other.
Other stuff that happened in this episode:
* Dawson took Jen home to Gail’s house for the break. There’s some awkwardness and some sadness, and finally Jen and Gail team up to convince Dawson it’s time for him to leave home and start school back in Boston. Gail doesn’t seem entirely sold on Jen’s relationship with Dawson, but she appreciates that they both want the best for her son.
How many times did I have to drink?
5
The truest thing anybody said this week
Watching Audrey party onstage and just be generally the best, Pacey asks Joey, “How did we ever get through high school without that girl?” AMEN.
ILU Joey
ChaMM tells Joey, “You can’t blame a guy for trying,” and she replies, “No, but you don’t have to get a drink with him.”
ILU Joey x2
ChaMM asks for a second chance, and Joey replies, “I didn’t realize you ever had a first.” I like it MUCH BETTER when she’s rejecting him than when she’s kissing him.
Most recognizable song
“I Want You to Want Me,” obviously.
That’s it for this week! Readers, I have a question for you: how do you feel about the burgeoning relationship between Audrey and Pacey? Even (spoiler!) knowing how it ends, I’m for it. These two are matched in so many ways.
Meet me here next Wednesday morning as we talk “Sleeping Arrangements” and “Something Wilder.”
