Episode Report Card Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Cinderella Story
By Wing Chun | Season 3 | Episode 17 | Aired on 02.29.2000
One version has Pacey show up at Buzz's house to make him dinner. In that version, Buzz confesses that he'd lied about his dad's death, and Pacey tells Buzz about Joey. In another version, a dishevelled Darrill returns John to his house. Marian asks, "My God, what happened to you?" Darrill, holding a blood-soaked handkerchief to his nose, says, "I'm sorry we're off-schedule, Marian; I was unexpectedly beaten up by a small child, if you can believe it. Don't worry, I'm okay. I think the bleeding has stopped." He takes the handkerchief away, and small stream of blood drizzles out of his nose and over his lips. John, seeing it, grins. Darrill adds, "I just hope the tyke wasn't traumatized. Were you?" John replies, "No, I had a great day." Marian glares at John. Darrill laughs, and says, "Good one, my little leg-puller!" and takes his leave, but not before correcting Marian once more on the pronunciation of his name. She closes the door behind him, and John pleads, "Mom, please marry someone! Marry the milkman! Your janitor! Your boss!"
Joey walks into the train station in the middle of the night and sees that the next train to Capeside doesn't leave until 9 AM. She glances at the waiting area, where a couple of dodgy-looking people are sharing a bottle. She turns to a pay phone and makes a call.
Jen walks along the boardwalk and finds a moping Dawson. She offers to talk, and he thanks her by complaining about her having been "wrapped up in her own little world." Instead of leaving him to stew in his own self-righteous juices, she admits that she's been "pathetic" over Henry. Well, no argument there. She says that she overheard the fight Dawson had with his mom, and then "caught a mini-version" of Gale's wrath herself, after breaking a few more plates. Dawson says he thinks "the pressure of the restaurant has finally gotten to her," since all he wanted to do was help, and she "completely unloaded on me." Dawson, how long would it have taken you to ASK your mother if she'd like for you to call The Flash? Seconds? I know she's busy, but she would have had time for that conversation. Instead you decided that you knew her business better than she did, and you know what? People really hate it when you tell them their business. Jen tells him he was trying to help himself too, by putting his family back together. Dawson says he isn't, and that Jen saw how mad he was over the B&B deception, and Jen says that's because that was fake, and this is real. Dawson says he knows they're not getting back together, and asks, "So what am I doing?" Instead of answering, Jen points out a spot a few yards away and reminds him that a couple of years ago, on that spot, he asked her to dance, and told her he wanted to be her "boy adventure." Dawson snickers and asks, "Did I really say that?" Oh yes. I remember it well. Jen says that on the outside he's matured, but he's still as sweet and naïve and honest as ever deep down "in his core" there's a part of him that rejects reality, and is eternally hopeful, and wants his parents back together. Dawson has no response to that, but I'd like to register my objection at the description of Dawson as "sweet."