Episode Report Card Sars: D | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT His Leading Lady
By Sars | Season 2 | Episode 13 | Aired on 02.02.1999
In the kitchen of Chez Grams, Jen "Go Razorbacks" Lindley greets Grams with, "Ah, Grams, you're a godsend -- we are in desperate need of snacks for rehearsal." A boy walks in after Grams with a box of groceries; Grams introduces him as Tyson Hicks, but Tyson says, "Ty, actually -- it's great to meet you," and as they shake hands, Ty says that Grams told him about the movie. Jen says, "Yeah, yeah, um, we're just gearing up to start," and Grams interrupts, "Jennifer, Tyson has expressed an interest in helping out with the picture -- aren't you a little short-staffed?" Jen sort of smells a rat, but asks Tyson if he has any experience "working on a film set before" -- as if the average Capeside teenager has had the opportunity to build a curriculum vitae in this area. Tyson says he hasn't, but he has worked on "a bunch of theater productions, and I'm pretty good with my hands and a fast learner," so Jen says sure, they need the help. Tyson: "Great. Well, you can use me for anything." Jen, biting her lip: "Excellent." Sars: "Oh, crikey."
In the Sanctum Dawsonorum, Dawson and Pacey rehang dorky Spielberg posters while Dawson yet again dismisses Pacey's problems as unworthy of his concern: "So you found a bottle of presciption pills -- so what?" Dawson says that his parents' medicine cabinet looks like "a veritable pharmacy." Pacey protests, "Yeah, but this is Xanax, Dawson -- not exactly your typical Saturday night muscle relaxant. It's for severe anxiety." What exactly would qualify as a "Saturday night muscle relaxant," if I may ask? Then Pacey asks if Dawson has noticed Andie acting more "high-strung" lately, and Dawson snorts derisively, "No, I've been too busy watching her bounce off the walls." Like, in the name of all that is holy, shut up, Dawson. Pacey glares at him, and Dawson says, "Pacey, if you're worried, then why don't you just ask her about it?" Pacey doesn't want to stress Andie out any further, what with her family situation and all, and he figures that if she wants to talk about it with him, she will. On the other hand, Pacey continues, "It's also not really in my nature to just sit by while the girl suffers -- I mean, I want to help her, but," and Dawson says, "She's operating under a lot of stress, though, Pacey, the only thing you can really do is make sure the time that she spends with you is as stress-free as possible, you know? Help her have fun." Pacey sighs. Then they banter about the perversity of Dawson's decision to film his life story in his own bedroom. Yeah, like anything else goes on in there.
Outside the No-Fault Hacienda that evening, Dawson arranges furniture as Devon walks up the lawn. She tells him she read the script. Dawson asks her what she thought; he obviously expects the usual torrent of compliments, but Devon says that she "didn't love it." Dawson says, "Really," and fiddles with the props as Devon gets behind the wheel of the world's largest steamroller and flattens Dawson's ego: "I mean, all the angst, and the over-analyzing, and the hesitancy to act on anything -- I really had to search my psyche to call back my adolescence." Dawson mutters, "Yeah, two whole years ago." It pains me to say this in relation to a line uttered by Dawson, but -- word. Devon continues to turn the condescension tables on Dawson, saying, "Dawson, there is a vast difference between us," and Dawson sort of rolls his eyes as she goes on, "Anyway, the script's a little heavy-handed and overly verbose," and Dawson interrupts, "So what you're saying is you're not interested," but Devon says, "What I'm saying is that I managed to muddle through the twenty-dollar [sic] words and psychospeak [sic] and got to the core of the Sammy character." Dawson doesn't want to hear any more: "I think what I'm saying is I'm not interested. I'm, just, the more I think about it, you're just -- you're really just not right for the part. You're a little -- small." Devon asks nastily if he doesn't want to let her read because she "had an opinion," and informs him that if he can't "take a little constructive criticism, [he's] never gonna make it." "Constructive"? Anyway, she wishes him "good luck in high school -- I'm sorry I wasted my time," and starts to leave, but Dawson quickly apologizes for overreacting and asks her to audition. Devon takes a moment to get into character. Puke. Dawson prompts her with the line, "Sammy, if you could only see yourself through my eyes." Devon then delivers Joey's speech from last season's beauty contest episode, referring to "cosmetic enhancement and hairspray" and "it's just me, the same old Samantha" blah blah blah fishcakes. I believe the writers lifted the dialogue verbatim from that scene, and apparently Dawson has named his character in the script "Wade." "Wade"? Anyway, Dawson calls Devon's reading "perfect," and they smile at each other. I really wish they had found a more likable character to put Dawson in his place, but what can you do.