Episode Report Card Sars: C- | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Coming Home
By Sars | Season 4 | Episode 1 | Aired on 10.03.2000
GOD. Okay. Speaking of which…Dawson points out that "you know the guy shot himself, Jo." Snerk. Get the hint, Count of Monte Crisco? Joey says she actually intended it as -- "please don't say 'symbol,'" Dawson interrupts. Okay, that's a pretty good line. She thinks for a moment, then says that it can represent the foundation of a new friendship. "I feel like I'm at the ribbon-cutting of a new strip mall," Dawson cracks. Dude. Where is he getting these comebacks tonight? She giggles, but Dawson rains on her parade by saying that it's going to take more than symbols to "get back what we had," and he doesn't even know for sure that he wants to. That's not what she expected to hear, clearly, and she looks down and whispers, "Okay." "We're just gonna have to take it one day at a time," Dawson tells her. "I know," she nods, and after a moment, she snatches the wrapping back from him. Carrying the brick, which he can add to the collection of bricks he shat during last season's overacting extravaganza ["or give to the show's hair and makeup department to act as the Beek's cosmetic stunt double, seeing as how it's EXACTLY THE SAME SHAPE and all" -- Wing Chun], he goes to his car; she watches him go, then says, "Hey, Dawson." He turns, nostrils a-flare in full cat-butt-face mode. Ack! She tells him that, "for what it's worth, the answer to that question everyone's been asking? It wouldn't kill ya." She goes inside. So, everyone who put money on Joey and Pacey doing it, pay up. We focus-pull out to the very greasy back of Dawson's very greasy, very large head (it's greasy, too -- did I mention that?), and he turns to face the camera and snorts all "whatever," but he looks pleased.
Inside, Joey strolls sadly into the kitchen, then grabs the keys to the truck. A testicle croons, "When you hold me like you do, it feels so right." I don't know if I get that. Anyone? Anyone want to explain that to me?
At the dock, Joey walks down to the boat and finds Pacey reading a book. She makes a big non-cute show of sharing with him her decision never to drive stick again; he sees through her and doesn't look up. Then she clambers aboard and makes a point of telling him that, six out of the seven times she stalled out the engine on the way over there, she thought of Pacey. It's "a secret thing" she does whenever she gets upset: "I guess it's kind of like taking a good mood pill or something." Pacey, listening, still doesn't look up from his book. She swore to herself that she'd never tell him that, "because it is so girly and stupid," but she decided to tell him anyway, "because…I needed to score major points for not explaining to you what went down tonight…or where I've been the last week when I haven't been on this boat." Finally, Pacey drags his eyes up to her face, suppresses a smile, and tells her, "Keep going." She explains that she wanted to see Dawson that night, not because they dated for four months, "but because for the better part of my life he was my friend, and as my friend, I [sic] hurt him deeply." And misplaced a modifier, too -- for shame! She says that hurting Dawson made her feel guilty and preoccupied, and it made her mind wander, "but…my heart? That's a fixed point. Three months riding the open waters couldn't shake it. I'll be damned if I'll let your insecurities shake it." Pacey chuckles as she adds, "And my heart never left this boat. It's never left you, and as far as I can see it's not going to anytime soon." "Okay, ya got me," Pacey smiles, pulling her into his lap. They mack. Cut to a camera angle where Katie Holmes's lips get all pooched out and weird-looking. "Hey, Pace? Do you think we could do that thing that we do sometimes?" Yeah, I got grossed out too at first, but don't let the writers manipulate you! You know it's nothing sex-related. "You wanna do that thing?" he asks. She nods. "Yeah," he says.