Episode Report Card Jessica: B+ | 2 USERS: D- YOU GRADE IT Love Bites
By Jessica | Season 6 | Episode 18 | Aired on 04.08.2003
Back to the prom, where Harley dances with some tall boy with greasy hair who talks endlessly about himself. She alternately giggles up at him and stares at Patrick, who sits on the bleachers and looks pissed. Joey and Pacey stand on the sidelines and chat about the punch, which Pacey hopes is spiked, at least for cliché value. Pacey idly wonders when they get their pictures taken "in front of the tropical mural" and Joey is all, "That would be prom," and he's like, "I've blocked prom out," and she goes, "It wasn't your finest hour," and I get it: they're structuring this so that Joey leaves Pacey at the dance, in some kind of symmetry to the prom. Pacey tells Joey that he was "troubled" back then. "You were a dumb-ass," Joey says, but smiles a wee bit. "Was I at least a mysterious dumb-ass, with smoldering sex appeal?" Pacey asks, coming around to set his chin on her shoulder cozily. "Dumb-ass," Joey repeats. Pacey tells her that he can accept that, because now he's "a happy dumb-ass." He nuzzles her neck. "I got a second chance," he breathes. Oh, this is going to break my heart. Joey looks perturbed and ducks away from his kisses as, on the other side of the gym, Patrick starts whaling on the tall greasy boy Harley had been dancing with.
A crowd of juveniles surrounds the fighting boys, as Harley yells about what a shitty date Patrick's being. Joey looks at Pacey, who just chuckles at the boys' shenanigans. "Do something," she hisses. "It's just so funny," Pacey explains, then wilts under the heat of her glare and goes and breaks up the fight, barely concealing his laughter from the kids. "That's how you try to win my heart? Giving the guy a wedgie?" Harley yelps toward Patrick. "It's called the Krav Maga, and J-Lo used it in Enough," Patrick announces self-importantly, and somewhat amusingly. After a weak "Paddy from the block" joke from Tall and Greasy, the boys get back into the fisticuffs, and Patrick accidentally decks Pacey.
Post-duel, Harley and Joey retreat to the girl's bathroom. Joey dabs timidly at Harley's tearstained face and assures the girl that her smudged make-up makes her look like a rock star. Yeah, but, like, Courtney Love or something, and that's totally not an appropriate look for a fifteen-year-old girl. "Where's He Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned?" Harley sniffles. Shout-out? I'll take it. Joey tells Harley that Voldemort is in the bathroom with Pacey, "getting cleaned up." Harley snuffles that she and Patrick had their first kiss in the boys' bathroom. There's nothing more conducive to romance than the odor of urinal cakes, it's true.
Cut to the boys' bathroom, where Pacey tells Patrick that he's all in favor of the "grand romantic gesture," but he thinks Patrick ought to just buy Harley a wall. And he ought to "punch someone his own size," if he's still so married to the idea of hitting someone. "Yeah, like you're the Rock or something," Patrick grouses. Pacey responds to this very maturely, calling Patrick "a hobbit" and then commenting that he, at least, can grow facial hair. "What do you call this?" Patrick asks, rubbing his clean-shaven face. "Lint," Pacey breaks it to him gently.