Episode Report Card Sars: D+ | 2 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Boyfriend
By Sars | Season 1 | Episode 8 | Aired on 03.09.1998
Lord, give me strength. Cut to the beach, where a few jockstraps toss a football around and that annoying "I guess this is growing up" song blares in the background. Kids drink; kids dance; kids laugh, play volleyball, and wear extremely small bikini tops. Joey leans dejectedly against a post on the porch, and Pacey comes up to her with a plastic cup in his hand and says, "So what’d I tell you -- is this a great party or what?" Joey answers snidely, "Time of my life -- I’m ready for the group hug whenever you are," and Pacey spots "the girl of my dreams right there" and asks Joey how he looks, and she responds, "Like the ‘before’ picture in an ad for geek remover." Word. Pacey tells her to go "easy" and plunges into the crowd, and Joey wistfully watches him go. Just then Dawson appears, looking put-upon, and they seem glad to see one another, and Dawson snarkily says he hasn’t had such a great time since he joined JV football, and Joey snarkily adds that cheerleading "has opened soooo many doors," and they grin snarkily at each other in a fairly cute moment, and Dawson suggests that they leave the party and rent videos instead, and Joey smiles and says okay, and he says, "Be right back," and as he disappears into the crowd, Joey beams and bites her lip.
Over at the keg, Dawson sorts himself out a cup. Jen, wearing a way-too-aggressive Wonder Bra, materializes behind him, and a pleasantly surprised Dawson says, "Hey -- you’re here," and Jen says, "Yeah, I’m here, and I’m alone, and, and I’m sorry about everything, Dawson," and she natters on about how badly she behaved, and Dawson shuts her up by kissing her. They beam at one another hormonally. Jen says, "Come on, let’s go."
Cut to Joey, still waiting for Dawson and looking around to see where he went, and a burly guy with long blond hair approaches her and offers her a drink, which Joey declines, and he persists by saying he has an extra, and Joey brushes him off by saying her friend has gone to get her one, and Fabio says, "Really. Who’s your friend?" Joey, exasperated: "Dawson Leery. You probably don’t know him." Fabio: "Sure, Dawson -- sophomore? Currently hitting the beach with that cute blonde chick?" Joey follows Fabio’s gaze to see Dawson and Jen strolling down the beach arm-in-arm, then turns around abruptly and tries to shake it off, without much success, which prompts Fabio to ask, "You okay?" She mumbles, "Yeah, sure," grabs a cup from his hand, and starts chugging. I don’t know what Joey sees in Dawson, but I do know how much having your crush hopes dashed can suck. Drink up, girl.