Episode Report Card Jessica: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Love Bites
By Jessica | Season 6 | Episode 18 | Aired on 04.08.2003
Prom. Or whatever. I think it's not actually the prom, but, you know, close enough. Patrick and Harley are dancing one of the final dances, her shoes dangling from one hand. They banter about the fisticuffs, and it's pretty clear that they're both fairly smitten. Aw. Then Patrick tells Harley that he likes her, and she compliments him on his speech. "Pacey teach you that?" she asks. "Yeah, that and how to unhook a bra with one hand," he grins. She warns him he better not try that, or he'll find himself minus a hand. They smile at each other and dance.
Joey, on the other hand, sits alone on the bleachers. Pacey comes up to her and extends a hand. He looks so incredibly sad. "If memory serves, I owe you a dance, Miss Potter," he says. Joey just looks up sadly, and then gets up and goes with him. Oh, he looks so sad. So does she. So do I. Pacey and Joey slow dance in silence. She looks thoughtful over his shoulder. He looks wrecked over hers. He closes his eyes. "You're just another girl," the music says, and then the music stops and they stop dancing and he pulls away. He takes both of her hands in his, and they look at each other for one long moment. Then Pacey drops her hands and walks away, leaving Joey standing alone on the dance floor.
Next thing you know, a cab is pulling up in front of Oliver's house. Joey climbs out of the cab and makes her way up the walk. She knocks on the door, and Oliver steps out onto the porch. Joey awkwardly comments that he must be wondering what she's doing there, and then she pulls him into the most passionless kiss ever. Both of them have their lips as tightly closed as humanly possible. I've seen more tongue between siblings. When they finally step apart -- and the icy cold front lifts -- Joey smiles up at him. "Hi," she giggles, and hugs him. She stares over his shoulder and looks a little…can it be regretful? Here's hoping. Because everyone knows that Oliver is just a second-rate Pacey, and nothing makes that point more than placing the two of them side to side like this. The chemistry between Joey and Pacey is really great, whereas the chemistry between Joey and Oliver is really…eh. It's just not believable that she would choose what we've seen between her and Oliver -- namely, tepid companionship --- over what we've seen with her and Pacey, which comes across as an actual romance. If this choice ends up sticking, I will be hard-pressed to understand where the writers are going with this. That being said, I think this episode was really affecting, and I'm interested to see what happens next, possibly for the first time in two years. Go figure.