Episode Report Card Sars: C- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Dear old golden rule days
By Sars | Season 4 | Episode 17 | Aired on 04.10.2001
At the grill, Gretchen asks Pacey, "You okay?" "Yeah, fine. My girlfriend is a raving biznatch, but other than that, no complaints." Okay, not really -- after a bit of "nothing's wrong/I don't believe you," Pacey makes one of his customary "I don't really have a future of my own to consider" comments, and Gretchen counters that he's "the only one who believes that" (word) and asks what he wants out of life, and Pacey drops the bomb on her about Joey's so-called "denied" financial-aid thing and admits that, while he's happy that Joey got into Worthington, he's also secretly happy that she can't go. Gretchen totally fails to rush into the house and find the number of a professional cult deprogrammer.
Jen sits at the end of the PB&B dock, staring out to sea. Jack sits down in a really strange pose so that we can see the soles of his product-placed sneakers and then run out and buy a bunch of pairs of Skechers for no reason at all, and asks Jen "what this is really about." Jen sighs and asks if he remembers, when he moved in with her and Grams, that he said that he didn't want to go home because there wasn't anything there for him. Yes, he remembers. Well, that's how she feels about New York. Jack points out that she wouldn't live with her parents if she went to school in New York, and she shouldn't let her problems with them in the past stop her from going. Jen squints in pain and says she wishes she could explain "this" to him, but it wouldn't make any sense. Jack bows his head; Kerr Smith looks really, really hot in this scene. And really, really straight, too! Because he's straight! Not really gay! Just plays a gay guy! And gosh darned if I don't believe him! That he's straight! Not gay at all, no sirree! One hundred percent straight-a-roony! Jen admits that she's "afraid…to, to go back there." Jack says in a tone of concern that he thought she planned to talk to Tom Frost about that; Jen admits that Tom Frost tried, but she just "changed the subject to one of [her] other neuroses." Snerk. Jack jokes that it's therapy; it's the one place she's not supposed to change the subject. "Can I change it here? Please?" she asks softly. Jack smiles sadly and says that if she doesn't want to go to New York, they don't have to, and when she starts to object, he says that it's more important to him that they stick together…but he doesn't think this "old wound" should stop them from going if they both want to: "You've come too far for that." Jen fixes him with a sad gaze. Jack jokingly orders her to go back to therapy and "work this out," and she jokingly says, "See? Insensitive," and then they cuddle. Aw.
Back at the picnic table, Gale and Mitch "The Flash" Leery walk up and congratulate Joey. Gale tells her, "Honey, we are so happy for you," and I find myself wishing that the writers had explored Gale-as-surrogate-mother thing more. Then again, the writers seem incapable of crafting a realistic story arc regarding the costs of a college education, so let's move on. The Flashes have tackily brought with them a fat envelope addressed to Dawson from USC; Pacey and Joey stare glumly at Dawson as Gretchen tackily urges Dawson to open it, and Dawson tackily does so in front of everyone. USC has accepted him. Everyone laughs all proud and relieved, except Joey, who super-tackily bolts indoors without saying a word. I mean, I know it's Dawson, but -- suck it up, Joey. He sucked it up when you got in, after all. Hugs all around; Pacey does the right thing by getting to his feet, shaking Dawson's hand, and telling Dawson he's happy for him. Dawson asks, "Where's Joey?" Everyone looks around, puzzled.