Episode Report Card Jessica: C- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Capeside Revisited
By Jessica | Season 5 | Episode 3 | Aired on 10.23.2001
"You did it, Dawson," the Flash continues. "You did it. And now here you are. Your whole life ahead of you, and you're thinking about chucking it all away. What, are you crazy?" Dawson rolls his eyes, hugely. "Maybe a little," he brats. The Flash informs Dawson that he's not choosing his own path; he's "following Joey down hers." Dawson huffs. "I know how much she means to you," the Flash says. "But do you really think it's wise to make major life decisions based on someone else?" Dawson rolls his eyes yet again, as the Flash reminds him that his decisions have "real consequences." Dawson hauls himself out of his corner and sighs. "Honestly, Dad! Do you think I don't know that?" he asks. "I know that this is the most important decision of my life!" The Flash ponderously advises Dawson to "make the right decision," but Dawson doesn't think it's that simple. "It really is," the Flash says. Dawson gulps and looks away. "Dawson, I have lived twice as long as you and I'm just trying to give you the benefit of my experience," the Flash explains. Dawson shouts that he can't "live the life [the Flash] chooses for him." He has to live his own. "Your own?" the Flash asks. "Yes," Dawson says. And then the Flash gets all up in Dawson's face, like he's going to toss him on the bed and kiss the breath out of him. Instead, he hands him a plane ticket. "Here's the chance to have the life you've wanted since you were a little boy. I booked you on the three-thirty tomorrow," he says. Dawson makes a piteous Parents Just Don't Understand face and flares his nostrils. They are standing so close to each other! Close enough that the Flash could lick the Beek's face if the notion so grabbed him. "Seize this opportunity, Dawson! Seize it!" the Flash hisses. "Then kiss me! Kiss me now!" Okay, not that last part. "It'll be gone in a moment," the Flash says, trembling with passion. "And that's life." He walks out of the room while Dawson pouts and stares at the floor. Wow, the Flash is so intelligent about life, and the meaning of our existence in this cold, cruel world. It's so nice to know that he has year upon year of life ahead of him, the better to reflect upon all the lessons he's learned.
Outside, Dawson sits on a blanket on the lawn under a big umbrella, holding Lily like a sack of flour. Over on the terrace, Gale confesses to the Flash that she "totally wants Dawson to drop out of USC and come back and be close to us." He admits that when he saw Dawson mooning out in the yard, his "heart pretty much leapt out of [his] chest. And [he] thought, God, [he misses] this kid." The Flash and Gale stare blankly at their children. "Do you know how much I love my life?" the Flash asks. "I have this…amazing family. I mean, I know that everybody says that, but trust me, I've been around the block enough to know that what we have here is incredibly rare. But you see? It's the only thing I've ever been really good at." You know he's about to drop dead, right? Because whenever a secondary character suddenly gets a whole lot of lines, and talks a bunch about how happy he is, he's obviously doomed. Gale makes some "oh honey" noises. The Flash waves it off. "I'm a family man," he continues. "I can say with relative certainty that I will never write a poem. Or paint a painting, or make a movie that will change the world. It just wasn't in the cards for me. But that's okay. Because maybe, just maybe, our son will do that." Gale leans over and kisses him on the cheek. "What was that for?" the Flash wonders. "What can I say? I love my boys," Gale purrs. That's too bad, seeing as one of them is dead meat, and the other is a lost cause. You figure out which is which. Also, do neither of them love or have any ambitions for their daughter? Poor Lily. Poor, poor Lily. And finally: gag.