Episode Report Card Wing Chun: D | 6 USERS: C+ YOU GRADE IT Show Me Love
By Wing Chun | Season 3 | Episode 21 | Aired on 05.09.2000
Moments later, we get a shot of the roof and hear Jen (before we see her) saying, "All right, look, I've already accepted your apology. I don't understand why you're making me come up to the roof." I yell, "Because he's going to push you off!" In fact, he's littered the roof with rose petals leading to a little makeshift love nest with pillows and candles. How did he get up there? When did he light all the candles? How did he do it without anyone noticing? How fast should Jen beat it out of there? But no, she's touched by the gesture, as usual, and despite the fact that it's the middle of her shift and Mrs. Flash is probably downstairs wondering whether her customers are supposed to seat themselves on what she'd just said was their busiest weekend of the year. He tells her that he wanted to show her rather than just tell her that he was sorry, and that he knows she got mad because he stopped hearing her, and then lies that he's glad they didn't rush into having sex because he doesn't want to be like every other guy in her life. He tells her that from now on he's going to do everything in his power to be the most original person in her life, and she tells him he already is, and I am pretty sure that we've already heard this exchange many times before. Anyway, Jen blows off all her responsibilities to canoodle with Henry, and I blow on out of my office to regurgitate my lunch.
Dawson is strutting along the darkened boardwalk when Pacey emerges from the shadows and demands, "What are you trying to prove?" Oh my god, beat his big ass down, Pacey! Dawson turns and sniffs, "Just trying to help Joey." Pacey vaults over the railing behind which he's standing and gets all in Dawson's face, saying, "Look, man, why don't you just take a swing at me? I mean, honestly, just take a poke. Get it over with, save us both a lot of time and trouble. Wouldn't involve our friends." Dawson glances toward the water and snorts, "Or family." Pacey seethes, "Do you think that indulging yourself in some James Dean meets 'Greased Lightnin'' fantasy that you're actually going to prove you're a better man than I am?" Dawson sets his jaw and shrugs, "I don't have to prove that. You made that clear when you moved in on Joey." Pacey sighs, "For the very last time, Dawson, I made a mistake." Word to that: Your first mistake was in convincing yourself that Dawson could be made to see that the people around him act for reasons other than to gratify his own ego and desires. The second was in caring what his reaction would be.
Pacey adds, "I thought you of all people would understand someone falling for Joey Potter." Dawson laughs joylessly, and I yell, "Oh my god, he's turned into his character from Angus!" and the next line proves it: "Are you delusional enough to believe that you actually have something real with Joey?" Pacey replies, "If I do, it's because of her own free will," which is a good point, Pacey; Dawson, Joey is a person, not your toy. Dawson scoffs, "Do you really think a couple confused weeks means anything compared to the lifetime that we've had?" Pacey leans in for the killer blow (only Dawson's too obtuse to realize it): "And do you actually think that you could possibly hold on to that beautiful woman with some sort of selfish ultimatum?" That was kind of my point, except that I don't really see why Joey's beauty has anything to do with it. Dawson has no response to the quite accurate ultimatum charge, and spits, "Answer my question, Pacey: Do you really think you can compete with history?" Oh, please. Aunt Gwen issues a press release from her home apologizing for putting that whole "history" idea in Dawson's head. Pacey is clearly through trying to spare Dawson's feelings by now, and jokes, "Some history! Fifteen years of watching PG movies in your bedroom, followed by another year and a half of pretending to be grown up, only to drop each other at the first sign of crisis? That's your history? Come on, man! And you call this woman your soulmate?" The magic word trips Dawson's switch to "Complete Asshole" mode, and with much saliva shooting out of his cakehole, yells, "Yes! I do! And you knew that! And you went after her anyway!" Pacey agrees: "Right after you rejected her." Dawson predictably refuses to take responsibility for the actions that propelled Joey away from him in the first place, and sarcastically replies, "Oh, so she was vulnerable -- perfect for you, right? Because you're only interested in girls you can save or screw, right, Pace?" Pacey picks Dawson up bodily and hurls him into the creek, calling for the aid of a passing tourist to hold Dawson's enormous bobbing head underwater. And then I woke up from my beautiful dream, and Kim informed me that Pacey actually just inhaled and exhaled very loudly, and walked away. Sounds like Buzz's nickname for Pacey is one vowel off.