Episode Report Card Jessica: C | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Day Out Of Days
By Jessica | Season 6 | Episode 11 | Aired on 01.14.2003
ith anyone else on this show anymore? I understand that it's not realistic for high school friends to see one another as much after graduation as they did during high school, but this show is rooted in the relationships between Pacey, Joey, Dawson, and Jen -- and, to a certain extent, Jack -- and to take each of them and place them in their own self-contained plot line takes the teeth out of the show.Over at The Blind Leading The Blind Teen Help Line, Jen is on the phone. "Of course it sucks, that's why they call it life," she says, and continues in this same morose vein until Blandy stops her, explaining that a lot of people call the help line at this time of year, and he's pretty sure that they're not calling to talk to Kierkegaard. Jen just looks at him and puts down the phone. "But you said he was a philosophy major," she whines. Blandy sighs that he doesn't want to fight: "I get annoyed, you get defensive. Let's move onto the next one." Jen looks down at the table. "Let's not. I quit," she says. Blandy yelps that she can't quit -- and I agree, because, like, how wussy is that? "It's your first day of training! It's your first hour!" he says. Jen moans that she can't take the training if it's going to consist of him patronizing her. Blandly rather calmly points out that he's been doing this for years, and hence he knows what he's doing. Jen retorts that she can't wait to see his expertise come into play when they come across a hypothetical situation involving casual sex and two blonde girls. Cue the uncomfortable silence. After a moment, Blandly simply suggests that they stop for the day. He stands and gathers his things and finally tells her to come back. "Or don't come back. But whatever you decide, you should make it about you. Not me," he says. Jen just looks at her lap and thanks God that at least her hair looks good.
Boston Bay College Infirmary. Or Boston General Hospital. Or, you know, whatever. A hospital. Jack waits in chairs. Eventually, TGED comes out of a back room, a small piece of paper in his hand. "Damn," TGED says under his breath. Jack looks stricken. "What?" he asks. "Oh, there're no good magazines to read," TGED explains. "That's it?" Jack asks. "You're not at all nervous about this?" TGED shrugs and explains that he's done it a million times. "Give or take. Let's face it, I'd be a pretty hypocritical peer counselor if I didn't practice what I preach." Of course, they're not being specific at all, but I'm just going to assume that the boys are getting tested for STDs prior to the sure-to-be-upcoming episode in which they have all the Hot Gay Sex. And I could make a comment about the fact that it's interesting that the only characters who even think to get tested for anything are the gay ones, but I'm just going to decide that this is because Jack and TGED are the most mature and intelligent couple on this show, not because the writers think that the only people who need to worry about sexually transmitted diseases are gay. TGED explains that all of this is no big deal. "The only embarrassing part is when they ask what kind of high-risk behavior you've engaged in the last three to six months and the only thing I can come up with is eating carbs after nine PM and jaywalking," he says. Jack nervously chuckles and shakes his head. A nurse calls his name, and he looks at TGED, who pats him supportively. "It's fine," he says.