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
I loathe the Absolutely Fabulous Lipcream ads. Loathe them.
Back to the Capeside High hallway, where Joey's asking Dawson if he's sure there's nothing she can do. Dawson assures her that he's "okay," but Joey says she knows how she'd feel "if the circumstances were reversed," and Dawson says somewhat impatiently, "Yeah, you'd be happy for me, like I am for you," and to his credit, he seems sincere. But of course Joey can't have an emotion without Dawson legitimizing it first, so she stands there all shy and sad, about to make yet more regretful noises for daring to have something good happen to her without Dawson's express written consent, when "Cult Of" Pacey "-nality" Witter bounds up behind them and asks what's up. Joey and Dawson both hesitate in a very obvious manner. Pacey comments on the "weird chi goin' on here," and Dawson says he'll let Joey give Pacey "the good news," and he heads to class, telling Joey to promise him that she'll "celebrate." Pacey asks what good news. Joey, instead of hopping around gleefully and telling him that she got accepted to Worthington, elects first to tell him that Dawson got rejected by NYU, and then admits in an almost shameful tone that she got into Worthington. Pacey is thrilled for her and hoists her into the air, congratulating her, but when he puts her down, she still looks sulky and sad. Pacey joins the entire viewership in rolling his eyes and telling her that she's "got nothing to feel guilty about here," and Joey tries to play it off by saying that it doesn't seem real: "Stuff like this doesn't happen to me." Pacey grabs her hand and starts towing her down the hall; Joey says she'll miss sixth period, but Pacey doesn't think she'll "believe that letter until [she sees] it." Joey continues to protest that she has to go class, but Pacey cracks, "What, you're not gonna get into college? Please." Joey makes a mock-mad face.
Jack and Jen in the AV room. Jack sits at a table strewn with catalogs and videos; Jen paces, then stops and waves a tour videotape at Jack, which Jack refuses to watch again, saying that the hand-held camera work will make him "hurl" and waving a different video at Jen in return. Jen says he "laughed through the whole thing" and whines at him to "be serious" because they need to "make an informed decision," blah blah blah. Jack doesn't know why they bother: "We both know there is only one choice, right? The University of New York." Jen starts to shake her head, but Jack keeps selling it, saying that it's a great school and she's always saying that "New York is the only city worth living in," and he fake-sobs, "So please, can we just -- do this?" Jen asks tentatively what Jack would say if she "wasn't so sure anymore." Well, he'd say that "someone needs to deal with their issues." Um, yeah…look who's talking, Chaste-afarian. Jen closes her eyes and shakes her head some more.
Potter Bed & Breakfast. Woo hoo! It's "Where In The World Is" Bodie "Sandiego," dictating a shopping list to Bessie "Bonnie Franklin" Potter, who has a really awful new hairstyle and wants Bodie to slow down because she can't write fast enough. Pacey and Joey come in behind her, and Bessie jumps up to hug Joey and tell her she's "so proud" of her, "and Mom would be too." Aw. Bodie asks if he can get a hug from "the college girl," and Joey runs over to hug him as well, and once again I wish that we could have more scenes with the Potter blended family; I've always thought that Obi Ndefo and Katie Holmes have good acting chemistry together, and the writers should take advantage of that more often. Anyway, Bessie asks why Joey's home so early, and Pacey pipes up that "she's having a bit of trouble with the 'believing' part -- you wouldn't happen to have a certain letter handy, would ya?" Bodie beams that he thinks he can dig it up, and Joey asks if they interrupted something with Bessie and Bodie, and Bessie says that it's only planning for the barbecue they're throwing to celebrate "the first Potter to get into college." Bessie asks if she "could be more excited than" Joey, and as Pacey hugs her from behind, Joey grins in the first approximation of actual happiness about the news and says, "Not possible." Bessie asks who Joey wants to invite. Joey's all, "You're serious," and Bessie reminds her that "it's not every day that" a Potter gets into such a prestigious school, or any school for that matter. Bodie reenters with the letter -- which is in a suspiciously thin envelope, by the way -- and hands it to Joey, who looks at it, her face melting. Pacey asks what she's waiting for. Joey stalls. "You're nervous because this makes it real," Pacey murmurs. Joey looks scared. She shoots Pacey a glance, then opens the letter, and as she reads aloud from it, she begins to beam again. Pacey hugs her tightly. She smiles like she'll never stop. I remember that moment; I don't think I stopped smiling for three days. My teeth almost dried out.