Episode Report Card Sars: C | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Lie lady lie
By Sars | Season 4 | Episode 16 | Aired on 02.27.2001
"Fllllluffay!" That guy is my boyfriend. That guy, and Stocky Bugging-Out-In-The-Woods guy.
It's later. Gretchen is on the opposite end of the couch from Dawson, a hand to her forehead; her body language says "seething." Dawson looks over at her, terrified; when she turns to stare back at him, he quickly looks away. She sighs, "What's this movie about, anyway?" "I have no idea," Dawson confesses, and points out that, every time Gretchen goes to get a glass of water, she sits further away from him on the couch when she sits back down. "You're right," she snips, "which is why I should go." Dawson calls that "a drastic solution to [their] problem," but Gretchen tells him not to start, and she's got to leave. She heads for the door, and Dawson scrambles to stop her, saying that "this is silly" and it's obviously a misunderstanding; Gretchen, putting her coat on over her shoulder bag (?), says she knows that, but she still has to go: "I was really wrong about something…very…wrong, so just don't ask me any more questions, okay? Just let me go." I don't know what she means by that -- what exactly is she wrong about, Dawson's readiness to have an adult relationship, or Joey's motivations for wanting her to keep quiet? I don't think she's wrong to leave; if anything, it's long overdue, but I don't get the whole "wrong" thing. Dawson makes a "zuh?" face as she leaves.
Witterschloss, the next morning. Joey, attired in Pacey's bathrobe (awww yeah), looks through the kitchen cabinets. Pacey materializes to announce that, since the invention of the Cartoon Network, there's really no reason to get up early on Saturday morning. Saturday…"morning"? Joey wanted to make him breakfast. There's gooey banter about that. Pacey comments that she should wear his clothes more often. "You like it?" He does. "When was the last time you washed it?" There's unfunny men-are-such-slobs banter about that. Schmooping. Joey gives him a shopping list and sends him out the door -- finally, after more non-cute badinage -- for pancake-makings.
Next, we see Pacey coming out the back door and spotting Dawson, who's headed for the front door. Pacey, mildly panicked, speeds up to catch him before he goes inside, and Dawson apologizes for coming by so early, but he wanted to talk to Gretchen. Pacey is surprised that she's not with Dawson; Dawson in turn is surprised that she never came home the night before. Pacey reassures Dawson that she's probably over at Doug's, slings an arm around Dawson's shoulder, and hauls him off of the porch, but Dawson is worried and wants to find out for sure that she's okay. Pacey tries to get rid of him by promising to call over to Doug's and then call Dawson, but Dawson nags, "Can we do it now?" Pacey relents, hesitantly, and they head inside.