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
A café somewhere. Dawson, whose head as a unit is the exact same shape as a forty-watt lightbulb right now, reads the paper. Drue joins him uninvited, saying that "these places can be so lonely." Dawson waxes all Hemingway-in-Paris with, "That's one of the attractions," and Drue asks if he's still mad about the poll prank, and Dawson snorts that he has bigger things to worry about. Drue says he can't unfix the poll, because letting Joey and Pacey win as class couple is "too boring -- where's the conflict? Where's the drama?" Dawson smugs that there's not supposed to be any, and Drue informs him that attitudes like that "keep high-school yearbooks mired in mediocrity." That's an excellent point, actually, but it's one covered with far more skill by My So-Called Life. Dawson isn't impressed either, making a self-righteous comment about the truth. Drue responds with a non-pithy gem about how the truth is "somewhat lacking in the fun department," and Dawson asks levelly, "And you don't care who gets hurt?" Drue says that Dawson's denials only prove his point more, and Dawson didn't know that Drue had a point, so Drue needles him about "this whole 'friend' dance you guys do, as if you were actually over each other," and how it makes them "the far more compelling couple." Whatever, Drue -- why do you even care? Heaven knows nobody else does. Dawson gets up, makes a snarky comment, makes a veiled threat to avenge himself, and leaves. What. EVER.
Filler scenes of the harbor and of seagulls flying in formation before a dissolve to Gretchen brooding on the Witterschlossportal. Joey comes out to greet her, but Gretchen is cold, so Joey takes a seat and asks, "So what's the deal?" "Meaning?" ices Gretchen. Joey got the impression that "everyone was worried about" Gretchen. "'Everyone' meaning Pacey and Dawson -- that would pretty much be everyone, now, wouldn't it," Gretchen snarks. Joey looks confused. Gretchen wishes she'd been around the year before, because "[she] would really like to know how you guys got into this mess to begin with." Um. No, you wouldn't. Trust me. Just read the recaps.
Joey furrows her brow as Gretchen continues that the whole group all worries about hurting each other's feelings, and acts "so nice all the time." "Except…you?" Joey asks hesitantly. Gretchen agrees that she's "not feeling too nice at the moment." Joey says she knows Gretchen had a fight with Dawson "or something, and I know you didn't spend the night at his house last night…" "Did you want me to?" Gretchen asks, trying to bait her, and when Joey doesn't have an answer, Gretchen tells her angrily that all the lies they tell to protect each other "aren't gonna solve anything." "What lies?" Joey asks, and Gretchen reminds her that she lied to Dawson about sleeping with Pacey. Joey retorts bitchily that she made "a very private decision about [her] life," and she doesn't want everyone to know about it, but Gretchen sneeringly corrects her, "No, you don't want Dawson to know about it." "Well, it's the same thing," Joey sulks. "No it isn't, Joey!" Gretchen shouts, repeating that it won't solve anything and adding that it's not fair, either to Dawson or to "somebody who's trying to have a relationship with him." "Meaning you," Joey says, with an expression on her face so smug and self-important that it recalls Dawson at his nostril-flaring worst -- like, way to communicate your total lack of consideration for anyone except yourself, Joey. It's not sick enough that Dawson is still fixated on Joey, and it's not sick enough that she's fixated on his fixation -- she's actually LORDING IT OVER Gretchen! God, I loathe Joey right now. Anyway, Joey tells Gretchen in a tone of catty condescension that no, Gretchen wasn't there last year, and she doesn't know what it's like, "so there's no way [she] could possibly understand." Gretchen says that Joey has to tell Dawson the truth. Joey rolls her eyes and looks away all "you don't get it," and Gretchen says meanly, "If you won't do it for him or for me, then just do it for Pacey." Go, Gretchen. That hits Joey where she lives; she whips her eyes over to Gretchen and shoots her a defensive glare. Pacey turns up with the groceries seconds later, and when he gives the girls a cheery "what's up, guys?" Joey jumps off of the porch swing and takes off, inventing an excuse about Bessie having "some sort of a meltdown." Gretchen looks at her lap regretfully -- although, in her position, I'd only regret not bitch-slapping Joey till her face turned red -- and Pacey watches Joey race-walk off, then makes a "oh, now what?" face and heads inside.