Hi everyone!
It's your former moderator, and current Administrator, Jerry D!
Dawson's Creek and this message board will always have a special place in my heart, because this it where it all started for me. I saw that the Episode Discussion thread for Eastern Standard Time had been topped for quite some time, so I figured it was time to discuss the next Season Four episode.
Here's what I wrote about this episode at the time that it aired:
I absolutely loved this episode, as the characters that we’ve grown to love faced some milestone events in their lives, and both Pacey and Joey, and Dawson and Gretchen, seemed to be quickly approaching a crossroads in their relationship, with one couple, as always, honestly communicating with each other about that relationship, and with the other couple, due to temporary distance between them, and also due to reasons far more complex than simple distance, avoiding honest communication and avoiding the issues between them which could destroy their relationship. We also got to see Dawson, surrounded by all the people he cares about the most, except Pacey and Gretchen, welcome someone who will have a significant impact on his life, as Lillian Leery made her way into the world, to be held in Dawson’s loving arms.
I really enjoyed watching the opening scene at the Leery’s house, and I enjoyed seeing how relaxed that Gretchen and Dawson are with each other. I also enjoyed seeing how excited Dawson and Gretchen were for Mitch and Gale, as the arrival date of their baby, fraught in this episode with many false alarms, came closer and closer. Once again, I was so heartened by Dawson and Gretchen’s complete honesty with one another, as Dawson reacted with mixed feelings upon hearing the news that Gretchen was interviewing for a writing position in Boston, and they both faced the reality that their time together was growing short, as their career ambitions would soon take them on their separate paths in life. I could definitely understand Gretchen’s hesitation to “take the next step” with Dawson, because, like she said, she didn’t want to open herself up like that just to have Dawson leave her as he went off to USC. Finally, though, thanks to some wonderfully touching advice from Joey, who proved that she really is a true friend to Dawson as she told Gretchen not to shut Dawson out of her life, Gretchen opened up her heart to Dawson, as they passionately embraced in the final scene of the episode.
I liked the fact that Jack and Tobey are connecting as friends, and I was so glad that Jack stood up for Tobey and supported him after discovering that Tobey had been the victim of a vicious hate crime, and the scene where Tobey related what had happened to him was heart wrenching.
I loved seeing Jack and Jen together, as always, and Jen provided Jack some astute advice about the need for Jack to take action, and I was glad that Jack followed her advice.
I liked all the scenes involving Dawson and Mitch, and as always, the warm rapport they have with each other as father and son touched my heart. Mitch’s advice to Dawson about following your own path, because in this life, you never know, was very true, and his words about a father’s love were very heartwarming.
As always, I had very mixed feelings about Joey in this episode, as she exhibited both her best behavior, and her worst behavior, all in one episode, as she faced the possibility that she might be pregnant, and she initially acted in a completely self absorbed manner, and she was unbelievably harsh and condescendingly judgmental towards Bessie and the life she had led, after all that Bessie had done for her, and I was glad that Bessie stood up to her and said that Joey was no better than her or their mother, and at least she had someone in her life who knows how to take care of herself, let alone a family. Just like in “Admissions,” I was disappointed that Joey couldn’t get over focusing on only herself for even one hour, as everyone shared the joy of Gale’s impending birth with a “baby naming party,” but on the other hand, an unplanned pregnancy, especially at that stage of Joey’s life, as she stood on the threshold of her future, would be devastating, so in that regard, I could completely understand her fear and apprehension. Later, though, in typical Joey Potter fashion, her basic good nature came through, and she showed genuine remorse for her earlier harsh remarks, as she apologized to Bessie and showed her the respect and admiration that Bessie so richly deserved, and she proved herself to be a wonderfully supportive friend to both Dawson and Gretchen. I was glad to see Joey finally recognize just how selfish she was being, and her later words of advice to both Dawson and Gretchen about their relationship were the actions of a true and concerned friend, especially when Joey told Gretchen that Dawson would “Lasso The Moon” for her, and that Gretchen shouldn’t shut Dawson out of her life just because he was leaving. I truly felt, however, that Joey’s advice to Dawson about the significance of having sex, and that sex wasn’t what she thought it was going to be, and her statement that Dawson and Gretchen are a lot closer than people who are having sex, seemed to toll the death knell for her relationship with Pacey, which was further confirmed to me later in the episode in Joey and Pacey’s telephone conversation, as we watched her face drop as he lied to her about where he was, and she knew he was lying, and she lied to him about why she wanted him to contact her. To me, the juxtaposition of the basic honesty between Dawson and Gretchen, and the lack of honesty between Pacey and Joey, which has been emphasized in the last several episodes, was quite telling tonight, and judging from the preview that we saw, will soon come to a head between both couples.
I was so happy that everyone that Dawson cared about were there for him to welcome the arrival of his new baby sister, but I was disappointed that Pacey and Gretchen, who’ve both played such a large role in Dawson’s life, weren’t there at that moment. I also thought that it was sweet and poignant that Mitch and Gale named their baby Lillian after Bessie and Joey’s mother, and you could tell how moved both Joey and Bessie were by that touching gesture.
Overall, I really enjoyed this episode, and I look forward to the rest of the season with great anticipation.