Pacey should've told Dawson ahead of time given the whole Jack/Joey thing and the Dawson/Joey history. Dawson was understandably upset given Jack's attitude about kissing Joey while DJo were together. Maybe he shouldn't have taken that out on Pacey but I thought it was understandable.
Pacey had other things on his mind, like his anxiety about a father/son weekend so that's understandable too. I didn't like that Pacey took out his frustrations with his dad out on Dawson but it's understandable. He's starved for his father's approval and Dawson gets it while he doesn't. And Dawson has a great father. I think Dawson didn't see it because it was hard to see. As someone who has seen a similar situation firsthand, it's not always noticeable to outsiders. And the writing was kind of subtle with that, his dad made a few offhanded comments but nothing that you'd think much of. I like that Dawson and Pacey helped each other in this episode. Pacey helped Dawson see Mitch in a different light and that Dawson helped Pacey see that there are other people in his life who think he's great. That DP scene at the end was really great and showcased what I liked about their friendship in s2. The Pacey breakdown was great and well acted. I really liked how he spoke about Andie, you can just feel his love for her in that scene even though she isn't there. I liked that we got some backstory on Pacey and why he has a loser complex.
I'm an admitted Dawson fan so I liked this episode for him as well. I like that he started to see Pacey, Jack, and Mitch differently here. Dawson is starting to see his father as a human being and I think that's hard for any teen to see. Dawson has expectations as a son but I like that he's starting to see a bit of himself in Mitch. That Mitch/Dawson scene on the docks and later on the porch were so great. John and James played off each other so well and they were definitely a highlight of this episode for me.
The girls side of the episode wasn't as strong for me but still enjoyable. I like that we got to learn more about Jen and Joey's feelings towards each other. I think they were being honest in the hallway and in the living room during the interview. Joey feels like she's being replaced and that Jen is so much better than she could ever be. And Jen feels like she's criticized no matter which role she plays. It makes me wonder who the true Jen is since we've seen so many versions of her since the show started. I wonder if that was intentional on the writers part or if they just weren't sure what to do with her.