Pace & Jo

The Official Dawson's Creek Board Rewatch Thread

"Future Tense" ~ 4x04

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Sugz

Ive adored this episode since it aired mainly because of drunk Joey. I love drunk Joey. THe fact that she was being so petulant about her "number 4" status especially in front of her boyfriend who was failing out of high school was only a sligt annoyance because I was so entertained by this episode. The strip poker scene was hysterical, although I do find it rather funny that this was the night where Dawson admits he can see Joeys love for Pacey (hey how about the time she left you on the docks and sailed away with him for the summer?) One of my favorite PJ scenes ever was teh last one in this episode when Pacey takes Joey home. So cute.

Ive also heard people say Pacey was rather brutish or out ofl ine by the way he "escorted" Joey out of the party, ridiculous, it was a funny sidenote to the episode.

Overall, I just thought this was more of a comic relief episode compared to some of teh more dramatic ones.

Also loved Drue and Jen, and loved the Andie, Jen, Joey scene.

COOLCAT200

Once again poor Dawson as I could see again his heart sink when he saw Pacey carry Joey out and at the end admitting he sees how much she loves him. I liked Gretchen was supportive. Dawson's mom I could understand being worried that her son only wanted to go to CA to put space between he and Joey. I really enjoyed the Jack/Dawson friendship scenes this season and liked how Jack picked up on the fact Dawson knew what its like to really miss something when it's gone. I liked the Jen,Joey,Andie scene it was a great friendship scene. I really was thinking Drue was ok until he gave Jen those drugs I hated he did that. All the P/J kiss scenes made me wanna turn the T.v Off.

TrueLovePJer

Ohhh I love drunk Joey too! I thought this episode was great and not to sound like a raging alcoholic, but I loved the "drinking" episodes of Dawson's Creek cuz as much as I love our wholesome bunch, it's always nice to see a touch of reality of what real high school students are doing at these ragers! But yeah, the last scene with Pacey and Joey is seriously one of the cutest moments of the entire series with these two! Sooo adorable! And I loved how at the end, Dawson admitted to Gretchen that he's seen how much Joey loves Pacey. I also liked the Andie, Jen, and Joey interaction! Very funny! I wish we had more.

COOLCAT200

About time? Dawson admitted in True Love that Joey loved Pacey.

hshapir2

I kind of agree with coolcat. Dawson already admitted back in True Love. He said you love him like I love you, the only difference is he loves you back the same way

COOLCAT200

Thanks hshapir.

hshapir2

welcome coolcat

Jerry D

Here's what I wrote about this episode when it first aired:

I have rather mixed feelings about this episode, because I feel that it tried to purport itself to be a watershed episode as each character began to face their future, but somehow, the show fell flat for me, and I found it to be pretty lackluster.

I liked the opening scene with Pacey and Joey, although I thought that Joey’s reference to the “fictional college where all the characters on some lame high school television show get accepted” was another attempt on the writers part to prove how hip and clever they are by using self referential ironic humor, and to me, this attempt fell far short of the much more clever use of parody as a thematic element that was the hallmark of the show in Season One. I liked seeing how Pacey showed his vulnerability in that scene, as the differences in their ambition and potential made him afraid of losing her, but this time, he didn’t have to say it, and I’m also glad that Dawson wasn’t mentioned any more as playing any role in his understandable fear of the future.

I thought the “college interview part” of the episode was clever in the way that it showed the varying outlooks of all the main characters, and their attitudes towards the future. I could understand that Joey felt some disappointment when her guidance counselor said that she might not make it into a top Ivy League school, but I think Joey completely overreacted to this very realistic advice. I think the fact that Joey was told that she was number four in her entire class, and that she could get in, as her guidance counselor said, “to practically any place in the country” should have given Joey cause for elation, but Joey chose to look on the down side of this advice, and she set into motion an entire episode where she talked to everyone about where her life might be going, but to me, she came off as pessimistic and self absorbed.

I found Andie to be rather annoying in this episode, and her strident need to control every aspect of both her life and Jack’s life was on full display tonight. I could understand her concern for Jack, and I absolutely believe that she has his best interests at heart, and that she truly does want all the people she cares about to realize their full potential, but I felt that she was far too pushy with Jack, so I understand why he chafed at her overbearing manner in trying to encourage him to start applying for colleges. I also thought that Jack was completely correct when he told Andie that she was too focused on the future, and by being that way, she could miss out on enjoying her present life. I thought it was funny, though, when Andie asked Joey and Jen “Am I too controlling?” and they both answered, in unison, “yes!”

I really disliked Drue in this episode, and he seems to become more conniving with every new episode, and the manipulative way that he connived a “birthday party” for Jen to further his own agenda, both to gain favor with her, and to achieve popularity at school, proved that he’s a person that’s completely out for himself, and he seems to bode trouble for the future, as he tried to tempt Jen back into a way of life that she had left behind by offering her “Ecstasy” at the end of the episode.

I liked seeing Gale talk to Dawson, and it was very telling that she noticed that Dawson seemed to be applying to colleges as far away as possible to distance himself from the girl that broke his heart, and she was right when she told Dawson that he shouldn’t make one of the most important decisions of his life based on the wrong criteria.

I didn’t like the scene where Joey started drinking just to prove to Pacey that he couldn’t order her around, and I think that if Dawson ever tried to order her around like that, he would have been castigated from here to kingdom come. I also didn’t enjoy seeing Pacey manhandle Joey to force her to leave the party, and again, if Dawson ever pulled a stunt like that, the cries for his head would have resonated throughout the entire Internet. I also thought that Dawson’s Creek continued its tradition of veering away from any remote resemblance to reality by showing a party filled with under aged kids being served alcohol at a “borrowed” house, with loud music and kids strolling around outside; and no neighbors call the cops, and no one apparently gets in any trouble.

One thing that really took away from my enjoyment of this episode was how Katie Holmes mugged it up for the camera, using every “cutesy” expression imaginable to show how “adorable” she is, and I thought her portrayal of a drunken Joey was very unconvincing, and for me at least, her final scene with Pacey, which had the potential to be sweet and touching, was overdone, and the loving effect that this scene should have had was ruined for me by Katie’s performance. Still though, I enjoyed seeing the obvious affection that Pacey and Joey have for one another, and no one, not even Dawson, can deny that they’re in love, and I no longer resent their relationship, and I accept the fact that they’re together, but I just wish that since Pacey and Joey are now together and happy, that we could see Dawson moving on from her, because she causes him nothing but heartache.

I thought that the scene between Dawson and Joey at the party in this episode was very disheartening, as Dawson tried to convince her in a very kind and considerate way that everything in her life was working out the way she always wanted, but she treated everything he had to say with disdain, even to the point of mocking him when he recalled her childhood ambitions telling him that his “buttons were so easy to push.” I thought that this scene proved once again that Joey has little respect for Dawson and absolutely no consideration for his feelings, and I really think that he’s be better off if he keeps his distance from her, because he doesn’t deserve to be treated like that. So far, in my mind at least, Joey has made no sincere effort to rebuild her friendship with Dawson, and the symbolic gesture she made towards him in the first episode by giving him that brick was only that, a gesture, and nothing more.

I thought that a lot of truth was revealed in the scene with Joey and Jen when Joey told Jen that they “weren’t really friends,” because Joey really never has been any type of friend to Jen, and she’s often treated her incredibly harshly. Still, though, Jen took that comment well as she considered the fact that Joey was drunk, and it was good to see Joey, Jen, and Andie bond a little in this episode.

I really loved the scene between Dawson and Gretchen at the end of the episode, when he admitted that he saw how much Joey loved Pacey, and the heartbreak on his face was obvious to see, and James Van Der Beek did an excellent job in portraying a young man in clear anguish as he’s forced to face the reality that he’s truly lost the young woman that he loves. I hope that Dawson moves on from his heartbreak, and I thought that Gretchen’s advice to him that what’s really important are the friends you make, and that your friends help you realize that all the things you want to be you already are, was very touching and true. I hope that Gretchen and Dawson’s friendship develops further, because I see some real potential there, although I still don’t see Gretchen as a plausible love interest for Dawson.

Overall, I found this episode to be, as my late father used to say, “watchable,” but it really didn’t do much for me, and I hope that future episodes will build on the wonderful potential of the first episode of Season Four, instead of moving further away from it like this episode did.

hshapir2

jerry d, do you have a new opinion now than before. thanks

Deb D

My summation:
* Joey's reference to TV shows that go on way too long into college years - WORD. The DC prophecy that unfortunately became true
-1 point
* cup full of pencils on the college advisors' desk. Very distracting and limited elbow room for students
-1 point
* Joey's teeth receeding dream. What the?
- 1 point
* Andie getting Jen a birthday present anyway. Very cute and very Andie.
+1 point
* Dawson and his mum having a candle light dinner. The closest Dawson had been to a girl all season
+ 1 point
* the lame water gun effort and subsequent lack of feminie squealing at the party.
- 1 point
* Jen turning up to her party in the same clothes despite Drue telling her not to be "that casual". Very cool.
+1 point
* Dawson and Joey talking at the party. OK. Not their happiest moment but they shared screen time. By season 4 I was desperate.
+1 point
* Tipsy Joey. More amusing and interesting than sober Joey this season.
+ 1 point
* Jack. He had some great lines and expressions this episode, in particular as he bounced off Andie
+ 1 point
* Destruction of elaborately constructed can tower at the party. I'd have been mad too.
-1 point
* All that cake and all those candles and no one to eat it except Jen and Drue. Plus all that wax that must have been melting on to the icing as they talked. No fate worse to a birthday cake.
-1 point
* The Pacey and Joey smooching and smirking at the end of the episode that went on way too long and meant I nearly stabbed myself in the eye with one of the still burning birthday candles.
-2 points

Episode total: -2

jopace1970

Aw, I love Drunk Joey! Her appearance makes up for Joey's annoying reaction to being #4.

Yeah me too.

hshapir2

just like I felt watching Dawson and Joey kiss in 601



thanks jopace

jopace1970

Word!

Anytime.

Deb D

[QUOTE=hshapir2]just like I felt watching Dawson and Joey kiss in 601
Lucky we all still have our vision then...