This year on Dawson's Creek
So we're friends,
and then we're a couple.
Friends again,
then we're a couple.
So what are we now?
We're Dawson and Joey.
You know, it's a new year.
Who knows?
You and I might even become friends.
You thought if you orchestrated
this whole evening,
that I would be convinced
into picking you over Pacey, right?
You have to pick somebody, Joey.
Well, if it isn't my blushing bride to be
and her maid of honor.
Hi.
We just stopped by C'est Magnifique.
And Debbi said the dresses will be ready tomorrow,
but the cake's ready right now,
and I want you to come and see it.
Bye, honey. Thanks, Joey.
They are as happy as I've ever seen them,
if you can believe that.
I can.
So how's the ring?
It's beautiful. And the dresses?
Oh, your mother's is gorgeous.
However, I'm starting to believe
everything I've heard about the unflattering nature
of bridesmaids' dresses. I'm sure you'll look amazing.
Joey, thanks for doing this again. I really appreciate it.
Dawson, it was an honor when your mom asked me.
How could I refuse?
Well, I know it means a lot to her,
but it also means a lot to me.
I couldn't imagine you not being a part of the ceremony,
and in spite of any awkwardness that this might stir up--
You know what? It's an important day for your parents,
and I'm not counting on it changing either of our lives,
so it's not gonna stir anything up unless we let it, right?
My point exactly.
Yeah.
So I have to go. I have something borrowed,
but I don't have anything blue yet.
Shouldn't be too hard.
There seems to be some of that going around these days.
Hey, Pace, you sure this trip is such a good idea?
I already cleared it with dad, ok?
Stay close to shore. Call home every week.
I know the drill. That's not exactly
what I'm talking about.
Are you gonna miss me? Is that it, Doug?
You know, what you think you're leaving behind here
is just gonna be that much bigger
when you're out there all alone.
Does Joey know you're leaving?
If she does, I didn't tell her.
So I guess she doesn't really know
how you feel about her either, right?
She knows how I feel.
Pace, have you spelled it out to her,
I mean, in... Clear, unwavering terms? Have you done that?
And what exactly do you think would happen
if I did that, Doug?
Worst case? Nothing. Best case--
she gives you a reason to stay.
See... That right there
is what happens to the male mind
when it's exposed to too many
Katharine Hepburn movies.
Every time you look at the stars, you're gonna see her face.
You can't run away from her, Pacey.
Well, I can try.
You know, there really is
a certain pleasing symmetry to this.
You, me, together again.
President and vice president of the bitter club,
reunited for one last session.
Yeah, I'm not bitter.
Oh, yeah, sure. Everybody wants their prom night
to end with the person they're most attracted to
in the whole entire world
speeding away from them on a commuter train.
Hey, Jack, when he comes over here,
would you mind telling him that I still mean
everything that I said, that I haven't changed my mind,
and that I hope that football camp in Cleveland
is sweaty, gross, girl-free,
not to mention painful and debilitating?
Do you realize how immature this is?
Jack, could you do me a favor?
Could you tell Jen that I left
my copy of Siddhartha in her locker?
I want it back. No.
Why not?
Because she's standing right here.
Could you just ask her, please?
Henry, this is ridiculous.
Hey, Jen, guess what?
Henry's come over here with this ridiculously lame
Siddhartha related pretext
because he's secretly hoping
that you'll give him another chance.
Wait, that's--that's not what I said.
Why don't you tell Henry
that if he would like his book back,
he should probably start digging?
Mmm... Translation:
She threw it away because...
It's a painful reminder of how much she regrets
freaking out like a total drama queen
and breaking up with you at the prom.
Ok. I'm not a drama queen,
and I'm not the only one who totally freaked out.
Personal affront.
Must be the going rate
for converting young lover subtext
to text these days.
He's right, Jen.
Neither of us is being very direct right now.
So how's this?
I'm sorry.
You know what, Henry? I'm sorry, too.
I'm sorry that we ever met.
That's too bad.
Because I--I'm not.
You've nothing else you wanna say to me?
No. Nothin'.
I guess that finishes that.
Andie. Hey.
Hey, come on in. It's a little hectic around here.
Yeah, I see. Guess that's why
you ran out of school without signing this--my yearbook.
As much as I admire your unswerving devotion
to high school ritual,
I can't believe you paid 34.95
so you can one day look back
at the disaster otherwise known as junior year.
Oh, wait, no, no. I marked a page for you.
Subtlety is not exactly your forte, is it?
He's leaving.
He's gonna take this, um,
summer sailing trip, you know, some macho adventure.
Well, good for him.
Yeah! So, um...
We're gonna have this little send-off tomorrow night,
you know, a picnic down by the docks.
Tomorrow night's the rehearsal dinner, so...
Even if I wanted to go, which I don't...
Dawson...
You do realize that one of you
is going to have to make the first move, don't you?
It's not gonna be me,
and it's not gonna be tomorrow night, so...
There you go.
Signed the page with all the faculty head shots.
Dawson?
For what it's worth,
I'm not over the pain of this yet either.
Letting go isn't a one-time thing.
It's something that you have to do over and over again
every day.
Thanks.
Sure.
Excuse me.
Driver's license and registration, please.
You're kidding me, right?
Driver's license and registration, please.
Miss Potter, I locked you going--
You have a radar gun?
Visual assessment.
You were going 5 to 7 miles per hour
below the posted speed limit
on this particular Capeside thoroughfare.
I'll let it go with a warning this time.
Promise to be careful.
Not that kind of warning.
I just thought you might like to know
that, uh... Unbeknownst to you,
a particular attitudinally challenged younger sibling
is preparing to leave Capeside for the summer.
Seems he's gonna sail himself down to the Florida keys
for the next 3 months.
When does he leave?
In a couple of days.
I just thought you might like to know about it
before it was too late for you to, uh... Say or do something.
Thank you.
It's not a problem, Miss Potter.
Passenger advisory is typical officer protocol.
Want a bite?
This is your solution?
What are you talking about?
You're leaving.
Uh-huh.
Just when things get tough,
you're gonna pack up and leave.
Well, that's the general idea, yeah.
Oh, real mature, Pacey.
Well, what do you want me to do,
sit around all summer and watch from afar
as you and Dawson attempt to resuscitate
your ailing relationship? No, thanks.
Well, I expected you to at least say good-bye.
Oh, yeah, the good-bye scene.
Played that one over a thousand times in my head.
I come to you, heart in hand, and announce my plans.
You look at me, pained, but then, of course,
the Potter sarcasm kicks in
and I leave never getting what I came for.
What is that, Pacey?
You never ask me to stay.
Ever.
Look, that's not my decision.
Yes, it is. It always has been.
You may be too afraid to make it,
but let's be honest with each other.
The decision to be together or not be together
has always been yours.
All I asked for was time.
And that's exactly what you got.
And you're gonna get 3 more months of it.
I may be undecided, Pacey,
but at least I'm not running away.
You can dress it up any way you want, Pacey.
It still comes down to the same thing:
you're giving up.
I'm giving up.
Yeah, you. Me?
Mm-hmm! Ha ha ha.
Turn around.
It's your wall. Mm-hmm.
It's unfinished... Just like us.
Believe it or not, Pacey,
this is not the ending that I asked for.
Me neither. But it's the ending we got, isn't it?
Yeah, I guess it is.
At this time,
Gale will begin her vows to Mitch.
No offense, reverend,
but I have at least 20 people coming for dinner
in about an hour. And seeing as how Gale and I
have done all this before--
Go on. We'll do the rest when it's for real.
Thank you, Reverend.
I haven't finished my best man speech yet.
Any thoughts?
Oh. I don't have much to say
about relationships these days, Dawson.
If you have someplace else you'd rather be,
why don't you just go?
What are you talking about?
Do I have to spell it out for you?
Pacey's going-away party.
I'm here, aren't I?
Yeah, in body, but not in spirit.
You've got nothing positive to say.
You're basically going through the motions
with a scowl on your face.
Dawson, I'm doing the best I can. Can you cut me some slack?
Cut me some slack, Joey. Don't make me feel like this!
Like what? Like you're stuck with me!
I don't deserve that.
You're right. I--
You don't. I'm--
I'm sorry.
Well, why don't you just go?
All right? Give the guy my best.
I'm staying.
Oh, look!
Star light, star bright,
first star I see tonight.
Ok, who wants to make the first wish?
Oh, my God--ow!
Ow. That's a piece of a crab shell.
Chipped my tooth. Great. Great.
Just what I need to keep men permanently away from me.
Well, if that doesn't work,
you can always join me this summer in the nunnery!
At least you get to have relationships before they fail.
Good grief. You all sound like a bunch of old ladies.
Grams, it's been a tough couple of months.
You don't know what tough is.
No offense, Grams, but you have no idea
what our lives are like.
What, you think I've never been in love before?
Yeah. Once. With one man your whole entire life.
You know, when I was...
Just a few years older than you,
I was working at Brunswick naval hospital,
and I met a boy
who had the most beautiful blue eyes
I have ever seen.
He was leaving for Pusan in the morning,
but we had an entire glorious day on the beach,
and at the end of that day,
he leaned in close to me and whispered,
"Will you wait for me?"
So... What'd you do?
I froze. I knew if I leaned just 2 inches closer,
the world as I knew it would be changed forever.
So you did nothing?
You didn't kiss him,
you didn't try to speak to him.
You just did nothing. Nothing.
Did you ever wonder what your life
might have been like if you had kissed him?
That is just the point. I don't have to wonder.
The very next day, I got my best friend sally
to cover the shift for me.
And after 7 turbulent hours in the cargo hold
of a C130...
I arrived in San Diego,
went straight to the dock,
and in front of the entire crew of the U.S.S. Missouri,
I kissed him.
That's funny.
I had no idea Gramps was in the Korean war.
He wasn't.
Thomas Culpepper...
The boy with the most beautiful blue eyes
I've ever seen...
Died in Pusan
in shallow water
before he ever made it off the boat.
2 years later, I married your grandfather.
So I had 46 wonderful years with one man
and one perfect kiss
with another.
And I have no regrets.
Wonder how many of you will be able to say that
about your lives?
Have you seen Dan?
No. Have you seen Joey? Uh, no.
Bessie called.
She wants you to stop by the store on your way home.
Thanks.
Joey, about this afternoon...
I don't want to fight.
That's the last thing I want to do.
Well, I don't-- I won't want to fight either, Dawson.
I'm sorry.
If we're gonna have an honest relationship,
Dawson, then there's...
Something you should know.
I broke things off with Pacey,
not entirely, but in large part because...
I didn't want to lose you.
I may have lived across the creek,
but it was only when I was rowing in this direction
that I actually felt like I as rowing home.
You're so much of my life, Dawson. I mean...
Your house is my house and your family is my family,
and there's not a single significant event
I've experienced
that you haven't experienced with me,
and I was so afraid of losing that.
But... If that wasn't the choice...
And if I thought
that there was a chance that you would forgive me...
I may have chosen differently.
And you deserve to know that.
Jennifer?
What's wrong?
I wish that I hadn't let Henry go
without telling him how I really feel.
I wish... Now it's too late.
It's never too late.
Yeah, I suppose.
Here's what I suppose.
What on earth are you doing?!
We are gonna catch that bus,
and you're gonna tell that boy exactly how you feel.
What took you so long?
I got thirsty.
I called Bessie, and she called you.
I tell you, it is not easy work finishing things off.
Pacey, what does this mean?
Well, it means you were right.
That my leaving would be giving up on you.
And I'm not quite prepared to do that just yet.
But it also means that I need to know
that you're not quite prepared
to give up on me yet either.
So, all that being said,
I refer to the wall with its...
Hastily yet adoringly written S.O.S.,
which I guess kinda speaks for itself.
I spent an hour and a half
staring at this half-painted wall
after we talked last night...
Just staring and thinking.
So, the way I figure it...
It's your turn to stare now.
I do promise to love you...
In good times and in bad,
in sickness and in health.
I loved you before I knew you.
I will love you for all eternity,
for you are my beloved, Mitch.
You're my best friend.
I loved you before I knew you,
and I will love you for eternity,
for you are my beloved.
You're my best friend.
And now by the power vested in me,
I'm happy to pronounce you husband and wife...
Again.
Mitch, you may kiss the bride.
Grams,
you've been driving for hours!
His bus could be anywhere by now.
Yeah. We could have missed him.
You can't miss a giant gray bus
filled with high school football players.
Like that one right there.
Where?
Oh, my God.
Whoo!
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God!
Ohh...
Ok!
Henry?
Um... Henry?
Henry... Parker?
Hey--Henry!
Henry Parker!
Out of my way! Come on.
Henry, you in there?
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
You can't go in there. What, have you lost your mind?
Well, quite possibly, yes, I might have lost it.
Henry...
9 months ago, you paid $500 to kiss me,
and I was too dumb to realize what that meant
and what you were really offering me, but I know now.
It means that there really is such a thing as a second chance
and that no matter how old or how jaded you are,
when you meet the person you're supposed to be with,
everything's gonna be new--
a sunset, a cheesy love song, and especially sex.
Whoo!
Henry, I'm the reason we didn't have sex after prom.
Trust me, I know.
Not because I was mad at you
but because I as more nervous than you were.
I have been with guys before,
but I have never been with anybody that I loved,
and in that way,
I'm more of a virgin than you could ever be.
Thanks a lot.
Come on. What do you care?
Come here.
Yeah! Whoo!
Henry! Henry! Henry! Henry!
Look, I can't do it, Pacey.
I can't give you a reason to stay.
I have so much junk to work through,
I don't even know where to begin the process at all.
How I feel about you and how I feel about Dawson--
Then you've made your choice.
Right there. You've made your choice.
Good for you.
I guess I have.
Yeah.
Wasn't so hard, was it?
Should have made it months ago.
Saved us all a lot of time and energy.
And heartache.
I see all the members of the triangle
are present and accounted for.
Um, can I have this camera?
I'm gonna go take some pictures.
Jo.
Yep?
Don't I even get a good-bye?
Good-bye, Pacey.
Just wondering.
What the hell are you doing here?
Ease up, man.
I'm here for the wedding.
Last I heard, you were sailing the 7 seas.
As indeed I am.
Tomorrow.
Today I'm here for your parents.
I'll be sure to pass on your congratulations.
Yeah. Speaking of congratulations...
I guess I should be passing some on to you.
What are you talking about?
Well, she made her choice, Dawson.
You're it.
You got what you wanted.
Things are never gonna be the same between us, are they?
No.
Yeah.
Yeah, I didn't think so.
Yeah.
I'll write you every day!
Just come back in one piece!
Whoo!
That was awesome!
You know you gotta resign from the bitter club now.
Oh, I'll still be there in spirit.
Oh, I am so proud of you.
You showed great, great courage today.
How does it feel?
Well, I feel like an idiot.
A happy idiot.
Did she say happy?
You don't know how long I've waited
to hear you say that word.
Yeah, you and me both.
Been waiting a long time to feel it.
Ok! Ok, enough hugging for today.
You know, I think that we've still got
one thing left to do
on our carpe diem road trip.
Jack, it's your turn.
No. No.
No way.
Our era of regret ends right now.
What's the fastest route to Boston?
You know, I used to be able to look in your eyes
and know everything you were thinking.
These days...
I haven't a clue.
I was just thinking about the summer...
How much there's gonna be to do, and...
I mean, we didn't get a chance
to spend last summer together, you and I.
We're gonna have a lot to catch up on.
There'll be waterskiing with your dad, and, um...
Fourth of July on Waldeck island and...
We can even go into Boston for the weekend.
I mean...
That would be fun.
Yeah.
All right, wish me luck.
Jack!
Hey.
Uh... What are you doing here?
I--I just drove a really long way
to tell you, um...
More sort of to try and explain, really.
No, I--I don't mean that. Uh...
I wanna show you...
Yeah, I wanna show you that I can
and that I'm not afraid to...
Oh, hell. This.
Uh... Jack...
No. Uh...
I know there's people around,
but who cares, right?
I mean, that's the whole point.
I finally have the courage to do this.
Jack, this is Brad.
As in your ex-boyfriend Brad?
Uh... No.
As in his boyfriend Brad.
I think I'm gonna let you two talk this one out.
See you at practice.
Ok.
Ha.
Wow. Um... Ha.
Ok. Explanation time.
No. No explanations necessary.
It's very clear to me that I just inducted myself
into the halls of the permanently pathetic.
Please, Jack, just listen.
The timing just isn't there right now.
And Brad and I--
Yeah, I really don't want to hear about the details
of your joyful reunion right now, ok?
Sure, Jack.
I'm sorry.
I really am.
The first time my parents got married, they were very young.
They were just out of college.
And, um, I remember looking at the photo album as a kid,
wondering why I wasn't in any of the pictures.
It's hard when you love someone that much
to imagine them having this entire life
that you weren't even there for.
And I have to say that, uh...
Being here today, experiencing this firsthand,
finally getting to be in all the pictures,
I wouldn't trade this for anything.
'cause I'd much rather be a part of what you guys have now
than what you had then,
that point where everything is forgiven.
And I think that's what love really means...
That you can forgive anything.
So...
To my parents...
Who taught me that love does not conquer all...
That love ends...
And begins again.
Hear, hear.
Cheers.
Hey.
Your speech was beautiful.
Thanks.
What you said...
Did you mean it, Dawson?
Every word.
Which is why you should turn around and go.
To Pacey.
What?
Last year, you had the opportunity
to go to Paris and study,
and because of me, you didn't.
Dawson, that wasn't your fault.
Yes, it was my fault, Joey.
I should have made you go.
But I was selfish, and I didn't want you to go.
I wanted you to stay here with me.
And I refuse to make that mistake again.
Well, Dawson, I mean, what if it's my choice?
What if I want to stay?
Joey... Come on.
Even I can see it.
Pacey is this year's Paris.
And this time...
You have to go.
You have to see for yourself, all right?
I can stand here and tell you that it's a colossal mistake
and that all roads lead back to me,
but that's not gonna make any bit of difference.
Words and speeches sound great, but...
They don't add up to anything.
All that matters right now is what you want.
I don't even know what I want, Dawson.
Yes, you do.
You want him.
You want him like I want you.
you love him like I love you.
The only difference is he loves you back the same way.
And you deserve that.
Ok? And I'm not gonna be the one
who stands in the way of you getting that.
You're free.
You can do whatever you want.
But, Dawson, I want us to still be friends,
and I want to know that you don't hate me--
They're just words, Joey.
They're just words.
'cause after you're done
dispensing your pleasantries here,
you're gonna turn around
and you're gonna walk away from me.
Aren't you?
I have to, otherwise, I'll never know.
Just go.
But, Dawson--
Jo, go, I'm telling you,
before I take it all back, all right? Just go!
Go.
Hey, Jack, I'm glad you're back.
Want to show you something.
I'm not really in the mood right now.
Hey, what's the matter?
I just wanna be alone.
Hey, hey, hey, you could talk to me.
This is something you really
don't wanna hear about, believe me.
You don't know that. Really?
You wanna hear that I found out
that Ethan got back together with his ex?
You want to hear that I found that out after I kissed him?
Well, that's... Interesting.
Yeah, it's-- it's interesting, right?
Come on, admit it.
The thought of me kissing another guy
disgusts you. I disgust you!
That is not true. Yes, it is!
You're angry.
You're hurting right now, but I will not let you
pick an argument with me
just so you can vent your frustration!
No, no. I spent an entire year
developing this relationship...
And working on it. Now it's a wash!
The whole year's a wash! My whole life's a wash!
Your life is not a wash!
You hurt now because you had the guts
to put yourself out there
and go after what you wanted.
I can't.
I can't keep going through this.
It's like having all the problems
of a typical teenager,
and there's this whole other level
of constant fear...
And pain.
Do you know the anguish I went through over a kiss--
one stupid little kiss?
Most people don't have to do that!
You're right. They don't.
Then why me?
I don't want to be different.
I didn't ask to be gay.
No more than I asked for a gay son...
But, boy, am I glad I got one.
You don't mean that.
Yeah.
I do.
Your official pick-me-up posse.
Yeah. Andie and I are chatting
and thought that maybe you could use a little company.
So then I take it upon myself to call Jack attack here
and tell him to hurry over.
And then I took it upon myself to run to the video store
and grab some movies.
Thanks, guys. I really appreciate you coming over,
but I really think what I need right now is to just--
Sorry, Dawson. No can do.
Yeah. I think that the words "I wanna be alone right now"
Are used far too often around here.
Kinda ranks right up there with, uh...
"Can we talk?"
And there's those countless references
towards all things Freud and Spielberg.
Yeah. I'm pretty sure of it.
We're not in Capeside anymore, Toto.
This is some alternate reality
where our intellects are sharper,
our quips are wittier,
and our hearts are repeatedly broken
while faintly in the background,
some soon to be out of date
contempo pop music plays.
So why does it hurt so much?
Because our pain makes us real, Dawson.
But we can't do it alone.
None of us can.
Sit down.
So... What'd you guys do today?
Oh, my God.
You are not gonna believe these two.
Well, it all started with Jen.
Well...
Pacey!
Pace!
Pacey?
You want something, Jo?
I want to talk to you.
No, no. A bit late for this now. I'm leaving.
You can't stop me, so don't even try.
No. That's not why I'm here.
So why are you here?
You wanna say good-bye again?
Maybe you wanted to rub it in a little bit, huh?
Look, I don't want to stop you, Pacey,
and I don't want to stop Dawson, and I don't want
to be stopped, not by either of you, not by anyone, see?
I mean, that's what this whole year has been about.
We've been trying to stop each other from moving on
and from growing up, but... But not you.
I mean, you're different, and...
You've challenged me every step of the way
and you've been there every step of the way.
Jo, departure time is in T-minus 30 seconds,
so if there's a point, I suggest you get to it.
I think I'm in love with you.
You think or you know?
I know.
I've known it since the moment you kissed me
and maybe even before that.
And---- scary as it is,
I don't want to deny it any more, Pacey.
I don't want to run from it, and I don't want to let it run from me.
So...
What are we gonna do here, Jo?
I wanna come with you.
Ha. What?
You crazy?
Mm-mmm.
I wanna stop standing still.
I wanna move forward. I wanna come with you.
What bout Bessie and the B&B? They need you.
Not as much as I need you, Pacey.
Ah-ah-ah!
Permission to come aboard?
Permission granted.
You can swim, can't you?
Of course.
I'm just kinda worried about the next change of clothes.
That's nothing to worry about.
We're gonna hit the next port in a few days.
Few days?
Yeah! Or a few days after that.