"...and then, just like that,
"They were kissing.
"She didn't know how they got there.
"She had no idea.
"The thought of kissing this boy
"Hadn't crossed her mind in years,
"Which was weird,
"Because once upon a time,
"That was all she ever thought about.
"And then, just like that,
"It was over.
"He coughed, she shuffled her feet...
"And she laughed to herself.
"It had been one of those moments,
"One of those moments
where you shuck your status as mere mortal
"And achieve, however briefly, true greatness.
"She had shared many such moments with this boy,
"But now he was leaving and...
Nothing would ever be the same again."
So, what do we think of Joey's story, guys?
Alex? Incredibly banal.
Tell us how you really feel, Alex. Wow!
It's a Hallmark card
About a high school crush. Who cares?
I thought it was brilliant.
The way she described the moment up to the kiss,
I was right there with her.
It's like Joyce Carol Oates meets... Judy Blume.
You say that like it's a good thing.
Hey, let's not knock Judy Blume.
Without her, my younger self
Would never have been able to decode
the random acts of madness
Perpetrated by that marvelous creature
Known as the teenage girl.
So, Miss Potter,
I've got some good news and some bad news.
The good news is...
Class is over. Today's torture has come to an end.
The bad news?
You are obviously a writer...
Which means the torture has just begun.
All right, everybody, I will see you next week.
Alex, you're up next! I can hardly wait.
Professor Wilder.
You don't like that "C" very much, do you, Joey?
No, I don't. In fact, I hate it,
And I was wondering if there's anything I can do
To make that "C" a little bit less of a "C"?
Absolutely. You can rewrite it.
How can I do that?
This boy of yours, does he exist in reality?
He does, actually.
He's coming for a visit this weekend.
Ah, perfect.
Why is that perfect?
Well, it'll help you fix your story.
Fix it? I don't even know what's wrong with it.
The problem with your story, Joey Potter,
Is that it ends at the very moment it should begin.
Hello.
Hey, it's me.
Hey! You at the airport?
Um, not exactly. No.
You want the good news or the bad news first?
Uh-oh, not again.
Huh?
Nothing. What is it?
Well, remember the internship I was telling you about?
With that Director? You got it?!
I did.
Dawson, that's great! I'm so happy for you.
That means you can't come for the weekend.
I start today.
That sucks.
I know, I was kinda...
Looking forward to seeing you.
Kind of?
You know what I mean.
I was kinda lookin' forward to seeing you, too.
There's always next weekend.
Which will turn into next month.
Or next year.
A Christmas card every now and then...
When your wife remembers.
We should probably just say good-bye forever.
Yeah, might as well.
Drama queen.
I know.
Um...
Well, listen, good luck today.
Thanks. And, uh...
I'll call you sometime over the weekend.
Bye.
Good morning, son.
Good morning. I'm here for an internship.
Is that right? You have an appointment?
Today's my first day.
First day. Are you nervous?
Uh, no. Not, uh...
Well, I--yeah.
What's your last name?
Leery. L-double-e-r-y.
Do you know where you're going, Mr. Dawson Leery?
Absolutely no idea.
Straight back, 2 lefts, and a right.
Ok. Thanks.
Dawson...
Try not to get lost in there.
Heads up. Ooh.
College guys are hot.
Give me the phone. Why?
I'm calling Tobey and telling him you said that.
I can look.
But you cannot touch. I like Tobey.
Tobey's good people.
Yeah, I like Tobey, too.
It just so happens that we're kinda doomed
To the loneliness of a long-distance relationship
Well, that's still better than the loneliness
of the no-distance relationship.
That doesn't make any sense, does it?
No, no, it didn't.
Look, you need to get some, and soon,
All right, before you achieve born-again virgin status.
Jack.
Jen, I'm serious. It's been far too long.
The last guy you were with was Henry.
That means last year was a total wash for you.
Tell me about it.
You're more fun when you're with a guy.
Watching you twist yourself up
into knots of anxiety,
it's highly entertaining.
Thanks. That's good to know.
It's not in a-- oh, heads up!
My goodness!
Nice throw.
Thanks, man.
Hey, um,
There's a party tonight
over at the Sigma Ep house.
You guys should go. Everything's free.
Punch, beers, shots, everything.
Cool! Yeah, we'll be there.
Rock on, dude.
"Cool! We'll be there"?
Yeah. Yeah, it'll be fun.
You might meet someone.
Like I'm gonna meet the love of my life
At a college frat party?
You didn't think that guy was hot?
In a dumb-guy-with-a-dream kinda way.
Nicely put.
Joey!
Audrey.
Can I ask my favorite roommate in the whole wide world
The hugest of all possible favors?
As long as it doesn't involve me leaving this room.
It involves me leaving this room, doesn't it?
Zach is here. Where?
Outside.
The one with the tattoo of his frat on his ankle?
No. That was Tom.
What happened to Tom?
Bad kisser. H.O.B.
H.O.B.? Hair on back. Gross!
Audrey.
Joey.
We can't go on like this.
Couldn't you just maybe
go to the library for a little while?
Do you have any idea how much time I've spent sexiled
In the library this semester?
It's barely October.
Please?
Pretty please?
And just so you know, I'm totally planning
on making myself scarce once your beau gets here.
First of all, he's not my beau.
And second of all, he's not coming.
Dunston's not coming--
Dawson!
Right.
Something came up.
Hey...
Do you need me right now, because if you need me,
I will totally get rid of Zach.
I mean, you may not be aware of this yet,
but I'm pretty awesome like that.
That's ok.
I have to go talk to Professor Wilder.
And that's what you're wearing?
What's that supposed to mean?
Joey. Professor Wilder is gorgeous!
Audrey, I'm going to see him about a paper,
Not to hit on him.
Is this all for Professor Wilder?
Mm-hmm. And worth every minute
if you ask me.
Busted.
What are you doing?
Escaping the hoards.
You don't understand. I could be there for hours.
Must be nice.
What do you mean?
Freshmen girls over you all the time.
Oh, don't worry.
I go home and have the wife and kid
bitch me out for a couple of hours. Keeps me grounded.
So I presume you wanted to see me?
I wanted to ask you about my story.
If you must--
If you must ruin a perfectly glorious day
with a question about schoolwork,
go right ahead.
You said that the story should start where it ended,
the problem is nothing happened after that.
The 2 people just went their separate ways.
It doesn't matter.
Where do you want the story to go?
See, writing is about making choices, Joey,
and you copped out.
You stopped before you had to make a choice.
I mean, I don't even know what the kiss meant.
It was just a kiss.
That doesn't mean anything to me. Make a choice.
What was it? Was it...
Sweet? Was it friendly? Was it passionate?
Was it I wanna lay you down on the nearest flat surface
and do ungodly things to you, or...
Was it good-bye?
I'll be right back.
Hey, you. Hi.
Hi.
Oh, god. They said you were young,
but I had no idea.
Weren't you at Kate Mantilini's last week?
No? Cafe des artistes, then?
You were with Greg and Mickey and those UTA guys.
No. Ok, forget it.
We don't know each other. Come in.
Something to drink? Uh, water.
Water!
So, I gotta tell you,
You are a fantastic writer.
Really? How can you tell?
It's my job, sweetie.
That's what I do.
Ok.
I should tell you I'm a huge fan of Todd's,
especially his music videos,
that one he did for Janet Jackson.
Amazing. Todd is an effing genius.
The leading visualist of his time, I think.
Well, sure.
The videos were a great stepping stone,
but now we're all about features.
He's shooting Damage, Inc. right now.
That comes out next summer, right?
Yeah, that's right.
And it's my job to find him his next gig.
I'm trying to talk him
into doing a feature version of Seventh Heaven.
The TV show?
Yes. What do you think?
Uh, I think that's...
You know, weird.
Exactly. The plan is to do it
with more of a serious edge,
like what they did with The Brady Bunch Movie.
And that's where you come in.
I don't get it.
David, your sample was perfect.
You have just the right voice for this project.
Dawson.
Excuse me? My name is Dawson.
Dawson Hartley. Dawson Leery.
Who's Dawson Hartley?
I have no idea.
Oh! Oh, Dawson Leery.
Right. Right.
Uh, what have I read of yours?
Probably just my resume.
David Hartley is here.
Ashley...
Uh-huh?
Who is this?
The new intern.
What abour Bora Bora?
What do we know about it?
Is it in the caribbean?
No, French Polynesia.
Maybe he's gone Kurtz.
Kurtz?
Brando. Apocalypse Now.
Yeah, he's become the leader of this ragtag band
of expatriates from some tropical island
you can't even find on a map.
Or maybe he's back in Capeside...or Boston.
Well, wherever Pacey is, I hope he's happy.
And if I'm lucky, Audrey is just about finished
with her latest conquest, so...
Sounds like that girl has a really promising future in porn.
Bow-chicka-bow-bow.
You guys laugh, but it's true.
I open the door, and I never know
what kind of seedy little vignette
I'm about to walk into.
It's pretty much the same thing here.
You never know who Grams is gonna bring home from bingo.
So can we count on you tonight or what?
Mmm... I don't know.
Are we frat party kind of people?
Is there any past evidence
of us functioning well at these kind of events?
Which is precisely why we should go.
Look, it's a new year, guys. Ok?
And we need to--we need to spread our wings,
challenge any preconceived notions
we had of college.
And most importantly, we need to reinvent ourselves.
What's gotten into him?
A cute boy invited him.
Bye. Shut up.
Bye. See you.
What?
People...it has just been brought to my attention
that thanks to the incompetence of my crew,
I'm not gonna make my date.
This saddens me. This depresses me.
You people are a disgrace
to the industry in which you toil.
Call yourselves a film crew?
James Cameron would have you all taken out back
and shot by now. I, on the other hand,
will simply make you all
the subject of scorn and derision.
Who are you and why are you staring at me?
I'm the new intern.
What can I do for you, new intern?
Heather gave me this script for you.
She said it was very important. You needed to read it
in between shots.
Crap. I'm sure of it.
She doesn't have the best taste in material.
She's pretty hot, though.
I can't argue with that.
What's your name?
Dawson. Do me a favor, Dawson.
Sure. Anything. Read this.
Let me know what you think. Really?
Uh, go over there. Use my chair.
Let me know when you're done.
All right. Where were we?
Oh, yes. Call yourself a Special Effects Expert?
I don't see any missing fingers. At all.
There's more talent in my daughter's
fourth grade art class than on this entire set.
Ahh.
Hey.
Have you ever had an orgasm?
Excuse me?
Have you ever had an orgasm?
Not something i particularly like to discuss
With a near-stranger.
Me? A near stranger?
I am your roommate, Joey.
As such, i reserve the right
To raise such topics as oral sex,
Feminine hygiene, and orgasms.
Speaking of which,
I don't think I ever had one in high school.
I thought I did, you know?
But, whew! Zach convinced me otherwise.
It's a shame we had to break up.
You broke up already?
Yes.
He tried to talk me into a threesome.
I may be easy, but I'm not sleazy. We're through.
I'm...sorry, I guess.
It's hard work finding the right boy.
Which actually makes a rather nice segue
into our next topic.
Which is?
I'm afraid for you, Joey.
What are you talking about?
I'm afraid that you're not having
the proper college experience.
I appreciate the concern, but--
No, it's just--you study. You know? A lot.
And you never want to go out with me, and--
Look, Audrey,
everybody's college experience is different. Ok?
Some people like to drink and screw around,
and that's fine, but,
some people actually want to study
and get a great education
so they can get a good job
and don't have to worry about working retail
in the small town from whence they came.
That's not it, Joey. Oh, it's not?
No. It's like...
It's like you're afraid to have fun or something.
Why would I be afraid to have fun?
'Cause if you had fun, you might meet someone you liked.
If you actually met someone you liked,
you might actually have to let go of the past.
Look, I know that you're sad
that your special guy couldn't come this weekend.
I get that. I'm highly intuitive.
But maybe-- maybe that's a good thing.
You know? Maybe that's a sign.
No offense, Audrey, but...
You really don't know that much about my life.
And whose fault is that, I wonder?
Hello?
Yoo-hoo?
Ah, you again.
You're not gonna get rid of me so easy.
I can't believe my brother
sold me down the river to the likes of you.
Yeah, well, Dougie Witter is no match for my feminine wiles.
What's the latest scuttlebutt?
Uh, Bora Bora, where apparently you've gone Kurtz.
Ooh.
I hypothesized over that you were, in fact, here,
but everybody likes to imagine
a far more exotic locale.
And Joey?
Joey likes to imagine you're happy.
Which I am. Good.
I think you'd be even happier
If you came out with us tonight.
I appreciate that, but--
Ok, all right, um...
But see, every Sunday, Grams insists
that we all have dinner together.
It's me and Jack and Joey.
I know. It's annoying, but it's also kind of sweet.
Which pretty much sums up my Grams.
Um, but--so, I just want to just put it out there.
You know, if you feel like a home-cooked meal,
keep the light on for you.
Got it?
Got it.
Is Dawson in town?
No, no.
He got this internship he couldn't pass up.
You see? There's a guy who has the right idea.
He's out there doing his own thing,
moving forward, not looking back.
Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Come here.
Thanks for dropping by, though.
Of course.
And, uh, you know, keep on
keeping our little secret.
I will.
Not forever.
See you.
Is this ok?
What'd I miss?
Your friends were just filling me in
on your shockingly sordid romantic history.
Thank you both so very much.
I'm assuming I can skip the introductions.
Totally. Let me get you up to speed.
Jen is my new best friend,
And Jack will heretofore be known
as Joey's very cute guy friend.
Oh, no. No. He's Joey's very cute gay friend.
No. Really?
Pretty gay. Mm-hmm.
And there's nothing we can do about this?
Look, I have been kissed
By 2 of the finest female specimens
this world has to offer.
If that didn't do it...
Both of you girls have kissed this boy?
That is just so unfair.
So, are we going, or what?
Yeah.
We just have to wait for Audrey.
We do?
She's one cool chick, Jo.
She is?
Ok, people. Let's do this.
So what's the verdict, intern?
Well, it's, uh, pretty much as you feared.
It's crap. What's wrong with it?
There's a monkey in it.
Really? A monkey? That's awful.
Well, it doesn't matter.
I'll probably end up doing it anyway. Why?
'Cause Drew Barrymore's attached.
Yeah, but the script sucks.
Then I'll fix it.
Writing's not that hard.
What do you want to be when you grow up, Dawson?
What else? A Director.
What are you doing about it?
USC film school.
Film school's for pussies. What are you really doing?
I...uh...
I made a documentary last year about A.I. Brooks.
Who?
He was, this pulp Director from the fifties.
It's an amazing story. I can show it to you.
No, thanks.
Ok.
Look, you're, like, what? 18?
Yeah. Chances are it's bad,
and if I agree to look at it and it does indeed suck,
I have to come up with some sort of b.s.,
so you don't feel bad.
And if on the off chance it's actually any good,
what do I need that for?
Why would I want to be jealous of some 18-year-old kid?
Do you see my predicament?
they're ready for you, Todd.
Welcome to Hollywood, Dawson.
♪ I walked along the avenue ♪
♪ I never thought I'd meet a girl like you ♪
♪ meet a girl like you ♪
♪ With auburn hair and tawny eyes ♪
♪ The kind of eyes that hypnotize me through ♪
♪ Hypnotize me through ♪
♪ And I ran, I ran so far away ♪
♪ I just ran, I ran all night and day ♪
♪ I couldn't get away ♪
Oh! Oh, man! Ah.
I'm sorry. Are you ok?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Worthington, right? You, too?
You're in my Economics class. You're C-10.
What did you call me? Row C. C-10.
That's where you sit every day.
You do this thing with your hair
when you're taking notes.
You tuck it behind your ear. It's kind of cool.
I'm pretty much creeping you out, aren't I?
Uh, no.
No, not at all. Good.
You want to go inside and talk for a few minutes?
Fewer decibels.
And I promise not to head-butt you. Ever again.
Uh...actually, I should--
I should probably go check on my friend.
Oh. Sure. Ok.
Well, it was nice talking to you.
You, too.
See you.
Hey.
Would you like to see my stereo?
Where is it?
It's up in my room.
Ohh...oh, I bet you got some bitchin'
black light posters up there, too, don't you?
Yes, I do. Who told you?
I think I'm gonna pass.
Why?
Because I'm not gonna sleep with you.
Well, how do you know? We could get up there,
and you could change your mind.
Yeah, I really don't think so.
Hey! Hey.
So have you ever thought
about joining a fraternity?
I don't know. It's not really my scene.
You got something against family?
Not particularly, no.
Forget about what you've heard. Just forget it.
Being Greek is about being family.
It's about having family here at school.
You join my house, and you're my brother.
No one messes with you 4 years of your life.
You make a commitment to me,
I'll take care of you. You're my boy.
What's your name, kid? Jack.
Jack? Think about it, Jack.
Thanks.
And the Russian judge gives him an 8.5.
Incompetence everywhere I look,
all the way down to the friggin' intern.
Screw you.
Excuse me?
Is there something you'd like to share with the group?
No. Forget it.
That's what I thought.
Keep your comments to yourself next time, kid. Ok? Great.
Now, where was I? Uh, you were on--
Hey, Todd. What I said was, "Screw you."
You should be ashamed of yourself,
and not because you treat people badly,
'cause a lot of people do that.
You should be ashamed of yourself
because you have an amazing privilege,
and you don't even take it seriously.
You get to make movies, man.
You get to do this for a living,
and you don't even appreciate it.
This movie's probably gonna suck.
I know that, you know that,
the entire crew knows that,
and your next movie's probably gonna suck, too.
Somebody gave you they keys to the kingdom,
and you're blowing it.
I feel sorry for you. If I ever get here,
I'm gonna do things a lot differently.
You got balls, kid.
Now get off my set.
You're fired.
Right. Now that that's out of the way, um...
Joey, you have got to come sing with the band.
It's like karaoke, except with real music.
It's so much fun!
Maybe later. Ok.
Are you ok?
I'm fine.
You were right, you know.
About what?
About me being stuck in the past.
Here I am, a college freshman.
If I actually let you get to know me better,
you would realize that that's a fairly big thing.
And here I am, working my ass off,
reading, studying, churning out papers,
Learning. You know?
Falling in love with this city,
which is amazing.
Yet there's still part of me that's 15 years old...
Still stuck back in Capeside.
Still in love with this boy from down the creek who...
Only sees me as a friend.
Chris.
He was my high school boyfriend,
and saying good-bye to him was...
Maybe the hardest thing I've ever done.
Because I knew that no matter
how much we loved each other,
No matter how much we promised to stay true to each other,
it just wouldn't work.
We'd end up hurting each other.
So...
I cut the cord, and I said good-bye.
And it's really hard sometimes.
Because I know he's out there
somewhere...
Falling in and out of love with these...
Girls that aren't me.
You must think that
I'm this great big slut or something, huh?
But... I'm just...
Trying to live life.
You know, and have fun.
And...
If I feel like kissing some boy...
Then so be it.
Exactly.
No regrets.
This was a really good conversation, Joey Potter.
Hope there's more to come.
Me, too.
Just a sec.
Hey, Dawson. It's me.
Um, I wanted to call you.
I'm--I'm at this party with Jack and Jen
and my crazy roommate, and guess what?
I'm having a pretty great time.
But as great as it is,
it's not completely great, and that's because of you.
You're not here, and I know I said that it was ok
that you didn't come, but you know what?
It's not ok, because I Miss you, and...
There was a guy hitting on me--
At least, I think he was hitting on me--
And he was perfectly nice, and I just--I blew him off,
and I'm not even sure why,
but I'm pretty sure it's because of you, and...
I've spent these past couple of months
acting like you were just gonna show up
outside of my door one day, but you're not.
You are out there following your dream,
which is what I want for you.
Hurry up! Come on!
In a minute!
Dawson, I think it's time that...
I let you go.
And it's really hard for me to do,
because I know that there's a part of me
that's gonna be in love with you
for the rest of my life, but...
You know, this running in place and this daydreaming,
it's just not healthy for either of us.
And so, this is me cutting the cord.
This is me doing what I should have done 3 months ago.
I'm saying good-bye, Dawson.
Uh...
Call me back.
Good-bye.
Ah, no.
No what?
No, not interested.
"No, not interested" in what?
In whatever it is that you're selling, pal.
I didn't even say anything.
Well, you were about to.
I was?
Yeah. You were about to give me your best opening line.
Something like, "Hey, girl,"
which, word to the wise, is neither clever nor charming,
and then you were probably gonna
Follow it up with the perennial classic,
"Hey, you know what would look
really good on you? Me."
Wow. People actually say stuff like that in real life?
Well, just so you know...
I'm not that guy.
For all I know, you could be the kind of guy
who cruises frat parties
because he knows that he can capitalize
on the significant dearth of sensitive types,
which is even worse, 'cause it's sneaky.
Ok, A--you're crazy.
Which is not entirely unappealing.
And B--
I'm not that guy, either.
Well, then, what are you doing here?
I'm in the band.
We got paid 50 bucks to play,
and 50 bucks is 50 bucks, lady.
Oh...
You guys--you guys were actually good.
Thank you.
Ok, so what, pray tell,
are you doing here, little Miss know-it-all?
I mean, besides making a sport
out of scowling into your beer there.
Hey, scowling can be fun.
Look, I gotta go pack up my gear.
It was wonderful sharing this moment with you.
Really.
Look, just so you know. All right?
All I was gonna say was, "Hi, my name's Charlie.
What's yours?" That's all.
And I was kind of hoping maybe we'd talk a little,
and I'd find out that you're the kind of girl
who doesn't usually come to parties like these,
and that would explain why the cutest girl
in the whole place
is alone by herself in the corner.
Because you're right.
Most of the guys here are creeps.
And the girls are even worse.
And god, I hope they don't procreate.
But they will.
And we're just gonna have to do our best
and fight the good fight.
And make sure their kind doesn't take over the world.
That's all.
Charlie?
Jen.
Uh, my--my name's Jen.
Well, it's nice to meet you, Jen.
I'm sorry.
What are you so smiley about?
Shut up.
Yeah.
So...
How'd your first day go?
First and last, actually.
I just got fired from a job
that doesn't even pay anything.
Well...there are worse things.
Not at the moment, there aren't.
Where are you from, kid?
I'm from, uh, Capeside.
It's a small town in Massachusetts.
Ok, sure. I'm from Boston originally.
Really? Yeah.
All my friends are in Boston right now.
How come you're not with them?
'Cause this was a dream.
Movies.
How's it matching up against the reality?
It's weird. It, uh...
It doesn't.
Why don't I call you a cab?
Thanks.
Ok, Jen. You gonna tell me his name,
or am I gonna have to kill you?
Shh-shh-shh-shh.
Let's try and not wake the dragon lady here.
Jen...
Charlie. Ok?
His name is Charlie.
Charlie's cute.
Whatever.
In a dumb guy with a dream kind of way.
Charlie's not dumb.
Oh, someone's smitten.
Would you shut up?
Oh, man, if there are cookies in these cupboards,
I will devote my life to God and his teachings.
Oh, music to my ears, Jennifer.
Sorry, Grams.
Sorry.
Oh, nonsense. I can sleep when I'm dead.
So, how was your party?
All right.
- Jen met a boy. - Charlie.
And he's not dumb.
Well, praise God and pass the sugar.
Well, I'd say it's about time.
That's nice. Thanks.
Audrey.
Hold on.
Hey.