Dawson's Creek (season 4)

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Dawson's Creek (1998–2003) is an American television series, that aired on The WB, about four friends in a small coastal town that help each other cope with adolescence and beyond.

Coming Home

Pacey: Just what would we be missing from the land of poorly scripted melodramas, huh? Recycled plot lines, tiresome self-realizations. You throw in the occasional downward spiral of a dear friend, and maybe a baby here and a death there and all you've really got is a recipe for some soul sucking, mind numbing ennui, and I for one could skip it.

Joey: I would like to offer it to you as a...

Dawson: Please don't say symbol.

Joey: As an emblematic artifact representing the foundation of... of a new friendship.

Gretchen: Doug wakes me up every morning at 7 dust-bustering the kitchen. It's like living with Felix Unger on crack.

Joey: Pacey... I wanted to see Dawson tonight, not because for four months of my life he was my boyfriend, but because for the better part of my life he was my friend. And as my friend, I hurt him deeply, and living with that fact has caused me no small amount of guilt over the past three months. So, yes, I have been preoccupied, and it has made my mind wander, but... my heart? That's a fixed point. Three months riding the open waters couldn't shake it; I'll be damned if I let your insecurities shake it. My heart never left this boat. It's never left you. As far as I can see it's not going to anytime soon.

Joey: Ah, seafood, great change of pace, Pace.

Failing Down

Pacey: [to Gretchen] I'm gonna sabatoge it, huh? Hmm, me-thinks you've been watching a little too much Oprah.

Pacey: Charming? It's like something out of Better Homes and Crap.

Pacey: Good lord woman, you really are a fickle mistress, you know that? I mean without kissing, what do we really have left?

Joey: Precious little, we should probably break up.

Pacey: Yeah, well, we had a good run, huh?

Joey: Mm-hmm

[They kiss]

Drue: My father, who is a world class cretin, says stuff like that to the help all the time and I always think what an idiot, you know? I mean they're just going to go back in the kitchen and spit in his food...or worse even.

Joey: Fancy that, will you excuse me while I go check on your order.

Dawson: [to Jen] Take it from someone who spent the better part of last spring angry at the world, it's not worth it. I mean, it might numb the pain a little bit, but it's basically just a distraction. My point is: if you do it right, Jen, loving somebody is gonna hurt and the sooner you let yourself feel that, the sooner you'll be able to love again.

Two Gentlemen of Capeside

Drue: Must be the Star Wars thing.

Dawson: Star Wars thing?

Drue: It's classic, you are obviously Luke to this Pacey guy's Han Solo. So you're the stuff of pre-teen daydreams, cute, smart, non-threatening. Which is great and all, but not for princess Joey here who is clearly smack dab in the middle of her bad boy phase.

Joey: And where do you fit in to this whole scenario Drue? Jabba the Hut, I think.

Grams: Jennifer, I'm not so old that I don't remember how important senior fall term is.

Jen: Old enough to call it fall term.

Drue: [cell phone rings while they are working on a project] Hello, hey gorgeous.

Dawson: Unbelievable.

Joey: Unacceptable. [grabs cell phone] Hello, gorgeous is it? Hi, yes, this is Drue's doctor and he's gonna have to get back to you when the syphilis clears up, ok? Bye-bye.

Mitch: [watching Joey and Pacey kiss] Just doesn't seem fair, does it?

Dawson: What's that?

Mitch: Well, you saved the day and you still don't get the girl. [pause] But maybe, just maybe, you got something more important.

Dawson: [sigh] How do you figure that?

Mitch: You have this moment. No matter where your life takes you, you can look back on this and know that you did a great thing. That's something that all the girls and all the things in the world can't replace.

Pacey: Look, I know that things between you and I are pretty much beyond repair right now. And, I wouldn't presume to be able to solve everything with a conversation 'cause that's just not the way it works. But, I've been wanting to tell you that I'm sorry Dawson. I'm really sorry for the way everything went down this spring. For my part in it, for the pain that it must have caused you. And, [sigh] I'm really sorry that I ruined our friendship, because I miss it, badly. And, uh, however far off it may be, I do look forward to the day when you and I might be friends again...so until then.

Dawson: Until then.

Future Tense

Gretchen: But you know what my teacher said was the most bogus line in Hollywood cinema?

Dawson: What?

Gretchen: "There's no place like home."

Dawson: The Wizard of Oz.

Joey: I wanna be with you, Pacey. I wanna stay and be with you.

Pacey: [sighs] Well if you wanna be with me, then staying here would be a really stupid idea, considering I don't plan to be here... I plan to be wherever you are.

Dawson: I'm just trying to figure out why someone who's about to reap the benefits of something she's worked for her entire life is trying to drown herself with some 80-proof fruit punch.

Drue: Witter, I knew you couldn't resist a party. I see you've brought the Grim Reaper.

Joey: Reaping for your mortal soul, that is if you have one.

Jen: Okay, first of all, he didn't dump me, I dumped him.

Drue: Technicality.

Jen: Second, this isn't a funk. It's my personality.

Drue: Harsh.

A Family Way

Gretchen: Guys, Gale's been throwing up a lot, right?

Mitch: Yeah.

Gretchen: And she's still hungry and putting on some weight. She's tired all the time. Her back hurts. Irritability. Mood swings.

Dawson: Yeah.

Mitch: The worst. How'd you know?

Gretchen: Sounds to me like she'll be feeling a lot better in about nine months.

Pacey: I don't want to make you do anything that you're not ready to do.

Joey: No. Pacey, I get it. Just as long as you realize that if you do turn into some typical hormone filled silly ass boy and try to manipulate me again, you're out the door.

Joey: Pacey's not the problem. It's me. I mean, let's face it, the waiting just goes on and on. And at this point even I'm getting impatient. But for some reason, I just keep waiting.

Jen: Joey, let me ask you something. Are you sure that you really want to have sex?

Joey: Of course I want to have sex. But the question is, am I ready?

Dawson: You were the best mother that I know. And you were wrong if you think you've disappointed me at every turn, Mom. All you've done is made me proud. You're not afraid to make mistakes. And when to pick up and to keep going and keep trying new things. And I owe some much of who I am to you. To both of you. I used to idealize this perfect childhood. This perfect little house. And then you guys gave me something so much better. You gave me something real. And if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing. If you guys are even half the parents to your next kid that you were to me, he'd be the luckiest kid in all the world.

Bessie: You're a seventeen-year-old girl who doesn't understand the first thing about consequences and responsibility. You are not ready to have sex.

Joey: I am the oldest seventeen year old in Capeside, Bessie. My whole life is consequences and responsibility, okay?

Great Xpectations

Drue: Hi there, we haven't met.

Gretchen: I don't have a problem with that.

Gretchen: Is it possible, even in the vaguest way, you're here because you think there's a chance something's happening between us?

Dawson: It think there is something happening between us. It's called friendship.

Joey: You know, Dawson... I think about it sometimes and wherever we go next, it's hard to imagine life without you.

Dawson: You did pretty well for three months.

Joey: I think you know what I mean.

Dawson: Yeah. Yeah, I do.

Dawson: It's scary how things can turn so bad so fast.

Joey: It's scary how real everything's been this year, you know? Jen and Pacey in the storm. Andie tonight. Does make you kind of realize that one of us can go at any moment for the stupidest of reasons.

Joey: Gretchen, Dawson has this way of hanging on to things since he was like 12. You know, sure he outgrows them in their proper perspective. But that doesn't always mean that they're gone. Sometimes I think they're just waiting around for the right moment to come out again... and maybe if he thinks there's the slightest chance...

Gretchen: Do you know what I think? If Dawson is waiting for some childhood crush to come around, he's not waiting on me.

You Had Me at Goodbye

Pacey: I think what we're going to miss about you the most, McPhee, is your overwhelming optimism. Your ardent believe that everything in the world is wonderful until proven crap.

Pacey: I reacted like Pacey.

Joey: You know who that guy you reacted like is going to be in 10 years, Pace? The person who knows me best. Dawson knows my past. My future lies with you. Think about it, you know you didn't even like me three years ago.

Mr. Brooks: As you take on years Mr. Leery, you'll come to realize that you don't always lose people from your life by choice. Sometimes it just happens when you make the wrong ones.

Pacey: Maybe not all friendships have to be saved. You know, maybe we're just meant to spend a certain part of our lives with certain people and then move on. Isn't that what this whole year is suppose to be about? Moving on?

Andie: Pacey, we can move on without moving away from each other.

Andie: Pacey, Joey, Dawson. You guys are so lucky. Do you have any idea how rare it is to have friends that you've known your entire life? So please don't underestimate that. Because in the end you always go back to the people that were there in the beginning. And in the beginning, there was the three of you.

The Unusual Suspects

Pacey: Do you think it's possible that someday I could convince you that maybe I'm the type of person you could trust again?

Dawson: I would like to believe that it is.

Pacey: When you told me you'd never be able to trust me again, that was probably among the top 5 worst moments of my life.

Dawson: When I walked out on my back porch and saw you and Joey, that was my worst. Number 1 with a bullet.

Doug: Pacey, I think that you're a daring original. I think you have a talent for flying in the face of conventionality. And I think that you were born to break the rules, not enforce them. And you know what? I actually admire that in you. I really do.

Dawson: Today when I was going through your things I found your high school year book. Underneath your picture, the caption said that your life's ambition was to become a Hollywood filmmaker. Pretty striking coincidence given that I've had the exact same dream for as long as I can remember.

Mr. Brooks: Good for you.

Dawson: Scared the hell out of me. Cause I don't ever want to be like you. I don't ever want to be the kind of person who pushes everything and everyone away from him. I don't want to be alone. And I know that you don't want to be alone, either. You can't get rid of me, Mr. Brooks.

[Joey runs into Drue who's just been suspended from school after being framed for a prank]

Drue: Hey, Potter. Send a message to the boys for me. Tell them that I admire the brilliance of their design. No, wait. Just tell them that I said "touché."

Joey: Which boys? Who are you talking about?

[Drue is suddenly being forcibly escorted from the school building]

Joey: Drue, what's going on? What happened?

Drue: Karma... finally caught up with me.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Gretchen: You sound like a guy who just broke up with this girl. And he's happy he broke up with her; at least he says he is. And he goes on and on about how much better off he is without her. But the thing is, he can't stop talking about her. Everything comes back to this girl. You love this girl, Dawson.

Dawson: And that, oddly enough, has not kept her from breaking my heart time and time again.

Pacey: Jo, this world, it is opening its doors to you. And when you step through, you are going to be such an amazing part of all this. And wherever you chose to go, you're doing them a favor. Not the other way around.

Joey: I know that I don't fit in...

Mr. Kubeck: Joey, you didn't blow it. Your academic record stands on its own. You're a stunningly bright young lady and no one is grading you on your social skills. Be that as it may, you couldn't ask for a better character witness than that boyfriend of yours. Seriously. He just talked the dean's ear off all about you. How you changed him. How you helped him. How he couldn't imagine a better life than one with you by his side. It's a rare gift to have someone say such things about you.

Dawson: I think I'm ready to make a movie again.

Mr. Brooks: Oh, crisis of faith over. I'll alert the media.

Dawson: Now, laugh all you want.

Mr. Brooks: I intend to. Now what is this picture of yours going to be about?

Dawson: You.

Mr. Brooks: Excuse me? Say that again into my good ear, would you?

Dawson: My mov... my picture is going to be about you. Your life story. We'll talk later. Enjoy the party.

Pacey: I just wanted these people to see you through my eyes for one night. To see this girl. This woman, who has more class and intelligence and beauty and grace then anyone else who's walking the face of the planet. Maybe things like this just come tumbling out of my mouth because I happen to be head over heels in love with you. But the really scary thing is, I think that they're true.

Self Reliance

Pacey: Please, tell me the truth. Because it's certainly not about you and me. I haven't screwed up for at least a day or two.

Joey: No, you haven't. You never do. You are the perfect boyfriend. You win the perfect boyfriend contest. You beat Dawson. Is that what you want to hear, Pacey?

Gretchen: [about Joey being upset by seeing her and Dawson kissing] I think you should be understanding and sweet and kind.

Pacey: And if none of that works?

Gretchen: Force the issue. Be a world class jerk. You can do it, Pacey. I know you can. I have complete and total faith in you.

Dawson: [to Gretchen] I like you. And... that kiss meant more to me than just 'happy holidays'. And every thing I said the other day was a lie. Well, not a lie because I think I meant it at the time. But I was basically just trying to fool myself because I didn't want to screw up our friendship. I was going to let that fear stop me, but I don't want to, and I'm not going to. Because I don't want to learn that lesson at 17 or anytime for that matter. And you can tell me that you're too old, you can tell me that I'm too young, and you can tell me that I'm not over Joey, but nothing that you say is going to change the fact that I said it. And I'm really glad that I said it, because you're worth risking everything for.

Pacey: What do you see when you see the future?

Joey: Us. Me and you, Pace. We grew up together. You see, Dawson and I, we didn't grow up. We are in that house, in Dawson's bedroom, eternally having the same argument over and over again, in this endless cycle that goes on and on. And... I can't stop it. Because whenever I'm around him, I become 15.

Pacey: Well, if that's the problem, and believe me, this isn't easy for me to say, but... you have to talk to Dawson. And then would you please call me?

Dawson: Why ruin a perfectly good friendship?

Joey: Things don't always have to work that way. Look at us. Look at all that's happened. And we're friends. If we weren't, you wouldn't have... you wouldn't have given me this [Her early Christmas present, a picture of her and Pacey]. And I wouldn't be sitting here, telling you to do what your heart tells you to do. Truth is, Gretchen would be very lucky to have someone like you.

The Tao of Dawson

Jack: Has it ever occurred to you, Dawson, that maybe they're not mistakes at all? Maybe this is exactly where you're supposed to be at this moment in time. With a girl that you wanted way before Joey Potter.

Mr. Brooks: [To Dawson] Make no mistake about it kid, God intends to kill us all. You'll find that you don't have to have your life dictated by the cosmos. You fall in love with the wrong woman. Tell fate to piss off if you don't like his plans for you. Sure there's heart ache to be had but it's small price to be paid for living and dying on your own terms.

Dawson: [in his letter to Gretchen, written when he was younger] Dear Gretchen, I really enjoyed talking to you in your room today. Try not to be nervous about starting high school. I know you're going to find people that understand you. There's something that I didn't get a chance to tell you. There's someone truly special in my life that I can't stop thinking about. She's unlike anyone I've ever met. Smart and funny and beautiful and just knowing that she's in my life has given me this constant fluttering that keeps me awake at night. When I think about who I can talk to about this, who will understand, the only person that comes to mind is you. And that's a problem because you are the one that I feel this way about. I think about you constantly, every little thing you do. The Elvis Costello sticker you put on your spiral notebook, the way your bangs have grown out every day now for 6 months until Monday when you were finally able to put it all in a ponytail. Today when you invited me to stay and talk to you after Pacey left, it occurred to me that you must think of me too. If I tried to tell anyone else, they would say that you and I are impossible, that our lives are too different, that we could never be right for each other. But we understand each other and we care about each other and years from now I believe that we still will. Your friend forever, love, Dawson.

Pacey: Dawson, you and I are friends. Friends. But sisters? Sisters are...

Dawson: Off-limits?

Pacey: Yes, sisters are off-limits. They're like mothers, only pretty.

Pacey: Do you "like" her "like" her, or just like her?

Dawson: Pacey this is Gretchen Witter we're talking about here, not Winnie Cooper.

The Te of Pacey

Pacey: Any other day that I was to find you making out on the basement floor with Dawson of all people, I would probably freak out. And then we would have words. But not today. Today I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to think about it. In fact, I'd like to pretend it never even happen, cause frankly I got bigger problems on my mind.

Gretchen: Which are?

Pacey: A conversation that I'm supposed to have with Joey, that will impact the entire rest of our relationship.

Jen: You are very sneaky, you know that? You just turned around that entire conversation without ever having to admit that you were day dreaming about sex. I'm impressed.

Grams: [smiling] I've learned from the best.

Jen: Well, that's true.

Pacey: My family could give a crap about me or my birthday. This is just an excuse for my father to get a little bit drunker than usual, have some birthday cake, tell me I'm a disappointment and then pass out in his chair while watching When Animals Attack!.

Joey: Okay, so they're not perfect. Granted. But they're your family, Pace. Don't you get what that means? The least you can do is make a little bit of an effort.

Pacey: It doesn't matter what kind of effort I make. I'm still going to fail.

Pacey: You and I are just on opposite paths, Jo. On different roads. And we are heading further and further away from each other.

Joey: I don't think so. I think both roads lead back to the same place. Right here. You and me, Pace.

John Witter: Now, I never told this to anyone... and so help me I will hunt you down if you breath it to a soul. I got rejected the first time I applied to the police academy.

Pacey: You did?

John Witter: Yep. Let me tell you Pacey, it was devastating. The second time, I did get in. But I never told anyone, not even my father, your grandfather God rest his soul. Because I knew he'd beat the hell out of me, drunk or sober.

Pacey: I know I'm not college material, Pop. But I just really, really wanted to go.

John Witter: Look son, I know I've been hard on you about school. It's not because I think you're not good enough to go, or get in. Pacey, I don't know if it's the right thing for you. I don't know if it's ever been right for you. But ask me if I think you are meant to do great things... I might reply positive.

Hopeless

Gale: I am trying to protect you.

Dawson: From what? The dangers of having a good time with my girlfriend? Come on!

Gale: No, the dangers of getting hurt by a woman whom, as perfect a person as she seems right now, might actually be in a different place in her life.

Dawson: Mom, it's not like that with Gretchen.

Gale: Honey, I'm not so sure.

Dawson: Well I am. And you know what? It really doesn't matter what you think because it's my life and it's my relationship. If you want to express a little last minute maternal control, you're gonna have to wait for the next one to come along because I really don't want that from you right now.

Pacey: I'm offering a brother's opinion, okay, and, as your brother, I can firmly tell you... That is not a leaving-the-house kind of outfit. That's like the bottom layer of something that will become a leaving-the-house outfit when you put on a sweater or something.

Gretchen: This is a sweater.

Pacey: A sweater is a big, baggy, shapeless thing which hides the human form. They design them specifically for sisters on dates.

Gretchen: Yeah, me as Pacey's sister and her ever trusty barkeep, maybe. Me as Mrs. Robinson, maybe not.

Dawson: Come on, 3 years does not make you Mrs. Robinson.

Joey: I'm sorry, but I'm scared.

Pacey: Good! Do you think I'm not scared? I'm terrified, Jo! I have been fine with waiting. I have been too scared to sleep with you too soon. I don't want to do anything that is going to jeopardize the more amazing relationship that I've ever had. Jo, I am happy that you and I took the time to really fall in love with each other. But we're here now, Jo. This is 8 months and counting. So, I just... I want... I need for you to know that if our relationship is not going to be progressing on to that next level, it's not because of me.

Mr. Brooks: Picture's not half bad. [chuckles] And not just because it's about me either.

Dawson: We should make another one sometime.

Mr. Brooks: Any time kid... anytime.

A Winter's Tale

Mr. Brooks Friend: Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to, Miracle on 34th Street. Arthur always believed that the best answers for life's questions could be found in the movies. Crazy idea, huh?

Joey: Really? Virtually topless female comes knocking on our door, asking if Pacey can come out to play, and you don't have any comment?

Pacey: Well, no matter what I say, you're just gonna take it wrong.

Pacey: Do you want to know what I'm scared of? 'Cause I'm not scared of whether or not we sleep together, if-- if and when you and I decide to do that, it will be right. What I am scared of is that little piece of your heart that will always belong to Dawson Leery. OK, I'm scared of that piece of your heart that always envisioned your first time being with him. I'm scared of that part of you that just doesn't want it to be me. That's what I'm scared of.

Jack: Did it ever occur to you that you're so caught up in trying to make the right choice that you've never stopped to consider the possibility that there may not be a right choice, or a wrong choice, just a bunch of choices?

Joey: Thanks Jack. That's helpful.

Jack: That's the point. You don't need help. There's nothing to figure out here. There's only what you feel.

Joey: What I feel is fear.

Jack: I'm not telling you to sleep with Pacey...

Joey: But...

Jack: All the really exciting things in life require more courage than we currently have. A deep breath and a leap. See Joey, the kind of fear you're talking about... sometimes it's how you know what's worthwhile.

Joey: Hey, Pace?

Pacey: Hmm?

Joey: Do you still have your wallet?

Pacey: I thought we were done talking about that.

Joey: We are.

Pacey: OK, you wanna throw it away?

Joey: I wanna throw the wrapper away.

Pacey: If this is about what I was --

Joey: -- Pacey, this is about how you carried my bag off the bus yesterday. This is about how when we go to the movies and you go and you buy popcorn you always make sure you bring back a napkin so I don't wipe all the grease on my jeans. And this is about how just last week when we were at miniature golf, you took all of the shots first so I would know the correct path.

Pacey: That was just --

Joey: -- You taught me how to drive. [Starts unbuttoning his shirt] And last year at prom, you knew that the bracelet I was wearing was my mom's. You kissed me first, sweetheart. The second time you counted to ten before doing it again just in case I wanted to stop you. [Takes off his shirt] You bought me a wall. [She takes his hand and kisses it]

Pacey: I didn't buy it so much as I --

Joey: -- We were alone on a boat for three months and you understood without a word why I wasn't ready. [She takes off his under shirt so his chest is bare] So you have to ask now why I am? Pace.....I'm gonna count to ten, and then I'm going to start kissing you. If you don’t want me to... then you’re just gonna have to stop me. [pause] Ten, my love. [He carries her to the bed]

Four Stories

Joey: Years from now when I look back, I'm really not going to remember the clumsy positioning or the morning after awkwardness or whether or not the experience itself meant the text book definition of great sex. I'll remember how sweet you were. How you took me to this brand new place. Pace, I'm glad I had sex. And I'm really glad that I had sex with you. [Pause] And now, I just want to go home...[She grabs his coat and pulls him toward her] So we can do it again. [They smile and kiss each other]

Pacey: [about Dawson] I do want to be able to have sex with my girlfriend whom I adore, without having to worry about the soap operatic repercussions of him finding out. Let me ask you one question, Jo. What would you say to him? You know, if he were here right now and he asked you, what would you tell him?

Joey: I would have to tell him the truth.

Pacey: Let's say that you were the type of person who enjoyed discussing your boyfriend's sexual prowess, what do you think you might say?

Joey: About what? About the prowess?

Pacey: Yeah, about the prowess.

Joey: You know, just when I think you're the antithesis of the typical male, there you are dragging your knuckles with the rest of my primates.

Dawson: Jo, you're not a bad friend. I don't get to say it much anymore, but... you're my best friend. You always were. No matter where you are, no matter where your life may take you, and no matter who you're with...

Joey: You'll always have a piece of my heart.

Dawson: Something like that.

Joey: Yeah. Doesn't have to be a huge piece.

Dawson: No, no, no, no. Not a huge piece. Just enough. You know, tiny piece.

Joey: A couple of years ago, if you would have asked me who the first person I was going to have sex with was, I would have answered unequivocally: Dawson Leery, that's who. The possibility of sleeping with anyone else hadn't even occurred to me. Especially not Pacey.

Dawson: So what are you saying, Jo?

Joey: No. I have not slept with Pacey.

Gretchen: You have no idea what you're doing, do you?

Dawson: No.

Gretchen: Good, keep it that way. Because the second you become aware of just how charming you are, you're going to use your powers for evil.

Mind Games

Joey: When we weren't having sex. And everything and every moment wasn't about sex.

Pacey: I don't know if that time ever really existed.

Joey: I guess you're right. Before, when we hadn't had sex, everything was about sex. Now that we've have had sex…

Pacey: Everything is still about sex. Do you think we're doing something wrong?

Joey: No. Do you?

Pacey: No.

Gretchen: Just promise me something.

Dawson: Anything.

Gretchen: That you'll always be as honest with me as you were last night. Cause that's the hardest part about having a relationship. It's so much harder than sex. And trusting someone is like this gigantic act of faith. You put it out there and you can never really be sure if you're gonna get it back. Sex... sex is just mechanical.

Dawson: I want to apologize.

Joey: For what?

Dawson: For that question I asked you a couple weeks ago. That very personal question. I should have never asked you. I don't know why I did. It was some masochistic side of me that I haven't explored yet. Probably the same side of me that's sabotaging my relationship with Gretchen.

Joey: You think you're sabotaging your relationship?

Dawson: Well, mentioning you every 30 seconds, I'm sure it doesn't help.

Gretchen: You lied to Dawson about you and Pacey having sex.

Joey: I made a decision, a very private decision about my life and I really don't want the whole world to know about that.

Gretchen: You really don't want Dawson to know about that.

Joey: It's the same thing.

Gretchen: No it's not, Joey. I don't want to be an ogre here, but lying to Dawson isn't going to solve anything. It's not fair to him and it's not fair to somebody who's trying to have a relationship with him.

Joey: Meaning you.

Pacey: You know, I don't think I like this turn that our relationship is taking here. You have no respect for my feelings, we never talk anymore.

[Joey keeps kissing him. He groans]

Joey: Pace, we spent 9 months talking. We've been doing this for two weeks.

[She goes back to kissing]

Pacey: But this still doesn't mean you get to treat me like a sex object.

Joey: Oh, I can tell you're all broken up about it.

Admissions

Dawson: Worthington is what you want, right?

Joey: It doesn't matter what I want, Dawson.

Dawson: Yes or no?

Joey: Yes.

Dawson: Then I want you to have Mr. Brooks' money.

Joey: Dawson, are you insane? I can't.

Dawson: Joey, I... I've watched you go through so much pain in your life. I mean, even before your mom got sick and your dad...

Joey: Don't do this. Don't feel sorry for me, Dawson.

Dawson: I don't. That's not what this is about. Jo, all the pain I've watched you go through, I've never been able to fix it before. And this I can fix. All I need you to do is let me.

Dawson: What you felt the other night at the movie theater, that something was finally right between us... I felt that, too. And nothing will ever change that... not going to school on different coasts. Not meeting people who we're meant to love forever... nothing. And I want you to have this [Hands her an envelope with a check in it]

Joey: But, Dawson...

Dawson: I don't know how I feel about you sleeping with Pacey. I don't know how I'll feel tomorrow or next week or next year for that matter, but I'm absolutely certain that giving you this is the right thing to do. Because I'm certain about us... and what we mean to each other. And I think you are, too.

Pacey: It's not that I don't want you to be able to go off and realize your dreams, Joey, because I do. But for the first time, I just... I felt like it wasn't me that was holding you back from it.

Joey: Pacey, you've never held me back. You have to stop thinking like that.

Pacey: You know what? I could stop thinking like that if you'd just promise me one thing, that if the day ever comes, and it may come much sooner than either one of us thinks, but if that day ever comes where you did feel like I was holding you back... promise me that you'd cut me loose, yeah?

Joey: Pacey...

Pacey: Promise me that.

Joey: I won't promise you that. You're asking me to promise to let you go. I can't do that.

Joey: I'm still trying to process this whole college thing. You know, it's... kinda weird to get your dream.

Pacey: I know it. I say that every time I look at you.

Joey: You always do that. You change the subject.

Pacey: Joey, we're not talking about this today, because we're not talking about anything negative today, because today is your day to celebrate this most amazing accomplishment that you have worked so hard for.

Eastern Standard Time

Joey: How does it surprise you every day?

Mr. Lindley: Good question. A city like New York where everything's moving all the time at this constant driving pace, right? It's like a living organism breathing and changing, and over time your relationship to it becomes like this incredible romance, you know? At first, it's intoxicating, irresistible, and then slowly it becomes comfortable and safe. You have this cellular connection to it, as if you've known each other forever, like your oldest happiness, and sometimes you're on the outs, and sometimes you're making up, and every now and then you catch yourself in this transcendent moment where you think to yourself, "oh, my god, I'm madly in love with you, and I always will be." And I think that's when it surprises me.

Joey: Whoa, that's a good answer.

Gretchen: I want to make love to you so much. So much. And I really believe that that was why we came here, but it's not. I guess just as much as I want you and I love you, we're not gonna do this.

Dawson: Why not?

Gretchen: Because when we go there, it's not gonna be because you have something to prove to yourself. It's gonna be because we love each other, and because we're prepared to show each other what that really means.

Doug: [picking Pacey up at jail] You're not satisfied with being a moron and failure. You gotta add drunk to your list of credentials?

Pacey: [Gets angry and attacks Doug] What? This is it for me! [Doug tries to hold him off] This is my whole life right here! This is all I get.

Dawson: I still have my distortions and my delusions. I still think that everything should be perfect, and that Joey and I should have slept together for the first time. What I realized is that I gotta let go. You know, it's time. And there's so much ahead of me. I mean, there's college, there's... there's this new baby... and there's you.

Gretchen: So what are you saying?

Dawson: I'm in love with you, and I no longer remember what we're waiting for.

Gretchen: Neither do I.

Jen: You knew, didn't you? Oh, god, all this time. My life got uglier and messier, and then you sent me away. You... you made me feel ashamed. You... you punished me for all these things that were beyond my control. You saw me standing in the doorway. Ohh! And you never said anything. I wasn't...

Mr. Lindley: I didn't...

Jen: No. I don't need a confession from you. That's not why I came here. I don't need you to apologize to me for all the pain that you've caused me, and I don't have to forgive you. All I have to do is forgive myself for these things that I can't change. Good-bye, daddy.

Late

Joey: [to Dawson] I want you to know something. Sex doesn't necessarily bring people closer together. It's just a magnifying glass. I mean, if there's a problem, it gets bigger. And if there's closeness... you get closer. As far as you and Gretchen are concerned, I mean... you guys are probably a lot closer than a lot of people who are having sex.

Dawson: Have you and Pacey talked about him being near Worthington next year?

Joey: [laughs] Uh, Pacey and I haven't really discussed the future too much lately.

Dawson: You should. It has a peculiar way of unexpectedly becoming the present.

Bessie: I really did want your life to be better than mine.

Joey: Bessie, you went first. You took on the full brunt of this storm. And you didn't do what others would have. You didn't run, you didn't cower, you created this warm, loving, safe place. And you raised a baby and a little sister. I hope I would have the strength and courage to... create a life for myself that's even remotely like yours.

Mitch: One night, you're standing in a dark room, exhausted, reaching for diapers and answers on a shelf you can't see, and this little person calls out to you. "Daddy." That's when you get it. You feel your heart expand in a way you never knew was possible, and you love this little person so much... that you actually ache. I can't explain it any better.

Joey: Pacey isn't on a fishing trip, is he?

Gretchen: Pacey got arrested for public drunkenness while you were in New York. Doug got the charges dropped, and then he took him camping to try to talk some sense into him.

Joey: Oh, my god.

Gretchen: This is an intense time. We're all planning our futures, trying to figure out what we're gonna do with the rest of our lives, but if we can't put all that aside and try to do everything possible to make Pacey's life easier right now, he might not have much of one.

Promicide

Dawson: I was just gonna say, you know, given everything that's happened in the twelve months since last year's prom -- I'm glad we ended up here.

Joey: Me too, Dawson.

Dawson: God, we're so healthy, it makes me wanna puke.

Joey: I know. It is kinda sickening.

Gretchen: I'm at the prom, Pacey. I'm at the prom again. I mean, I graduated 4 years ago and I'm still here. You know, tonight for the first time, I didn't just feel older than Dawson, I felt old. Too old to be here. Too old to be doing what I'm doing.

Pacey: Want pathetic? How's this for pathetic... I'm technically still a junior. I'm not even supposed to be here.

Gretchen: A brother who's too young and a sister who's too old. We're quite the lot now Pacey.

Pacey: You know... last year... I felt like I could give you something that no one else could give you. I could give you that wall to paint your mural on. I could take you away on a sailboat for a summer. I could even give you that night in the ski lodge. But I don't feel like I have anything left to give you now, Jo. I guess I'm spent. I've become a man who hates himself so much he can't even look at his own reflection in the mirror, and I wish that I could tell you that being with you doesn't make that worse, but it does... because the more that you love me in spite of that, the angrier that I get at you... and the more that I stop loving you back.

Joey: How long have you felt this way?

Pacey: I don't know, but I know it's not right.

Pacey: Why don't you just tell me how you want me to act? 'Cause I can't win with you, Jo. If I act like I'm unhappy, you get angry with me. But if I act like I'm happy, you get angry with me.

Joey: Well, maybe you should stop acting and just talk to me.

Pacey: Maybe I just don't have anything left to say.

Pacey: You want me to take off the happy mask? Then happy mask is off. So, now answer me this one question Joey, why are you with me? Why are you with me? Cause I don't know why I'm still with you. I used to know, but now I don't anymore. What I do know, I feel like I'm Josephine Potter's little charity project. I feel like I'm the designated loser...

Joey: This isn't about me...

Pacey: No, it is about you. It's about you and how you make me feel when I'm with you! I feel like I'm stupid, I'm worthless, I'm never right! You know what I realize? It's not my fault! When I'm with you it's "poor Pacey, he didn't get into college," or "stupid Pacey forgot the limo, he ripped my dress, he messed up the corsage."

Joey: I told you I don't care about any of that.

Pacey: But I want you to care! I don't want you to accept it like it's supposed to be. We are not trapped on this boat. You and I are trapped in this relationship! I can't take it anymore Joey. When I'm with you, I feel like I'm nothing. That's why I flinch when you touch me. That's why I never touch you, why I never think about it. Because when I do, it just reminds me that I'm not good enough.

Joey: You done?

Pacey: No, I'm just getting started.

Joey: Well, you can stop right now. You can go to hell!

...

Pacey: You've spent your entire life trying to get out of Capeside, Joey, because you felt like you deserved better. Well, I am Capeside. That's why I didn't get out and you did, and you do deserve better. You deserve better than this place, and you deserve better than me.

Joey: You break my heart into a thousand pieces, and you say it's because I deserve better? Just... leave me alone.

Separation Anxiety

Gretchen: Look, I just don't think you should go to the party tonight, Pace. I mean, even if you and Joey are supposed to be together, you both need to take some time apart to figure out what went wrong. Otherwise you're gonna wind up making the same mistakes all over again. Trust me. I know from whence I speak.

Pacey: Trust you? Miss pack-up-and-leave-town? Forgive me if you're not exactly my relationship role model right now.

Gretchen: I'm just trying to help, Pace. I don't want to see you getting hurt.

Pacey: Well, it's too late for that. I'm already hurt. And that's exactly the situation I'm trying to rectify. That's why I gotta go to this party, just to see what the gods have in store for me.

Pacey: Um, well... Kubelik wants me to work on his boat this summer. That's what the offer was about. It didn't have anything to do with going to Worthington.

Joey: Let's go.

Pacey: Uh, you know what? I think I'll go. But I think that you should stay here, Jo. I've been watching you in there. You've been... gliding from conversation to conversation with complete confidence and ease this time. I don't know if you remember the last Worthington party that you and I attended together, but... you were kind of a jumble of nerves. I guess I was kind of hoping that... you would need for me to be your savior again tonight. But... that's no longer the case. You don't need that now. Everything's different. I think that they're better this way. The only thing that remains the same is you're still the most beautiful girl in the room. This is... this is your life, and you should enjoy it.

Joey: How can I enjoy it without you?

[Dawson reads Gretchen's note in his yearbook]

Gretchen: "Dear Dawson... I've been thinking about what to say to you since I left your house yesterday. I thought about waiting for you to come to my door, saying this face to face, but I knew it would be too hard. I realize that, as much as I need to move on, you need to stay here. Your whole life is about to change in a way that will never be the same. You're opening a new chapter, and you have to give a proper good-bye to the old one. You don't want to miss these moments, even the sad ones, because you'll never get them back. So enjoy this time. Let it wash over you so that your memories of it are strong. Besides, I don't need to spend a month in a car to fall in love with you. I already am in love with you, even more than you know. So good-bye, Dawson Leery. Thank you for changing my life and opening my heart again. You'll never know how much it meant to me. Have a bitchin' summer. Love, Gretchen."

Joey: [sighs] Hey, Pace... I'm really sorry about dragging you to that party last night, and... bringing back all of those bad feelings.

Pacey: It's not your fault, Jo. None of this is your fault. You're not the reason that we broke up.

Joey: But I thought that you said...

Pacey: I know what I said. And I know how I said it, and it makes me sick to my stomach every time I think about it. Blaming you for my insecurities and... then making you feel guilty for all the things that you've accomplished, when you should feel nothing but proud. And I'm so proud of you.

[Mitch and Dawson have just finished watching his movie of Mr. Brooks]

Mitch: I can't get over how much he reminded me of you.

Dawson: I remind you of him?

Mitch: Well, that part where he talks about that girl? How she jumped over the counter, they went off to California together, they didn't even know each other? Who does that?

Dawson: Hitchhikers.

Mitch: Risk takers. Dreamers. People who understand that every once in a while, an opportunity presents itself. And whatever they decide to do in that moment will change the rest of their lives forever. Brooks could have told that girl to get lost. He could have gone off to California alone like he planned, but he didn't.

Dawson: No, he didn't.

Mitch: Because he knew. Very few men are lucky enough to actually see those moments, Dawson.

The Graduate

Dawson: You know, on occasions like this, it's nice that we can dress up in polyester choir robes and stupid hats, sit in the sun for a couple of hours to mark the occasion. What fashion Einstein came up with this whole outfit? I mean, is this a hat you really want to be wearing the day you know people are going to be taking pictures?

Mr. Kasdan: Did you study for that final you so dramatically walked out on?

Pacey: I can categorically say that I studied my ass off, sir.

Mr. Kasdan: Care to prove it?

Pacey: You did hear everything that I had to say in class today, didn't you?

Mr. Kasdan: Oh, I did. You're not an idiot or a punch line. You are why I teach. Those honor students that turn your stomach... they don't need me. They're gonna forget me as soon as they walk out the door. But you...

Pacey: I have a funny feeling I'm gonna be telling this story for years to come.

Mr. Kasdan: And if that should turn out to be the case, please describe me as a strapping, handsome man, possessed of an immense charity and a great, great goodwill.

Pacey: I can do that.

Mr. Kasdan: [handing him a test] Mr. Witter, you have 45 minutes.

Pacey: Joey. I don't think there is a "we" anymore.

Joey: Look... look, Pace, I know it's over. I just want to be your friend. I want to help you.

Pacey: You want to know what the truth is, Jo? I still love you, and I probably will love you for a very long time. But I can't just be your buddy. 'Cause, as much as I enjoy the concept of being just friends, in reality, it's a bizarre form of torture, and I'm just not willing to participate in it. So, right now, what I want to do is just move on and get over you, and the only way for me to do that is to not be around you anymore.

Joey: And you can't see any time in the future when you and I could be friends?

Pacey: I don't want to think about the future.

Joey: I guess I should go.

Pacey: Look, Jo, I know that... I know coming over here couldn't have been easy for you.

Joey: Nothing seems easy anymore.

Pacey: I was thinking about tomorrow.

Joey: What about this tomorrowland? Does it look even remotely bright?

Pacey: It certainly didn't when it held the prospect of never seeing you again.

Joey: How is that any different from the here and now?

Pacey: I think I... I should probably go off and live my own life for a little while. That certainly doesn't mean that this is how I want it to end between us. So hypothetically speaking... if I were lucky enough one day to find myself owning a sailboat again, and I were to ask the woman that I love to go sailing with me... would she?

Joey: You wouldn't have to ask, Pace.

Joey: Principal Peskin, our families, my fellow graduates, I stand here before you aware of the similarities that we share. I know that you're feeling, outside of my incredible stage fright, the same things that I'm feeling-- pride and accomplishment, closure and regret, and a hopeful outlook on the future. But I don't think you need me to elaborate on those feelings. Instead I--I wanted to share something personal and tell you that... there are people in my life who are gone now, people I miss very much and people who I am haunted by in different ways, but whether we're separated by death or merely distance, I know that they're still with me because I keep them in my heart. The truth is, in time, that's all that we're going to be to each other anyway, this population of memories, some wonderful and endearing, some less so. But taken together, those memories help make us who we are and who we will be. So whether you're here with each other now or you're merely in each other's thoughts, remember each other on that road ahead. And I hope that no matter where your travels lead you in this life... you'll always take Capeside with you. Congratulations.

Coda

Joey: You know, I was just gonna... keep my mouth shut and let you go... but...[Sighs]... It's not me. That's some Merchant Ivory movie, you know, where people suffer in silence, and you're supposed to be so impressed by their restraint. Well... you know... sorry, but screw that. My best friend in the whole world is leaving tomorrow, and a big part of me wants him to stay... so I hope you don't hate me.

Dawson: I could never hate you, Joey... and not for lack of trying, either.

Joey: These past couple of years, it's been one big soap opera. I wouldn't take it back. I wouldn't... take any of it back, but... I'm glad that it's over. 'Cause I like the way things are now. My life being the cruel joke that it is, now that things are so nice... you're leaving.

Dawson: Jo... if I thought for one second it was the right thing to do, I would stay, but it's time to go. It's time for me to get out of this room, and it's time for you to discover who you are without us. This chapter's over, Jo. I can feel it.

Joey: [With tears running down her cheeks] Do you believe in magic? I never used to. I mean, how could I? 13, your mom dies. You hope against hope for--for magic, something to make it all better. It never comes, and, you know, you look to your father who's unable to overcome all of his tragic flaws. Well, no abracadabra there. And then there's Pacey. Well... any magic that was there, that ran out, didn't it? But, uh, then there's you. There's proof that someone out there is thinking of me... my friend who was with me always. It's pure magic. I guess this is pretty much just a long-winded way of saying that, um... I'm gonna miss you, Dawson.

Dawson: I'm gonna miss you, too, Joey.

Jen: [sighs] Come here. [They hug] Mm. Ok. Go. Get the Hell out of here. Walk across that lawn, have a great life, and don't ever call me again.

Dawson: What? So I can confirm your worst fears about men?

Jen: Yes, exactly. Oh, wait, I forgot. We never slept together.

Dawson: You got 5 minutes?

Jen: For you? Always.

Pacey: So how is she?

Dawson: She's, um... you know, she's doing the same thing you are, Pace. She's keepin' busy. (Sighs) She doesn't say much, but, um... you know, I get the feeling that she thinks about you every 10 seconds or so. I know she'd appreciate a call.

Pacey: Uh, you know, I just don't think that's a place I'm ready to go quite yet, Dawson.

Pacey: I just... I realized that you're the only person in Capeside that I actually regret not saying good-bye to, because, you know, for a long time there, Dawson, being your best friend was all I really cared about in my life. I just wanted you to hear from me that despite everything that's happened between us and the miles that may be between us right now, you know, I still think about the way things were.

Dawson: Back when we were just a couple dorks wondering if and when a girl would ever look our way?

Pacey: Ha, ha, well, speak for yourself, huh?

Dawson: [laughs] Yeah, Pace, I'm... I'm really glad you called, because the worst thing about not saying good-bye was I didn't get a chance to tell you something I wanted so badly to tell you.

Pacey: What's that?

Dawson: I'm proud of you, Pacey.

Pacey: Thanks, Dawson.

Dawson: Good luck out there.

Pacey: Yeah, you too.

Joey: So what was yours, by the way?

Dawson: What was my what?

Joey: Your all time most life altering moment?

Dawson: For all I know, it could be this one right now... saying good-bye to you.

[They start kissing]