Again With This

Dawson's Creek, Melrose Place & Beverly Hills, 90210

Dawson's Creek  \\  S04.E12

The Te Of Pacey

Crappy birthday, dear Pacey, crappy birthday to you!

Turning 18 puts a person through changes. For example, Pacey’s decided HIS 18th birthday should be at a completely different time of year than his 16th. But never mind! He complains to Joey that his birthday is cursed, so all he wants to do this year is chill out at home with her, and she promises they will, and we all know that means she’s implicated in his surprise party. The event — to be held at the Witter family home — coincides with what was to have been Gretchen and Dawson’s first date, and Gretchen may be a little too eager to bag that plan in favor of her family obligation; she also makes it clear that although she’s bringing him to the party, she doesn’t want Joey or Pacey or anyone in her family to know she and Dawson are dating, if they even are, which Dawson obviously takes as a slight. While the birthday boy doesn’t die of an accidental gunshot as happened at Scott Scanlon’s birthday party, this one is…almost as bad. And Joey doesn’t help by trying to ignore Pacey’s dark mood and unhelpfully suggesting that he just try harder to get along with his awful parents. (By the way, playing his awful mother: Jane Lynch!) Elsewhere, Jen satisfies her last five community service hours giving safe rides to drunk teenagers, and you’ll never guess what civic-minded homosexual also happens to volunteer with the organization: Tobey! Jen uses the occasion to talk up Jack, while Tobey tells her all about his hopelessly devoted James Dean-alike boyfriend Greg; calling him “perfect” not once but twice juuuuuuust might be a tell. You have the power to join us for our episode on “The Te Of Pacey”!

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