Dawson's Creek, S4 E17 and E18: College Dreams, Messy Realities

College acceptances and rejections bring drama to the Capeside crew, as they debate their futures and try to figure out how to afford them. We explore the ideas of accepting money without strings -- and Katie realizes an gap in her money-acceptance ethics. 

Also: Senior ditch day thoughts! 

Join us as we get close to finishing season 4 of Dawson's Creek. We're rewatching it on Hulu and Amazon Prime. 

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Chapters

• 0:00 Nearing The End Of Season Four
• 1:03 Admissions And Money Stress
• 4:40 Therapy Portrayals And Repressed Memory
• 10:40 Dawson’s Inheritance And Joey’s Dilemma
• 13:35 Celebrations, Missteps, And Boundaries
• 18:00 Senior Skip Day Plans
• 22:05 Pre-Cell Phone Perils On The Road
• 26:00 Pacey’s Fear Of Being Left Behind
• 29:30 New York, Safety, And Skyline Context
• 32:40 Closing And What’s Next

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:01

Hello everyone. Welcome back to our Dawson's Creek rewatch where we are creeping to the end of season four. It's crazy. And there's only six seasons, right? Yeah. So ours is seven, six. I think it's six. So we're in this to win this. Katie was like, what if we take a break? And I'm like, no, we're gonna keep going.

SPEAKER_00: 0:23

What I said was there's only two more episodes after the ones we've watched through today. So we're gonna do two today, two in the next episode, and there's only two after. After that. So I was like, well, why don't we finish those and then just take a break till the new year? But she says, she says no.

SPEAKER_01: 0:36

Because we're not doing that time, it's over the holidays to watch it. That's true, right? Instead of we're like rushing, Katie's like rushing. I was yesterday, I'm like having a good rehearsal, I'm like writing notes down, like on Dazas Creek. But we did have to cram four.

SPEAKER_00: 0:50

Yeah. That's a lot. We did. They were enjoyable though. They were good. I feel like if you had to watch four pretty close together, these four were good.

SPEAKER_01: 0:58

Yeah, they were good. So we're gonna jump in. We are on season four, episode 17. The title is Admissions. The excitement over Joey's college admission is dimmed when she learns how much it's going to cost.

SPEAKER_00: 1:11

Yep. Worthington, look out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 1:14

Um, okay, I had to laugh because at the beginning of this episode, all these parents are calling the school. So people come out of their the class to hear if they got accepted into college.

SPEAKER_00: 1:24

Did that ever happen? I was gonna ask you the same thing. The only time I don't even remember ever taking a call from my parent when I was at school. If anything, if there was an emergency, they would call and then like the principal would come get you for them to come pick you up or something. That it never happened to me. But not like and multiple parents are calling. Can you imagine calling calling your kids school today and being like, hello, can you please call them to the office to talk to me on the phone about all these parents at home during the school day?

SPEAKER_01: 1:56

Also, that because like my both my parents worked full-time, so nobody checked the mail during the day until I got home from school. Right.

SPEAKER_00: 2:03

And also Dawson's parents called to tell him he wasn't accepted. Why would you call? No, they opened it while they were on the phone. You're right. Well, that was a gamble. That was a gamble. Why would you do that at school? That's just I don't know. That was dumb. I thought that was a dumb. I didn't like that either. That was um I did say Bessie's hair is cute. That was cute. It's cute with like the bangs and the yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 2:25

I also said um when they showed the guidance counselor, she had that scarf around her neck. Yeah. Remember when that was a trend? Uh-huh. I had like so many.

SPEAKER_00: 2:32

I know. I like that guidance counselor. She's got good style.

SPEAKER_01: 2:36

When I was uh an asorti and I was a pledge, which they don't Caden vehemently tells me they do not say that word anymore. They don't say pledge. No. What do they say? Potential member. What? No, that's wrong. Recruit? No, I don't I don't know what they call it. Potential member is what I remember. They our official titles were, but we all said pledge. Because now, like the hazing laws are very, very Yeah, but the word pledge itself isn't hazing. Maybe it just has pledge associations. We had to dress up like one day a week. And I remember I had this one outfit I loved wearing is like this lime green shift dress, and it had this scarf that I would wear the scarf as an accessory, and it had like lime green and like blue or something. I'm like, that brought me back.

SPEAKER_00: 3:28

Wow.

SPEAKER_01: 3:28

I can I can envision it. And I only had like a few dress-up outfits like that, you know, so I remember it distinctly.

SPEAKER_00: 3:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 3:35

I got it from New York and Company.

SPEAKER_00: 3:36

Yep. Yep. I love it. I know. I thought it was so cute. Anyway. Um, I wrote down uh Gail standing there while Gretchen and Dawson Kiss in the doorway. That was weird, and she did look uncomfortable. Um the part where oh, oh, I wrote down money from AI to make movies when Dawson discovers he's not getting into Money from AI. Um AI Brooks, Mr. Brooks.

SPEAKER_01: 4:06

His name is AI.

SPEAKER_00: 4:08

Isn't that weird?

SPEAKER_01: 4:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 4:09

AI Brooks. Oh, that's all right. Albert. Albert something, but like the front of his book.

SPEAKER_01: 4:13

I was like, what are you talking about, AI?

SPEAKER_00: 4:15

I think I wrote AI because Gretchen said that. Oh. She's like, oh, from the money from AI. Yeah. So so he's talking about his disappointment of not getting into the to the school. And then immediately Gretchen's like, well, there's other things you could do. And immediately he goes, You're saying I should spend the money from AI to make movies? And I was like, She really didn't say that. She didn't say that. She didn't say no. And she's like, Yeah, exactly. And I was like, What? What I missed something. I just thought that was really, really funny.

SPEAKER_01: 4:45

And he's like, Wow, now my mood is totally shifted.

SPEAKER_00: 4:48

Yeah, it's like, uh, yeah, that was really weird. And then I also asked, are therapists actually that pushy? Because Jen's therapist was extra, he was almost antagonistic. I think it depends.

SPEAKER_01: 5:04

Okay. I don't know if pushy is the right word. The whole therapy experience in this episode, like this little subplot, is not super accurate, in my opinion. Yeah. But I mean, sometimes therapists do do things to get you to keep talking, but I would say they under talk more than over talk. Yeah. Which sometimes sucks because what happens is we don't like silences. So we keep going. So they'll just like be sitting there, which I I don't like it when therapists do that. I hate it a lot. But I would say they undertalk more than over talk.

SPEAKER_00: 5:45

Okay. Yeah, he just seemed like hyper like pushing her buttons.

SPEAKER_01: 5:51

Yeah, that was weird.

SPEAKER_00: 5:52

To what end I couldn't figure out. Yeah. But anyway.

SPEAKER_01: 5:56

And also, I did write on here, he kind of creeps me out a little.

SPEAKER_00: 6:00

Very much. Okay. I can't shake the creep. And then later in the episode, he calls her beautiful. I know. So that didn't help.

SPEAKER_01: 6:07

He kind of creeps me out. And also the weird thing where he says, you'll remember when you're ready to. That is not how things work. I mean, memories are crazy. And like, especially repressed memories. And I had a therapist tell me something interesting one time. And I'm not going to go into the details about all this because I don't, it's a whole thing. But I was telling there are pieces of childhood and pieces of things I really don't remember a lot of, and I don't know why that is. And I was doing um, this is when I was the what brought me to therapy was a really bad bout with postpartum depression. And then what kept me there was discovering all these other things that I play, right? That's usually what happens. Sure. You go for one thing and then you're like, oh shit, I'm here for like 10 reasons. So um she said to me, she was like, Well, what would happen? I said, Well, I'm wondering if like this is why I don't remember something, or I don't know. Because we were doing EMDR, which if you it's okay, so I won't go into the depths of that. It's just a way to kind of go into your memories and whatever. And she's like, you have to think to yourself, if what will happen if what will you do with those memories if you have them? Do you feel like it will serve you to remember that and heal from it or not? Because you have to kind of make a decision. Like, if you feel like it's hindering something, like think ahead to if, okay, so like in Jen's situation, do you want to uncover that? But it sometimes it takes if you have re repressed a memory, it's for a reason, whether it's good or bad or in between, or maybe you just don't know. You don't just say, Okay, I'm ready, and it happens, it takes a lot of work.

SPEAKER_00: 7:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 7:57

Saying you'll remember when you're ready is like you just flip a switch or something, and that's not how it works with emotions and brains and things, because that make things a lot easier. But also, she said to me, Do you really want, do you really want to dig into that and figure it out like at this time in your life? And I said, actually, I don't. And I said, because I think because I was like thinking ahead, I was like, if it's one way, I don't know if that would serve me in a positive way. Right. So then do I just let it be? And or or maybe revisit it later. But like in that time of my life, I was like, I had never had a therapist say that to me before. Like, you get it if you you can decide, will you be served remembering it? Because you think all the time, oh well, you need to bring up everything. You gotta bring up all the things.

SPEAKER_00: 8:47

You don't actually right, like you said, it's like what's the end goal? Right, even for right now, like you said, it's something you could maybe later you're you are like, okay, I'm ready to peel that back now.

SPEAKER_01: 8:59

But sometimes maybe it's not gonna serve you to remember something horrible. Right. Maybe it's not. Maybe there's a reason your brain is like, no. I mean, there's always a reason your brain is like. Well, I mean, like, I well, but a reason for it to like to like to not be pushed off the needs to go back through that door, right? Because maybe it'll open up a whole lot of other things you you can't handle it, or it will affect you in an even more negative way. Yeah, do you know what I mean? I do. I've never thought of that before. I hadn't either until that day, and I mean she worded it very differently than I just did. This is a summation, and this was like 13 years ago. No, this was the first kid, so 19 years ago. So, like, yeah, holy bully, that was a long time ago. But anyway, I was like, I I was like, oh, I don't have to un because you're you think, oh, I have to uncover everything and deal with everything and healing.

SPEAKER_00: 9:51

Process everything, process everything. But do we yeah? That's a good question.

SPEAKER_01: 9:57

I will say in this case with Jen, yes, yes, but also like yes, because she is having hindrances, right? Now, I'm not saying I don't still have hindrances and that I don't eventually need to like handle whatever this thing could be, because it could be nothing. But anyway, she um I we'll get into this in the next episode when we start talking about it. I thought it was gonna be something very different. Very different. I thought there was gonna be like violence and like me too. Off like, I mean, it was pretty terrible what happened. But I thought it was like gonna be something else.

SPEAKER_00: 10:37

Yeah. But you don't, I just the therapist, I don't like I don't like his I don't like him either. I don't I I don't like him at all. Well, on a totally different topic, Joey finds out she's getting into Worthington and they're having a barbecue the next day.

SPEAKER_01: 10:53

I know they'd be doing that because they did that the next episode or or sometime when they go on the baby shower.

SPEAKER_00: 10:58

Which we'll talk about it then, but yeah, we'll talk about it then, but I have a thought on that too. Um I said Pacey making it about Joey sweet slash correct. Oh, when they're talking about her going to school and Joey keeps trying to bring it back to their relationship and he keeps going, that's not a today thing. Today's about you, right? Like, that's not something we need to worry about right now. Like, even though obviously I'm sure it's on his mind. But like, I just was like, Yeah, he kept bringing it back to her, and this is about you and your future. Don't think about me in the context right now. And I thought that was that was good. It was. But um, also Gail, that was not good.

SPEAKER_01: 11:38

She brought Dawson's college acceptance letter to Joey's celebration.

SPEAKER_00: 11:41

I wrote that down too. I said, what poor taste? This giant envelope from USC. Way to steal her thunder. I said the same thing. I said bringing that thing to Joey's um party.

SPEAKER_01: 11:55

So messed up.

SPEAKER_00: 11:56

Oh, oh, and then when Joey discovers it's fifteen thousand dollars, oh yeah. Um, and that she's not gonna be able to afford it. Did they go talk to the counselor on a Saturday? What was that? It was like the same day as the barbecue, but they were in the counselor's office. I was very confused. Um and then Gretchen said something, I can't remember she was referring referring, oh, I know what it was. She's talking to Joey, and she's like, Joe, uh Joey's like, oh, Pacy's being great about me going to school. It's it's not so much that, it's and then Gretchen says, Oh, it's his paciness. Like like hyphenated, like pacey dash. Paciness. And I was like, Oh, that's funny. I like that. I like it. His paciness, and a sister could say that. Uh okay, question. Would you take the money from Dawson? Yes. Why?

SPEAKER_01: 12:47

I also wrote it down. What do you mean, why? Because it's money.

SPEAKER_00: 12:50

But like if okay, let me rephrase. Okay. If you're Joey.

SPEAKER_01: 12:55

Well, listen, I wrote that down. I wrote Joey turning down Dawson's actually Mr. Brooks money. I wrote, girl, take that.

SPEAKER_00: 13:03

I mean, that's a good point. It's not fifteen thousand dollars he's he's saved for five summers painting houses. It's money that was given to him and he's trying to find a place for it.

SPEAKER_01: 13:18

Take it.

SPEAKER_00: 13:18

And it's more money than that, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 13:20

Here's something when somebody tries to give you something, right? You somebody told me this, it sounds so cheesy. Okay. Somebody told me this one time, like an old church lady I used to know. Um, and you don't take it, you're preventing them from a blessing as well. I agree with that. So, like they want to bless you, but you're all you are also blessing them because they are trying to give you something. So when you don't take it, you are pre like you're also not giving them something in return.

SPEAKER_00: 13:55

Yes, but you have to think of like what strings are attached. But there's none in this, it's a dead man's money. Yes, but it's from Dawson. So I don't know. Maybe not even a whole life. I know, but I think it's a little loaded. I do. I think by the end of the episode, it's clear that it's not because she because that's she says no and then realizes part of the reason she said no and was feeling bad about it is because she's got this lie hanging over her head in her relationship with Dawson about that she's sleeping with Pacey and he thinks she's not and all of that. So then once she gets that off her chest, and then Dawson still shows up and he's like, irregardless of any of that, this is something different. Yeah, this is like your future and kind of what you just said, our relationship over all the years, not like the current state of it. But I mean, he is an ex-boyfriend, he is a first love, and he's offering you this money. I don't know. It would make me pause.

SPEAKER_01: 14:48

If somebody came to your door today, yes, I can't think of an equivalent to Dawson, but and they'd be like, Hey, I am gonna give you$15,000. Well, let's increase that because it's 2025. So let's say$30,000 from this man died that gave me money, and I know you've been working really hard, so I'm gonna give you this. You would say no.

SPEAKER_00: 15:14

If it was someone I'd been romantically involved with in the past that I think still had feelings for me, I would say no. Ooh, I wouldn't, I would take that money. I would say no. Because I just don't want to ever have to feel like I owe anyone anything. And maybe that's my problem. Maybe that's why no one's giving me$30,000 to make my dreams come true. But yeah, I don't know. I think it's murky with those two.

SPEAKER_01: 15:41

Although I wrote an that would never happen to me with somebody I have a relationship with because I wrote in other episodes I have never had an amicable breakup.

SPEAKER_00: 15:49

Well, there you go.

SPEAKER_01: 15:50

Ain't nobody trying to give me nothing.

SPEAKER_00: 15:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 15:54

Well, and I I don't I said I think I wrote like why is that? I said, I think that's probably like why is that? Yeah, I don't know. To be fair, I haven't dated in 22 years. So I mean Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 16:07

I haven't dated in how long have we been married? 2011. So 14, 15 years. Yeah. Long time.

SPEAKER_01: 16:15

Well, probably you were you were married then, but you probably stopped dating before. Well probably. She said I don't know.

SPEAKER_00: 16:22

I'd have to I'd have to look back at my journals.

SPEAKER_01: 16:24

Because I mean, to be fair, Tora and I have been married 20 years, but we've dated for two years.

SPEAKER_00: 16:28

That's true. Right. That's a good point. That's a good point. I don't know. I I'm not saying I wouldn't take the money.

SPEAKER_01: 16:32

Y'all know me. I'm a penguin monogamy. Not penguin.

SPEAKER_00: 16:35

It's uh you know what's funny? This$30,000 question also came up in the book of questions. And you said you'd take the money for that from a stranger. Because to me, it it would be no strings attached because I don't owe that person anything. We have no history. But now if you're saying it's someone you actually know that wants to give you the money, sexual favors also. But that's true, Katie. But I'm like, but what I'm saying is make it make sense. I'm all worried about the moral implications of accepting it from someone I know.

SPEAKER_01: 17:10

Get her on. But I don't care at all. Therapist. Help take note.

SPEAKER_00: 17:14

Someone help.

SPEAKER_01: 17:15

My hair is so dirty and I can't stop messing with it because it's itchy. You know when your hair's dirty and you need to wash it and it's like itchy.

SPEAKER_00: 17:21

Mine is like that right now.

SPEAKER_01: 17:22

We have gross hair, guys.

SPEAKER_00: 17:24

We do. We're twins.

SPEAKER_01: 17:25

We're twins. Listen, I'm wearing a wig in this show. So it's like if it's too clean, it's so hard to get under a wig cap.

SPEAKER_00: 17:31

Throw on a wig for no reason because my hair is so I'm here for that. Uh and that's it. That's all I had for this one. Um what do you have? Me too.

SPEAKER_01: 17:40

All right, moving on. Because we got a lot. We gotta go. Season four, episode 18, is called Eastern Standard Time. Senior Ditch Day sends Dawson and Gretchen on a road trip to Maine. Jen takes Joey to New York for a showdown with her dad. Mm-hmm. Okay, question I wrote down. Are you a spontaneous plan person? I think I know the answer to this, but that is a good question.

SPEAKER_00: 18:02

I don't no, I don't think so. Yeah, me either. I don't think I can be.

SPEAKER_01: 18:06

I need I always say I need warning for surprises. I like to plan like I don't, I would be, for instance, if you came in the door and said, Danny, I packed you a bag, I cleared this with Troy, we're going on a vacation for three days, I would panic. First of all, nobody needs to be packing my shit because I'm crap. So but you would forget Katie's been placed with me. I take everything. But if you came to me today and said, Danny, next week, on this day, we're going on a trip. You need to pack like four days of tropical wear, I'd be excited. Same. Because I need a little bit of preparation. It's just like I don't want a surprise party because I need to have a tire.

SPEAKER_00: 18:53

Look, when I was contacting, I know he said, I was I was just trying to come up with something for her birthday. And I hadn't even mentioned a surprise. I just said, here's some ideas. Yeah. And he was like, by the way, she hates surprises. And I was like, I know, I do.

SPEAKER_01: 19:09

Well, I like them, but like, if you threw a surprise party for me and I did not have time to like get ready and like I get that, because you're gonna be in pictures and everything. And just okay, he did do a surprise party for me one time, and it did not go well. So it was a surprise dinner when I turned 30. We were parents of a small kid at the time, and all our friends had small kids. And he was like, Me and you and Caden are gonna go out to dinner, it's gonna be a lot of fun. We're gonna go to this restaurant. We lived in a small town, there wasn't many places to go. And I was like, Okay, and so I'm trying to get ready, ready, and something happened, and I'm like still trying to get ready, and he is like driving me nuts. He's like, Why are you not ready? And I'm like, I'll be ready when I'm ready. Like, it's my birthday. We'll get there. If we're going late, it's fine. So needless to say, I did not realize you had to be out of the house. We had all these friends there with their toddlers waiting for me to eat dinner. To eat dinner on a weeknight. Whoops. I didn't know. And they all sat there waiting for me for like third, which if I would have known that, I would have just hurried the hell up. But I thought it was just the three of us.

SPEAKER_00: 20:22

And you're all at home still with.

SPEAKER_01: 20:24

And I'm like, leave me alone. It's my birthday. I want to look cute. Like I'm trying to get ready. And he's like sweating and stressed. Yeah. And we get there, and I felt terrible. And then I'm grumpy. I know. And I felt so bad. I was like, oh my god, guys, I'm so sorry. He's like calling people, like, she's taking forever. Like, I don't know. Oh my god. And I felt terrible. And like all the kids were like losing their mind.

SPEAKER_00: 20:50

And like, and it's getting later into the night, and it's oh man. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 20:55

And then I was like, and then like the kids, it's like toddler witching hour, and they're like crazy, like at a restaurant. Right.

SPEAKER_00: 21:02

And and in your mind, it was gonna be just the three of you, and now you're like entertaining all these people at your party.

SPEAKER_01: 21:09

And it was a mess. It wasn't his fault. It was very sweet.

SPEAKER_00: 21:11

No, he tried. He I I get what he was going for. Me too. I was really sweet.

SPEAKER_01: 21:15

It's very sweet of him. And but anyway, I don't.

SPEAKER_00: 21:17

I like sometimes surprises. Yeah, no, I'm the same way. I I there's I don't think there's any universe right now in my life where anyone could surprise me with anything that took any amount of time. Yeah. Like even an hour here or there. Yeah. I if if I don't know about it, I'm scheduling over it.

SPEAKER_01: 21:35

Well, I remember I was gonna try and throw you a surprise party last year. And that didn't go. And I texted Brant and he was like, literal panic. And I said, actually, uh, it says potential spam, so we're gonna hope. Okay, bye. Um, we said I said, you know what? It's probably just easier if I just tell her. And he's like, Yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_00: 21:55

And that was fun, and we planned for it. And it was really, really fun. And I think you can have surprises within the thing. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01: 22:02

Like you can have like little like I had an outfit, like I had accessories for you to wear.

SPEAKER_00: 22:07

Yeah, it was fun. That was fun. Everybody came dressed as something. That was really that was really fun. I think everybody did. Did some people not? Oh no, I guess everybody maybe OP didn't. Yeah, he just came as himself. He just well, he wasn't sure he was gonna be able to come. Yeah, which is fine. I don't care. Uh show up to my party. Okay, well, so that was that. All right, so for this episode, one of the first things I wrote down, because they're talking about the senior skip day, and everyone's doing different things except Pacey and Drew don't because they're bad students and have to be at school. But Gretchen's talking about her uh Skip Day, and she says, Alice Carroll, Ted and Bobby and I. And I was like, when was your senior skip day? These are your friends' names, Alice Alice Carroll, Ted and Bobby or whatever. So I wrote it down because I thought that was really funny.

SPEAKER_01: 22:53

Did you have a senior skip day? No, I mean so. I'm saying official and I got caught once. The first time I didn't, and it was dumb. But it's like you don't know really know what to do with yourself. Right. Because you can't go anywhere in town because somebody will see you. And I remember the first time I skipped school, it was me and a few friends, like three friends, and we lived like 30 minutes from Biloxi, Mississippi, which is where the the nearest beach was, which is I say that in quotes because it's disgusting. So we were like, let's let's go to the beach. Well, it was kind of cold. So we go there and we're like, and we're at the beach. All right, and so we're like, let's go to the mall here. And so we like go to the mall, eat in the food court, and then drive back. Like, that's that was our day. Yeah, that was our day. It was, I mean, we had fun and like we did not get caught that time. The second time I skipped school, I got caught because my boyfriend had a jerk friend who called and acted like the vice principal and told my mom I was he asked for me. Oh no, no, no, no. That was not what he called from a payphone and asked for me. And my mom had not left for work yet because she was supposed to go on a business trip. This this is what happened. This was really bad. And uh she was like, no, Danny's not here. Uh she's at school. And he was like, No, she's not, she did not report to school today. Uh-huh. Your friend did this? No, no, no. This was my boyfriend's friend. They didn't like me. Still. He also was skipping school, P.S. Yeah. They hated me. They did not like me, this friend of his. So then my mom calls the school and she says, Hello, this is Brenda Thompson. Is Danny Thompson present today? And they said, No, she is not. And she said, Is well, I won't throw his name under the bus. She said, Is so-and-so present? And they said, No, he is not. She said, They are skipping school. Please mark that down. Thank you very much. So if you got caught skipping school, you immediately got in school suspension unless you had an excused absence. Okay. So, fun fact, my my boyfriend and I were like, all right, well, we're just gonna drive around until my mom left. Because she was leaving town. She was supposed to go out of town. Yeah. And I lived really close to the school. Like, I lived like around the corner from my high school. So we drove by and my mom's car was never leaving. And we were like, what is going on? Why is she not left yet? So we're like, okay, well, we're just gonna have to drive. So we literally like drove around all day and like got fast food, like sat in his car, and like it was a boring ass skip day. Like it was not fun. The thing that also sucked, I panicked the morning that we were playing to skip school. I panicked and I was like, I'm just gonna pretend to be sick, and then this will be fine. And I told my mom that morning, I was like, I don't really feel that great. I don't know if I should go to school. And she got super mad at me and was like, You have missed too many school days. And I'll she was like, You have to go to school, Danny. Like, you gotta go. You've missed too many days. So she knew something was up when the phone call came because I tried to get out of school that morning. Right. Obviously, I'm not great at lying, everyone. You know, and so I so finally it's like three o'clock, and I'm like, Well, I guess I'll go home now. Like, this was the dumbest skip day ever. And my mom was still there, so I walk in all nonchalant again like you just left school. I can't lie well, guys. Right. And I'm no eye contact, and my mom's like, how's school today? So that was fine. I tried to make a lie about a test, or I don't know. She's like, Oh, really? That's cool because you weren't there. And I was like, What? Yes, I was. She's like, Oh no, you weren't. I called the school at this time, this time. You'll be seeing the vice principal uh tomorrow when you go back to school. And now I had to cancel my business trip and you're grounded for nine weeks. Whoa. So the next day I go to school and get called to the vice principal's office, get in school suspension. Meanwhile, my boyfriend at the time's mom wrote him a note to excuse him, even though she knew he'd skipped school, so he didn't have any punishment. Oh, and we had a class together and we we had this elective together as a mythology. It was really fun. And that teacher, though, told me, because you when you had in school suspension, they sent all your work. And we missed, we missed an assignment when we skipped school. And he told me, he let me read, he let me do it, and not him, not my boyfriend, because he told me he respected me for taking my penalty.

SPEAKER_00: 27:16

Wow. Okay. Silver lining. He respected you for being like, yeah, I did it. I never skipped school again after that.

SPEAKER_01: 27:24

Yeah, it was like, well, I'm not meant to lie.

SPEAKER_00: 27:26

So I think it's easier to skip school now because of things like virtual school. So much easier. And half day, like, I don't even worry, like, if my kids not skipping, but like if they if they did have an appointment or something and they're driving themselves, I don't even worry about it. Because all you have to say is be like, oh, I'm in virtual school. Oh, I'm on my way to Eastern Florida for like my half day of college courses or whatever. Like, it's more common for kids to not be at school the whole day or to not go to a school campus at all.

unknown: 27:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 27:53

Well, not for you, girl.

SPEAKER_01: 27:55

And so anyway, when they did have a senior skip day, I did not attend because my mom was like, I never did.

SPEAKER_00: 28:01

I mean, I think I missed a couple things, but it was usually things my parents knew about. I remember not being at school one day as a senior, we went to a Cubs game. Oh, okay. Stuff like that. But they knew, but like they knew. It just, I don't know that the school would approve it, but it's like it was also just like meh, whatever. Whatever.

SPEAKER_01: 28:17

Uh, this episode reminded me of speaking of that, of life before cell phones.

SPEAKER_00: 28:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 28:22

Right? Because they broke down and they had no uh cell phones. They had to walk to find a phone. I I did have to do that before. I had to walk and find a pay phone to call, collect, because I got two flat tires. Ironically, going somewhere I wasn't supposed to be going. See, there you go. That's when it happened. Uh, there's no Apple Pay because they didn't have any money. They had no ATMs, because they didn't have like cash. Yeah. So I was like, this was it was such like a reminder of how scary life was before cell phones.

SPEAKER_00: 28:56

And you had to go try to find I ran out of gas once, just in my hometown, but like in an unfamiliar neighborhood, and I wasn't near businesses. So I asked like a random homeowner to use their phone to call my dad and like went into their house. Yeah. It's like that's scary. And and no one knew I had run out of gas. So, like, if something happened to me in the house, no one would know where to even look for me. Nope. That's scary.

SPEAKER_01: 29:19

Um, also, this episode I put, if they all hate Drew, why do they keep hanging out with him? I don't get it either. They're just like, we hate you.

SPEAKER_00: 29:27

Come sit with us.

unknown: 29:28

What?

SPEAKER_00: 29:29

Hello?

unknown: 29:30

I don't get it.

SPEAKER_00: 29:30

Also, the accent of the mechanic. I said, How far did they drive? Right. They went to Maine and he's like, hi, y'all, we're making a car today. And I was like, Where are they?

SPEAKER_01: 29:41

It was weird. That I I didn't get that. Also, okay, I didn't write too many notes for this one. Dawson and Gretchen on the beach, where um they're I don't remember who said it, but they're like, I don't know what we're waiting for. And I'm like, hello, for him to be 18, maybe. Is he 18? Did we miss this?

SPEAKER_00: 30:00

I don't even miss it. So, what was the last birthday? Wasn't the one with the cake where he freaked out was 16.

SPEAKER_01: 30:07

Where he was drunk?

SPEAKER_00: 30:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 30:08

Yeah, that was 16.

SPEAKER_00: 30:09

Because he got a car. Right. Was there a 17 we missed?

SPEAKER_01: 30:13

I girl, I don't know. I'm like, maybe he is 18. Maybe he is now?

SPEAKER_00: 30:18

I don't know. But like, but he was under 18 in that episode where they went to the bar. Or was that under 21? Like, maybe I can't remember. I don't know. I'm confused too. Uh okay, so Jen's dad. I was trying to figure out how I knew who that was. He was in Happy Gilmore. Yeah. He's been in Adam Sandler movies. Okay. Because he's got that like distinct look. He's tall. I didn't look it up, but I thought that too. He's done like bit characters. Um, okay, so I thought it was interesting. Pacey, I thought this was pretty good writing where he's still at school, and so is Drew, but him feeling that emptiness of everyone being gone. It was seeing your skip day, but that feeling of like, yeah, when they all leave to go to college, this is my everyday. I thought that was a good symbolism.

SPEAKER_01: 31:03

I thought it was too what's going on internally for him.

SPEAKER_00: 31:06

Yes. I also liked when Gretchen, when um Dawson's trying to come up with a plan to, I don't know, get the car fixed or whatever. And he says something about how my parents wire us money. And she's Gretchen's like, Do you even know how that works? Like, do you even know how to do wire money?

SPEAKER_01: 31:22

And he's like, No. He's like, it he said the commercial, the Weston commercial is what he said. Yeah. So funny. Um, I don't have anything else except I put therapist plotline question mark again.

SPEAKER_00: 31:32

Well, I had I looked up the release date of this episode, April 18th, 2001. Okay. The skyline of the World Trade Center.

SPEAKER_01: 31:41

Oh, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_00: 31:44

Yeah. Because I was like, did they film it before and and air it later? But they aired it a couple months before. Wow. And there's that skyline shot at the end, and she actually says to her, Empire State Building, World Trade Centers, da-da-da-da-da. And then they keep flashing to it. I didn't even think it like over and over. It was crazy. Um, and then why not? I put I can't do this, Gretchen said, and then why not? And then I said, um, maybe that was my same 18. That might have been it. I don't know what else I would have meant by that.

SPEAKER_01: 32:14

I I did write the sweet Jane song.

SPEAKER_00: 32:16

Oh yeah. And then, and then also just like leaving Joey alone in New York City a couple times. She's like, Well, I'll see you at eight o'clock. And then it's completely dark out. And she's like, Oh, I'll see you at the train station at 11. And Joey's by herself in New York City for the first time. And and she's like, Okay, bye, Jen. See you at the train station at 11. I was like, What? What is that? I wouldn't even do that now. I wouldn't walk around by myself. All right. Oh, we have two more, but not for this. Not for not for this recording. Um, so stick with us for the remaining four episodes of Dawson's Creek coming up, uh, season four. And uh, we'll see you next time on Generation in Between