Dawson's Creek - 205 - Full Moon Rising

Original air date: November 4, 1998

So I think this marks the first episode that Joey and Dawson don't fight. The past four episodes, ie: their entire relationship, they have gotten into some fight or another. Also, we left last episode with their relationship hanging in the balance, unresolved.

This episode opens with them perfectly fine together. They also tease us by opening in Dawson's room (too late, writers! That ship has sailed) except that no one is there, so they then move the camera outside the window, where Dawson and Joey are sitting on the roof and looking at the almost full moon.

They are debating (what else is new, right?) whether the moon is romantic or creates chaos. Joey believes that the moon just causes everyone to act crazy while Dawson counters that it's calming and romantic. Joey remains convinced that weird things always happen during a full moon which sets our theme for the episode. Cue theme song.

At least they are actually getting along

Mitch is talking with Tamara about her warehouse. She is desperate to sell and is probably getting annoyed at Mitch stringing her along about the place. He asks her why she thinks it's so bad being here and everyone screams at him to shut up because that bitch is almost out of our lives. Oh wait, that was me who screamed that. Mitch then promises to make a decision if she lets him go over the plans for the warehouse again. What plans? It's a warehouse. Look at it and decide what plans YOU have for it and then make your damn decision. I highly doubt it's a maze, it looked pretty open concept to me.

Vincent, the guy from the docks that Abby liked, approaches Jen and begins flirting with her. He asks her out for coffee and Jen invites him around to her house. Uh, Jen? You do remember that you're sixteen and live with your grandma, right? I mean, I'll give you that the guy is hot, I'm just saying that it might not be the wisest decision to invite a way older guy over to Grams' house.

Alright, fine. Invite him over but no good
will come of it. Mark my words

Andie walks into the video store under the guise of renting a movie. Pacey and her trade barbs with each other and Pacey finally asks her out.

How I looked as I watched this scene unfold

Andie agrees and they make plans to meet for a movie. Everything is going smoothly until Pacey mentions picking her up at her place. Andie tries to get them to meet else where but Pacey insists on picking her up. Andie almost bails but then agrees that they will still meet at 7:30.

Pacey is happy, yay!

Abby catches up with Jen all bright and happy and asking if Jen is still mad at her. Uh...what? Did I miss something? I thought Abby was the one who was mad at Jen for stealing Vincent or some junk? Well, the show is pretending that it was Jen who was mad and she still seems to be because Abby called her a "desperate loser." Abby apologises, while stealing everything that Jen is trying out in the make up store, and says that they should never let a guy come between them again. It's kind of sweet but then Jen ruins it because she still doesn't get that not fighting over guys means not pursuing a guy that your friend openly liked and gushes to Abby about having a date with Vincent.

Abby does not react well

Jen gets upset that Abby is upset except that why would she think it was OK that she was going out with the guy that Abby liked? Just last episode, Jen said that she didn't want him, that Abby could have him and that their friendship meant more to her but now she's offended because Abby is upset? Jen, you kind of lied to her. I'm sorry but I'm on Abby's side on this one, even though we're being told by the writers that Abby is the villain. Abby starts attacking Jen, talking about needing condoms because he probably has illegitimate children all across the Eastern seaboard which is kind of funny because that's exactly what she said about him last episode that added to his appeal. Check out the contrast:

Is this a good thing?

Or a bad thing?

She then basically calls Jen a slut.

Jen does not react well

Meanwhile, in the Leery household, Mitch sinks ever lower. Gail is preparing a meal because she says she is playing an ambassador for a reporter who is going to be their station's affiliate or something and she thought it would be better to have him over at the house instead of going out. Reasonable. Mitch catches the word "him" and proceeds to argue with Gail that her work thing sounds like a "Thursday night excursion" even though that is supposed to be a date night as per his own rules. He says this right in front of Dawson and Joey who are in the kitchen studying. He also brings up the fact that she cheated on him with a co-worker, again in front of Dawson. Gail snaps back that at least she has coworkers and I finally realise why she may have cheated. Mitch doesn't work, he sits around at home and dreams of owning a restaurant. I'm not condoning her behaviour but I kind of understand her a little more, anyone could get resentful of a partner who seemingly isn't contributing to the household income while wanting to use your income to finance a pipe dream about owning a restaurant.

They both suck for airing their issues out in front
of their son and his girlfriend though.

Dawson expresses concern over his parents fighting. Hey, he's actually acknowledging his parents' problems this season. Some improvement for Dawson. Joey tells him that it's just the full moon putting people on edge and then leaves for work as quickly as she can to escape the awkwardness.

Yeah...I'm gonna go ahead and leave now

Jen is preparing for her date and lucky her, Grams is going to bible study. However, those things usually don't last a while and dates tend to last a lot longer, so I still fail to see how she can hide this from Grams. Abby bursts in and yells at Jen for hitting her. Jen says that she called her names and Abby counters with that she would never hit Jen. Jen says she's warped. Sorry, Jen, I disagree again. While, in the heat of the moment, people tend to say mean things that they may regret later, those mean things are not just cause to hit someone. The slap was dramatic and entertaining but not justified at all. She escorts Abby out and waits for Vincent to get there.

Jen is not a very good friend this episode

Gail is talking with the news anchor guy when the doorbell rings. She goes to answer it to reveal Tamahra. She is there to "go over the plans" again with Mitch. Seriously? How complicated is this warehouse? Apparently, she is leaving tomorrow which is writer code for "we are using her to escalate this dramatic breakdown between Dawson's parents but we have no intentions of developing her after this"

Convenient. Now can she be gone for good?

Joey and Jack are working at the Ice House which only has one customer so they are bored. Joey begins complaining that they haven't made any tips and that if "Mr. Bottomless Cup of Coffee" would leave, she would close the place. Jack calls her out on her disdain for their customers and the fact that she hates her job. Then this happens:

Thank you! Thank you for calling Joey out on
her irrational rage issues

Joey tries to pass it off on the full moon freaking her out but Jack calls her bullshit again and points out that it's not just today, she's always mad. Yes, yes to all of that. She is such an angry, bitter shrew of a character. Joey has no answer for that but thinks about what he said. Will this ever be fully addressed? Fuck, I hope so but I don't expect it to be.

Jen greets Vincent at Grams' house and, to her credit, seems to be keeping him relegated to the porch. They talk over coffee and Jen learns that he wants to be a lawyer which surprises her and also gets her even more interested in him. In other words...

Jen pictured here

Dawson walks past both of his parents as they are engaging in their pseudo-dates and looks confused. Do I really have to keep saying Dawson looks or is confused? That really seems to be his natural state of being on this show. Anyway, Mitch and Gail go into the kitchen, where Dawson is and begin bickering because they love exposing their son to their marital problems.

Gail yells at Mitch for getting mad at her when it's clear that his "Thursday night escapades are overflowing into the weekend." Dawson tries to ask them what Thursday nights are and Mitch has the gall to yell at him to go to his room. Uh, you guys are the dumb asses who are talking about it in front of him. You expect him not to be curious? Dawson does end up leaving as Mitch and Gail argue about the fact that Mitch wants to open a restaurant and that Gail is tired of indulging him in his dreams while their guests overhear everything in quiet discomfort.

I slept with a fifteen year old and
even I'm uncomfortable

Dawson finds Abby in his room, who seems to be spying on Jen. This goes no where because Dawson asks her what the hell she's doing there and then it cuts to another scene.

Meanwhile, Pacey has gone to Andie's house to pick her up for their date. However, she is not there but her mother is. She invites Pacey in and mentions that Andie tells her about him all the time. She also mentions that her husband, Will, probably wants to give him the third degree and that he should meet Tim. Pacey asks who Tim is and she tells him that he's Jack and Andie's older brother who goes to Columbia. Pacey thinks that's why he's never been mentioned. Andie's mother then invites him to stay for dinner and then goes upstairs to find Tim.

Yeah, that is a bizarre first date

Joey and Jack are still passing time at the Ice House while the old man sips coffee. The power suddenly goes out and Joey realises that the lobster tank has stopped working. They are rushing to put the lobsters in ice until they can fix the pump when Andie comes in looking for Pacey. She had been waiting at the theatre for him but he never showed and then she remembered they mentioned maybe meeting here. When she sees he isn't at the Ice House either, she gets a sudden thought, either Pacey ditched her or he went to their house. She starts freaking out and Jack tries to calm her down but she runs out quickly. Jack stays behind even though, whatever Andie was freaking out about, should be affecting him too and given what we find her freak out to be, Jack probably should have gone with her. I would think Joey would understand.

After all, they only have one customer

Jen and Vincent have apparently moved inside the house, into Grams' kitchen. They are sharing stories and getting along. Jen asks him what his most embarrassing sexual encounter is to which he responds that he almost had sex with a drag queen...this show has issues with the LGBT community. Anyway, he asks what hers is and Jen tells him that she got caught having sex on her parents' bed. Things are getting steamier between these two.

They kiss

Abby is upset by this turn of events, as she's been watching Jen and Vincent the whole date. Dawson asks her again why she's in his room and I love how this showcases what a doormat Dawson is. Think about it, a few scenes ago he finds Abby in his room spying on Jen and Vincent, they were outside on the porch. Now they've moved inside, so their date has obviously progressed and Dawson is just getting an answer to his question that he had to ask a second time. How long was Dawson sitting there in uncomfortable silence, watching Abby watch Jen and Vincent? It's hilarious when you really think about it. Abby tries to hit on Dawson because she desperately wants to make Jen jealous or hurt Jen in some way. Dawson refuses and Abby tries to negotiate with Dawson to get him to at least tell Jen they kissed. She tells him to tell Jen that he and Joey have an open relationship and that he and Abby hooked up. This finally gets Dawson thinking.

Wait, I could have had sex?

Just kidding, Dawson actually clues in to what's happening with his parents and he goes downstairs to get them into the kitchen and ask them point blank if they are having an open marriage.

Jen and Vincent are really heating things up and Jen starts to get a bit nervous. She starts to try and stop things but Vincent is in full rapey mode, trying to coerce her into having sex with him anyways. Telling her she's not serious when she says no and I want to punch him in the nuts. Jen finally blurts out that she's sixteen.

Why else would she have been hanging out with
someone you deemed a "teeny bopper", Vincent?

Yeah...not buying it, Vincent. I'm sorry but last episode, you called Abby out for being a teen princess and Jen was hanging out with her. What the hell did you think Jen was doing hanging out with a teenager, if she was not a teen herself? I guess he maybe thought she was 18 but I still don't buy that he was this surprised. I know, I know, Michelle Williams and the rest of the cast don't look 16 but in the show, they are 16.

Anyway, Grams comes in at that moment and confirms her age and goes major bitch-cakes all over him. It's magnificent.

Fuck yeah, Grams just threatened a dock worker.
Like a BAMF

Andie rushes into her home and finally finds Pacey. Pacey apologises for mixing up where they were supposed to meet and mentions that her mom invited them to dinner. Andie tries to convince him to sneak out of the house with her but Pacey won't budge because he doesn't want to be rude. Andie then flips out on him and says that he has no right to be at their house because he wasn't invited. Pacey says that he was invited by her mother and that he thinks Andie is ashamed of him and that he is not worthy of meeting her country club father or her ivy league brother. Andie begs him to leave but Pacey still refuses and asks her what her problem is with him meeting her brother.

Awkwarrrrrrrd

Joey and Jack are still trying to fix the pump but having no luck until their lone customer pipes up and tells them to unplug the power source and then plug it back in. They try it and it works. They thank the man and then Joey shows how ungrateful is that she still wishes he would leave. You know, he can probably hear you two talking about how much you hate the fact that he is there and yet he still helped you out. Who are we supposed to be rooting for here?

Team Random Guy!

They finally realise that he is probably there because he is lonely and not for their coffee but when they turn around, he is gone. Joey immediately checks for a tip and I have to wonder why? I mean, it's not like she offers friendly service or anything and she was complaining about him the whole night. Was she really surprised there was no tip? Jack goes to clear the table and finds $100 underneath the man's napkin and again I'm going to have to ask why the man left a tip, especially that amount. Neither one of them were deserving of it and the guy helped them fix their tank so that they didn't lose the expensive lobsters. This guy must be a saint.

Yay, money we didn't earn! Complaining and
horrible service gets you everywhere!

Apparently the guy also left a poem on the napkin. Joey reads it aloud.

By moonlight many years ago my true love did I know,
and by that moon I begged her wait but that night did she go.
So, young lovers, heed my words, don't squander love away.
The moon is changing ever still,
soon comes the light of day.

So, heeding the old man's words, Jack kisses Joey.

Dun, dun, DUN!

Mitch tries gloss over the situation, saying that it's not what Dawson thinks. Dawson isn't buying it and asks if they've completely lost their minds. Gail spares no time in demonising Dawson's father by saying that she would like to know too. Look, I get it, it was Mitch who thought the idea up and Gail wanted no part, he was in the wrong but it's so not cool dragging your kid into the fight and trying to turn him against his father. Dawson's parents...are not that good.

Mitch yells at Gail, asking her where she gets off being mad because they wouldn't be here if she hadn't cheated which is true, I'll give him that. Gail gives up and says she can't apologise anymore. Dawson tries to get them to sit down and fix their marriage but Mitch throws in a barb about Gail never supporting him and then running off to sleep with another man. Gail leaves.

Dawson yells at his father for not being able to let it go and not being able to accept her apology. Dawson tells his father that he has to forgive her and fix their marriage. Uh, Dawson, he doesn't have to do that at all, especially if he legitimately can't forgive her. Mitch then breaks down and says that he doesn't know how to fix it. He gives a very moving speech about how he was never prepared for this type of thing and how he's lost and it's some great acting by John Wesley Shipp. Then Dawson ruins it because he is incapable of showing human emotion. He just makes the entire scene hilarious with his awkwardness, watch:

I love the wide eyed, blank stare Dawson has as his 

father pours his heart out

Dawson, your dad just broke down in front
of you, show some emotion!

See? He renders an otherwise emotional scene hilarious just by looking completely clueless. I get being thrown for a loop by witnessing an otherwise strong parent break down in front of you but eventually, you get over the shock and an actual emotion shows, sadness on behalf of your parent, concern, anger at your other parent...something. No word of a lie, I completely thought Dawson was just going to back out of the room and leave his father in that state of despair instead of going over to him and awkwardly putting a hand on his shoulder.

Exactly like this

Grams in the meantime completely reams out Jen for what she saw. I really like this scene. I know that liking sex does not mean that you are disrespecting yourself but Jen needed to hear this. She needed to be told that she was repeating the same dangerous mistakes she'd made before.

Grams has laid down the law!

Dawson goes to get Joey from the Ice House. Joey is awkwardly avoiding Jack and so Jack tells Joey that he will lock up so that she can leave with Dawson.

Uh-oh, Joey might be into Jack

Andie explains to Pacey that they were all riding in their car after a homecoming game a year ago. Her mom was driving and didn't see a truck in the road, so her brother Tim died and her mom kind of went crazy with guilt. Her father checks up on them once a week but works in a failing business in Providence. Jack is a bit naive and pretends there are no issues so Andie is left with most of the responsibilities. She breaks down crying and Dawson, this is how you react when someone is breaking down:

Pacey is once again, the man

Dawson and Joey sit on his roof again and look at the moon. Dawson is obviously upset and although Joey seems to want to tell him about Jack kissing her, she sees that now is not the best time to dump more shit onto Dawson. They then talk about the man in the moon or some shit and I don't really get it...the dialogue I mean. See if you can make sense of it:

Dawson: Hey, look up in the sky. What do you see?

Joey: The moon?

Dawson: No, no. Look at...look at the moon. Close your eyes. Now what do you see?

Dawson: It's the man.

Joey: Who?

Dawson: The man, remember?

Joey: Oh, right, right, right. The man in the moon. I get it. I get it. Oh, but wait!

Dawson: What?

Joey: It's not a man, Dawson. It's a...woman.

OK...point being?

There was literally no need for that dialogue. None. The line before Dawson says he doesn't want to talk, he just wants to look at her face in the moonlight and then this exchange happens and then Joey starts to tell him about Jack but then decides to agree with him that a full moon is beautiful to make him feel better. This stuff with the man in the moon? Serves no purpose but to confuse the audience. I mean remember? Remember what? That there is a man in the moon? Everyone knows that. Or were they referring to some secret thing they did when they were younger that the audience would know nothing about? Honestly, they could have cut this out and you would be missing nothing but I guess they needed to stretch the episode out a bit? If I were them, I would have used that precious 30 seconds or so on the much more interesting Pacey/Andie scene but that's just me.

It's a woman, hurrr

Mitch and Gail are finally talking after their blow out. They decide it's time to end their relationship and thank God, at this point. Gail offers to leave but Mitch says that he will go. Then a little montage starts playing of all the characters and their situations while this plays:

Everyone remembers Sarah McLachlan as the resident sad song expert but Jewel could hold her own too. No one seems to remember Jewel but she was legit. Anyway, that was Full Moon Rising. Everyone is dealing with serious issues, Mitch and Gail are getting separated, Dawson's family is falling apart, Joey let Jack kiss her and is conflicted over it, Andie's mom is crazy, Pacey wants to help Andie through her problems and Jen is sliding back into her old habits and has disappointed her Grams. How will they all cope?

We'll find out next time in The Dance. Hey....wait a minute. Wasn't there an episode last season called Dance? And for that matter, there was one called Kiss too and this season opened on an episode called The Kiss. What gives? Why are the writers reusing titles already? Are they that strapped for ideas for episode titles?