Dawson's Creek - 520 - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

 Original air date: April 24, 2002

We're getting close to the end. TV seasons were long back in the day and for some weird reason, even though we get less it feels like plots drag like crazy when shows try to have even 20 episodes a season now. With Dawson's Creek, I don't feel like anything is dragging but more, meandering because they don't know what to do for the last few episodes. Everything feels off and I'm sad because I was really enjoying this season.

We start the episode with Audrey walking down the dorm hallway and when she gets to her door there's a hair tie on the knob. If you know, you know but if you don't know that's the universal roommate signal to not go in the room because someone is getting laid. Audrey looks happy for Joey and leaves the door untouched. We push inside the room and Charlie and Joey are in bed together but they're fully clothed. I'm unclear whether or not they had sex or not because the writers are pretty nervous about letting Joey sleep with guys. They bug each other about drooling in their sleep and talking in their sleep about Barbie dolls before Joey excitedly asks him what her favourite thing about their fling is. Essentially, she likes that Charlie doesn't know a thing about her because the last two guys she seriously dated knew her for her whole life and I guess she likes that there's mystery now. Joey teases Charlie about likeing Barbie dolls, surprise it was him talking about Barbie dolls in his sleep, and they have a pillow fight.

Pacey and Audrey show up to work at Civilization only to find it completely empty. Audrey mentions a memo they got with their paychecks that had the phrase "under new management" mentioned in it. Pacey is in disbelief because he talked to Danny just before they went on vacation and he thinks he would have told him if he was leaving. They banter some more before finding another memo that tells them that the restaurant is closed for lunch and a staff meeting will be held at 3 with the new management. No one called them? Very ominous. You'd think they'd have new management waiting for the early staff to brief them as they came in.

Charlie is waiting for Joey outside her classes and has exciting news to tell her. His band is going on tour with another band and they leave on Monday. Joey congratulates him but is shocked that they're leaving in the middle of a semester. Charlie thinks he'll make up his classes next year and this is some privileged shit right here. They talk about grades like they're in high school but like, you pay for these classes. Skipping out means you've wasted money and you'll have to pay the full amount to retake those classes and in the meantime, you took that class spot away from someone who wanted it and might have taken it more seriously. Honestly, it's like these writers haven't actually been to college in their lives. Shit's expensive. Back to the plot, Charlie wants Joey to go with him on tour, not to sing just to be his girlfriend which is a huge ask of someone when you just started not even really dating. Joey turns him down but says that they don't have to end things yet since he's not yet gone and they walk off.

Keep this image pinned for now

Dawson and Oliver are once again packing for their New York meeting which is amazing because they ditched it last week to go chase aimlessly after Joey and it did not pay off. The fact that they just got another meeting like it was nothing feels very undramatic and made the stakes last week even lower. He lost nothing in his quest for Joey, except finding that Joey moved way past him, I guess. Oliver thinks he should do all the talking because he's great at meetings, well practice meetings with family. Then he suggests they make a grand entrance like in Rain Man where they come down the escalator so Dawson gives up listening to him because it would be super dorky to show up in matching suits. 

Remember when we left Joey? She was all happy for Charlie and told him they're not over yet because he hasn't left yet and pulled him along by the hand? Ok so now she's telling Audrey about this and seems really annoyed that Charlie wants to spend as much time with her as he can before she leaves. Wasn't that your idea, Joey? She sort of clarifies that he mentioned staying and that he's talking about "us" and I'm just like....why was Joey so adamant about being with him last week then? Why did we see her shit all over Jen? Did she really just want to toy around with Charlie to piss Jen off? Because that's the only explanation I'm left with here and it makes Joey look terrible. Fucking abysmal, actually. Audrey tells Joey she's overreacting and Charlie will definitely go with the band and then heads out to the big meeting with new management. Charlie comes in just as Audrey leaves with snacks from the vending machine. 

At Civilization, the crew has gathered for their meeting and are greeted by the new owner, a very attractive woman, who is played by Sherilyn Fenn! Oh man, they are getting some cool guest stars this season. If you don't know, Sherilyn is a prolific actress most notably (to me) known for playing Audrey in Twin Peaks. She was also on Gilmore Girls as Luke's ex Anna Nardini. Here, she is Alex Pearl and she intends to turn Civilization into a whole brand. Pacey is butthurt over Danny Brecher leaving but Alex assures him that he was compensated very well for this takeover. Pacey looks indignant that she thinks people get into the restaurant business to make money but I'll just chalk that up to his youth and naivete. I mean, the reason people do most jobs is to make money because we have to or we'll starve and lose shelter and all that other not fun stuff. At his age, food is about the art, man. The passion. To an extent, it is. You should have a passion for cooking if you want to go for something like a restaurant but ultimately, you need the restaurant to make money in order for you to be able to continue being a chef. Anyway, that out of the way, Pacey seems to make a poor impression on Alex and oops, he's the first up for a meeting. 

Sherilyn is very pretty and very underrated as an actress

We come back to see their meeting in full swing. Alex notices that Pacey doesn't like authority and he assumes he's losing his job. She asks if that's what he wants and Pacey admits, not that he likes the job, but that he needs it and wants to stay. Alex then turns around and offers him a promotion even though Pacey feels he isn't nearly qualified enough, she assures him he can do it but says she can offer it to someone else. Pacey quickly accepts the offer and seems very turned around on Alex. 

Joey and Charlie are studying together when Charlie asks if they can talk. He brings up their talk earlier and how it didn't exactly go the way he wanted it to. Joey agrees that it was awkward but Charlie doesn't take the hint and starts going on about how school is important, to her but not him but it is important in theory, he thinks. He says he wants to stay and when Joey starts to protest, he kisses her. Then he says that they can start their own band and Joey starts to say something and he kisses her and then he says that they're going to be so great together and that staying is absolutely the right decision and like bolts out of the room before Joey can actually have a say. I'm mad at Joey, she's terrible lately, but this was gross. I know the writers wanted to create a funny scenario where Charlie is so swept up in excitement that Joey can't get a word in but it plays out like a manipulation tactic and I hate it.

Oliver and Dawson are waiting for their meeting and have been for a while which makes Dawson nervous. Especially since they already ditched this meeting. Oliver is distracted by the receptionist who glanced his way and now he thinks he has a shot at asking her out. I know that the writers are making Oliver the butt of the joke here and not being able to read the room properly but I feel like I have to spell this out, just because someone happens to make eye contact with you, does not mean they are interested. They might not even have been looking at you. Please don't harass people at their work.

Pacey is now super happy at the restaurant but Audrey is decidedly not so when she comes out of her meeting. Pacey thinks that Alex will soften over time but Audrey tells him to let her know how it goes because she just got fired. Pacey thinks it's a mistake and says he'll talk to Alex. It's a nice thought but then he goes out on a limb and guarantees Audrey her job back by the afternoon which is kind of super dumb of him. Audrey is happy though...for now.

Dawson and Oliver are finally in their meeting with Andrew Waller, the big agent that's interested in their movie. Dawson and Andrew seem to hit it off but Oliver immediately derails the entire meeting by insulting a movie Andrew packaged and then blabbering about where the phrase "cut to the chase" came from. Andrew wonders if Oliver is ok or if he's on some kind of drugs but Dawson assures him he's just eccentric. Oliver says they don't want to waste his time so Andrew immediately takes the out and basically says "cool, see you later. We'll be in touch." We'll be in touch, in this case meaning, I am never talking to you again.

This is a man who is clearly thinking
"don't ever contact me again"

Joey is freaking out to Audrey about Charlie wanting to stay and says she's a horrible person and hey, she said it. I'm just not going to disagree. Audrey assures her she isn't because she's nicer than me. The thing is, Joey is a horrible person. Why did she engage in this relationship if she wasn't in to him? If she wanted a one night stand or a fling, then why did it have to be with Charlie? I thought the point was that she did like him? If she didn't then this makes everything that happened last episode exponentially worse because it means that she was hanging out with Charlie specifically to hurt Jen for going out with Dawson. That's fucked up. I know the writers would never acknowledge this or Jen's true feelings on the matter because this is Joey's Creek now, and only Joey matters but that's essentially what this whole thing boils down to. Audrey thinks Joey needs to tell Charlie to get the hell out of her life and never call again (that's what I've been saying this whole time). Joey says she doesn't want to hurt Charlie (but she was perfectly fine with hurting Jen?) she just isn't ready to be someone's girlfriend and especially not ready for someone to upend their life for her. I mean, I'll give her that, that's fair. That's a huge step when Joey wanted things to not be serious but still. This storyline makes me really hate Joey.

The restaurant is extremely busy and Alex asks what's going on and Pacey thinks this is a good time to ask about getting Audrey's job back. Alex wants to know if he has a special interest in Audrey and Pacey admits they're dating. A waitress then knocks Alex into Pacey's arms and they pull apart awkwardly. Alex says things are too chaotic right now but asks him to come see her later if he wants to talk more about the situation. Pacey agrees. Oh, I smell trouble.

Dawson is super pissed at Oliver for fucking up their important meeting. Oliver still seems to think everything is fine and that next time, he'll be more brown-nosy. Dawson tells him that there won't be a next time because he understood the "we'll be in touch" for the kiss off that it was. Oliver thinks they're an amazing team like the Cohen brothers, the Hughes brothers or the Wachowskis. Dawson points out that they aren't brothers and I must point out that neither are the Wachowskis. This show came out before, so they're not trying to be asses but the Wachowskis are awesome sisters. Back to the point, Dawson is mad at Oliver for being so naive and then Oliver has the nerve to shoot back that Dawson drove to Florida to fulfill his romantic destiny and excuse you, Oliver, that is NOT how it happened. As stupid as that endeavor was, it was you who pushed Dawson to do it. He was talking himself out of it so really the whole Florida fiasco is on both of you but mainly you for pushing it on Dawson. Dawson doesn't point this out though, he seems to think Oliver has a point but says that this situation is different. Oliver agrees and says he's going to take the train back leaving Dawson alone.

Joey and Audrey are at the bar where Charlie and his band are playing. Joey is freaking out about how she can break it off with him. Pacey soon joins them and admits he hasn't yet gotten Audrey's job back but he will. Joey asks about the new boss and Pacey admits that she's attractive and Audrey gets offended because she's older. I know he's "legal" but this whole thing is giving me Ms. Jacobs flashbacks and I don't like it so here is Pacey making an adorable face to cleanse your palates:

Look at this face, you can't ever stay mad at him

Audrey fills Pacey in on the Joey and Charlie situation and the fact that he's no longer going on tour with the band. Pacey makes a comment that he can't blame Charlie for being smitten and that gives Audrey an idea. Charlie comes up to their table and Audrey immediately accuses Joey of sleeping with Pacey (I wish). Both of them are shocked and confused at Audrey's plan but she barrels through, goading Joey into a cat fight. Pacey and Charlie pull them apart and Pacey tells Joey to tell Charlie what's going on. Joey tells Pacey and Audrey to go because she can handle it from here. Joey finally tells Charlie to go on tour because she doesn't want him to regret not going. She also tells him that if he's staying because of her, he shouldn't. Charlie finally gets the hint because he realizes Joey never asked him to stay and this whole pointless affair that broke up the Jen and Joey friendship is done. That was so not worth it. I know that Jen dated Dawson and that didn't help their relationship either but Jen really liked Dawson and wanted to be with him. Joey was basically just using Charlie. Again, if she wanted a fling, fine but why with the guy that hurt her supposed friend?

Dawson is waiting outside Andrew's office until he comes down the stairs. Andrew is shocked that Dawson waited 5 hours to talk to him and wants to hear what he has to say. Dawson begs for another chance and tells him to bet on him and Oliver because he's never wanted anything more in his life. Andrew is impressed with the desperation and the teen anguish because it's marketable and says he'll put out some feelers on their film and asks Dawson to send him their next project. They shake hands because they've made a deal.

Joey and Audrey are asleep when they hear music from outside. Joey goes to check the window and sees Charlie playing Cheap Trick's I Want You to Want Me, just like Joey sang the first time. It's supposed to be romantic but I'm completely unsold on Charlie so this does nothing for me. You are no Lloyd Dobbler, sir. Good day. They pretend like he's terrible at guitar which is confusing because he's supposed to be in a fairly successful band? Anyway, Joey goes out to him and he confirms that he's officially going on tour. Joey is happy for him. He promises that he will be a person of substance some day and that he will look her up. Joey says she'd be happy if he did because this was never about him being unsubstantial, it was about him making a huge life choice for her. They part on good terms and I'm left feeling mostly really pissed off about the whole thing. Am I to seriously swallow that Charlie really likes Joey after he did the same thing with Jen but ended up cheating on her? On the one hand, I don't believe it's genuine and on the other I'm mad because I'm expected to believe it's genuine because it's Joey and not Jen and that just makes me even more angry. Why was Jen not good enough? Why is Joey so special? This is not the way to endear a character to the viewers because I'm left rolling my eyes at Joey's magical attractiveness that makes all the guys fall for her. I just hate all of this. I'm so mad at this story and how it plays out because it was all so pointless and basically pitted two characters against each other but the writers seem to refuse to really engage with that narrative. 

Pacey is working late and knocks on Alex's door to finish the conversation about getting Audrey's job back. Alex says she was the last hired so she's the first fired. Pacey gets worried that he won't be able to convince her to give Audrey her job back. She asks him how old he is and is surprised to learn that he's 19 because he seems older. She tells him that's too young to be settling down with a girlfriend but says that they can work something out to get her job back. Then she kisses him. Pacey pulls away and says they got their wires crossed because that's not what he was thinking but she thinks he does want her. Pacey leaves and I think we just got our new antagonist. I'm so sorry, Sherilyn but I have to.

Mua hahaha! I'll sexually harass you again, Pacey!

Dawson is just leaving Grams's house when Joey comes up. She asks him how his big meeting went and he tells her he might actually have an agent. Joey is super excited for him and gives him a hug. She then asks if he's heading out for pizza and if she can join him. They walk off together talking about how her weekend was and I hate Joey just a little bit more before we fade to credits.

This episode feels like a lot because we're ending a lot of plots but also starting something new with Pacey so it feels like a season ender and starter at the same time when it's neither. Where do we go from here? Nowhere good because we're about to get even more bad relationship drama. Stay tuned for more shenanigans in After Hours.