Dawson's Creek: The Abby (5.22)

There's nothing worse than a last-minute twenty-third episode. Especially in a season which has felt even more stretched than normal. The Abby strains so hard to fill the hour allotted, everybody given material that struggles to be about anything of consequence. It's really noticeable how characters are merely discussing things happening, instead of actually being part of things that are happening. So we get Joey talking about visiting her dad, and Jen talking about staying with her parents for the summer. This is total filler material, staggering events for the finale in as broad a manner as possible.

The only real action this week involves the resolution to the Sherilyn Fenn story, and boy was that whole thing horrible. Alex opens the episode in grade-A tyrannical boss mode, yelling at her staff and firing people for silly reasons. Pacey orchestrates a coup during a big, fancy dinner for potential restaurant investors, which winds up humiliating Alex and (I guess) ruining the fortunes of the restaurant itself. So... that worked? I guess if Pacey and the other staff can justify throwing their jobs away to get one over on a mean boss, then maybe. Otherwise? It all seems a little dumb.

Soon after, in another narrative misfire, Alex goes crazy and nearly drives herself and Pacey to their deaths in a speeding car. Yeah, this is still Dawson's Creek. Were the writers aiming for some kind of Melrose Place thing here? With Alex as the controlling, ball-busting, sexually-aggressive super-bitch along the lines of Amanda Woodward? It's been one hell of a messy story arc, stranding Pacey in weirdness and sacrificing his relationship with Audrey in the process, that being the one arc Pacey has been involved with all season that wasn't an underwhelming car wreck.

Everything else here is plot navigation for the finale. Dawson has a big opportunity in LA this summer and is realizing that he still loves Joey, Joey wants to visit her dad and discovers he's been out of prison for months, and also realizes that she still loves Dawson. I like them coming together again (despite all the reasons why I really shouldn't), but all their scenes this week were filler. Weak episode all-round, generally. D+

Credits
Guest stars Ken Marino (Professor David Wilder); Busy Philipps (Audrey Liddell); Nina Repeta (Bessie Potter); Sherilyn Fenn (Alex Pearl); Jordan Bridges (Oliver Chirchick)
Writers Diego Gutierrez, Jonathan Kasdan Director Michael Lange