Dawson's Creek: The Impostors (6.5)

I don't think there's ever been a stretch of Dawson's Creek episodes that were universally flawless. There's always been at least one subplot that doesn't hold a ton of interest, but it's usually outweighed by a couple of stronger storylines that feature real emotional resonance and themes that any young adult can relate to. But the show has really hit a wall this season, literally every storyline making little sense and filled with overwhelming levels of disinterest. It may just be my personal opinion and less a statement on the quality of the show itself, but I'm really struggling here.

Joey's story seems to magnify a pretty uninteresting revelation to insane proportions. So Eddie is auditing Professor Hetson's class, and isn't an actual student. This is shocking news to Joey, and it quickly becomes her 'issue of the week'. When his not-being-an-actual-student thing isn't sucking up screentime, the two of them are still being all antagonistic and argumentative towards each other. Only it's not really fun. They just come off like two assholes sniping at each other constantly.

Over on the movie set, there are issues of financing, long hours and a budget overrun. Producers want Natasha fired, Dawson saves the day. There's some continued back-and-forth between both characters, ending with a promise of a date in the future. Eh. This story isn't turning out to be as fun as it could so easily have been.

Audrey, while insisting on being overly clingy while simultaneously detached and cold, is now singing with Emma's band. It at least gives her character something to do, but I can't help but feel this was an attempt to make us cry out for more Katie Holmes songs. I know Katie sang terribly last season, but Busy Philipps? I like you, girl, but damn your voice is like a box of dying raccoons. Or the noise coming from it. Blah. That metaphor probably didn't work.

Finally, Jack is still involved in his weird thing with Professor Freeman, Freeman giving him a lousy grade since he rejected his advances last week. No, I don't understand why grown adults in authoritative positions are acting like petulant forth graders, or why Freeman insists on staying closeted because he doesn't wish to be part of a "despised minority" (his words). It's all a little much, and again I'm frustrated by Jack's storylines always winding up so negative. Can't Tobey just come back or something?

The Impostors was again pretty crummy. Nothing occurred that was particularly hateful, and Pacey's stock poop was thankfully kept on the backburner, but all the 'problems' this week were blown wildly out of proportion, and all that was left was a sense of characters behaving irrationally and strange. And it dragged. Stop bugging me, show. D

Credits
Guest stars Oliver Hudson (Eddie Doling); Nicole Bilderback (Heather Tracy); Megan Gray (Emma Jones); Roger Howarth (Professor Greg Hetson); Sebastian Spence (Professor Matt Freeman); Hal Ozsan (Todd Carr); Bianca Kajlich (Natasha Kelly)
Writer Gina Fattore Director Michael Lange