Dawson's Creek: Rock Bottom (6.13)

Grams! Gosh, I've missed Grams. She probably had the most fun storyline here, not that there's a huge amount of competition, but it was the one most reminiscent of what the show used to be, before across-the-board suckage commenced. She and Clifton Smalls have gone their separate ways, not due to anything sex-related (Grams even making some crack about his last name not being entirely appropriate, which... gah), but instead because he wanted her to convert to Judaism. Sad and mopey, Grams is set up with C.J.'s similarly depressed uncle, an amusing double date scenario turning out to be a lot of fun. Sure, none of this is particularly interesting on a grand scale and seems to be headed nowhere in particular, but it at least utilizes some of the show's more underutilized actors of late.

Jen and C.J. also grow closer together as a result, and it's all fine, even if I'm still a little ambivalent about his whole character following the Audrey thing at that concert for that band whose name I'm blanking on right now because it wasn't drummed into our heads enough all those weeks ago. Anyway, the show tries to explain away some of the contrivance by having C.J. say that he would never have done that if he knew more about Jen at the time, but it sort of deflects his personal responsibility in a really lame way. Gah. But I'll just go with it.

Audrey is still screwing up, falling down Lifetime Cliché Alley when a potential druggie hook-up takes a turn for the rapey and she's left all shaken and disturbed enough to voluntarily walk herself into rehab. Blah. Before the epiphany, Joey and Oliver drag her all the way there with a true-to-form Seth Rogen tagging along for the ride. Cue fart jokes and bad sex gags, as per usual. But it's fun seeing him on this show at all, regardless.

Because every episode of this show now seems to require at least one area of sleep-inducing dreck, Dawson is still directing re-shoots of the movie. He doesn't get respect from his employees, Natasha gives him a pep talk, Dawson steps up, gains respect, relationship over (yay!), blah, bliddy-blah. God this thing needs to stop.

Rock Bottom is generally underwhelming as an episode, but at least features fun use of Jen and Grams and seems to be resolving two of the season's weakest story arcs, namely Audrey's boozing and Natasha's entire presence. Again, I'm eager to move on. C+

Credits
Guest stars Oliver Hudson (Eddie Doling); Jensen Ackles (C.J.); Nicole Bilderback (Heather Tracy); Seth Rogen (Bob); Geoffrey Lewis (Bill Braxton); Josh Hammond (Mullet); Bianca Kajlich (Natasha Kelly)
Writer Tom Kapinos Director Robert Duncan McNeill