Dawson's Creek: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (3.8)

Season three is getting better, but I'm still thrown off during moments in which it's patently clear that there's an entirely different writing staff this year, none of whom seem to have ever watched the show. It would explain why Gale somehow recognizes Jen's mother at a grocery store, or why Joey is being written as a sympathetic bearer of remarkable wisdom, floating through the episode like she's Oprah. It also explains why Bessie is supposedly a single mother now, seeing as Bodie has entirely dropped off the face of the planet. Despite it being Thanksgiving, he's not present with his family, nor is he at all mentioned. Like I said, this new team of writers seem to be unaware of the historical dynamics of the show's ensemble.

Despite the plotholes, this was another step in the right direction. It actually brought to mind last season's finale at points, with the emphasis being placed on parental figures and discovering that they're not the beacons of responsibility that we think they are when we're young. It also featured another instance in which Dawson got involved in a family scandal that he hasn't really got any right to be involved in. I sort of excused his behavior in Parental Discretion Advised because Joey's father was actively involved in criminality, but I can't ignore his dick-ishness here...

So Jen has a half-sister that she doesn't know about, and Dawson pressures her visiting mom to spill the beans about it, deeming it irresponsible if she doesn't. First of all, it's Thanksgiving, and an unexpected reunion between mother and daughter at that -- not the greatest time to expose family secrets. Second of all, it's none of his business how Mrs. Lindley decided to lead her life, and Jen doesn't exactly need to know all about her mother's past, especially since they've never had a strong relationship anyway. It's just an unnecessary move, an issue he has no right to barge in on.

Gah. I did actually like Jen's development here, who, after a pep talk from St. Josephine, is able to sift through some of her emotions when it comes to her mom and what she perceived to be her parental abandonment a year ago. It's nice, and finally gives Michelle Williams something interesting to work with this season. I also liked that the show actually followed up on the whole Jen/Pacey thing from last episode, even if they didn't go all the way with their fuck-buddy scheme. But this is the WB, so that's not unexpected.

I should also add that Andie continues to be horrifying. This week she's whining about being abandoned by Pacey, and how much he betrayed her. Even Jack is getting in on the action, telling Pacey that he broke his sister's heart and making him feel extra guilty about it. Uh... again, Andie -- you cheated on the guy! You faked a sexual assault to win back his affections! Girl should pipe the hell down and get some perspective. Ugh. Did Meredith Monroe barf over a WB exec to get saddled with this poop?

I spent the entire review whining, but there's a nice tone to the episode. It cuts all the hooey and has all the cast thrown together in one location for once, which makes a nice change from the scattered quality to the earlier episodes this year. It's corny and ridiculous in equal measure, but passes the time pretty well. B-

Credits
Guest stars Mel Harris (Helen Lindley)
Writer Heidi Ferrer Director James Charleston