Dawson's Creek (1998–2003): Season 3, Episode 10 - First Encounters of the Close Kind - full transcript

What happened there is proof...

... that the Lord doesn't tak e lightly
to those who dabble in the black arts.

Nice entrance.

lsn't there a limit on the number of
times you can watch your own movie?

l've gotta be prepared.
We got a q-and-a after the screening.

Oh, the screening.
How Sundance.

Let's not blow this completely
out of proportion, shall we?

-What's the matter?
-Nothing.

Could it be?

What?

Dawson Leery, the gifted,
young, self-motivated auteur...

...Capeside's own Spielbergian
wunderkind be nervous?

Yeah.
Yeah, of course l am.

l mean, it's one thing to be a big fish
in the small pond that is Capeside.

But entirely another
to swim in the talent pool...

...with hundreds of
your egocentric competitors.

Exactly.

Thanks for that
gut-wrenching visual.

Now, l may be a little biased here
because, well, let's face it...

...l am one of the stars
of your movie...

...but it's really good. And look at it
this way, l mean, for better or worse...

...this experience will take you one step
closer to realizing your dreams.

Besides, you don't have to spend
an entire weekend with a stranger.

-lt is kind of cruel and unusual.
-Yeah, l signed up for the college tour.

They pair you off with one of
the students. Those are the rules.

Are you nervous?

Yeah...

...but in a good way.

l mean, l know we're just visiting,
but this trip gives me hope...

...that maybe one day
l will make it out of here.

Hey, Joey...

...it's never once crossed my mind
that you wouldn't make it out of here.

lt's easy for you to say, Dawson.

Joey, stick with the original impulse.
Look at this weekend as an adventure.

l mean, this is our first foray
into the real world.

This weekend could be a glimpse
into the rest of our lives.

Or it could be the weekend when our
hopes and dreams crash around us...

...forcing us to withdraw
from society...

...and spend the rest
of our days as these cynical...

...embittered shadows
of our former selves.

lt's just a thought.

l feel like Richard Dreyfuss in
Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

You know, where he boards
the ship and mingles with the aliens?

News flash, Dawson.
We are the aliens.

So, what you thinking, sis?

These students enjoy the distinction of
attending America's finest college!

Founded in 1 626, it was named
after a British colonist...

...who ended up donating his entire
collection of books.

The original faculty,
teaching in the wilderness...

...could hardly have imagined that
over the next three centuries...

...it would become known
throughout the world...

...as a premier centre
for teaching and research.

Maybe you should write for
the catalogue.

lt is the catalogue, Dawson. She sent
away for it when she was about 9.

Class of 2005, baby.
Early admissions.

l am going to ace
this interview.

Well, l guess l better go
meet my roommate...

...A.J. Moller.

Joey, you are gonna have a blast.
l took the junior tour last year.

-As a sophomore?
-Early bird gets into college.

-What are you doing, Jack?
-Just hang out. Do the tourist thing.

Well, it is about that time.

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

-l am so psyched.
-Me too. Me too.

Dare l say ''gulp''?

Okay. Bye!

-Bye.
-Bye.

-L, double E, R, Y.
-First name?

-Dawson.
-Movie, please.

-Which category, comedy or drama?
-Documentary.

-Well, actually more of--
-Date of birth?

-3-1 4-83.
-Favourite director?

Spielberg.

-You're kidding.
-As a matter of fact, no.

Steven Spielberg,
undoubtedly a gifted filmmaker...

...but come on, where's the edge?

Edge is fleeting.
Heart lasts forever.

Say cheese.

Sign here and here.

This card will get you
into the flicks and....

-You didn't fill out a synopsis.
-Not enough room.

My film started out as a documentary
chronicling the history of this island...

...which was rumoured to haunted,
but--

Another Blair Witch Project.
Gotcha. Good luck.

Next!

Excuse me--

-l'm sorry, l--
-Just a second.

Yes, what is it?

l'm looking for A.J. Moller.
ls this her room?

No, this is not her room.

She's supposed to be
my roommate for the junior tour.

-Do you know where l can find her?
-Nope.

Okay, well...

...the number on my
information card says room 381 .

-l'm certain it does.
-And this is room 381 .

-You betcha.
-And you can't help me find A.J. Moller?

l didn't say that. l said,
'' l don't know where you can find her.''

Him l can point you directly to.

l'm A.J. Moller,
and that must make you...

...Potter comma Joseph?

l guess our gender-ambiguous names
have fostered a precarious situation.

To say the least.

Before you start crying
and calling home...

...l promise to give you
one of the beds...

...and if you're really nice,
l'll even leave the light on for you.

l'm not staying here.
This is not what l signed up for, okay?

l'm supposed to be with someone
who'll show me what college is like...

-...tell me what to expect, someone--
-With ovaries.

-Yeah.
-Listen, Jo. Joseph?

lt's Josephine.

-Joey.
-Joey.

Listen, this is what college is like.
Guys and girls living together...

...mostly in harmony. At Columbia
they even have coed bathrooms.

lf you're not up for that, you should be
visiting women's colleges instead.

No. Maybe you're right.

There's no reason
two people of the opposite sex...

...can't spend a night
in the same room.

That's my girl.

Now, if you don't mind, biggum college
boy have important paper to write.

Little high-school girl
take long walk around campus.

-You're kicking me out?
-You're kicking yourself out...

...so l can have two more hours
of unadulterated silence.

-That's not--
-Careful! Careful.

Say ''fair,'' and you'll really
be showing your age.

And, Potter comma Joseph,
shut the door on your way out.

Otherwise l can hear
those idiot econ majors...

...playing Nerf basketball
down the hall.

Hey, what you got?

Just, you know,
a guide book to Boston.

Tell me you're not going off in search of
Thoreau's butt print at Walden Pond.

-No, l hadn't planned on that.
-Hey, you know what?

There's a really great art museum here.
You should check it out.

-Okay, maybe l will.
-Okay, well, l gotta go. Bye!

See you.

Hi. l'm Andie McPhee.

-Spell the last name, please.
-M-C-P-H-E-E.

Says here your appointment
isn't until March.

Either there's something wrong with
my calendar, or you've got a long wait.

-Well, Mrs. Boyd--
-Call me Fran.

Okay. My dad, Joseph McPhee,
is an alumnus. Class of 1 97 2.

He always said, '' lf you want something
badly, make sure you're first in line.''

A daddy's girl, huh?

Me too.

God rest his soul.

So you think you can maybe
squeeze me in?

Not a chance.

But l just want five minutes
with the dean, that's all.

The thing is, everyone else here
has an appointment today.

Do you think something
might open up?

Would you cancel your university
interview at the last minute?

You see my point?

Been there, seen that.

Where do you want to go eat?

Ladies and gentlemen, if anyone
has any questions or comments...

...the filmmaker would be glad
to answer them for you.

Mr. Leery?

Dawson Leery,
can you step up here, please?

Hi-- Oops.

Sorry.

l'm Dawson Leery.

Does anyone have any questions, or...?

-Yeah.
-Yes. Question.

Where's the Joey chick?
She here? She is hot.

Jealous?

Dawson!

-You all right?
-Yes, l'm fine.

These screenings can get brutal
when the lights come up.

l can handle that. So what if
my movie's not hip enough...

...to arouse the interest of these
pseudo-intellectual, art-house snobs?

On the bright side,
at least no one threw things.

-Thank God for small favours.
-You are upset.

-Wouldn't you be?
-l'm sorry about what happened there...

...l really am, but in light of
The Blair Witch Project...

-...l don't know what you were thinking.
-What?

Riding the coattails of some successful
cultural phenomenon is not gonna cut it.

Before you eviscerate my work
any further at least tell me your name.

Nikki.

Nikki Green.

-Nice to meet you, Nikki.
-Take this Joey character, for example.

What does she mean to you? Are you
friends or lovers? Nothing was clear.

You didn't understand that that was
the most interesting part of your story.

-Well, aren't you perceptive.
-Don't patronize me.

l'm trying to give you
an honest assessment.

lt's not every day
that l'm subjected to...

-...an unsolicited note session from a--
-Volunteer? Paper pusher?

My position and altruism
invalidate my opinion?

Well, next time l'll pick which
wounds to lick more carefully.

Well?

You in or out?

Dawson!

-Hey.
-Hey.

How'd the screening go?

Come on, it couldn't have
been that bad, could it?

lt was an unmitigated disaster.

What do those hipper-than-thou
film brats know anyway?

Maybe they're right.

Come on.

You don't mean that.

No, l've been thinking that,
you know...

...maybe the problem with such a big
dream is, you never stop to question...

...whether or not you actually
have the talent to back it up.

What if l don't have what it takes
to be a great filmmaker?

Dawson...

...l've been there from the beginning.

To most people,
movies are a way of passing time...

...but l was there that day that they
became something more to you...

...the day that you decided to
make a movie of your own.

The day that you said
for the first time out loud...

...that you were
going to be a filmmaker.

l've had the privilege of watching you
take a dream and make it a reality.

And you know what?

l'm really proud of you.

You.

-How'd you get in here?
-The janitor.

Don't worry, l didn't touch anything,
but l brought you dessert.

And l thought l'd seen it all.

l thought l'd be here
on the off-chance...

...that Dean Hargrove got back early,
and then l could, you know.

You've got chutzpah,
l'll say that much for you.

-So is he back yet?
-He's a notoriously late luncher.

What's the matter?

Nothing.

Do you know how many kids l have?

Seven.

You know how many went
to this university?

-Zero. lt didn't bother them much.
-You don't think l'm gonna get in?

Oh, l gave up a long time ago trying to
figure out who they're gonna accept.

So you had seven kids?

Two are doctors, one's an
investment banker, whatever that is.

The three girls are married,
and one didn't go to college.

Plays horn in a jazz band downtown.

Which do you think is happiest?

Okay.
So, what you're telling me is...

...avoid medical school and Wall Street,
don't get married, and skip college.

What l'm saying is whether or not you
attend this distinguished university...

...will have little or nothing to do
with the person you turn out to be...

...or whether you find
fulfilment in your life.

Freshman English, huh?

-You picked a good one to visit.
-Don't tell me you're in this class.

Kind of.

-Want to sit?
-No. l can't.

So l....
l guess this professor's really late.

No, he's not coming.
They do that a lot.

Then some poor undergraduate
teaching assistant comes in...

...and tries to rally the troops for
what's known as ''discussion session.''

Hi, guys.

Professor Taylor's at
a semiotics conference in Seattle...

...so you're stuck with me...

...again.

We have a lot of visiting
high schoolers here today...

...so let's take a break from our
ongoing ''great books'' discussion...

...and ask some of them what
books they consider great.

How about you?

ln the cheap seats.
Brown-haired girl.

What's my favourite book?

You read, don't you?

Little Women.

Louisa May Alcott.
lnteresting.

You know, l haven't read that
since l was 1 0 or so.

lt's sort of a less successful
version of Jane Eyre.

Something about a girl
with a boy's name?

The girl's name is Jo.

She has three sisters, a mother,
a father who's usually not around.

When he is, he's not the greatest at
providing the material things in life.

That's right. They're poor,
but they have each other...

...and there's a boy next door.
Yeah, it's all coming back to me.

So Little Women.

Perennial American classic,
yes, but great book?

Worthy of inclusion in the literary
canon? What do we think, people?

No way. This book is
completely antifeminist in spirit.

l concur. The heroine supposedly
burns with this artistic genius...

...but she gives up all of her dreams,
gets married...

-...and starts popping out babies.
-Alcott's a minor writer.

Most of what she wrote,
she wrote purely for money.

And what's the lesson here?

We can't say a book is great...

...simply because we identify
with the hero or heroine.

Joey, wait.

Why, so you can sic one of your little
overeducated minions on me?

-Try again.
-Admittedly, we were a little harsh.

l concur.

You said you wanted
the college experience.

Don't be so glib.

What you did in there was insensitive.
You hardly know me, A.J.

Maybe l am just some naive little high-
school girl, but l was looking forward...

...to a taste of the fun part of a college
experience, not just that bitter part.

You spend so much time with that
iBook that you forgot that part existed?

l'm sorry.

How about we start over?

Give me a chance to show you
what college is really all about.

What do you say?

You got any idea who shot this?

Quiet.

-lt's on another level, is what l think.
-Hey, man, keep it down.

Let's get this gifted young
filmmaker up here, shall we?

-Dawson.
-Hey.

l need a sugar fix after
all stressful experiences.

Finally.

Stressful?

Come on, that was a love fest.

-Don't sound so overjoyed.
-Don't be falsely modest.

lf it had been the other way around,
l would have enjoyed your success.

So you're not only a better filmmaker
than l am, you're a better person.

Look, can we start over again?

Yeah. Let's.

So, what did you think of my film?

Really.
Constructive criticism only, please.

l thought your film was
technically accomplished.

''Technically accomplished.''

That sounds like a nice dismount
off the balance beam.

lt's better than ''derivative'' ...

...or '' unclear'' or '' not
understanding your own material.''

Okay, maybe l was a little
insensitive in my comments.

-l'm sorry.
-Duly noted.

Now, you never mentioned before...

...that you were entered
in this film festival. Why not?

l don't lead with my chin, Dawson.
You can get hurt that way.

Yeah, you can.

Well, you seemed to have
really knocked them dead.

Congratulations.

-l think l'm gonna write about her.
-For your application essay?

''Who's the one person who
influenced you the most and why?''

You should.

Might help you organize
your thoughts about her.

l remember one day, it was about
six months after the accident...

...l found her by the creek.

She was just sitting in the water,
her blouse was soaking wet, and...

...her hair was plastered
in strands across her face.

lt's like she didn't know
where to go or what to do.

l don't think l'll forget
that image as long as l live.

Do you mind if l lay
a dose of truth on you?

Sure. After l spilled my deepest,
darkest secrets, why not?

One, always wear sensible shoes.

lf your feet are killing you,
you can't think straight.

Okay, and two?

Let yourself off the hook for things
over which you have no control.

Just because your mother couldn't
get past your brother's death...

...doesn't mean you have to beat
yourself up for making peace with it.

l'm sorry, l shouldn't be
sticking my nose in.

No, no, l was just thinking something.

Maybe when your mom starts to lose
her mind, you do too, you know...

...as a way of trying to understand
what she's going through.

This is so weird. lncredible, even, that
l am sitting here in Cambridge with--

A 60-year-old career secretary.

Well, one thing l learned
a long time ago:

Life can surprise you
in a thousand different ways.

As much as l appreciate your
willingness to spend time with me...

...l've got to ask,
where are we going?

You'll see.

What is this place?

Rare book and manuscript library.

Well, are we supposed to be in here?

What's the matter? You afraid the
library police are gonna snatch us up?

-l wanted to show you something.
-What?

Have a seat.

This.

Little Women?

Not quite.

The book was originally published
in two separate volumes.

This is just the first.

lt's Louisa May Alcott's very own copy.

Go ahead, open it. Carefully.

Let's see what this favourite book
of yours has to offer.

This is the part where Jo and Meg
go to Mrs. Gardiner's party.

''Jo saw a red-headed youth
approaching her corner...

...and fearing he meant to engage her,
she slipped into a curtained recess.

She found herself face to face
with the Laurence boy.''

'''Don't mind me. Stay if you like.'''

'''Shan't l disturb you?'''

'''Not a bit. l only came here because
l don't know many people...

...and felt rather strange at first,
you know.'''

'''So did l.

Don't go away, please,
unless you'd rather.'''

''The boy sat down again
and looked at his boots.

'How's your cat, Miss March?'''

'''Nicely, thank you, Mr. Laurence...

...but l ain't Miss March. l'm only Jo.'''

My mom used to read this to me.

That's why she named me Josephine.

lt was her favourite book.

Was?

She passed away.

l'm sorry to hear that.

l guess that's why l read it,
and reread it...

...because when l do, it's....

lt's like she's with me.

So it's like a friend, the book.

Yeah.

Exactly.

Well, you can never have too many
friends, Potter comma Joseph.

So, Miss A.J. Moller...

...what is your favourite book?

Some ponderous tome
by Herodotus?

Are you ready for this?

The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe.

-Well, that sounds rather infantile.
-Entirely...

...but like all the best things in life...

...simple, sweet, magical.

-What can l get you?
-l guess anything.

My guess is he can't handle
much more than a beer.

Make that two, please.

Oh, you don't have to do that.
l'm....

lt's okay. l wanted to.

Okay, thanks.

You're adorable.

You're shy, right?
Let's just start all over, okay?

You're not adorable,
and l am not attracted to you.

Would you like
to go somewhere else?

This really probably isn't your scene,
and we could just talk, okay?

Maybe, l don't know, get to know
each other a little better, and then we--

Our second place finalist...

... Windscape, David Steiner.

And now, in first place...

...the award goes to...

... Tommy and Mo!
Carl Michael Diggins!

Very nice, very nice.

Nikki!

What now?

Time to rub salt in the wound?

-You were robbed.
-Excuse me?

l saw every film at the festival.
Yours was the best, hands down.

Let's dispense
with the mock compassion.

Nothing mock about it, Nikki.
lt's a simple fact.

lf it's okay with you,
l'd like to be alone right now.

-How can you be so upset about this?
-Like your failure didn't affect you?

-lt did, but there's a huge difference.
-And what's that?

l learned that l have to dig deeper...

...and reveal more of myself
to make a film that's worth anything.

You learned that film festivals
don't always reward the meritorious.

l wanted to win, Dawson.

Nikki...

...your film wasn't just technically
brilliant, okay? lt was inspired.

lt inspired me. lt made me
remember why l got into film.

Not to win festivals, not for glory...

...but to reach people...

...and you did.

You made them laugh,
you moved them.

No matter what happens to me, l'm not
gonna give up until l reach that goal.

You really liked my movie?

Yeah.

l really liked your movie.

-Are we the first ones here?
-Yeah, looks like it.

So did you get your interview?

Yeah, l did.

Not the one l expected,
but maybe the one l needed.

Pray tell.

Oh, long story short, l had this chance
encounter that yielded a little clarity.

And you? Did you get
what you came here for?

Yeah, l did,
also in a most unexpected way.

-That's what screws us up the most.
-What?

You get this picture in your head
of the way things should be...

...and you close yourself off
to the wonder and serendipity...

...of the actual experience.

Who was this chance encounter with,
Deepak Chopra?

Yeah, something like that.

Are these taken?

Yeah. Kind of saving them
for some friends.

No problem. Say no more.

Actually, you know what?
lt's cool.

l don't even know if they're coming.

You sure?

Yeah, yeah, positive.

Do me a favour. Wake me up
when we get to Capeside?

-You're going to Capeside?
-Yep.

Me too.

Hey, porter, is that decaf or caf?

Nikki, hey.

-What are you doing here?
-l'm doing the divorced-kid shuffle.

Mom's a techie, she's been
transferred to Chicago...

...so l'm going to cohabitate
with my dad.

l know the drill.

My parents just got divorced.

Sucks, doesn't it?

l mean, l guess, you know,
it's for the best and everything.

lt was a really long,
drawn-out battle.

lf it's for the best,
then why do l still feel so lousy?

-Yeah.
-Yeah.

-So where does your father live?
-A place called Capeside.

-You're kidding.
-No...

...he's the high-school principal there.

Wait a minute,
your father is Principal Green?

Do not tell me that you
go to school there.

-This is too weird.
-What are the chances?

Wow.

Mr. Jordan is the film teacher,
and his film lab is actually really full.

l had to beg to get in,
but l think l have some pull with him.

l'm already in.

-What?
-We've been e-mailing each other.

He's been giving me
this sort of private tutorial.

Okay. l wasn't aware
that he did that sort of thing.

You can handle a little
friendly competition, can't you?

-Bingham, Breely and Buckingham?
-lt's a prep school.

Sounds more like a law firm.

Sometimes it feels like one...

...but in the main, l'm just happy to be
out of claustrophobic Capeside.

So, what brings you back?

Heartbreak.

l need a little parental TLC,
some chicken soup...

...and the comfort
of my childhood bed.

Long relationship?

Two years.

lt feels like a divorce, l swear.

Not to mention that l see him
every day at school.

lt's like we're broken up
but still living together.

What's the matter,
l get under the gaydar?

That's what everyone says.
l'm the straightest gay guy they know.

What about you?

What about me?

Can people tell right away?

How can you tell?
l mean, is it that obvious?

Actually, yeah.

l mean, not in a raging queen way,
but more in a....

More in a what way?

A babe-in-the-woods, newbie way.

Newbie?

Any sweet, inexperienced, young
gay man destined for a broken heart.

You make it sound so inviting.

Well, let's face it,
most guys are clueless.

How do you mean?

You'll see.

Hey, what's your name anyway?

-Jack. Jack McPhee.
-Ethan. lt's nice to meet you.

l hope l didn't keep you up all night.

You talked for eight hours
about U lysses.

l know. lt's hard to get that teaching
assistant stuff out of your head.

Especially when you're
passionate about something...

...because then your
inner geek just runs wild.

What are you passionate about?
What are you a geek for?

l don't know.

l wish l did, but....

But?

For the past couple of years, my life
has kind of revolved around this boy.

How pathetic is that?

-But you guys aren't together?
-No.

Do you know what a manifold is?

lt's a math thing,
it's hard to explain.

lmagine yourself shrunk to the size
of a pinpoint, sitting on a doughnut.

Look around and it looks like
you're sitting on a flat disk...

...but go down one dimension
and sit on a curve...

...and suddenly the stretch nearby
looks like a straight line.

You lost me somewhere
around the doughnut.

ln other words, the way
something appears from afar...

...might be quite different from the way
it appears to your nearsighted eye.

So in order for me
to figure things out...

...l should give myself
some distance.

Take your face out of the iBook.

Would it be all right
if l were to, you know...

...phone you sometime?

lt wouldn't suck.

Okay.

-Do you have a pen?
-Oh, yeah.

Do you have a piece of paper?

No.

Bye.

Bye.

Joey. Hey, this is Nikki.
Nikki, Joey.

-Hi. Nice to meet you.
-She's going to our school.

Who's that?

My roommate.

ls it me, or does the prospect of going
to college suddenly loom a lot larger?

l know what you mean.

ls it the light at the end of the tunnel,
or is it an oncoming semi?

Or is it both?

Well, it's definitely going to take
some getting used to.

Do you ever have one of those moments
where you realize that the world...

...has snuck up and completely
blind-sided you?

l've been thinking about
a career in fast food.

''Welcome to Taco Bell. Can l take
your order?'' lt rolls off the tongue.

Dawson, everything in life
is not just about winning.

You have to find joy in the process.
You have to love what it is that you do.

Good point.

Which begs the question...

...what life lessons
did you stumble upon this weekend?

Well....

College has always been about getting
the hell out of Capeside, right?

Right.

Now l'm thinking that it could
be more than that.

l mean, it's scary, sure, but...

...it's this world filled with these
deeply passionate people.

People who get excited about books
and ideas and theories and....

lt kind of excited me.

-My suspicions have been confirmed.
-What do you mean?

You are a really big geek.

So is it just me, or...

...does this room seem a lot
smaller all of a sudden?

Really?

l was just kind of thinking
it seemed...

...safe.

l'll see you, Dawson.

See you, Joey.