Dawson's Creek, S6 E21 & E22: Capeside Nostalgia & Forgiveness

Revisiting Capeside after a season+ in Boston brought back early-show day feels, as Dawson struggles to forgive Pacey for losing all his savings in the stock market. Can old friendships and romances rekindle in time for the series finale?

We rewatched these episodes:

Season 6, Episode 21: Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road

Season 6, Episode 22: Joey Potter and Capeside Redemption

Watch Dawson's Creek with us on Hulu or Amazon Prime.

Episode Topics and Mentions:

Dawson Leery
Joey Potter
Pacey Witter
Jen Lindley
Jack McPhee
Audrey Liddell
Grams (Evelyn Ryan)
Jen's mother
Uncle Bill
C.J.
Oliver
Chrissy / Christy
Allie Larder
Tamara Jacobs
James Van Der Beek
Kevin Williamson
Mary Beth Peil
Jack Osbourne
Spielberg films
Jaws
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Amistad
Cape Side
Potter Bed & Breakfast
New York
NYU
Paris
Eiffel Tower
Our Town
The Butterfly Effect
Ashton Kutcher
Hamilton

1Richard Rodgers Theatre
Broadway

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Transcript

Cold Open: Getting Into NYU

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Also, like, you can't just decide to go to NYU. You have to get into NYU. You can't just be like, eh, I'm gonna go. Yeah. But whatever, it's TV. Hello,

Setting Up The Last Rewatch

SPEAKER_00 0:12

everyone. Welcome back to our second to last Dawson's Creek episode rewatch. Ever. Ever. Yeah, because I'm not watching it again. Um, we're on season six, episode 21 and 22.

Actor Swaps And Capeside Nostalgia

SPEAKER_00 0:24

21 is called Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The summary is as Pacey struggles to tell Dawson about his costly investment debacle, Jin conspires to enlist her mom in helping Graham's face her bot with cancer. Okay, jumping right into that. Is Jin's mom a totally different actress?

SPEAKER_01 0:41

I feel like yes, because when she showed up, I was like, oh, we've never seen her. Yeah. But then she was like, remember, I met you at the and I was like, oh no, there was one where she was blonde. Yeah, I thought she was blonde. Not like you can't change her hair color. Of course. But I think she was someone different. I think she was. I'll need to look that up.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

Also, another person who's different is when Chrissy comes back. That's not Allie Larder. No, that's not her.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

I was trying to figure out who she was supposed to be. That's who she was supposed to be. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

From like the first season. I remember.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

I remember in the first season.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

An enlarged heart or whatever, remember that whole yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

And he like he really wanted to like get with her and she wouldn't give him the time of day. Yeah. Okay. I actually didn't realize that's who she was supposed to be. I was like, I don't remember this character. Oh, okay. That makes more sense now. Okay. I, first of all, both of these episodes, James Vanderbeek is just so adorable. No. And he's so because his character's excited about making the movie, he's like overflowing with like joy as his character. And it just really like hit me in my heart. Like I was like, oh, he's so young and happy and joyful.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

And oh, it just was hard to watch. I also I mean, I wrote that all the scenes back in Capeside made me nostalgic and emotional for the beginning of the show. Yeah. Which is what it's supposed to do because they know it's almost the end. So they want you to have all those feels. And they did a great job, I think.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Yeah, and and how Dawson's room is now back to the way it used to be for the for his movie. But still for us, but there were some new posters. You saw I Know What You Did Last Shout out to Kevin White. There was another one I can't remember what it was, but yeah, there were some that were um not there like Amistad. Oh, yeah, was up there. Yeah. And then obviously Jaw, like the Steven Spielberg ones from before. So that was really smart. And there was even a scene, I think it's in the next one, where Joey's in the boat rowing across a creek.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

Because honestly, it's been seasons. Was it Joey or was the girl playing Joey? What do you mean?

SPEAKER_01 2:38

No, it there was a part where Joey did it. Okay. Okay. And then yeah, the girl playing Joey, who was Hadley. What's her name? I don't know. I don't know. That girl. That girl. Jack Osborne is back. We just cannot let go of this. It's I feel like at this point they should have made him some sort of integral character this season.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

It's so weird. I just don't get it. Why am I sitting like this? I don't know. You see, you're being me. I know. I don't know what to do.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Um, but yeah, he's in their dorm room, like going through Joey's stuff and like sniffing her running shorts. And yeah, it was it was a lot. And he is, as far as I know, he's just himself. Yeah. Right? And Audrey just knows him because her family's rich and lives by them. Right. It's really funny. I liked when Audrey and like Joey's getting ready to leave to go back to Cape uh Cape Town. No, Cape Side. Cape Town, Massachusetts. No. Um, Cape Side, and Audrey and her are saying bye. And Audrey's like, This feels like a lifetime moment or whatever. I thought that was really cute. It was cute.

SPEAKER_00 3:40

So I look, I'm yawning. Once I'm in here for like longer than 30 or 40 minutes, I can start yawning. Yeah. Where's your oxygen?

SPEAKER_01 3:47

I mean, it is, I get like that when I teach in here. That's why I've been teaching in my front office because of the window. Yeah, it's weird. Yeah. I just like squeeze in there because I'm like, I'd rather be here.

SPEAKER_00 3:58

I'd be like, I'd be like yawning like crazy up in here. I don't do that the rest of my day.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

Right. And then some of my warm-ups I do with kids mimic a yawn. And then you'll start to yawn, but then they yawn and then we all laugh because we're all yawning. But yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

You know what's in your eyebrow today? What? It's not. Is it blue? It's glitter. Oh. How did you do that? I I can't tell you. You know how y'all how Katie always has one eyebrow or eyelash where something just is today. It's my glitter. It's glitter. Like sometimes it's a little piece of mascara or what I don't know. She has like a catch. It's like a catch right here. Yeah. No, she has glitter today.

SPEAKER_01 4:32

Look. I don't know what to tell you. Pixie dust. Pixie dust. That's fun. I said Joey going home, love the sign. But I don't know what sign I'm talking about. Maybe it was just a cape side sign. Joey going home. Love the sign. I don't know. Oh, I know what it is. When she goes into the bed and breakfast. It says Potter's bed and breakfast. It's like a hanging sign now. It's really cute. Yeah, it's really cute. She just walks by it. Um, let's see.

Grams’ Cancer And Jen’s Mom

SPEAKER_01 4:58

Jen's mom, Grams. Oh, I just said that's good acting when there's there is like the scene where before Jen's mom finds out that Gram's has cancer, which is freaking Uncle Bill's fault or whatever. But anyway, when Jen leaves the room and just the two of them are talking, I just thought that that was just like really good acting in that scene. I mean, honestly, what's her name? Mary Mary Beth Peel. Mary Beth Peel. She's a broad. She elevates every scene. She's a Broadway actress. Let's go. Period. And that's just a scene where they were kind of talking to each other, and then the mom was like thanking her for basically like helping so much with Jen and like turning her around and being a safe space for her and stuff. I just thought that that that whole scene was really nice. Yeah. I liked it. Yeah. Uh let's see. Oh, Jack's reaction to Uncle Bill. Oh, so then Uncle Bill comes in, storms in. Storms in. He's like, You like he c he called her Evie? Was that what he was calling her?

SPEAKER_00 5:56

I don't remember.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

He's like, Evie, I gotta talk to you. Cause her name's Evelyn, right? So, and he's telling her, you know, I don't care if you have cancer, you're not pushing me away. And everyone's like, What? And Jack immediately like stands up. Like, I I thought that was good acting because you know Jen's mom obviously is gonna be like, and she also stood up. But like CJ, bump on a log, just sits there. Why is he there? And the part where the mom was trying to figure out who her boyfriend was, I thought that was really funny. Yeah, that was and and then Jen someone says something like, Yes, she I I'm the one she's sleeping with. This is just her gay friend. And then CJ goes, Is that really the only differentiation between us? I mean, it's kind of a big differentiation, but but I just thought that was funny. But I just thought um Christmas acting in that scene was really good. I just love him because you could just see, like, automatically you think, well, Jen and Jen's mom obviously are gonna be hugely affected by this, but he was yeah, upset and like for a moment upset that Jen hadn't told him, but then he kind of like understood when Graham's was like, it was my job to tell you, and I wasn't ready, and now the cat's out of the bag, whatever.

Dawson Blames Pacey Over Investment

SPEAKER_01 7:05

But what'd you think about them deciding they were gonna move to New York?

SPEAKER_00 7:09

I was like, okay, like you can't. And Jack's not an also anymore. Also, like you can't just decide to go to NYU. You have to get into NYU. You can't just be like, I'm gonna go. Yeah. But whatever, it's TV. It is TV. It's TV. Yeah. I mean, I figured they would all go. Like, they all gonna go. Yeah. I my last thing I wrote for this one was just ug. Why did Dawson and Pacey gotta be fighting? Legit, I feel worse for Pacey. I do too. Like, I do. He was trying to do his job. And listen, like we said on the last episode, you can be an expert or something and still make a mistake. And unfortunately, that's the risk that Dawson took with investing. Yeah. And he's being, I think Dawson's being a little unreasonable. He is. I can also see why he was upset though. Well, no, you can be upset, but don't blame Pacey. Right. Like, I mean, be upset that it happened, and you can even be mad. But to be like, well, we're not friends, and this is how it always is, like, that is ridiculous.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

You're always messing everything up all the time for forever. When really and I mean, I did appreciate that Joey was kind of the voice of like us, like thinking that. She was the one going, like, I think it's the next episode, but kind of spills into this one. No, it's this one, because it's this one where she's well, where later when she basically says, like, you like it's really not Pacey's fault. No, wait. I think it's the next episode. I think it is like with the movie stuff, but I'm getting confused. But essentially, she's saying what you're saying. Like, it sucks, but like Pacey did nothing with malice intent. No. He wasn't trying to steal your money. He has no benefit from this whatsoever. Right. Like, so don't you think he already feels enough like shit? Right. Then you being like this. Right. You know. So I agree with that. Oh, and Audrey playing the guitar at the end and singing. I said, I wonder if they were trying to set up a performing career for her, like a musical career for her. I don't think that ever happened. But if you think about everything she's been in since, there's a thread of singing and acting. She's a great singer. Yeah, she's a wonderful singer.

SPEAKER_00 9:12

So anyway, okay, so that was that episode.

Rallying The Crew For Dawson’s Movie

SPEAKER_00 9:15

So moving on to season six, episode 22, Joey Potter and Capeside Redemption. Weird title, but here's the summary. With the future of his movie in doubt, Joey rallies their friends to help Dawson finally realize his dream. I love that they all come together to film this movie. It's so OG Dawson's Creek with that other movie that they started off with. And then the fucking dumb guy comes back. What's his name? The director, the Oliver. Oliver. He was so funny. He is just a mess, and it's just fun to have him there.

SPEAKER_01 9:47

Uh yeah, I just thought that Audrey comes to help and everyone's like noodling on it and like helping where they can. And they're in the video store. I also thought that was such a fun connection where they had Audrey playing the part of Tamara, which first of all, she's not even remotely old enough to do that, but I get it. It's an indie film. She was older, she was an adult, whatever. But then when they did the pilot reading at the Hamilton Theater, she played Tamara. And I guess I didn't like make that connection until I watched this and I was like, oh, that's funny. Yeah. Because she did probably did that. That's probably why. That's probably why they asked her to do that. And just to involve her. But yeah, that was really, really funny. Um I said, Do we remember Christy? Because I didn't know who she was, but Chrissy. Chrissy. Okay. And now we're saying she was the cheerleader. And that was first season, second season, something like that. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:37

Um and she may have come back in the second season at some point.

SPEAKER_01 10:40

Yeah. Definitely. But definitely. Yeah. Um, okay, so I thought this was interesting, and maybe we can have a little uh side conversation on this.

Would You Relive Being 15

SPEAKER_01 10:50

What do you mean? I think Dawson the whole podcast. You mean a continuation of this side conversation to perpetuity or whatever. Okay. Oh, big word. No, I I think it's supposed you're supposed to say in perpetuity. Well, I don't even know what that means, so it's fine. I think it just means forever and ever.

SPEAKER_00 11:07

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 11:07

So side conversations forever and ever. Forever. Whether the mics are on or not. So Dawson asked Joey, what if you woke up and you were 15 again?

SPEAKER_00 11:18

No, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

Okay. Elaborate.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Girl, I did not have a good childhood. Like, yeah. That's not something I want to go back to. Never, no. I had the worst. Like, I mean, all the really bad things, worst moments of my life, most of them happened in my childhood years. Yeah. Before I was 18. So no, I'm not going back there. No, absolutely not. Yeah. Well, what is there an age you would want to go back to? No. At all. I don't people always think, say, like, because I actually like getting older now. I don't like the side effects of getting older. Sure. But I like getting older and having wisdom and certain things, being more comfortable, just being myself. Like I was a miserable person at 15. Like I was not comfortable who I was. I was trying to do all these things, still wrestling with the fact that my dad had died and figuring that out. My sister was kind of a mess. My mom was a mess. You know, it was like I was trying to, yeah. No, no, no. I actually like getting older. I I have no problem getting older. I don't enjoy all the side effects of it, but I'll take it. Right, right. I would never go back.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

What about you? I don't know. I think, I think like certain times of my life, I wouldn't mind either. I think like Dawson was asking, meaning, like, would you do something different? Because it was part of a conversation they were having about their relationship and coming apart and coming back together and all the things they'd been through. I don't think I would want to be another age again to do anything different. But I I wouldn't mind like reliving like when my first baby was like born and just it was just the two of us, like being in that space again. But again, you look back. He said 15, honey. He said 15. I that's why I said to you, was there a different age? Oh got you got it. 15, no. I not really. I mean, it's fine. But like, no, but like I can think of other times in my life that I wouldn't mind just like sitting in that space again.

SPEAKER_00 13:18

I don't think I would, just because I don't, I think I would want to do lots of stuff different. And I think I think that's where my brain would go, be like, oh, if I went back, how could I fix that or not? And I think that's a tricky place to be in. Like, for instance, I I my husband gets mad every time we talk about this. Cause I say I should never have moved across the country with him and moved in with him before I figured out what I was gonna do with myself career-wise. Yeah. Cause instead of saying, because when I decided, oh my God, I do not want this education degree. I was working for my stepdad. I was miserable. I was trying to figure shit out. And instead of figuring shit out, I just kind of hopped in his sidecar and went with him. And I'm like, I wish I would not have done that so quickly. I wish I would have taken more time to figure out my stuff first before, because then what ended up happening was all my stuff took a little side quit, like went in a pocket in a box until just a few years ago. Like that's a long time. That's 20 plus years to wait. And he's like, Well, you can't say that because if we would have like everything would have been different, and you don't know if that would have been good or bad. And I'm like, that's true. I mean, he has a great point because in order to get where we are now, we had I kind of had to go through all that shit then. So So to your original point, you would be fine just where you are. Yeah, I don't think because I think the lesson, I don't know. You know that movie butterfly effect with Ashes? Yeah, it makes me think of that because it's like you go back and you try and change, it's like that whole like time travel thing. Like you go back and change shit, then that's gonna change something else, and then who knows?

SPEAKER_01 14:55

And everything's interconnected, yeah. And just in general, we when I think about like all the moments that have to come together just for like a certain person to even be like conceived and born, right? Like where you have to be at a certain time, yeah, and the how your grandparents met and your great grandparents met and how your parents met, and how, you know, and just all the things and like your own children, like how you made the decision that night, day, whatever, and then they're here nine months later, you know. What if you had had not made that decision, you know? So it's like it's it really is that butterfly effect idea. I think for me, it's not even like a change thing, although I get what you're saying. Like, if you had the opportunity, then maybe you would be like, oh, this is a mistake I made, I'm not gonna make again, or I would decide something different. But then every decision we make, there's always a different one we could have made. Right. And when you look back, you could go, oh, but what if I had XYZ? Right, even if like you made the different one. So that's it's just an intra I thought that was a very like profound question.

SPEAKER_00 15:55

But then too, like you said, you would just want to live, relive that moment. But remember when we saw our town, our town? Mm-hmm. And they were to go relive a moment and it's like so painful. Yes, her 12th birthday or something. And I'm like, I think that's what it would be because even if you go and relive it, then you come back to the now, and then you'd be sad or be like, oh, nothing's ever gonna feel like that again, or so so and again, I don't think I'd want to do that. Right. Like relive that, you know. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 16:26

There's a reason we can't go back and do that stuff, you know, like that the human experience is and any living thing is always forward moving. Always like you don't go back, you can't go back. You can like this podcast is all about looking back from our lens now.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

Right.

SPEAKER_01 16:44

Well, and I think too, that's why a lot of people who are whatever their religious slash spiritual belief is and then um she does

Joey’s Double Switch And Pacey’s Gesture

SPEAKER_01 16:54

the whole little double switch thing where she's like Dawson, meet me here, Pacy, meet me here, and then she doesn't show up. Yeah, and they meet each other. Yeah, which is you know the oldest trick in the book, but kind of works.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

Does that work in real life?

SPEAKER_01 17:06

I feel like it couldn't now. I feel like I want to do that on the low case. Just to say, Katie, meet me here. And then I show up and it's just Sarah. Yeah. Which would be fine. Just Sarah. Just Sarah. Sarah, you better call her out on me.

SPEAKER_00 17:19

You don't know which Sarah I'm talking about. Just kidding. True. We do know a lot of them. We do. Well, I put two, uh, well, keep on.

SPEAKER_01 17:27

You weren't done with the I was just I was just thinking like that was a good setup though for them to kind of be face to face.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

And then they were back in that place. Didn't somebody have sex there? Yes, him and Tamara. Same thought. Him and Tamra when it was recorded. Yeah. Accidentally. And it was gonna be him and Joey doing whatever they were doing there. Yeah. Right. Dawson and Joey go there. And then because I was like, eh, there's like bugs and it's hot. Yeah, yeah. Good thanks.

SPEAKER_01 17:55

Um, no. And so the then we learn the cash is because Pacey's gone around and talked to local business people, which is cute. It is cute. And he is like, it's not all of it, but it's something. And I was glad Dawson accepted it and seemed like moved by the gesture. Yeah. You know, even though, as we've mentioned, that wasn't necessarily Pacey's responsibility. But because it also showed us that even if Pacey doesn't have that specific job anymore, he's good at that. He's good at like the business side of things and entrepreneurial ship and that sort of thing, which is nice because it's a little like, oh, not that and then they show a scene where he's like cook cooking in a kitchen again, which is also still fine. But it does make you think, okay, well, hopefully something good still comes out of this for him. He's learned some things, he's gained some confidence, he's figured out he's good at something, you know. So I just I thought I like that scene between them.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

I thought it was pretty good. Well, speaking of scenes I did not enjoy, which no, I didn't speak of that. I'm saying it now. Uh,

New York Goodbye And Paris Hint

SPEAKER_00 18:52

when Jen and Jack and Grams are leaving, they act like they're moving to like a different country. I'm like, bitch, if you could take a cab there, it's not that far.

unknown 19:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:01

If you could take a cab to where you're moving to, it ain't that far away.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

Yeah, I noticed that. And it felt like it was like the end of the series. The way that the cinematography, they're all like standing together and they're driving away in the cab. Yeah, that was that was a little bit more. That made me giggle. I was like, yeah, I ain't going to. And also, they already don't live in Capeside. Right. Like they were leaving from Dawson's house, which I thought was really funny. But yeah, I know that was funny.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

Okay. I also just now what I do like is I love the way they're kind of wrapping up this series very slowly, and they're kind of bringing it to a near close, and it's kind of where they started. And then you also get a little sneak peek with Joey in this episode in the beginning and the end that she's in Paris, and um, which is kind of like what's to come next. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:51

So I I think they're doing a good job. I liked how they kind of hinted that she was in Paris where she was walking around, and then she literally just stands on the lawn staring at the Eiffel Tower. So it's like, if you didn't figure it out yet, Joey is in Paris. She is there, guys. Yeah, like she like turns her head and it's like, totally. Yeah, I was like, oh my god. Okay, she's in Paris. We get it. But okay, so I guess yeah, we'll watch the final two and have

Rehearsals Early Mornings And Farewell

SPEAKER_01 20:20

a wrap-up. I know. I I started to cry today when they were like back in when Dawson's room looked the same.

SPEAKER_00 20:24

You watched it today?

SPEAKER_01 20:25

No, I watched these two today. When? This morning. What time? Six. Well, we didn't meet till nine. Girlfriend got up. That's why. Well, I was not awake at six a.m. We did have rehearsal till late last night. I know that's my time. Yeah, that's okay. You can't have your early I like getting up early on Thursdays and just making sure I'm either watching Dawson's or getting everything finished for the podcast. It's just my little routine.

SPEAKER_00 20:50

I don't like getting up early, especially because I like I I actually don't mind being up late. Um, but it's so hard for me to go to bed when I know I need to go to bed after a rehearsal or a show because I'm so keyed up. Yep. I am awake until at least midnight because I cannot like bring it down. Like I just got too much energy. Yeah. And it's annoying to my husband because he has to go to bed. He gotta get up fucking early every day. And he needs a lot of sleep, everybody. Yeah. He gotta he can't do your little just a few hours. No, he gotta have good, good night's sleep. But anyways, anyway, awesome.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

That's neither here nor there. We only have two more. Two more. So next one you hear from us will be the final one. Crazy. So thanks for listening, guys, to this episode, all of season six, all of Dawson's Creek, and we will see you next time here on our Dawson's Creek rewatch on Generation in Between. Bye.

SPEAKER_00 21:43

Okay.