#also i love the thought of Ms Jen looking at James and going ��i know what you are”

[lala-blahblah]

I will never make this because it would be for an audience of one (me) but ever since reading "If we Were Villains" (story about serious drama kids in college who perform shakespeare and deal with a murder) I have been entertaining the thought of a crack fic crossover with High School Musical The Musical The Series where the staff decides they will no longer put on shakespeare after the tragic accident that happened at Thanksgiving, because Shakespeare plays would only increase the tension and drama. So they hire Ms. Jen who decides their spring play will actually be High School Musical (which exists in the 90s in this universe) and it ruins the vibe so much that everyone gives up on being dark and mysterious because they're universally pissed at Ms Jen for making them learn choreoraphed basketball dancing.

[maulie-dyke]

A Small Lumberjanes Fic

So, I was thinking about the headcanon I sent to @luminouslu about Jo’s past, and I made myself sad. Thus, I wrote a fic. I’m not new with The Lumberjanes, but I am not the most confident with my writing of the girls, so this is the first time I’m posting a fic for this fandom. (I have 3 others in the works now!) I swear the flashbacks are supposed to be in italics on mobile why does Tumblr hate me.

Fic under the cut:

It had been six years. Six years that included some interesting revelations, from Jo coming out to her dads as trans three moths before camp, to said camp, which she was currently being allowed to leave for two days with the rest of her cabin. Sitting in a seat in Ripley’s family’s van, she stared out the window and remembered.

Mothers’ Day, 2014.

Climbing out of Uncle Alan’s car, she she watched as April, surprisingly carefully for a seven-year-old, pulled a box out of the passenger seat. Reaching behind her best friend, she grabbed the vase of flowers and envelope still on the seat, and nested them into her arms, along with her lunchbox from school.

“Come on, Alex! You’re so sloooooow!” April shouted from the steps.

“I’m coming!” she replied, climbing the few stairs leading to the front doors of Group Health Central Hospital.

Following April inside, she reached the receptionist desk and grinned.

“Hi, Ms Betty, how are you?” The greying receptionist smiled at her words, an odd expression on her face (She would later find out Betty thought she was adorable).

“Hello, Alex, April. Here to visit your mother, Alex?”

At Jo’s nod, Betty reached for a clipboard and a pen.

“Since it’s regulation, you still have to give me your names, first and last, please,”

Looking at April, a silent understanding passed between them.

April spoke up, “April Burnett, ma’am.”

Following April, she added, “Alexander Sakiyaki. Do you need it spelled?”

“You’re here every week Alex, I think I know how to spell your name.” Betty made that weird expression again as she filled out the paper in her clipboard, “You can go on back, you know the way.”

Laughing, she raced April through the halls to her mother’s room. Reaching the door, they stopped to catch their breaths and compose themselves before knocking on the thick white door.

“Come in!” a voice, a bit rough, but still musical, called.

While April walked in calmly, with a bit of bounce in her step, Jo ran in full speed and jumped to hug the woman sitting in the armchair by the window.

“Mama!” she shouted, laughing as she was peppered in kisses.

“Alex, April, hello darlings!”

April waved, a grin splitting across her face. “Hi Aunt Kyoko! Happy mother’s day!”

Scoffing, Kyoko opened her arms more, bringing April into her hug as well.

From her place tucked into her mother’s side, Jo spoke up, “We brought you some things!” Sitting up, she grabbed the flower vase and card from April, and presented them to Kyoko with a flourish, at the same time as April with the box.

“Thank you, darlings!” Opening the card, a pile of glitter fell on the Asian woman’s lap to reveal the classic slogan of the holiday. After reading the card and admiring the flowers, she opened the box.

“Look! They’re cookies! We decorated them ourselves!” April pointed at the cookies, half covered in glitter and mermaid scale like designs, one with a shaky Japanese character written on it, and one, pristine, almost perfect flower. “Uncles James and Leo did that one.”

“They’re wonderful!” Kyoko said. Dropping her voice to a whisper, she added, “To be honest, I like yours the best.”

April and Jo beamed.

“How did you and Papa get married?” Jo asked, out of the blue.

“Let me tell you a story.”

April and Jo sat expectantly at Kyoko’s feet, star struck as she began her story.

“Many years ago, at a museum in Paris, was my first ever art show as a professional. I was bored out of my skull, having to talk to so many stuffy business people. Then, I met a man who was charming, funny, nice, and incredibly good looking. I asked him out to lunch, and he complied. At said lunch, I confessed to him that my parents (who were pretty famous business people in Japan, at the time) were expecting me to marry a nice, rich MAN so I could continue the Sakiyaki familial line. I continued with the fact that, as a lesbian woman, I had no plan to do so. The man laughed, and added in he was gay, with a partner back in America. We quickly became friends, so when my parents pressured me into getting married, I married him, with consent from his boyfriend. A year later, I had a baby, a small boy with a head full of hair and very long fingers, that we named Alexander Hiroki Sakiyaki. Then, we got divorced so your Papa could marry Dad, but we still lived together because we were best friends, like you two. The end.”

After a few moments of silence, April blurted out, “You went to Paris? Did you meet Emilie Agreste, the famous actress?”

About an hour later, Kyoko was teaching April how to draw while Jo worked on a project.

Hearing a small bang, then an ouch, Kyoko looked at her child.

“Alex, love, what are you doing?”

“No! You can’t see yet, It‘s a surprise!” Jo leaned over her project, glaring at her mother. “You’ll get to see when you come home! When is that gonna be?”

“Saturday, love. The doctors say I’ll be well enough to go home then!”

Cheering, April and Jo jumped up, bouncing around the room in a hug.

“Mama’s coming home on Saturday!” was all anyone passing by heard.

Two days Later, 2014

It had been a nice day, sunny and not too warm, to get prepared for Kyoko’s move back to the house. Leo and James cleaned and redecorated her bedroom while Jo ran around finishing her project for her mother.

Nice until the phone rang, at least.

Jo watched silently as Leo answered the phone.

“Hello? Yes, this is him. Oh...oh my god.” her heart froze as the normally so composed man’s hand went to his mouth and tears filled his eyes. “Yes, I’ll tell him. And Alan and April, they deserve to know too. Email me the papers and I can send them to you.” hanging up the phone, her father just stood there, hand over his mouth. Sighing, he bent down to Jo’s level and took her hand.

“There’s no easy way to say this, but mama won’t be coming home this Saturday, or any Saturday.”

“Friday?” Jo asked, her heart still frozen.

“No. She’ll be coming home never, love.”

Her eyes widening, Jo dropped her Papa’s hand and walked to the door in a sort of daze. “Nope, nope, nope, nope...”

Now halfway down the long driveway, she startled when her dad picked her straight up off the ground.

“I’m so sorry, buddy.”

She buried her face in her dad’s suit jacket and cried.

Present Day

“Jo! Jo! Jo! Jo!”

A voice broke her out of her thoughts. Ripley’s voice, presumably, as the small girl bounced in the seat behind her.

“Where are we going? Is it somewhere fun? Is it-” The blue haired ball of energy was cut off by Jen, who had placed a hand over Ripley’s mouth.

“Why don’t you leave Jo alone, Ripley? The place we’re going is not fun, it means a lot to Jo.” Jo looked at Jen, then, silently thanking her. “Also, we’re here.”

Once the Roanokes, Jen, and Ripley’s parents were out of the van, Jo started down the familiar path that she had walked on this day for the past six years. Her dads falling into step with her, with April holding her hand tightly, Jo spoke up.

“It’s my mom’s birthday. I want you to meet her.”

“If we’re meeting here, why are we in a graveyard?” Ripley had broken free from her mother’s grasp, and was now bounding along behind Jo.

She heard Mal and Molly go to shush the 12-year-old, but waved them off.

“We’re in a graveyard because she died a few years ago. When I was seven.” she looked down after her statement, kicking at rocks on the path as a silence fell over the group.

“We’re here.”

Her mum’s grave wasn’t anything fancy, just her name, years she lived, and an engraving of her favourite flower on a basic stone tombstone.

After a few moments of silence as the rest of the Roanokes digested this information, Molly spoke up.

“I bet she was amazing.”

“She was. She would have liked you guys.”

“She taught me how to draw, how to be a good investigator, and how to use a sword. She was the greatest.” Jo sniffed, fighting back tears as April grabbed her hand and guided her to sit down in front of the tombstone.

“I bet, wherever she is now, she’s smiling at you, glad her beautiful daughter has such good friends.” her dad said, placing a hand on her shoulder (the most he could do, with all the Roanokes hugging Jo at the same time).

Tears freely dripping down her face now, Jo nodded slightly.

Maybe it wasn’t okay. But it would be.

//END//

A few things explained for clarity:

The idea behind Jo’s mom being said to go home on one day but not doing so was shamelessly taken from My Neighbor Totoro.

This is in the same universe as Miraculous Ladybug, but only because I don’t know of any famous french people besides musicians.

This was completely un-beta’d, so if there are any mistakes they are all mine.

I based the years off of this present year, hence Jo’s mom dying when she was seven, in 2014. Jo in this fic is 13, as one of the writers for Lumberjanes has stated the only one with a concrete age is Ripley (12), but all the other girls are somewhere in between 12-14. 

Jo’s deadname is entirely headcanon.

Thanks for reading my long, rambling thoughts!

XO,

Nath

[hello-justawriterofthings]

Shattered Heart 2 : Piecing Back Together - Harry Styles

Hey guys, I'm here to bring you the Second part to the Shattered Heart series. It starts right off where Part 1 ended, so buckle up and get a snack, because this may take you on a bumpy ride. I really hope you Enjoy and Thank you so much again for all the Love on Part 1. I appreciate you all so much <3 [ Warnings - Angst, Fluff and language ]

-----------------------------------

Harry Styles escorting a mystery woman down the red carpet, is this the end of Y/N? More at 8.

I let out a deep, sad sigh and then scoff, my emotions were all over the place. "He actually went through with it" I muttered to myself while shaking my head, I was hoping by me walking out on him and not accepting his calls, that maybe he'd change his mind and just go alone. Guess I was wrong. I debated on watching the Award show, but in the end I flipped on the program. Even though I was annoyed with Harry, I still wanted to see how this turned out. It was hard to concentrate though, I was in my head the entire time wondering if this was all my fault. What if I really was a rebound all along, someone just keeping him entertained for the time being. And because I walked out on his that night, it was what he wanted, so he could be with his true love, Julie. Right after the two of them separated, he was a mess, I had never seen him so upset. Blamed himself for all the problems in that relationship, she was a master manipulator. He didn't eat, never went out. When I entered his house three days after the breakup, I was shocked, it took me 20 minutes to find him. He was in the bathroom closet, claiming that that was the only place that didn't remind him of her. The year they spent together was serious for him and only just a fling for her. I helped him through it, through all the tears that were shed. I stayed with him, not even leaving to get things we needed, having Paige pick things up for us, I was afraid to leave him. I tried explaining to him that nothing was his fault, that sometimes people aren't good with being in Relationships. At first he blew it off, but after a few weeks, he realized that she was the one who made the mistake, not him. Now I felt like I was going through the same things, here I was blaming myself for a mistake that he made! If he was unhappy in our relationship and wanted to move on, he should've just told me and ended it. Sure I would've been hurt, yeah I'd probably cry, but instead of ruining a friendship, I would've accepted it. I always thought about the time when our relationship would come to an end, guys just didn't seem to want me, why did I think Harry would be any different. I just didn't want him to end up back with her, if he was really done with me, find someone better than her. Because if she breaks his heart again, I wouldn't there to pick up the pieces this time. I let out a deep sigh as I received a text, from Harry. I then rolled my eyes, but opened it anyway. It read - If I win, watch my speech -, "Yeah fucking right, you already have a supporter there sir, you don't need me!" I shouted to myself, switching not only the TV off, but my phone as well. I let out a loud groan as I made my way towards my bedroom, instead of wasting time watching the award show, I decided to try and get some sleep. Ever since the fight with Harry, sleep hadn't come easy, because even though I was upset with him, I missed him terribly.

I tossed and turned for a while, before finally dozing off. I didn't sleep long though, because it wasn't long before Niall and Paige returned home, slightly intoxicated from the after party I assumed they attended. "What bomb blew up in here!" Niall stated loudly over the mess I had left in the living room, I threw the blankets off my body and then made my way into the living room where the couple were at. "Hey! How are you doing?" Paige smiled as she gave me a squeeze, I shrugged slightly "I guess, how was your night?". "It was good, do you want to know the results of the show, or did you watch it for yourself" Paige then asked as Niall sat down on the couch, opening the box of now cold pizza. I shook my head "I didn't watch it and I don't care to know what happened", "He didn't win anyway, so you didn't miss much" Niall stated nonchalantly. Paige groaned "That's because his good luck charm Wasn't there, without Y/N, he didn't stand a chance", I rolled my eyes "Nice try Paige, but I'm not good luck... I'm going back to bed though, I'll clean up in the morning. Goodnight" . "Night!" Paige sighed as I walked back to my room, "Niall, stop eating the cold pizza! Let's go to bed" I heard Paige groan. I chuckled slightly as I climbed back into bed, tomorrow would hopefully bring a happier day.

About a week later, Harry and I still hadn't talked. After the award show, I didn't turn my phone on for days. Any calls I had to make, I made on my work phone. I still wanted to avoid seeing anything from the night of the Award show and any photo's of the after party, I was also still dodging calls and texts from Harry. Wednesday though, I finally turned my phone on as I expected, it blew up. Texts, missed calls and Twitter notifications. I went straight to Twitter, which was a mistake. Tweets upon Tweets, along with photo's started appearing. Apparently, Harry had been seen all this week with Julie. Out for Coffee, out Shopping, walking into the studio together. They even went to the award show after party together. Clearly he didn't care much about trying to get me back, because if he did, he could've come over after the Award show. Skip the after party and come talk to me in person, I would've been willing to speak to him. Instead though, he went out and partied with his EX. This last week I had been in denial, just hoping that maybe I was wrong about everything, that I was being a little dramatic. But after reading and seeing everything that Harry and Julie have been doing together, it was time to face the fact, that this was over. And it was Not my fault, the more I thought about it, I knew that this was not on me. This was his mistake and I was no longer going to blame myself. The next morning I got up out of bed, after another night of horrid sleep. I took a shower, got dressed and then made my way into the kitchen. "Hey, where are you going this morning?" Paige asked while raising a brow, " Work, I took enough time and my boss is hounding me to come back. I think it's time too " I stated with a sigh. She smiled while nodding, "Hey, you're finally looking better" Niall smiled widely while hugging me. I smiled back, "There's another Award show on Saturday and I already got you two tickets, so you can bring someone along. I don't care what you say, I don't care who's going tp be there, You're going" Niall then stated sternly. Which only made me chuckle "Ni, you're not very intimidating, but I'll go", Paige chuckled while rubbing his back "She's right, but I'm happy your going, you deserve to have a nice night'. I nodded while putting my jacket on "I gotta head out, I have to grab a coffee before work, I'll see you both tonight", they nodded while wearing large smiles as I walked out the door.

I sighed deeply as I sat at my desk, looking at paperwork. There was a soft knock on the door, causing me to glance up as the door opened. "Ms Y/L/N, your new assistant is here" Jen the secretary stated, I smiled rubbing my forehead. I forgot today was he day was the day I was meeting someone new, I was going through enough stuff in my life, hopefully they'd be nice. "Thanks Jen" I stated with a smile, she nodded allowing the assistant to enter the room. I stood up to greet them, but was shocked at who entered my office. "James?" I asked with a brow raised, "Y/N? What a small world" he stated with a smile. James and I dated only a short time, when we were still in school. We started as friends, we had known each other since we were six. We dated 5 months, before I started noticing things were off with him. Like he never wanted to cuddle, hold hands, even kissing was a problem for him. The one time I tried to have sex with him, he panicked and ran. Didn't speak to me for almost 2 weeks, once I finally got a hold of him, we had a long discussion about everything. He ended up coming out and told me he was gay, only dated me because his parents started to become suspicious of his activities and he was terrified of the way they'd react, but he also didn't want to ruin his friendship with me. In the end, I hugged him tight, understanding everything now. I supported him to the fullest and we ended up fake dating until graduation, after that we both went to different collages and didn't keep in contact unfortunately. I smiled widely once I got a look at him, before stepping around my desk and hugged him tightly. "I've missed you James, How are you?! Still good looking I see" I exclaimed, he chuckled hugging me back "I've missed you too, You're beautiful Y/N! I've been great, Married man now". I smiled even wider as I pulled away to look at him " Congratulations, Wow Little James married. You're all grown up, I can't believe your going to be working with me", he smirked "Working for you, Ms Y/L/N". I groaned while rolling my eyes "We have to catch up during lunch, I want to know everything!" , he nodded while taking a seat in front of me, ready to work.

During lunch, we sat in my office, chit chatting about everything. James life, his wedding which he showed me many photo's on his phone, his husband, everything. "Okay, enough about me. Last time I checked, you were dating Harry Styles, which is huge. What's going on there" James stated taking a bite of his sandwich. I sighed deeply, explaining the entire story. "So, he took his Ex instead of you. Damn" James stated with a scoff, I nodded "And I haven't spoken to him for what feels like years and I do miss him... And There's another award show this weekend and I'm nervous he's going to show up with her again. I don't know if I can handle that". He sighed deeply, "Do you want to go with me, I don't have many people in my life and we can hangout" I then asked him. He looked at me shocked " Are you kidding, I'd love to go! I'd never turn a chance to catch a glance of my favorite celebs! Ethan's going to be jealous", I chuckled while glancing around. At least, I'd have people to support me, just in case Harry showed up with her again.

Saturday night came fast, I found myself between Niall and James on the red carpet. It didn't last long though, James and I quickly dashed inside and found our seats. Niall and Paige found us 10 minutes later, sitting down beside us. "He's here Y/N" Niall sighed while rubbing his forehead, I nodded because I knew he was going to show up, I just wondered if he was alone. Other celebrities started piling in and I could hear James gasp every now and then, which always made me chuckle quickly. I glanced around, not looking at anything in particular. That’s when I saw him, looking just as gorgeous as ever. Our eyes met for a split second, before I quickly looked away. I the let out a deep sigh as he approached us, "Hey guys" Harry stated with that damn charming smile that I missed so much. Only to be ignored by Paige and I. "Hey man, congrats on the album and the nomination" James stated with a smile, Harry nodded just brushing off the compliment. "Can we talk, or are you still acting petty and ignoring me" Harry questioned, I scoffed "Petty? Who Me? I'm just here to hangout with my friends and have a good time, since the last two weeks have been miserable". Harry sighed deeply as I heard Niall chuckle, sure he and Harry were still friends, but when It came to this situation, Niall was on my side. "Y/N please" Harry then stated, Causing me to roll my eyes "You want to talk, go talk to Julie". "Really, you're bringing up that shit again. Like your any better, bringing this bloke here instead of your boyfriend. Are you trying to make me jealous?" Harry stated rather loudly, "Doesn't feel good does it, being left out of your significant others life" I spat with a glare. "Harry, just go find your seat and leave her alone" Paige then stated sternly, "All I want to do is talk to my girlfriend!" Harry exclaimed. "There's another time and place to do hat, but if you don't want to ruin your relationship even more, I suggest you just go sit down" Paige sighed, Harry groaned slightly "Fine, but this isn't over". I rolled my eyes as he started to walk away, James looked at me confused "Doesn't he realize, that he's more my type than you are". The four of us then chuckled, thank you James for lightning up this tense situation. The award show began seconds later and it ended up being an amazing night, hanging out with friends. Harry unfortunately didn't win, making Paige give me a look, she still believed I was his good luck charm and since we were not in a good place, that's why he wasn't wining. I however, knew there was a serious conversation coming my way and I was now ready for it. Time to settle things with Harry.

A few more days went by without any word from Harry, Paige and Niall decided to go out of town for a few days, to spend quality time together. Leaving me alone in the house for 4 Days. I let out a deep sigh, settling on the couch, with a cup of tea and my favorite book, just ready to relax. That is until the doorbell rang, making me groan deeply. Work had been crazy the last few days and this is the first time, I had some time to myself. Now, I had someone bothering me. I stood up, letting out a deep sigh. I walked towards the door, opening it before checking to see who it was. There stood Harry, holding a pizza box and wearing a smile. Why did this boy have to be so cute. "Hi" he stated first, "I brought lunch, do you think we could finally have that talk?". I sighed deeply while nodding and opening the door so that he could enter. He made his way to the kitchen, where I followed. I there was an awkward silence for a moment, before he cleared his throat. I opened the pizza box, just to see a heart shaped pizza, with the words ' I'm sorry ' written out by vegetables. I looked at him with my brow raised. He sent me a small smile, "I'm am sorry, I miss you so much Y/N" he stated. I sighed deeply "Really? Hasn't seemed like it, since you've been hanging out with Julie all week", he groaned "Y/N, why can't you just accept that I could be friends with her". "Because, I don't think she wants to be just friends Harry. Take a close look at those photo's of the both of you on the red carpet or going out for coffee, look at how she's looking at you in all those photos and then tell me she's just a friend" I stated sternly, he sighed deeply but didn't reply. "She got to go to the award show, you gave her what she wanted, the Fame, being Harry Styles mystery woman. I would not have cared if you had taken anyone else, I didn't care that you didn't invite me, I still would've supported you from home. What I don't support was that you took her, after everything she put you through. You just trusted that she was suddenly a different person, a good person. You chose to take someone who was clearly using you, instead of someone who loves and supports you. You made that choice" I stated sternly as I walked out of the kitchen and towards the living room. What I didn't expect, was for him to follow me, since the last time we had an argument, he didn't. There's a first for everything, I guess. Because I heard his footsteps quickly trying to catch up to me, he wasn't giving up on me this time. "Listen, you're right okay. I knew from the moment I invited her to the award show, that I had made a mistake. She started hanging all over me, following me places. I only hung out with her though, because I felt bad for her" he stated quickly as he grabbed my hand, I raised a brow "That's because you're to nice". He nodded "Supposedly she just moved here and had no friends, so I felt obligated, it was lie though. When we went out for coffee, she made a move on me, brought up our old relationship and how she wished we could get back together. When she put her hand on mine, I panicked and ended up accidentally spilling coffee all over her. I ran out of there like a goof and I haven't spoken or seen her since, I don't want to! Turns out, she didn't even work at the studio like she told me. She was friends with the secretary, who had invited her to hang around all day and week. The secretary was fired two days ago, now Julie doesn't have a way in. She didn't change, she's still a compulsive liar", I sighed deeply not knowing how to respond. "I regret it all, I know how much of an idiot I've been. I should've taken my Girl. I'm so sorry Y/N" he stated with a deep sigh, I nodded "You made me feel like shit Harry, i thought we had broken up and it was all my fault, I blamed myself for that. I figured I was just a rebound to you, someone to keep you company until you found someone better, or that Julie decided to show back up in your life. She was your first love". He shook his head quick, "Absolutely not! We were good friends before dating and I would never have done that to you Y/N. I need you in my life always. I promise, I wasn't trying  to get back with her, I was only trying to give her the benefit of the doubt and be her friend. Again, stupid mistake. But I never wanted to breakup with you, I want to Marry you and have little babies with you... I mean not anytime soon, my solo career has just started and I'm going to be busy. But, I do want to be with you, forever" he stated quickly. Making me chuckle quietly, "And as for Julie being my first Love, she wasn't. I didn't really know what love was until you came into my life. This last week has been horrible without you, I'm truly sorry Y/N, Will you give me a chance to make it up to you?" he stated with a small smile. I thought about it for a few seconds, but that's all I needed before pulling him into a tight hug. "Next award show, I'd better be your plus one Styles" I stated, he chuckled squeezing me tighter "As long as I have you, you'll always be my plus one. And I think we should move in together now". I furrowed my brows together before pulling away and looking at him, "You think your pretty smooth there, don't you?" I stated with a brow raised, he smirked "I thought I'd throw it out there". I smiled with pulling him into a kiss, a well deserved kiss. Sure I was still upset with the situation, but I was happy that he realized what Julies true intentions were. Thinking about our future together was always exciting. I knew that with the upcoming tours and other albums that could be made, it would be hard, Harry Was a busy man. But I always knew we'd find our way back to each other, we'd always piece back together at the End of The Day. [ End ]

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So, Part 2 is Finished! I am very proud of this short little series and I hope you enjoyed Reading it as much as I enjoyed Writing it. I do have an idea for another Harry angst based on a Little Mix song, so If you're interest let me know. Because, I love Angst! I just want to Thank Everyone again for all the Love and Support I had on this Story, I appreciate it so much, Yo have no idea. You're all Amazing, Love you all <3<3

[weekendwarriorblog]

WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND August 30, 2019  - Labor Day Blahs

I was trying to decide whether to do one of these this week, because it’s Labor Day weekend, and this is likely to be a particularly short column because I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING! In fact, I’m not even doing my regular Box Office Preview column over at The Beat, because there just doesn’t seem to be much point to it. There used to be a time when studios would release movies over the four-day holiday weekend but not so much anymore, and this is a particularly weak Labor Day with no new movies opening in 1,000 theaters or more. No, it’s more about reexpanding movies already in theaters like Spider-Man: Far from Home in order to try to make more money before the summer is over.  But if this is boring, you can also read my 2019 Summer Box Office wrap-up over at The Beat.

The only new “wide” release is BH Tilt’s latest release DON’T LET GO, a thriller directed by Jacob Estes (Rings) and starring David Oyelowo and Storm Reid from A Wrinkle in Time, and it’s not even opening in 1,000 theaters. It might not even get into the top 10.  Apparently, BH Tilt is now going as “OTL Releasing” but I don’t think this movie has as much buzz as Leigh Whannell’s Upgrade, released by Blumhouse’s distribution branch in June 2018 to make $4.7 million opening weekend and $14.4 million total domestic. I don’t see Don’t Let Goopening that big as its plot is far vaguer, and I think if this make more than $4 million over the four-day holiday, it would be considered a coup since it’s only playing in less than 1,000 theaters. Who knows? I might even go see it on a lark.

Interestingly, there are two foreign language films from other countries (because as hard as it might be to believe, they speak other languages in other countries!) getting moderate releases this weekend: Sujeeth’s Bollywood action-thriller SAAHO (Yash Raj Films) and from Mexico, Ariel Winograd’s Spanish language TOD@S CAEN released by Lionsgate’s LatinX division Pantelion Films. I will be the first to admit that I’m not the best person to gauge interest in either movie because they’re not my communities, so I rarely see much marketing for these films.

Opening on Thursday, Saaho actually looks pretty cool, and if I can find three hours of time over Labor Day, I might actually check it out. It’s being released in three languages versions: Hindi, Telugu and Tamil, all with English subtitles, and that seems very groundbreaking, and it will also be in IMAX theaters. This could be another hit for Yash Raj ala the “Dhoom” series—Dhoom 3 opened with $3.4 million in 239 theaters in 2013 -- and possibly the studio’s widest release since 2018’s Thugs of Hindostan.

Check out the Hindi trailer below:

(Oddly, Saaho was supposed to be released on India’s Independence Day August 15, but then was pushed back to American Labor Day. Bollywood films tend to get day and date releases nationwide to avoid piracy.)

Tod@s Caen (pronounced “todos caen” – don’t yell at me! It wasn’t my idea!) stars Omar Chapparo, the hot Mexican star from Pantelion’s hits No manches Frida and its sequel plus How to Be a Latin Lover. No manches Frida grossed about $11.5 million after its $4.6 million opening over Labor Day in 2016 while the sequel opened slightly bigger this past March but grossed less. Latin Lover was a huge crossover success for Chapparo and Pantelion, grossing $32.1 million.  This is likely to be more in the former category and opening in 365 theaters, it probably can make around $3 million or more.

STREAMING AND CABLE

There aren’t many movies I can recommend, but at least I can recommend the new Netflix series THE DARK CRYSTAL: THE AGE OF RESISTANCE, which is a prequel to the 1982 Jim Henson movie that was made quite lovingly using the same puppeteering techniques as well as some of the same designers from the original movie. Plus the series has an absolutely brilliant voice cast that includes Taron Egerton, Helena Bonham-Carter, Anya Taylor-Joy, Alicia Vikander, Sigourney Weaver, Natalie Dormer, Lena Headey, Jason Isaacs, Theo James, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Simon Pegg and many, many more. As someone who wasn’t really a fan of the original movie, I found myself quite wrapped up in this series, having watched the first five episodes so far, and I think fans and non-fans alike will dig it.

You can read my interview with the writers over at The Beat.

(Netflix is also releasing a movie called Falling In Love, starring Christina Millan and Adam Demos... but that title... I just can’t!

Amazon Prime will begin streaming its own fantasy series, the very different Carnival Row, starring Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne, on Friday. It’s a steampunk noir crime series in which Bloom is an inspector trying to solve some Jack the Ripper style murders of the city’s fae and puck population, fantastical creatures who act as the city’s slave labor. I didn’t enjoy this nearly as much as it just doesn’t feel like my kind of thing even though I do love Victorian era stuff usually. I think it just hasn’t found its footing in the couple episodes I’ve seen. I also interviewed a few of the actors which will be on The Beat later today.

LIMITED RELEASES

Okay, I definitely lied as I’ve also seen Kim Farrant’s ANGEL OF MINE (Lionsgate), an amazing psychological drama starring Noomi Rapace as a woman whose daughter died but whom thinks that her neighbor’s daughter is actually her own. Also starring Yvonne Strahovski, Luke Evans and Richard Roxburgh, this mostly Australian film is actually a little like the recent After the Weddingin terms of the strangeness of its premise but it’s handled more like a thriller and Rapace gives another stirring performance. It will be in select cities starting Friday, and I recommend checking it out, especially if, like me, you’re a long-time fan of Ms. Rapace.

Never got around to seeing Gavin Hood’s new movie OFFICIAL SECRETS (IFC Films), because I’m such a fan of Keira Knightley, and in this one she plays Katharine Gun, a British intelligence specialist handling classified information in the lead-up to the Iraq War in 2003. She receives a shocking memo from the NSA seeking help in collecting information on UN Security Council members to blackmail them into supporting an invasion of Iraq.

Hannah Pearl Utt’s BEFORE YOU KNOW IT (1091) stars the co-writer/director as stage manager Rachel Gurner who lives in her childhood apartment with her sister Jackie (Jen Tullock), father Mel (Mandy Patinkin) and preteen niece Dodge (Oon Yaffe) above the theater they own and operate. After a tragedy, the two sisters find out their mother, long thought dead (Judith Light) is still alive working on soap operas and they need to come to terms with that. The movie also stars Mike Colter and Alec Baldwin and it opens in select cities.

Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst also has a new movie as director, a thriller called THE FANATIC (Quiver Distribution), starring Devon Sawa from Final Destination and John Travolta. Travolta plays movie fan Moose who is obsessed with his favorite action hero Hunter Dunbar, played by Sawa. With the help of his paparazzi photographer friend Leah (Ana Golja), Moose tries to find Moose as his interactions with the celebrity become more dangerous as Moose becomes more obsessed.

Liam Hemsworth from “The Hunger Games” stars in Malik Bader’s Killerman (Blue Fox Studios) as a New York money launderer who wants to find answers after waking up with no memory and with millions in cash and drugs, as he’s chased by a team of dirty cops. The movie also stars Emory Cohen, Diane Guerrero (“Orange is the New Black”) and Suraj Sharma from Life of Pi, and it’s getting a small theatrical release in select cities.

Now playing at New York’s Film Forum is Marjoline Boonstra’s doc The Miracle of the Little Prince (Film Movement) which looks at the sustained global popularity of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince in the eight decades since it was first published.

Opening in IMAX theaters Thursday and then nationwide Sept 6 is the Chinese animated film Ne Zha (WELL Go) about a young boy with superpowers who must decide between good and evil.

There’s a couple other things but I’m so behind for the weekend that I’m done.

REPERTORY

A few rep things to mention before we get to the regular theaters. The Wachowski’s original The Matrix will be celebrating its 20thanniversary with a rerelease across the nation in Dolby theaters, so I’ll be seeing that Thursday night. The Alamo in Brooklyn is also screening a special 70mm print of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, and that’s where I’ll be on Saturday.

METROGRAPH (NYC):

On Friday, the Metrograph will begin screening a 35mm print of Eric Roehmer’s 1986 film Le Rayon Vert, but there lots of series continiung through the weekend including the “Shaw Sisters” series which is fairly interesting so far. Angie Chen’s Maybe It’s Love (1984) plays again on Thursday evening –that’s a weird one—and Ann Hui’s Starry Is the Night (1988) will play tomorrow and Sunday and a few others. If you want to see a weird and really bad but very funny horror film, you have to check out Angela Mak’s The Siamese Twins on Saturday night, plus there’s a few more I haven’t seen. The Metrograph has also expanded its “Godard/Karina Late Nights” series so that you can see Alphaville (1965) and Pierrot Le Fou (1965), both beloved classics, through the weekend, as well as this weekend’s offering to the series, 1962’s Vivre Sa Vie. This week’s Late Nites at Metrograph  is Leo Carax’sHoly Motors (2012) and Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue but you can also see the late Japanese filmmaker’s excellent Paprika (2006) through the weekend, as well. This weekend’s Playtime: Family Matinees  is another Ray Harryhausen classic, 1963’s Jason and the Argonauts.

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

The New Bev ends its month of mostly showing Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood before returning to repertory fare next week, but its Weds. matinee is the 1953 Western comedy Calamity Jane, this weekend’s KIDDEE MATINE is Disney’s The Ugly Dachsund (1966) starring Dean Jones, and then on Monday, you have two chances to see Michael Mann’s 1995 crime-thriller Heat, although you’ll have to see it at 9:30AM cause the usual 2pm matinee is sold out.

AERO  (LA):

Thursday begins a “Sellers and Southern Double Feature” series (?) of Dr. Strangelove (1964) with The Magic Christian (1969), Friday is a double feature of 1999’s Office Space with Kevin Smith’s Clerks(1994) and then on Saturday is a Mad Max TRIPLE Feature of the first three movies: Mad Max (1979), The Road Warrior (1982) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). Sunday is a special screening of Thom Anderson’s 2003 film Los Angeles Plays Itself, and Monday begins Aero’s “Heptember Matinees” series as in Katherine Hepburn, and it kicks off with 1940’s The Philadelphia Story.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

Marty and Jay’s Double Features runs through next Thursday and there are one or two of these double features every day with a mix of classics and esoteric and rare stuff. You can click on the link to see all that’s playing.

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

“Make My Day: American Movies in the Age of Reagan” continues up at Lincoln Center through Tuesday with highlights like Robocop, David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, Scorsese’s The King of Comedy and The Last Temptation of Christ, Conan the Barbarian, First Blood and more.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

This week’s Weekend Classics: Staff Picks Summer 2019 is the original, classic King Kong, while Waverly Midnights: Staff Picks Summer 2019 is Office Space (1999) and Russ Meyers’ Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970). Late Night Favorites: Summer 2019 is Aliens, Suspiria and Eraserhead, just in case you missed any of those the dozen other times they’ve been shown.

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

Saturday’s “Beyond the Canon” offering is a double feature of Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Wadja from 2012 and Wim Wender’s 1974 film Alice in the Cities. BAM is also showing the second part of its “Programmers Notebook: On Memory”  with offerings like Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, Christopher Nolan’s Memento, Kurosawa’s Rashomon, Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (of course) and more!

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

“See It Big! 70mm” will screen Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One on Friday and Saturday evenigs but ALSO, they’re showing one of my favorite comedies It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) in 70mm on Saturday afternoon.

ROXY CINEMA (NYC)

Tonight and Sunday, the Roxy is showing the 1965 film Juliet of the Spirits. On Saturday, the theater is showing Agnes Varda’s 1965 film Le Bonheur.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART  (LA):

This week’s Friday night midnight film is Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.

This weekend, the Egyptianin L.A. is taken over by the Cinecon Classic Film Festivaland you can find out what that consists at the official site.

Next week, New Line releases It: Chapter Two, which I probably will have seen by the time you read this but probably will still be under embargo.

[goldeagleprice]

Letters to the Editor (Nov. 7, 2017)

Where are billions of coins Mint reports it produces?

Just read your article, “August Mint production down” in the Oct. issue. You state the average monthly U.S. Mint production still stands at over 1.2 billion coins. Where are all these coins? They certainly are not in circulation. I cannot believe that the Mint is producing billions of coins. Especially billions of cents.

Call me Doubting Dom, but something does not make sense. To begin with, not as many people use cash as people did years ago. And we know people are not collecting coins like people did years ago. There cannot be the need for coins as there was years ago. Can there be?

True, the modern coins rust and rot quickly, but we are still talking multi-billions of coins. I just don’t see that many coins being in circulation. When I do get change, it is generally not newer dates. I would like to know the thoughts of others on this subject.

Dom Cicio Groveland, Fla.

Tough to keep silver Eagle coin offerings straight

Trying to keep all of the U.S. Mint’s offerings straight is getting more difficult. When I only had two granddaughters, I started sets of American silver Eagles for both of them. Now I’m getting confused on what I need to include to keep the sets complete. Are there two different proofs this year, ”S” and “W,” and how many different “unc’s” are there?

Doug Jennings Address withheld

Editor’s note: You are correct about the “S” and “W” proofs this year. There is the standard “W” uncirculated Eagle sold directly by the Mint to coin collectors and the Eagle bullion coin without a mintmark that is also uncirculated, but sold only through the Authorized Purchaser network.

  Mint should offer all coins to all customers

Have I missed this in an earlier issue of the Numismatic News? I hate to think of it that the Mint would make another coin, send it out to a select few distributors so they can add a big premium to the coin and sell it to the public. Not right, if they are going to make a coin it should be sold outright not set back for a very few to in a sense stick it to the little guy. I saw on TV tonight a shopping network sell these in MS-69 for $1,999.99 and bragging about how they have or had most of these coins. They have already sold out of the MS-70s. Just not right.

Name withheld Nebraska

  Time spent with Colin Bruce remembered

Sorry to hear about the passing of our dear friend, Colin Bruce. We were good friends back in the early days. He used to borrow my world crowns at the shows and photograph them for the Standard Catalog of World Coins, and later my Chinese notes for the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money. We also spent some time tippling a few at the local watering holes ’til the wee hours. He will be missed by me as well as many others.

P.S. Nice article by Richard Lobel.

James Warmus Palm City, Fla.

  Should medal set concept be applied to silver Eagles?

I just saw the American Liberty 225th Anniversary Silver Four-Medal Set with four different mint marks: “P,” “D,” “S” and “W.” Love the concept. Do you think a similar idea could work with the silver bullion, offering four different eagle reverses – one for each mint?

If not, what do you think about different sizes for the silver? Half ounce, two ounce. Same Walking Liberty with different eagles?

Wayne Pearson Union City, Ind.

Slow order arrival might be due to delivery service

I have read complaints about the Mint being slow to process orders; well, no complaints here.

I ordered the special limited edition silver proof set at 11:30 a.m. Central Time on the Oct. 5. I received it today, Oct. 11.

Perhaps the problem is the mail service in your area.

Richard Holton Petal, Miss.

  ‘No S’ proof cent numbers don’t quite add up

I have been following Ken Potter’s series of articles on the 1990 “No S” proof penny (which appears in proof sets from that year) with a great deal of interest. His articles in Numismatic News seem to have lit a numismatic fire under the rear ends of collectors who should have discovered these error coins almost three decades ago.

No wonder he quotes Jaime Hernandez, PCGS price guide editor, Sept. 5. He states, “the estimate of less than 200 coins existing is due to the simple fact that these coins are seldom encountered. For years there have not been any reports of more 1990 ‘No S’ proof Lincoln cents being discovered.”

Then in the same article, Potter goes on to say that since he wrote his first article on these coins, a total of seven new finds have surfaced within less than six months of each other.

Wow! From nothing for approximately 20 years (Hernandez’s words) to seven new finds in less than six months? Maybe Hernandez should rethink his math on this one. If less than 200 coins exist due to the simple fact that these coins are seldom encountered, then either someone is guilty of wishful thinking or I’m a monkey’s uncle.

How many of these Lincoln cents will be coming out of the woodwork now thanks to Potter?

If I had to choose between the 1990 “No S” Lincoln or a 1971 “No S” Jefferson nickel in proof condition, I’d take the latter every time. What about you?

Richard Fickau Mesa, Ariz.

  Value in holding, showing old, worn coins

My congratulations to Ginger Rapsus for a fine article on worn coins in the July 4, 2017, edition. They are coins you can actually touch and feel. We should all carry one for show and tell. It is one way we can promote the hobby.

I once let a man hold an old large cent. He was awe-struck and commented that it probably bought a loaf of bread in its day. I agreed and said that it would buy five pounds of hamburger today.

Consider also the nickel beer. Some of the old nickels will still get you one. Dan Bubalo Brainerd, Minn.

Give coin design process more time for better results

Few people would argue with the notion that the United States coins from the early 20th century were the most beautiful.

Issues such as the Morgan dollar, Peace dollar, Walking Liberty half dollar, Indian Head cent or the Mercury dime are all truly works of art.

Why?

More time and effort was spent on new coin designs back then. Today everything is rushed with less time to complete. The result is somewhat inferior coin designs. Is this what we want?

What we need to do is spend more time and study on future designs, which will pay off remarkably in the end.

America is a great country. Let’s show it on our coinage. Mark E. Switzer Sea-Tac, Wash.

  Why hasn’t 1913 Liberty Head been confiscated?

Your article on the 1913 Liberty Head nickel was fabulous. But what I would like to know is why the government hasn’t confiscated this as it has so eagerly done with the 1933 $20 gold piece. It seems totally unfair that they can leave one alone and confiscate the other.

Bob Olekson Cleveland, Ohio

  Agree with writer that bullion is better investment

I want to personally thank Jim Klein on his article, “Collector leaving hobby shares advice.” I am in total agreement with his article and he is spot on. One of the best and most informative articles ever written for Numismatic News.

I also agree that bullion is a much better investment than numismatic or rare coins. In reality, the rare coin business deals with a very limited group of persons compared to all other types of interests.

From my own personal experience, coin collecting is declining like stamps and baseball cards already have.

Let’s look at reality. You have a BU Shield nickel for sale. Try to sell it to the general public. Good luck.

However, if you have a one-ounce silver bar for sale at the current market price, it would be gone in a heartbeat. Everyone wants gold and silver and they are so much easier to purchase and liquidate. Also, with your local newspaper or laptop computer you can see how much your silver and gold bullion is worth on an hourly basis.

Thank you again, Jim Klein, on an excellent article. Lin Beverly Port Charlotte, Fla.

  This article was originally printed in Numismatic News. >> Subscribe today.

  More Collecting Resources

• Is that coin in your hand the real deal or a clever fake? Discover the difference with U.S. Coins Close Up, a one-of-a-kind visual guide to every U.S. coin type.

• Download The Metal Mania Seminar with David Harper to learn more about the metals market.

The post Letters to the Editor (Nov. 7, 2017) appeared first on Numismatic News.

[dingoes8myrp]

Dawson’s Creek in Hindsight: 1.2

I’m rewatching Dawson’s Creek. I haven’t seen it since it originally aired. Here are my thoughts 9 years later.

1.1 - Pilot

1.2 - Dance

We open with Dawson’s film in progress. Dawson nags Joey for her refusal to kiss Pacey on camera. Joey is absolutely repulsed by the idea. Joey asking if Dawson and Jen have kissed yet. While working on a replica of Joey’s head, Dawson comments that Joey has “kissable lips,” which prompts a surprised “What?” from her. Dawson, stop saying stuff like that if you don’t plan on kissing Joey.

Again, I’m going to point out how Joey voices discomfort over the Pacey kiss and Dawson completely ignores it in favor of his film. Dude. Get a clue.

I can’t get used to this weird theme song.

The “big dance” is announced over the PA system at Capeside High. You know the one? That big high school dance? Dawson convinces the film class teacher, Mr. Cole, to let him spend his study hall in his film class. Crafty on Dawson’s part. I actually like him here for his well thought out plan.

Pacey waits for Ms. Jacobs in her classroom, wanting to talk. She points out this isn’t even his class – creepy! Ms. Jacobs argues there’s nothing for them to talk about, but Pacey knows he has the upper hand here. I honestly can’t decide who’s creepier in this dynamic, Ms. Jacobs for putting the moves on Pacey in the first place or Pacey for creeping on her and trying to manipulate her. I mean, I guess the big argument is that Pacey is a kid and isn’t supposed to know what he’s doing. Tamara is a grown ass woman encouraging a fifteen-year-old. I guess she’s always creepier. But, that doesn’t absolve Pacey of his creepiness. Ew! So much wrong with this.

In the cafeteria, Dawson tries to figure out how to finish his film on time while navigating the issue of Joey refusing to kiss Pacey. Who could blame her, really? Pacey doesn’t seem thrilled about it either. Dawson suggests killing Joey’s character sooner and replacing her with Jen. Joey seems taken aback by this until Dawson mentions Joey will be behind the camera with him. Jen also objects, but none of that seems to matter. The film, guys! Obviously the film is the most important thing, here.

Awkwardness in Ms. Jacobs’ class as she projects her own weirdo love life onto her lecture about Bronte.

Dawson audits the film class, not thrilled with their film competing with his in the festival. Boohoo. Cry me a river. No sympathy for pouty Dawson here.

Dawson and Joey observe yet another jock hitting on Jen. This is Cliff, who was also in Dawson’s not film class. Cliff is pretty much the bane of Dawson’s existence at this point.

Dawson and his dad have another awkward conversation about sex and relationships. Dawson asks for kissing advice. Joey crawls in Dawson’s window, creeping in and overhearing the conversation without them knowing. On the one hand, Joey’s being creepy here. On the other hand, she crawls through Dawson’s window all the time. You’d think Dawson would always assume Joey and/or Jen were within earshot of his every conversation, right? Jen also lives right next door. Just saying, if you want your privacy, don’t give your friends an all-hours pass into your bedroom. I’m on Joey’s side here. Creep away, girl. You’ve earned that shit.

Joey observes as Mr. Leery has Dawson practice kissing on the replica of Joey’s head (creepy on a few levels). Joey seems to imagine kissing Dawson, revealing her feelings are still very much non-platonic.

Hearing a noise in the other room, Joey overhears Mrs. Leery flirting with someone who isn’t Mr. Leery on the phone. The two make very awkward, forced small talk, Mrs. Leery clearly flustered. About to walk away, Joey turns back to say “I know.” And with that, she walks away. Oof!

I’m glad Joey said something, though I think Mrs. Leery had deduced it already. And I don’t think I need to point out Mrs. Leery is wrong not to come clean, putting Joey in this awkward position of having to either give Dawson this news or lie to him.

Joey’s in-film death scene in which Pacey - in costume - attacks her and they lop off her fake head. Another favorite scene of mine. Jen helps Joey get cleaned up. Joey is clearly uncomfortable. Jen gives Joey some awkward compliments and reveals her insecurities about her own body. It’s the flicker of a bonding moment, with Jen saying she plans to make it really hard for Joey not to like her.

Sidenote: My female friends and I never have conversations like this. I find it kind of creepy that Jen would have brought it up. This scene made me think Jen might have a crush on Joey, not that she was trying too hard to be friends with her (which I think was the intention?). This is now my headcanon. Jen is sort of dating Dawson, but also kind of has a thing for Joey. Makes perfect sense.

Back filming the movie, Jen has stepped into the role of leading lady. When it comes time for the on-screen kiss between Jen’s character and Pacey’s, Pacey over-does it and Dawson is upset by it. He decides to cut the kiss, which Joey calls him out on, since when she was the one doing the kissing he insisted it was important.

I’m siding with Dawson on this one. I think if Pacey had done the same thing with Joey Dawson would have reacted in the same way. Pacey is being a total pig taking advantage of Jen. Plus, he knows Dawson likes her. What the hell? Joey’s a bit too amused by it – she’s just a little bit evil, isn’t she? And Jen’s way too cool with it, in my opinion. I would’ve smacked a dude in the face if he pulled that. Pacey is 100% wrong, Dawson is right to cut the kiss (though he may be doing it for the wrong reasons, his own jealousy coming into play, since Jen doesn’t seem at all bothered – why the hell not, by the way?).

Dawson invites Jen to join him in a movie night, but she reveals she’s going to the dance with Cliff. This upsets Dawson, and he’s seen venting to Joey in his room later.

Okay, why the hell does Dawson keep inviting Jen to his movie nights that are clearly the thing he does with Joey? This is the second time he’s done that. Both times Jen happened to decline. That’s just inconsiderate, confused emerging hormones aside. You don’t just bring some rando into an established friend-to-friend routine without consulting the other friend, right?

However, I think Dawson has every right to be upset in this situation. Jen knows Dawson likes her and hasn’t given him any indication that she’s seeing other people. She sort of lets him think what he wants while doing whatever she wants, regardless of how he might feel about it. Very inconsiderate and selfish on her part. Jeez, I’m siding with Dawson way more than I’m comfortable with this episode. He’s my least favorite of the four.

Here we get the first of many anxiety-ridden Dawson rambles. This warrants being written out. Props to James van der Beek on managing to deliver a series of long run-on sentences.

“At this very moment they’re slow-dancing. Her arms are wrapped around his waist and they’re moving to some stupid, cheesy eighties song and he’s whispering things into her ear to make her giggle and toss her hair off to the side. Every once in a while their eyes meet and they shift awkwardly because they know it’s all coming down to that one moment at the end of the night where he leans over and tells her what a great time he’s had. He asks her if they can do it again and she just smiles in that sexy teasing way that she has, it’s not really teasing but just sexy, and says ‘I’d like that.’ And then their lips meet. Their mouths come together. Their tongues find each other. Gah! I can’t take it.”

Dawson expresses frustration – “What did he do that I didn’t do?” Joey, ironically, points out “He asked her out.” This is very much the same situation she’s in with Dawson where she won’t just make her feelings known and ask him out. The difference is she’s keeping her whining to herself. Dawson decides to go to the dance, and Joey decides to go with him.

Downstairs, Joey overhears Mrs. Leery talking to Mr. Leery, catching her (creepily) on her way out. She reveals to Mrs. Leery that her father cheated on her mother and it ruined their family. Dawson interrupts them and Joey covers for Mrs. Leery, likely to spare Dawson’s feelings and preserve the family she clearly admires. She’s making it clear to Gail that she’s not just hurting Mitch and Dawson with her cheating, but Joey too. Joey clearly sees the Leerys as her second family, and it breaks her heart to see cracks in the foundation. Again, Gail is a huge asshole for letting Joey cover for her, effectively forcing her son’s friend to lie to him for her.

At the dance, Jen is chatting with Cliff. They seem to be having fun as they start dancing. Pacey arrives and goes straight for Ms. Jacobs. Dude, what are you doing? Why would you think it’s okay to hit on a teacher in public? My opinion is he thinks there’s no way she’s ever going to take it seriously, but he has a lot of fun trying. She tries to play it cool and make small talk, then attempts to make a hasty exit. In a ballsy move, Pacey asks if she’d like to dance. God, this is so creepy. I cringe every time these two interact.

Enter Dawson and Joey, with Joey teasing Dawson over Jen and Cliff, getting a little too much enjoyment out of it. Then Dawson insists he and Joey dance just as a slow song comes on. Kind of crappy of him to use Joey, but she was the one who tagged along on the pretense of being his support. He looks around for Jen as the two of them dance and he’s surprised at how good Joey is at dancing. I find it weird he wouldn’t know this about her already, considering how long they’ve been friends. He could just be that unobservant. They share an almost moment as they find Jen and Cliff on the dancefloor. They make some awkward small talk before Dawson whisks Joey away.

Moments like this make me wonder if Dawson would have come around to Joey on his own if Jen hadn’t shown up when she did. It’s hard to say. They have a bad combination of obliviousness on his part and lack of communication on hers. It’s quite possible without Jen’s arrival pushing Joey to act out she and Dawson would have done the will-they-won’t-they dance forever.

While Pacey makes eyes at Ms. Jacobs from across the room (ew), Dawson runs after Jen. She confuses him by asking him to dance. He points out she’s with another guy, then awkwardly barrels into the girls’ bathroom after her. Hilarious.

But, seriously, Jen, what kind of Jedi mind tricks are you trying to play, here? You did come to the dance with someone else, so it’s kind of not cool to decide halfway through the night you’d rather be with Dawson. Although, had Dawson asked her to the dance, she probably would have gone with him rather than Cliff.

Back at the dance, Joey tries to convince Dawson to leave. She points out he barely knows Jen while Dawson claims he and Jen are meant to be. Joey throws a barb at him: “You’re doing this Frankenstein/Hyde thing. I mean, one minute you’re Dawson, the next you’re Psycho Alter-Ego. You’re the sea creature from your own movie.” Much like Dawson was bewildered by her behavior in the pilot, Joey is now confused by his. Dawson confuses things by comparing Jen to Joey. “It’s like the way I feel about you. She challenges me the way you do. She could be you, except she’s Jen.” Joey responds by reminding him the creature in his movie dies, and then she gets up and leaves. You go, Joey.

I’m with Joey here. Dawson is in love with the idea of Jen, not the actual person (who he has yet to get to know). The fact that he basically says she’s Joey only better is insulting. And he, naturally, has no idea why she’d be upset. Oblivious Dawson is oblivious.

Dawson interrupts Cliff and Jen while they’re dancing, announcing he wants to cut in, very Back to the Future. He tells Cliff he and Jen have something going on, referring to Jen as the “object” of his desire. Great job, Dawson. Every woman wants to be referred to as an object. Jen gets frustrated and leaves. Understandable, but she should have seen this coming. This is what happens when you string a guy along and continue to explore your options.

Walking home with Joey and Pacey, Dawson blames Joey for letting him embarrass himself and Pacey for abandoning him. Yeah, it couldn’t be your own idiocy getting in the way. Although Pacey was a straight up terrible wingman here. He just ghosted and was no help at all. Joey points out she did come back. Good on her.

Mr. and Mrs. Leery discuss their first kiss, which Mrs. Leery claims not to remember. However, she passionately proves otherwise a moment later. Things are getting complicated with these two.

Once again, Pacey runs into Ms. Jacobs on his way home. She apologizes to him for how she’s behaved, pointing out her actions were illegal and wrong. Oh, good. At least she’s a self-aware predator.

“I may just be fifteen…”

*Again, we’re reminded these kids are fifteen.

Pacey insists on taking part of the blame for kissing her back and she agrees that’s fair… except it’s not because, remember, he’s fifteen. And she is not. Ms. Jacobs tries to break things off, saying it can’t happen again. Pacey admits he’s not good with girls and is upset by her rejection.

And then she kisses him! Again! What the hell? Ew!

Dawson and Joey ruminate on the events of the night. Dawson laments the end of he and Jen. Joey points out nothing ever started between he and Jen. Dawson admits his confusion over why he feels the way he does. They see Jen and Dawson wonders what to do. Joey wishes him luck as he goes to talk to Jen, though she’s clearly disappointed.

Dawson creeps up on Jen and stares at her until she gets uncomfortable. She tells him she’s angry. He says he wants to know what’s going on between them.

Dawson: “I got scared, Jen. Scared I was becoming ‘the friend.’” Jen: “Oh, God. ‘The friend.’ How awful.” Dawson: “It IS awful. I feel like I’m becoming that friend who you come over and tell all your boy adventures to. I don’t want that to be the case. I wanna be your boy adventure.”

Ironically, this is what Joey is for Dawson. Again, oblivious Dawson is oblivious.

Jen: “Can’t you be both?” Dawson: “No. Not at fifteen, you can’t.”

*Remember, they’re fifteen. That’s really important for us to keep being reminded of.

To Dawson’s relief, Jen is interested in being more than friends. Jen opens up to him about some of her past. Joey looks on as Jen and Dawson dance.

Final Thoughts.

Things are getting super messy here. Nobody’s quite morally upstanding and I don’t know who to root for. It changes scene to scene. Sometimes Dawson is a selfish idiot. Other times he’s righteous, and deservedly so. Sometimes Pacey is a total scoundrel. Other times he’s a victim. Jen… Actually, I don’t side with Jen at all in this episode. She’s just wrong and selfish. I sympathize with Joey, but she really does get way too much pleasure out of watching other people suffer. It’s a little creepy.

Ah, the big dance, where the new girl brought two dates and the chaperones failed at their jobs.