"Baby"
As
Dawson, Joey, and Jen finish watching an old black and white movie in
his bedroom, the situation begins to get awkward. Jen, feeling that she
has somehow intruded on an old ritual between the other two, offers to
leave them alone. Joey then offers to leave herself, but Jen worries
that her grandmother would get the wrong idea about her and Dawson
alone in the room. The only solution is for both of them to go home,
leaving Dawson to complete the rest of movie night alone.
The regular confrontations between Jen and her grandmother
continue as they butt heads over a calendar containing the photo of a
nude man. Again the religion issue enters the discussion. The true
controversy of the episode doesn't surface until Pacey is giving Dawson
details about his relationship with Tamara. As the two are talking,
a student in one of the restroom stalls overhears them. The student
then proceeds to spread the rumor of Pacey and Tamara's relationship.
By the end of the day, the hot topic has spread throughout the entire
town. The scandal has led to an emergency school board hearing as
well as Tamara hiring a lawyer to defend her. Later in the episode
the controversy is finally resolved when Pacey enters the school board
meeting and testifies that he made the entire relationship up.
The tension we have witnessed between Bessie and Jen's
grandmother, in previous episodes, is slowly building and will soon come
to head. Bessie goes into labor and there is no available ambulance to
take her to the hospital. Joey is forced to row her sister to Dawson's
house, where the only adult available to assist is Jen's grandmother.
Bessie is torn, does she allow a woman who has voiced her disapproval of
her relationship with Bodie to deliver her child, or risk it by letting
three high school students give it a shot. After a brief discussion,
Jen's grandmother, with her medical training, is deemed to be the best
candidate. Dawson's instinct as a filmmaker is to film the birth,
and he begins to roll tape. In the end the delivery is successful,
and Bessie gives birth to a beautiful baby.
As the episode nears its conclusion, the inevitable outcome
of Pacey and Tamara's relationship plays out. During the course of their
discussion she reveals to him that she will soon leave Capeside and will
not be coming back. Pacey requests a goodbye kiss, but she refuses.
It has become obvious that she truly has feelings for him, and the kiss
may serve to create even more complications. Tamara then proceeds to make
it clear that their relationship is over for good. The episode closes
with Pacey strolling along the beach behind Tamara's house. The dejected
look on his face is evidence of just how much he cared for her.
Written by Joanne Waters
Directed by Steve Miner
Originally Aired Tuesday, February 24, 1998 9pm/8pm C
The WB Television Network