TEXT: [Scene: Dawson's room. Dawson is going through a pile of tapes, and Pacey comes in carrying a piece of equipment.] Pacey: The commodore 64, the lawn dart, the rock-n-sockem robots, super sugar crisp, the laserdisc, and now, back from the halls of obsolescence, the betamax machine. Dawson: Hey, man, you are a lifesaver. I got less than 48 hours to become an expert documentarian, and all mom's newsreels are on beta. Pacey: What? Dawson Leery eschewing the ephemeral world of make believe for the gritty realities of real life? Has the world spun off course? Was the Dalai Lama spotted at Black Angus? Dawson: More like my mother's been dangling a big fat carrot. Human interest story she was working on at the network fell out at the last minute. Pacey: And? Dawson: And she says that if I can edit some raw footage by Friday morning, there's a chance she could whip it into shape and be on the air that night. Pacey: Hey, it's the chance of a lifetime. That'll make a guy change his vision. Dawson: Well, it's a temporary change. As soon as I get my foot in that proverbial door, I'll be right back in the magical land of make-believe. Pacey: I don't know, Dawson. I mean, you got an amazing opportunity here to change your whole genre. Real-life stories are always more compelling than anything you could dream up. Dawson: Real life is interesting, but it will never be as dramatic as a well-conceived narrative. Pacey: Look at everything that's been happening in your life lately. Are you honestly telling me that you could conceive of something more thrilling, more sexy, and more far-fetched? Huh? All right, fine. Who's your guinea pig? Dawson: It's Jack McPhee. Pacey: Again? Dawson: Gay kid joins losing high school team, overcomes adversity,
SUMMARY:
Mitch and Dawson clash when Gail gives Dawson an opportunity to produce a news report for local television. The subject of the report is Jack, Capeside's first gay football star, and Mitch is concerned that the timing of the piece could jeopardise his chances to win the upcoming game. Joey and Pacey are handed a strange punishment for skipping classes together, but when Pacey later reveals a personal project to Joey (that he has acquired a small boat that he is restoring), she stops blaming him for getting her in trouble. Meanwhile, Andie begins to panic when Principal Green asks to speak to her, and Jen decides to quit her position as head cheerleader, but the other girls will not let her go without a fight, especially when she is voted homecoming queen.