Synopsis of A Winter's Tale
Written by Tamara Jaron
It's time for the Capeside High senior class trip. The students are off to the slopes for a weekend of mayhem and debauchery. Gretchen has come to say goodbye to Joey and Pacey, who both seem pretty distracted by their own expectations of what the trip will hold.
"Senior ski trip is a Capeside rite of passage," says Gretchen. "Absolutely guaranteed to be chock full of the cruel and unusual."
"Well knowing our class, I highly doubt it," says Joey.
"Let's just say when I went, somebody got pregnant, somebody got arrested, and this one girl's hair caught on fire."
"Joey will probably keep me out of jail," says Pacey, "and I guess I'll watch out for your hair." He looks at Joey. What about the whole pregnant comment? Pacey knows better than to go there.
"Well have fun, you've earned it," says Gretchen as she hugs them both. Before she takes off, she advises Joey to give Dawson a call during the weekend. Apparently he will not be joining them for the trip.
Jack and Jen are headed toward the bus and Jen is feeling guilty about leaving Grams alone to spend time in the hospital. Slowly we are learning that Mr. Brooks is not dead yet. Jen is not looking forward to the trip -- she thinks it will be a big letdown. She is showing her pessimistic side. They run into Pacey and Joey, stowing their luggage in the bus. Pacey tells Joey that the trip is exactly what they need -- a chance for them to get out of town. Joey is not sure what he means by his statement and as they share an ambiguous conversation someone yells out from the bus, "Everyone who plans on getting laid this weekend, get on board! Joey and Pacey cannot make eye contact as they board the bus.
The chaperone is taking role call on the bus. Jen is complaining about her lack of skiing know-how, and Jack is assuring her that the trip is not about what happens during the day, rather what transpires during the night. Drue has managed to sneak his new girlfriend Anna on the trip. Seems his set on getting some action and thinks it would be a real bummer to be amongst the few who miss out (he winks at Pacey). Meanwhile, Jen starts bugging Jack about Tobey.
"If sexual misadventures were an option for me," says Jack, "I'd be all over it...so to speak."
"One word," says Jen, "Tobey."
"Jen, come on, you're like a broken record."
"I just don't understand. You still haven't given me one good reason. Is he too cute? Is he too intelligent?"
"No, no, he's very..."
"Blonde?" asks Jen.
"No, he's gay. He's very gay," says Jacky. "It's just when it's that obvious it's a bit of a turnoff, that's all."
"How about too straight?" asks Jen. "Is too straight a turnoff?"
Grams is keeping vigil by Mr. Brooks' hospital bed. Dawson stops by to check on his mentor -- turns out he's in a coma and it doesn't look good. The machines are the only thing keeping him alive.
"It doesn't make sense," says Dawson. "Look at him, he's stuck between dying and dead."
Dawson is very thoughtful for a seventeen-year-old. Grams does not hold out too much hope in the medical possibilities. She believes Mr. Brooks' fate lies in God's hands.
As the seniors unload the bus at the ski resort, Joey makes a fuss about letting Pacey carry her heavy bags. They share a moment of pointless tension and ultimately she gives in to his chivalry. When they go to collect their room assignments, the chaperone assures them that the students will be sleeping with members of the same sex only. And they will not have access to the mini bars. Drue then grabs a few sets of keys while he's not looking and passes them out to Joey and Pacey and Jack and Jen ("no sexual complications there," he says), keeping a set for himself.
Jen tries to adopt an optimistic attitude and as she is heading to their cabin, she slips on the ice and falls to the ground.
As Dawson is leaving the hospital, a doctor chases him out to talk to him. It seems that by signing the "healthcare proxy" for Mr. Brooks in the last episode, he now holds Mr. Brooks' Power of Attorney. In other words, he must decide whether to keep Brooks on the machines, thereby keeping him alive, or remove him and let him die.
Dawson calls in his parents to talk to the doctor. His parents are upset that a 17-year-old boy has to decide the fate of a human life. They insist that Dawson shouldn't be forced to handle the responsibility. The doctor insists that it is state law and therefore Dawson must make the decision. The doctor gets up to leave so that the family may discuss it. Before he leaves, Dawson asks him if there's any chance that Mr. Brooks will wake up before he dies. The doctor doesn't have an answer for him.
Mr. Leery suggests that Dawson should decide to pull the plug, but Mrs. Leery doesn't want Dawson to make any decisions. Dawson knows he has no choice but doesn't know how he's going to decide.
The games are continuing on the Capeside senior class trip. Perfectly normal teenagers have turned into wild, Lord of the Flies type youths, as is typical in such situations. The tensions have not eased between Joey and Pacey. Pacey is trying to salvage what is left of the weekend by suggesting a romantic evening alone, but Joey is not responding to his romance tactics. It seems that everywhere they turn, they face reminders of sex; from Drue's blatant insinuations, to the porn channel that Pacey accidentally turns on in their room. Seeing that the weekend is quickly headed for disaster, Pacey attempts a little damage control.
"Please tell me we can laugh about this now," he says.
"Laugh about what?" asks Joey.
"Sex. Tell me that we can laugh about sex now, 'cause it seems to me that's the only rational thing to do. You can't enshrine it, you can't run from it, 'cause it's everywhere. It's like food and water and air."
"Can't we just breathe something else?"
"You realize how ridiculous that sounds, right?"
"Pace, it's just a weekend and I really don't want to spend it like we spent the past week," says Joey.
"Which is how?"
"Having this incredible tension between us every time we get within three feet of each other."
"Wow. I'm not feeling tense. I'm feeling relaxed. I'm on vacation Joe."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"So, we're in complete agreement here?" asks Joey.
"I don't know what we're agreeing about, but I'm sure we're in complete agreement about it."
"We're agreeing that this weekend doesn't have to be about sex."
"This weekend doesn't have to be about sex," says Pacey, very unconvincingly.
Jen injured her ankle in her little fall, but Jack is not going to let it interfere with their weekend. He is dead set on having fun.
"Well, the fun's going to start with you taking off my pants," says Jen. Jack looks up, surprised. "I want to take a bath before dinner," continues Jen.
"Actually, you can't do that," says Jack, suddenly uncomfortable.
"Why?" asks Jen.
"Cause you're a girl and I'm a boy -- there's boundaries and rules."
"Jack, I hardly think they're going to kick you off the team for helping me into the tub. Please?"
"It's inappropriate."
"You know, you're going to have to stop clinging to these macho conventions about what is and is not appropriate." Jack doesn't respond.
"Okay, fine. Don't help. As I attach my wooden foot every morning, I'm going to remember this," says Jen as she hobbles toward the bathroom. She starts to take off her shirt and Jack freaks out.
"Yo, that's enough, right there," he says interrupting her. If I didn't know better, I'd say that Jack wasn't completely gay.
"What?" asks Jen.
"Would you want me taking my clothes off in front of you?" Jen smiles. "Okay, that's withdrawn," says Jack.
Dawson is working on his film, trying to keep himself busy. Gretchen drops by to bring him food and to take his mind off of his decision.
"How did I end up here?" asks Dawson. "I mean, one day I'm painting the guy's fence, the next... You know, I'm 17-years-old, I should be on my senior class trip right now making decisions like glasses or goggles, who do I room with, is it safe to ski with a hangover?"
"Well, it's never very nice," says Gretchen.
"What's that?"
"When adulthood encroaches on your life."
"I wish I could appreciate this on some sort of philosophical level, but right now..."
"Nobody expects you to," says Gretchen.
Dawson asks Gretchen if she's had any close family members die. He's never had anyone close to him die and he doesn't understand how Mr. Brooks could have chosen him to make such an important decision.
"You have better judgment than anybody I know, Dawson. Probably better than anybody Brooks knew. That's why he chose you.. I don't think he saw how young you were and figured that you would be more likely to contribute to his end. I think he saw how old your heart is. And he knew that whatever choice you made would be the right one."
Dawson kisses her hand.
Pacey is still trying to keep a hint of romance in the weekend by suggesting a fancy restaurant for dinner. However, when they run into Jack and Jen in town, they some how end up in a pizza joint with the rest of the Capeside gang. Jack and Jen never make it though, because as they are heading towards the restaurant, Jen falls again -- right on her behind.
What better topic to discuss with a bunch of post-pubescent teens over a few slices of pizza than sex? Poor Joey is definitely out of her element, and Pacey is more than a little uncomfortable because he knows that she's uncomfortable. Anna is sharing her sexual exploits with the crowd, and Drue is his usual appealing self.
"Girls have it way easier than guys do," says Drue. "There's no performance anxiety, and once they decide to do it, all they have to do is ask. They should be the ones carrying the condoms around in their wallets." The crowd cheers.
"Not every guy walks around with a condom in his wallet, Drue," says Joey.
"Well," says Anna, "there's only one way to find out. Guys, let's go, wallets." One by one, every guy at the table pulls a condom out of their wallets -- every guy except Pacey.
"Pacey, I don't see your wallet," says Anna.
"I forgot it back at the lodge," lies Pacey.
As Pacey and Joey leave the restaurant, she stops him and asks him why he lied about his wallet. He tries to lie to her again, but when she is not convinced, he reluctantly pulls it out of his coat. Joey opens it up and...yep, he's got a condom. She is devastated.
Dawson finds Grams in the hospital chapel.
"I don't know why I'm here," says Dawson.
"That's as good a reason as any," replies Gram.
"Did you come here to pray?" he asks.
"Oh yes. And also for the quiet."
"What do you pray for when you do?"
"It depends, I pray for those who I love, for those who are no longer with me. What about you?"
"I don't know, I haven't done it since I was a kid," says Dawson. "And then it was more like a wish. Something I wanted but couldn't say out loud."
"If you could say it out loud, what would you want?"
"That's the thing -- I have no idea. Do I pray for him to make it? To sit up in his bed and tell us that we've all been here long enough and it's time to go home, or do I pray for him to die? To ease his suffering. And I keep looking for some kind of sign. Something to confirm my instincts."
"What do your instincts tell you?"
"To keep waiting," says Dawson.
Grams smiles, "Then that's what we'll do...together."
This sex thing is really beating up Joey. She is sitting alone at the ice rink when Jack walks up. She admits to being in a funk and Jacks asks her if she wants to talk. She tells him that she is worried about sex.
"Has it ever occurred to you," asks Jack, "that you might be so caught up in trying to find the right choice, that you never really stop to think about the possibility that there may not be a right choice, or a wrong choice, just a bunch of choices."
"You're a real help," says Joey.
"You don't need help. There's nothing to figure out here. It's knowing what you feel."
"Then I feel fear," admits Joey.
"You know, the only really exciting things in life require more courage than we currently have. A deep breath and a leap. And the kind of fear that you're talking about...sometimes it's how you know what's worthwhile."
Dawson is asleep by Mr. Brooks' bedside when Andy Griffith walks in. Well, not really Andy Griffith, but Andy Griffith playing Mr. Brooks' best friend. Turns out that Mr. Brooks wrote him to make up after forty years of not speaking. The friend never called him after their mutual love passed away -- he thought it would hurt Brooks too much to know. Mr. Brooks held the part of his wife's heart that was always special to first loves, and when he goes, the two would finally be together, though they could not be together in the living world. His friend says goodbye and thanks Mr. Brooks for hanging around long enough to let him say goodbye. Dawson begs the friend to stick around and help him make the decision. The friend tells Dawson that all he needs is a little faith.
"Arthur always believed," he says, "that the best answers for life's questions could always be found in the movies. Crazy idea huh?"
"Not so crazy," says Dawson.
Jack returns to the cabin and finds Jen drowning her pain with alcohol. Somehow she managed to break into the mini bar. Jack sits down next to her and admits that he wants to do something "reckless and stupid." Apparently he's tired of being cautious. Jen invites him to have a drink with her.
Anna stops by Pacey and Joey's cabin to invite Pacey to the hot tub. It's Joey who answers the door, but the invitation remains the same. They decline the offer (I don't see why, I'd rather enjoy the steam in the hot tub than the steam in the cabin). Pacey is tired of putting forth any effort and instead manages to pick a fight with Joey.
"Oh god," he says, "I sure am glad we tabled that whole sex discussion. You know we've been having such a relaxing weekend so far, I'd hate to ruin it with a bunch of passive-aggressive insinuations."
"I'm really sorry Pace, that all of my hangups and neuroses are putting a crimp in your social life. You know what, why don't you just go and join your friend in the hot tub and feel free..."
"And give you something to be really pissed off about right?" he interrupts. "That's what you want, isn't it?"
"No, she's what you want, isn't she? Someone who's a little bit more fun, a little bit more experience, a little bit more eager to help to make this a truly memorable weekend."
"I want you, Joey. There's no sense in me arguing the point if you're so eager to refute it," he says.
"I don't doubt that you want me Pacey. I just, I don't know why or for what reason." Now she's getting herself worked up.
"Okay please, just stop right there," he says. "You and I both know that if I was in this relationship for sex and sex alone, I would not have lasted for eight months."
"No, no you wouldn't have," agrees Joey.
"Look Joe, I refuse to feel guilty about this, because the fact of the matter is it's not a bad thing when you want to sleep with someone when you love them as much as I love you."
"But there is something wrong with not wanting to."
"No, no. I just wish I knew what that something was. I know that you're scared, I get it. You tell me that you want to be scared together, but then you won't tell me what you're scared of. And I think you know exactly what it is, you're just too afraid to say his name." Uh-oh, here it comes.
"Dawson?" she asks incredulously. "That is not fair, Pacey. You can't bring his name up every single time our relationship..."
"Alright, fine, fine, fine, fine," he interrupts again. "Do you want to know what I'm scared of? 'Cause I'm not scared of whether or not we sleep together. If and when you and I decide to do that, it will be right. What I am scared of is that little piece of your heart that will always belong to Dawson Leery." Now Pacey is starting to cry. "Okay? I'm scared of that piece of your heart that always envisioned your first time being with him. I'm scared of that part of you that just doesn't want it to be me...that's what I'm scared of."
"That's how you feel?" asks Joey. "Well, if that's how you feel, then why did you stay. Why stick around for nine months if that's what you believe, Pacey?"
"I'm just a glutton for punishment, I guess," he says, getting up. He walks out and leaves Joey alone in the cabin.
Jen and Jack are drunk. Boy are they drunk. Jack is a depressed drunk and he is sharing his troubles. He wishes that he could have more fun, lighten up, be more open to possibilities -- be a sexy drunk like Jen.
"I'm scared," says Jack.
"What are you scared of?" asks Jen.
"I'm scared that I'm going to end up alone," he admits. "I'm scared that I'm always going to be somebody's friend or brother or confidant but never quite somebody's everything. Mostly, I'm scared that I'm never going to find a guy that I love as much as I love you." He looks into her eyes (Cue the audience jaw drop).
Jen starts to cry and kisses him on the forward. They lean in closer and kiss on the lips.
Joey and Dawson are talking on the phone.
"At some point," he says in reference to his situation with Mr. Brooks, "the whole thing becomes too much for your brain to process and all you have to rely on is your heart. Your natural human instincts. And it's liberating. I mean it's terrifying at first, but I guess that's the point isn't it."
"What's that?" asks a quiet Joey.
"If we weren't so afraid to let go, we wouldn't feel so free when we finally did."
"You make it sound so simple," says Joey.
"It's anything but that. But I think that's what Brooks was waiting for. You know, even in his state, he was waiting for his friend."
"To say goodbye?" asks Joey.
"Something like that."
"That can be really hard."
"Yeah." They share a long moment of silence. "Goodbye Joey."
"Goodnight Dawson." The two friends, first loves, have said their good-byes, but even then Joey is only able to say goodnight.
When Dawson hangs up, he looks at the phone with a feeling that something more just happened.
Pacey runs into Anna at the hot tubs and when she sees that he is sad, she offers to lend a shoulder.
Jack and Jen have progressed to a fully horizontal position on the floor. Jack is now sans shirt (don't worry, he still has on a tank top), and his hands are all over Jen. Jen finally pushes him away saying that they can't go through with it.
"You're drunk and lonely and gay," she says, buttoning up her shirt. "And as good as this seems right now, and it does seem really really good, it won't when the feelings pass."
"How do you know that the feelings will pass?" asks Jack. He then reconsiders. The moment is over.
"Jen," he says, "I'm sorry.
Mr. Brooks finally passes away, but it is unclear whether Dawson had to make the decision to take him off of life support. I like to think that he just went on his own, knowing that the time had come. He says his final goodbye to his mentor.
The chaperone sees Jen disposing of a number of little alcohol bottles outside of her cabin. He is angry, but he takes no action.
Anna is coming on strongly to Pacey. She figures that he and Joey are headed for a breakup and she sees no point in wasting an opportunity to have sex. Pacey declines her offer.
"You obviously don't get it at all," he says, pushing her away. "This is not going to happen."
"I don't understand. It's just sex -- it's not that big of a deal. We're all adults."
Pacey laughs, "No we're not adults," he says. "We're not even close to being adults, and it is that big a deal. I have someone that I want to be with for more than just one night. So the thought of losing her or hurting her -- it's not even a consideration. For me it's not about wanting to have sex, it's about wanting to share the most intimate thing that you can possibly share with someone -- no matter how long you have to wait." He gets up to leave and runs into Joey. She overheard the whole thing. They kiss and make up and head back to the cabin.
"You don't have to be perfect all the time," she tells him. "Me, I uh, I don't have to be so afraid." They kiss again.
Dawson, Gretchen, Grams, and Dawson's parents gather for a screening of one of Mr. Brooks' pictures. A kind of memorial to the man. As they watch the movie, Dawson, with his arms around Gretchen, finally feels at peace.
Joey is getting ready for bed when Pacey comes up behind her and takes the hairbrush from her hand. As he starts brushing her hair, Joey asks him to take out his wallet.
"Hey Pacey," she says, hesitantly, "do you still have your wallet?"
"I thought we were done talking about that," he replies, kissing her shoulder.
"We are," she says as she grabs the hairbrush from him.
Pacey obediently takes his wallet from his pocket and pulls out the condom. "Do you want to throw it away?" he asks.
Joey takes the condom from his hand. "I want to throw the wrapper away," she says.
Pacey laughs uncomfortably, "If this is about what I was..."
"Pacey," Joey interrupts, "this is about how you carried my bag off the bus yesterday. This is about how when we go to the movies and you go and you buy popcorn, you always make sure you bring back a napkin so I don't wipe all the grease on my jeans. And this is about how just last week when we were at miniature golf, you took all of the shots first so that I would know the correct path."
"Well, that's just..." says Pacey, leaning in.
"You taught me how to drive," she starts to unbutton his shirt. "And last year at prom, you knew that the bracelet I was wearing was my mom's. You kissed me first sweetheart. The second time, you counted to ten before doing it again, just in case I wanted to stop you." She takes off his shirt. "You bought me a wall," she continues, kissing his hand.
"I didn't buy it, so much as I..." Pacey can't get a word in edgewise and now he's the nervous one.
"We were alone on a boat for three months and you understood without a word why I wasn't ready," she pulls off his tank top. "Do you have to ask me now why I am?" She looks into Pacey's eyes with pure devotion and love, and he brushes a hair off her face.
"Pace," she whispers, "I'm going to count to ten, and then I'm going to start kissing you. If you don't want me to, then you're just going to have to stop me," she gently runs her hand over his shoulder and down his chest, barely touching the skin.
"Ten, my love," she says as they start kissing. Pacey grabs the back of her head with his hand and Joey starts to kiss him all over. They move towards the bed and...
Well, the rest is up to your imagination.
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