Speaking of Mrs. Robinson, cut next to Pacey and TaMAHra, both prowling the edge of the dance floor during the slow song. Meanwhile, Jen slips past, probably on her way to the ladies', and Dawson spots her and takes off in pursuit. He finds her in the hall and once again affects a casual mien. Jen says she's "been looking all over for" Dawson. Yeah, like that giant cranium really blends into a crowd, Jen. Get glasses. Anyhow, Jen asks Dawson to dance, and Dawson asks, "What about Cliff?" and Jen tells him not to worry about it, and Dawson says all innocently that Cliff might get upset, "you being his date and all," and Jen gets fed up with the passive-aggressive routine and says, "Forget I asked," before marching into the ladies' room. Dawson follows her right into the women's toilet, only to get ejected by the squealing occupants. Dawson looks completely crestfallen, and believe it or not, I actually feel for the guy -- true, he acts like a shitbrick most of the time, but the whole act-all-cool-and-breezy-even-though-your-feelings-are-getting-stomped-on thing really rings true, because we all went through this painful period of cluelessness in high school, and it almost makes Dawson sympathetic. Almost, but not quite.

Later, Joey and Dawson sit at a table. Dawson morosely watches other couples, including Jen flirting with Cliff, and Joey says, "This is embarrassing, let's blow," but Dawson wants to stew in his own juices for a while longer. Joey observes, "While you stand here on the dock pontificating, the U.S.S. Jenny is sailing farther and farther out to sea -- haven't you had enough?" Dawson: "No. I'm still breathing." Joey points out that Dawson barely knows Jen, and Dawson says, "That's the magic of it, Joey. I mean, true, Jen stepped into my life not more than two seconds ago, and already I feel that connection," and as Joey rolls her eyes and looks sad, Dawson blathers on about the bond that means he and Jen "are meant to be together." That sounds familiar, probably because it got recycled as the second-season soulmate twaddle, and Dawson continues in this vein until Joey informs him, "You're scaring me, Dawson," and comments on his "Frankenstein/Hyde [sic]" flip-flop between regular Dawson and his "psycho alter ego."