Dawson finds Jen at her locker and tells her he'd love to be her friend; he offers to prove it to her by having a friendly conversation. Apparently in Dawson's world "friendly" means "banal," because they proceed to exchange bland pleasantries until Dawson asks Jen whether she has plans for the weekend. She pulls up short, and starts yammering on that Dawson's friendship means a lot to her, but this may not work. He cheerfully tells her he can take it. She tells him she has a date with Cliff to go to the carnival this weekend. Oh, mercy. After a beat, Dawson feigns cheer and blusters, "Is that what you didn't want to tell me?" and tells her he's relieved because he also has a date this weekend, and that he and his date are also going to the carnival. Jen offers to go somewhere different with Cliff. Dawson suggests that they regard such "coincidences" as "opportunities" -- say, for a double date. Jen looks like she just ate some bad shrimp cocktail, says that the notion of double dating with Dawson is unexpected, but agrees. Dawson walks off grinning moronically, and then his face falls as he realizes he only has a few days to find some other insecure, benighted young woman to squire about town.

Hey, that new show Felicity looks like it might be pretty good.

After some random establishing shots outside Capeside High, we cut to the cafeteria, where Pacey tells Dawson that the double date plan isn't so bad, since the second prong of the getting-Jen-back process involves Dawson's dating other girls. I fail to see why the female population of Capeside need make that sacrifice for Dawson's doomed campaign. Dawson reminds Pacey that he doesn't have a date yet. Pacey says, "I admit it's kind of short notice, but there's [sic] a lot of young ladies who would give up their very uneventful plans for a date with Dawson Leery." In unison, Dawson and I roll our eyes and say, "Huh?" Pacey points out their classmate from Marine Biology, Mary Beth Random.