- I'm very much my age emotionally; maybe even younger
- —Dawson to Jen
The Election is the 9th episode of Season 2 of Dawson's Creek.
Synopsis[]
THE POLITICS OF HIGH SCHOOL – Joey (Katie Holmes) joins Andie (Meredith Monroe) and Pacey's (Joshua Jackson) crusade to bring decency back to politics in the sophomore class election, but when their opponent Abby (Monica Keena) throws down the gauntlet by insulting Joey's father and digging up Andie's dark family history, there is no telling how ugly things could get. Meanwhile, Dawson (James Van Der Beek), whose screenwriting is suffering from his adult perspective, hesitantly accepts Jen's (Michelle Williams) tantalizing offer to help him experience the dark pain and exhilaration that comes with being a teenager, while Mitch (John Wesley Shipp) and Gale (Mary-Margaret Humes) use a plumbing emergency as an excuse to rekindle their amorous furniture fetish.[1]
Summary[]
While Dawson impatiently waits, Jen reads the finished script for his next movie. Unfortunately for Dawson, Jen's review is not exactly what he wanted to hear. She claims that his script lacks an edge that comes from his tendency to overanalyze and think like somebody much older than fifteen years of age.
The next morning at school, Andie asks Joey to be her running mate for sophomore class president. Not wanting to hurt Andie's chances with her own family history, Joey declines the offer. Andie then tells Pacey that he's going to be her campaign manager. They bump into Abby and Chris, who are also running for student council, same position. Jen tries to get Dawson to recapture the naivete of his youth by convincing him to cut class with her. Dawson, however, can't go through with it. After school, Gale calls Mitch over to the house to fix the dishwasher. The faulty repairs leave them both soaked. Caught up in the moment, Mitch and Gale proceed to make love right on the kitchen table... just as Dawson enters the house. Seeing his parents in the kitchen, Dawson quietly leaves. Later, Abby and Chris enter the Ice House, while Joey tries to figure out why Jack constantly changes the topic whenever his personal life comes up in their conversations. Abby overhears their conversation about student council, and she rips Joey for thinking she can win despite the fact that her father is an imprisoned convict. Fed up with her insults, Joey dumps a pitcher of water over Abby's head, then tells Jack that she'll join Andie in the campaign.
Andie refuses to listen to Joey's suggestions that they strike back at Abby and Chris with the same negative tactics. Meanwhile, Jen offers to act as Dawson's "regression sponsor" in hopes of giving him the experiences he needs to reach his audience. She orders him to steal lipstick, but Dawson isn't quite ready to take the next step. At school, the candidates for sophomore class president hold a debate in the gym. The three candidates are Andie, Abby, and Kenny. Towards the end of the debate, Abby reveals Andie's family history to the entire sophomore class. Unable to cope, Andie leaves the podium and runs out of the gym. Joey runs into Jack outside, who is looking for his sister. She tries to apologize for grilling Jack on his personal life, but he does not want to do talk about it with Joey. Back inside, Pacey finds Andie hiding inside one of the girls' restrooms. He tries to comfort Andie and assure her that the whole situation will blow over in no time. Just as she seems calmed down, Andie hurls a book at the mirror, shattering it, then leaves the restroom. Dawson stops by Mitch's place on his way home and confesses that he saw what happened in the kitchen. Dawson believes that his parents are getting back together, but Mitch clarifies that their tryst in the kitchen was merely a slip. At Jen's house, Dawson finally admits that he needs a new outlook on life in order to better his script-writing. Jack, meanwhile, suggests to Andie that she should start taking her medication again, seeing how her mood swings are getting more intense. Andie insists that she's fine, but Jack doesn't believe her. After getting Dawson to TP a house for the very first time, Jen brings him to the creek for a skinny dip. Dawson resists at first, but soon gives in when Jen strips off her clothes and dives in first. Taking Jen's initiative on acting impulsively, Dawson kisses Jen. She quickly pulls away, telling Dawson that she doesn't want to mess things up now that they're finally good friends again.
The student council candidates make their final statements over the school's PA system. After Abby and Chris finish, Andie finds that she can't deal and is left speechless. She leaves, and Joey follows her out. Taking things into his own hands, Pacey tricks Abby into voicing her real intentions as sophomore class president in front of the live microphone. As the entire school listens, Abby reveals how she's only using Chris for the popularity vote, as well as her honest opinions about her fellow students. With both Andie and Abby out of the running, Kenny celebrates early. Later that night, Dawson finds a stack of divorce papers in the kitchen, and Gale confirms the news. Jack finds Joey at the Ice House just as she is closing it up. He apologizes for shutting her out. Joey assures him that she can identify with what he's going through, and they walk home hand in hand. Taking Jack's advice, Andie takes her pills out of the medicine cabinet and swallows a couple. Dawson walks over to Jen's house for help in sorting out his feelings. He doesn't know if he should deal with his parent's impending divorce by thinking it through rationally, or just letting his emotions go. Dawson then rests his head on Jen's shoulder, letting his tears pour out.[2]Starring[]
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Quotes[]
- Everybody comes from a dysfunctional family, it's the '90s. The only happy families are in TV syndication
- —Pacey to Andie
- It's insane, to keep taking the same action, expecting a different result
- —Mitch to Dawson
Locations[]
- Dawson's House
- Capeside High School
- The Icehouse
- Island Passage Elixir
- Katy's Grill
- Mitch's Loft
- Jen's House
- McPhee House
- Mercer Pond[3]
Trivia[]
- Dawson and Jen TP Mr. Milo's house before skinny dipping.
BROADCAST
- The episode was watched by 6.62 million people upon its original airing on the WB.[4]
Music[]
- dead yet | MUD'L HEAD
- andie asks joey to be her running mate
- underwater | SWITCHFOOT
- pandie talk election, dawson + jen talk cutting class; later pacey, andie and joey election plan
- sacred | KELLY BROCK
- mitch & gale get intimate
- kingdom | THE SLUGS
- jen and dawson in the shop
- amnesia | CHUMBAWAMBA[5]
- the debate
- slingshots | MORLEY[6]
- pacey finds andie distraught; later pacey calls andie
- troubled mind | CATIE CURTIS[7]
- andie with jack in her room
- you look so fine | GARBAGE[8]
- dawson and jen skinny dipping
- heart and shoulder | HEATHER NOVA
- joey is there for jack; jen comforts dawson
Photos[]
Videos[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ "The Election" official synopsis archived from The WB on dawsons-creek.com
- ↑ The Election - Official Summary
- ↑ Jen recalls in Text, Lies and Videotape
- ↑ Ratings Ryan — Dawson's Creek (WB): Ratings Recap
- ↑ Replaced on DVD and streaming with "Black Box" by Chickenpox
- ↑ Replaced on DVD and streaming with "Because You Loved Me" by Say-So
- ↑ Replaced on DVD and streaming with "Remember" by Katie Reider
- ↑ Replaced on DVD and streaming with "Lullabye" by Morella's Forest