The Tao of Dawson

The Tao of Dawson
Season	4
Episode	11
INFO
Aired	10 January 2001
Written by	Jeffrey Stepakoff
Directed by	Keith Samples
EPISODES
Previous	Self Reliance
Next	The Te of Pacey

❝

A moment. A single moment of true joy is more powerful than a lifetime of sorrow

—Grams

The Tao of Dawson is the 11th episode of Season 4 of Dawson's Creek.

Synopsis

ZEN AND THE ART OF DATING — Dawson (James Van Der Beek) confesses to Pacey (Joshua Jackson) that he is in love with his sister Gretchen (guest star Sasha Alexander), but a not too enthused Pacey tries to push her back into the waiting arms of her ex-boyfriend (guest star Christian Kane, "Angel"), not knowing the danger that lurks in the past.

Starring

James Van Der Beek as Dawson Leery Katie Holmes as Joey Potter Joshua Jackson as Pacey Witter Kerr Smith as Jack McPhee Mary-Margaret Humes as Gale Leery John Wesley Shipp as Mitch Leery Mary Beth Peil as Evelyn Ryan Special Guest Stars Harve Presnell as Arthur Brooks Sasha Alexander as Gretchen Witter Mark Matkevich as Drue Valentine

Recurring cast Carolyn Hennesy as Mrs. Valentine Guest starring Christian Kane as Nick Taylor

Dawson's letter

Dear Gretchen,

I really enjoyed talking to you in your room today. Try not to be nervous about starting high school. I know you're going to find people that understand you. There's something that I didn't get a chance to tell you. There's someone truly special in my life that I can't stop thinking about. She's unlike anyone I've ever met. Smart and funny and beautiful, and just knowing that she's in my life has given me this constant fluttering that keeps me awake at night. When I think about who I can talk to about this, who will understand, the only person that comes to mind is you. And that's a problem because you are the one that I feel this way about. I think about you constantly, every little thing you do. The Elvis Costello sticker you put on your spiral notebook, the way your bangs have grown out every day now for 6 months until Monday when you were finally able to put it all in a ponytail. Today when you invited me to stay and talk to you after Pacey left, it occurred to me that you must think of me too. If I tried to tell anyone else, they would say that you and I are impossible, that our lives are too different, that we could never be right for each other. But we understand each other and we care about each other, and years from now I believe that we still will.

Your friend forever,

Love, Dawson

Quotes

❝

Has it ever occurred to you, Dawson, that maybe they're not mistakes at all? Maybe this is exactly where you're supposed to be at this moment in time. With a girl that you wanted way before Joey Potter

—Jack

❝

Make no mistake about it kid, God intends to kill us all. You'll find that you don't have to have your life dictated by the cosmos. You fall in love with the wrong woman. Tell fate to piss off if you don't like his plans for you. Sure there's heart ache to be had, but it's small price to be paid for living and dying on your own terms

—Mr. Brooks

❝

Sisters are off-limits. They're like mothers, only pretty

—Pacey

❝

Pacey – Do you "like" her "like" her, or just like her?

Dawson – Pacey this is Gretchen Witter we're talking about here, not Winnie Cooper

Locations

• Dawson's House
• Capeside Yacht Club
• Nick Taylor's House
• Gretchen and Pacey's House

Trivia

• Gretchen tells Pacey that she left college because she had a miscarriage – and the baby was Nick's, but she never told him.
• Jack advises Dawson on letting Gretchen know how he feels, and Dawson leaves Gretchen a letter he wrote when he was in love with her when they were kids.
• Gretchen shows that she has feelings for Dawson.
• Drue kisses Joey and in turn, Joey punches Drue.
• Drue orchestrated getting locked in the storage room with Joey to avoid spending the weekend with his father.

BROADCAST

• The episode was watched by 4.87 million people upon its original airing on the WB.

PRODUCTION NOTES

• Parts of the story involving Drue and Joey getting stuck in the storeroom, including dialogue, were taken directly from a scrapped episode originally set during A Weekend In The Country from season 3.

Films

WATCHED

—

REFERENCED

On Golden Pond (1981)

The Tao of Steve (2000)

Almost Famous (2000)

Music

broken boy | MICHAL

pacey + gretchen drive

if i am | NINE DAYS

pacey + gretchen arrive

understand | THE LADS

nick + pacey hot tub

want me | RED DELICIOUS

nick hits on gretchen

love is the movement | SWITCHFOOT

gretchen tells pacey about her miscarriage

siren | RED DELICIOUS

nick and gretchen head upstairs

nocturne | RED DELICIOUS

in nick's room

i think god can explain | SPLENDER

end montage, gretchen goes to dawson

Photos