Dawson's Creek s03e16 Episode Script

- This isn't going well, is it? - Well, it depends on who you ask.
If you're an enraged parent with a misguided agenda, it's going great.
I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, superintendent.
I don't recall the Board of Ed passing a rule that allows a lunatic to start handing out death sentences just because one of our kids acted like a kid! Please, please, please.
- As I've mentioned - Unbelievable.
I've strongly urged Principal Green to reconsider his decision.
But as much as I wish it weren't so, Principal Green has final say in all Capeside High disciplinary matters.
- Dr.
Fielding, Dr.
Fielding, may I? - Yes, please.
- Please, Mr.
Caufield.
- You consider yourself - a member of this community? - Yes.
Are you gonna let the prejudices of an outsider ruin my son's future? I can't take this anymore.
I have to say something.
This is ridiculous.
This whole thing has been blown out of proportion.
This is a PTA meeting, young lady, not a pep rally.
Now, you'll have your seat, please.
Anyone gonna defend Principal Green for everything he's done? Miss Potter, our son tells me you're the one whose mural was destroyed.
- This has nothing to do with me.
- You're exactly right.
What it has to do with is the scare tactics of a man whose extremism and notions of justice are better suited for an urban war zone - than our civilized community.
- You did not say what I think you said.
What I'm saying is that if this educator were doing his job in any capacity none of us would have to be here tonight.
If you were doing your job as a parent, Mr.
Caufield maybe your son would still be in school.
He has a file in the guidance office over an inch thick.
Look, Principal Green is a fair man.
I'm sure he seems that way to you, dear and to some of the other students whose families don't- - Don't what? - Don't embrace the values - that we as a community- - Come on! You don't know anything about her family! People, that's enough! As of this Friday at 3:00 if Principal Green has not reduced Matt Caufield's expulsion to a more reasonable sentence I will ask him to tender his resignation.
This is ridiculous.
Did what I think just happened happen? Fielding's gonna railroad Green into changing his ruling.
- Either that or out of town.
- Okay.
Let's go.
He'll be expecting Green's resignation.
For now, this is Sherry Eisler of WKWB reporting from downtown Capeside.
- Hello, Sherry.
- Miss Leery.
I mean, Gale.
It's great to see you.
- You look terrific.
- So do you.
Hey, congratulations on making field reporter.
It's a long way from the shy intern I hired.
Well, I could say I owe it all to you.
The new generation of female reporters would be nowhere without veterans like yourself.
- So, what's your story? - You were inside.
Didn't you see? I saw out-of-control parents, which for this town is hardly news.
Maybe, but what about the principal expelling a kid for the rest of the year? - He sounds like a wacko to me.
- Come on, Sherry, we gotta move.
We gotta get going, got a deadline to make.
You remember those days.
It was great seeing you, Gale.
You too, Sherry.
What happened in there was so unjust.
Not to mention personally demoralizing.
You know how this system works, Jo.
Convicts, mental defectives and people under the age of 18 are denied the chance to participate in decisions that affect their everyday lives.
Problem is, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
I mean, all these idiots who rant and rave about low test scores.
People who are happy with the way things are sit back - and mind their business.
- True.
Happy people rarely attend emergency PTA meetings.
And teenagers.
They'd have to be coaxed and prodded before they'd set down PlayStations, turn off TRL - and do something about something.
- You said it, sister.
So who's gonna rally the troops? - Obviously nobody.
- You could.
Yeah, Joey Potter against the system.
What am I gonna do, paint another mural? That'll help.
I don't know why I bothered to go.
It was a waste of time.
There were barely any students.
I got two sentences out before I was attacked.
Joey, you can't expect people to rally around a cause that doesn't exist.
- They need leadership.
They need- - That's what Pacey said.
Pacey? What kind of a name is Pacey? - You'll want to see this.
- I'm on the phone.
No, really.
I think you're gonna want to see this.
Sorry, hold on, A.
J.
Concerned parents demanded actions and answers tonight from Capeside School Superintendent Byron Fielding.
The uproar started when a high school girl painted a mural that was intended to bring unity.
Instead, all it brought was discord and the potential resignation of a high school principal under siege.
Howard Green has thus far refused to comment publicly on his controversial decision to expel Matt Caufield, a senior accused of vandalizing the so-called Unity Mural and fighting with another boy who took exception to the prank.
The other boy was let off with only community service leading some in this community to question Green's motives and wonder whether he's let some kind of personal agenda affect his judgment.
Joey Potter, the girl who painted the mural was at tonight's meeting and summed it up best when she said this about Caufield's harsh punishment.
This is ridiculous.
This thing has been blown out of proportion.
- I never said that.
- We believe you, sis.
I mean, I said it, but not in that context.
I mean, this isn't fair.
This- No one is gonna give me the chance to say everything I wanna say.
You're right, they won't.
Not unless you stand up and demand to be heard show them you won't be ignored.
What are you suggesting? Well, Norma Rae, looks like you took my advice.
- And what advice was that? - This meeting.
Rallying the troops.
I have to say, this is a big step for you.
I'm known as the Capeside Crusader far and wide breaking down sexual stereotypes, eradicating rogue teachers but you're definitely the rebel without the cause.
So look, I just wanted to say don't hesitate to ask for any help you might need seeing as this whole thing was my idea in the first place.
You were encouraging, yes, but this meeting was hardly your idea.
That's the way you want to play it, fine.
If you wanna pretend - you devised this call to action- - I didn't! - I'm all out.
- Me too.
Oh, that's right.
You guys have- You guys have never met.
Pacey, this is A.
J.
A.
J.
, this is Pacey.
Right, the one with the peculiar name.
How you doing? A.
J.
came down to help us rally the troops.
Yeah, give Capeside a small taste of tried and true college protest action.
Quick! Green's coming inside and you guys gotta see this.
Green's too extreme! Green's too extreme! Green's too extreme! Joey.
After you.
Concerned parents showed up at Capeside High today to express their outrage at a principal who many think has gone too far.
Thanks for helping out tonight, honey.
Don't thank me.
Thank Dad.
He's the one who indentured me to servitude.
Not a moment too soon.
I must say, this restaurant stuff it's a lot more work than I expected.
I'm sorry I couldn't be here any sooner.
What happened with that meeting at Joey's? You should've seen her.
Totally confident.
Totally inspired.
- You're proud of her.
- Yeah.
I mean, how could I not be? She's standing up for herself and fighting back the way I always knew she could.
You know I can't help but feel part of that.
She's organizing an action tomorrow outside the superintendent's office.
She's got a tough road in front of her.
Especially with that spokesmodel-turned-journalist - misrepresenting her story.
- Superintendent Byron Fielding- You know what kills me is to see an important story done badly because the person covering it has no idea how to decipher truth from popular opinion.
Sounds like you miss it.
Yeah, I'd be lying if I said I didn't, but, hey, I got this place now.
Onward and upward.
What if you tried to tell the real story about what's going on? Relive my glory days as a field reporter? All you need to get back in the game is a camera.
- And a crew.
- In these days of digital video a crew is one person.
And just who would my one person be? You do have one indentured servant at your disposal.
I don't know, honey.
Even if we did this and we did it right there's no promise the station would run it.
They've made it clear many times that my services are past their prime.
We're not doing it for the station.
We're doing it for you.
And for Principal Green and for Joey.
We barely have people to fill a softball team - let alone change the world.
- Rome wasn't built in a day.
Thanks for doing this.
Hot coffee is great for morale.
No problem.
So where's Jo? She's getting ready for her close-up.
She's great, isn't she? A born leader.
She's a peach, all right.
I'm gonna ask about the nature of the protest where the movement came from - and then we should concentrate- - What's this? I'm doing a story on the Green situation.
- For cable? - I don't know.
Truth be told I was thinking about submitting it to Roger at the station.
Good luck with that.
I would love a follow-up interview with you.
In your frosted blond dreams, Barbie.
- You don't think I was too hard on her? - Sounded about right to me.
- What is it? - Superintendent Fielding - wants to see you.
- Me? The first signs of resistance falling.
- Why don't I get that feeling? - Fielding's an unscrupulous jerk who cares more about job security than about what anybody here thinks.
He's only gonna threaten you, Jo.
I don't think you should go in there.
What do you think? I'd go.
We're on the Green team! We're on the Green team! - Miss Josephine Potter, correct? - Yes.
Have a seat.
I assume you know who I am.
The man who comes to football games and graduation.
I appreciate a sense of humour.
I prefer to think of my involvement in your life as a touch more personal than that.
I hear you're responsible for that dissonant clamouring outside.
- That true? - Well, parents can picket a school students can picket a superintendent's office.
Fair enough.
What is it you intend to accomplish with this First Amendment display? Well, it's our belief that Principal Green was right in expelling Matt Caufield.
He shouldn't be forced - into changing his ruling- - No one's forcing him.
Pardon me, Dr.
Fielding, but you threatened to ask for his resignation- That wasn't a threat.
That was a direct request.
As a representative of the student body I'm telling you what's happening to Green is wrong.
Far as I know, you represent that handful of students out there right now.
And that's it.
- Well, there's more of us.
- Oh, really? Yeah.
A lot more.
In fact, we have a student-signed petition with 300 signatures.
- Three hundred? - There's a rally tomorrow night.
If you think the crowd last night was vocal, wait until tomorrow.
I didn't know about this.
Make no mistake, there's a voice that doesn't agree with what's happening.
- That voice will be heard.
- I'm all ears.
I suggest that you and your friends hurry back to school before that principal you love dearly has to serve you with detention for cutting class.
Who's cutting class? I'm out sick with a cold.
Dawson, Mrs.
Leery.
To what do I owe the late-afternoon honour? - We're here for your interview.
- Interview? What interview? For the story I'm hoping to run on Channel 3.
About the community situation as a result of Matt Caufield's expulsion.
I talked to Nikki.
She said it was okay.
I just wanted you to have an opportunity to speak for everyone to know your side of the story.
I know my side of the story.
That's what matters.
- My daughter misinformed you.
- Mr.
Green, for what it's worth people misinterpreted you and this situation.
Are you sure you don't want a chance to explain your actions? It's not my job to prove to people I'm a fair and decent man.
If they don't know that by now some sound bite on a television show is not gonna help.
"When you see a good fight, get in it.
" Dr.
King's words - but your lesson to me.
- This is not a good fight, Nikki.
The more I try to prove myself, the more I empower this insane notion that I'm an enraged man on a bigoted tirade.
I'm sorry, but I can't grant you the interview.
Have a nice day.
It might've been nice to have a heads up before you invented a petition with 300 signatures.
I don't think we have How else was she gonna get the guy's respect? Right.
Look, it'll be fine, Pacey.
Tell us what we do to get people to the rally.
That bluff's a bit harder to pull off.
A petition is easy enough to fake.
You convince kids you're campaigning for chocolate milk days.
- For a rally, you produce bodies.
- Those are problems.
- We need solutions.
- All right, which we have.
Pacey here said, "Think Internet.
" So Jack is now putting an announcement on the website.
Andie is getting word out the old-fashioned way.
If you don't come, then forget about me participating when it comes to putting names and faces together in the yearbook, okay? Great.
A personal touch is always nice when it comes to blackmail.
Hello? Hello? - No.
Hold on one second.
Bessie! - Yeah? For you.
Joey.
We designed a new flyer, for your approval, of course.
- Great.
- Good.
- I already ordered 500 copies.
- How are we gonna pay for that? We're not.
Pacey managed to convince a civil-minded copy shop owner to run them for free.
- He did? - Yep.
Yes, he did.
Okay.
Okay, attention, everyone.
I know you're all working very hard and we're only 20 people right now.
But by tomorrow night, we have to be 200 at least.
So keep up the hard work.
We got many miles to go before we can sleep.
So great job.
- You sure you've never done this? - Yeah.
I can't believe I'm doing it now.
Well, believe it, because it's happening.
Thanks to you.
You convinced me to do it in the first place.
You came all the way here.
I couldn't have done it without you.
You okay? Yeah, yeah.
I think I'm just gonna hang some of these flyers up.
- Okay, I just got a phone call.
- What is it? A concerned citizen wanted me to know letting students use my place as their point of attack is not the best way to keep my business afloat.
- I don't get it.
- You don't, do you? You never do.
Bessie, it was probably just a stupid little prank.
I wouldn't be surprised if Matt Caufield did it.
Bess, relax.
I'm sure it's no big deal.
What if it wasn't a prank? We can't antagonize the people who hold the mortgage on this house.
Bodie and I can't.
We'll be living here when you go to college.
I'm supposed to sit and wait patiently until I get out of this town? I'm not allowed to criticize it or try to change it? - I didn't say that.
- Look, I can't stop now, Bessie.
- Is that what you want? - No one's asking you to stop.
I think Bessie just wants you to be realistic about the situation.
- I am being realistic.
- Spending a lot of time defending a man who won't defend himself - how's that realistic? - He shouldn't defend himself.
- He didn't do anything.
- You sure this kid - doesn't deserve a chance? - I am.
Everyone knows Capeside High is a better place without Matt Caufield.
The students know it.
- Teachers know it.
- The parents up in arms are wrong? Yes.
You weren't at that meeting.
You don't know what Mr.
Caufield said.
He's got his own personal agenda.
- I'm not talking about saving his son.
- What do you mean? She means all these concerned citizens wouldn't be fighting this decision if Principal Green were white.
- They would still be upset.
- Upset, yeah.
And they might take action, but not like this.
There wouldn't be this level of anger and hostility and misunderstanding.
They certainly wouldn't threaten the family of some teenage girl trying to speak her mind.
I give up.
You wanna change the world from our living room? Fine.
Whatever.
Sorry.
It's okay.
Too bad you're not a paying guest.
This scene would have been even more heinously awkward.
Look, this is probably not the best time to say this but You're leaving? Yeah.
I figure since I've alienated you from your sister and undermined the financial viability of your family business my work here is done.
You can't leave.
I mean, we just started.
I could give you another room, maybe without nautical wallpaper.
No, no.
I gotta go.
I got papers to write.
Actually, papers to grade.
Listen, Jo, you think you need me, but you don't.
You're surrounded by a lot of people who believe in you.
Good people.
Smart people.
I mean, even Pacey turned out to be not such a bad guy.
What gave you that idea? Well, I'm an excellent judge of character.
I found you, didn't I? Pacey, I think you got that one covered.
A hurricane won't take it down.
It might make you feel better if you talk about it.
Talk about what? About what's bothering you.
- There's nothing bothering me.
- Fine.
Fine.
I'm fine.
Okay.
So I do kind of have a problem.
Yeah, I noticed.
It's that obvious, huh? Yeah, it's becoming so.
Do you think it would be at all possible to I don't know, pretend like it wasn't that obvious? Well, only if we pretend to have a conversation about it.
You really wanna make me do that? Okay.
Okay.
Let's say, for the sake of argument that I had gotten myself into an impossible situation.
That I had, hypothetically speaking fallen for or was in the process of falling for the worst possible person that I could ever fall for.
What would you tell me to do? Well, I guess I would tell you that impossible situations are only made better by doing something about them.
So I should just go and declare myself to her so she could laugh in my face? Great idea.
How do you know that's how she'd react? I have it on good authority that my rough charms don't register on her rarefied romantic palate.
Let's face it, I got " Duckie" written all over me.
- Duckie? - Yeah, Duckie.
Molly Ringwald's best friend from Pretty in Pink? The guy who does not get the girl.
But he makes the girl feel good about herself.
He does.
He stands by her through innumerable fashion emergencies.
He even humiliates himself by lip-synching in public - and takes her to prom.
- Where she dumps him for another guy.
All right.
The question is, Pace: This girl that you have developed impossible feelings for are you going to stand by her in a very Duckie-like fashion or are you gonna let hurt feelings prevent you from being the friend you so innocently purport yourself to be? I guess it just hurts, that's all.
Well, that just means that it isn't pretend anymore.
Why are we doing this? If Green won't talk - why are we interviewing Fielding? - There's two sides to every story.
- It's not our job to editorialise.
- Yeah, but It's my editorial opinion the world's heard enough from this side.
If I didn't do this interview, I'd be just like Sherry.
Picking the news that I wanna tell.
Why shouldn't you? Everyone else does.
Not the best journalists.
The best ones ask the right questions.
That's the only way that the truth can surface.
Dr.
Fielding will see you now.
What we're asking Principal Green to do is not an unreasonable request.
Simply readmit one student who may have caused a little trouble here or there.
But most of Matt Caufield's fellow students side with Principal Green on this one.
Green could offer to shorten the school day by 15 minutes they'd follow him anywhere.
They can make a lot of noise, though.
This rally, for instance.
They can rally all night for all the good it's going to do them.
Howard Green has until Friday at 3:00 to rescind his ruling or it's going to be his last day at Capeside.
It would seem to me that firing Principal Green is as extreme as him choosing to expel Matt Caufield.
Now, are you really sure that firing their principal - is what's best for the students? - It's what's best for this community.
And that's who you're responsible to - the community? - Ultimately, yes.
Could I ask you to read something for me, sir? - Of course.
- Could you please read line item number one on that page? " I hereby declare to, above all else, protect and serve the welfare of each student in this district to the best of my ability.
" - What is this? - A contract for Capeside's superintendent of schools.
The one which states what he's hired to do.
In fact, that is your signature on the bottom of that page - Dr.
Fielding, is it not? - Yes.
Yes, it is.
So, what you're holding is a contract, which you've signed which states your number one priority should be to these students and their welfare.
It doesn't say anything about the community anywhere in that contract, sir.
Correct? This interview is at an end.
Nikki.
Can a concerned father ask where his daughter's going? He can, but he's not gonna like the answer.
- Joey's rally.
- You could come with me, you know.
You know my position on that.
I'm not sure I know your position on anything anymore.
You've spent so much time trying to protect how you're seen for fear they're gonna paint you as some angry man.
I am angry.
And why shouldn't I be? Nikki, do you have any idea how much it hurts to know that I did the right thing? And I'm doing the right thing.
And because of someone's deep-seated fears, it's not working.
I don't want to leave these kids.
I don't want to leave this town.
And I certainly don't want to put you through this.
So yes, I am angry.
But if I show men like Robert Caufield one flash of this anger - they will use it against me.
- The people tonight aren't like that.
They're on your side.
They support you.
They're fighting for you, for us.
And they need to know that, win or lose, you support them.
I'd say Pacey did an impressive job of getting the word out to people.
- Don't you think? - Yeah.
But speaking of Pacey, I haven't seen or heard from him all day.
Testing.
Testing.
One, two, testing.
Uno, dos.
Okay.
We're not having any technical difficulties so I'd like to turn it over to the lady who's responsible for gathering us all here.
Let's give her a round of applause.
Without further ado, Miss Joey Potter! I warmed them up for you.
Well, everyone's been coming up to me in the last week asking me why I'm doing this even people in my family.
I've certainly asked myself plenty of times.
And it's not because Matt Caufield trashed my extracurricular art project and I've sworn eternal vengeance against him.
It's because some people think that our principal doesn't know what's best for us that he's some sort of an outsider.
How can he be an outsider when he's been there walking the halls of our school with us every day since September? When he's taken time to know us, to figure out our talents whether they be filmmaking, student government, painting and supported and encouraged all of us who don't know our talents yet? How can he be an outsider when he's been there with us every day trying to make our lives better? I thought that's what we could do tonight talk about how Principal Green has made our lives a lot better.
Okay, no hands.
I'm starting to feel like I'm back in Mr.
Peterson's English class.
That's better.
- Andie.
- The two most important things I learned from Principal Green were that mistakes and setbacks aren't necessarily irreversible.
And if you can't learn from yourself, then you can't learn from anybody.
- He doesn't treat us like children.
- He treats us with respect and listens to what we have to say.
We've been trying to form this I don't really know very many of you.
I'm the new kid and all but what I do know about you is what my father tells me at home over dinner, while we're watching TV when we're doing the dishes because that's what he talks about.
That's all he talks about: His students, his school.
I had mixed feelings about coming here this evening.
After sitting at home and thinking about things my daughter said earlier it was clear that I needed to come.
She said, " Dad, those people are on your side.
They're fighting for you.
" And so I wanted to come and to say thank you for your support.
Now, neither myself nor Dr.
Fielding seem to be willing to budge on this particular issue and so it looks like I'll be leaving.
But as I look around this evening I'm motivated.
Because I see a room full of people who have chosen to harness their inner power as individuals.
But regardless of the outcome of this situation know that I thank you.
All of you.
Thank you.
So you did it.
You rallied to a certain someone's side in a very Duckie-like manner.
Yeah, mission accomplished.
How do you feel? To be honest? I feel like dog meat.
She didn't even thank me.
- She will.
One day.
- How can you be so sure? Because every duck has his day.
Just ask Henry.
- Ready to go? - Whenever you are.
- Think she'll let us in the house? - Bessie? If she doesn't, we'll sleep in the car.
Wanna drive? Stick shift? No, thanks.
I think I've had enough - challenges this week.
- Backing down from a challenge? That doesn't sound like the Joey I know.
It certainly wasn't the one in front of all those people tonight.
- You saw? - Yeah.
Alexander here, he just insisted on coming.
See, he's extremely proud of his Aunt Joey.
- Really? - Oh, yeah.
When you're not around, he goes on and on about how talented you are and how smart and how brave.
You know, on second thought, maybe I will drive us home.
Come in.
Miss Potter.
You haven't been in my office in a long time.
You haven't gotten yourself in trouble, I hope.
You know, you have a few minutes.
You- - You could still change your mind.
- Is that what you want? No, I Maybe.
- I don't know.
- Why is that? I know that you're doing the right thing, it's just I can't help but feeling that maybe I I failed you.
We couldn't stop them.
We weren't loud enough or strong enough.
And I'm really sorry.
Joey.
Look at me.
Look at me.
In all my years in education I have never felt more successful than I feel right now.
Do you understand that? Thank you for fighting for me.
You're welcome.
I guess it's time to go home.
After you.
I'll see you, Mr.
Green.
See you, Joey.
Tell everyone I can be down there in less than an hour.
Okay.
Hey, I'll see you then.
That sounds like distinctly good news.
They're gonna run it.
Our story, tonight.
They want me to race down and tape an intro at the station.
- Mom, that's terrific.
- Oh, and that's not all.
One of the executive producers asked me if I would be interested in doing a few other special reports in the upcoming months.
That's great.
What'd you tell them? I told them I'd get back to them in about 20 years, if and when I retire from the restaurant business.
You're kidding.
I thought this is what you wanted.
No, I think what I wanted was just my chance to say no.
To leave on my own terms.
To start fresh with no regrets.
And I can do that now because of you.
- What did I do? - Well, what you always do.
You inspired me, honey, the way that you inspire everybody.
As much as you think you've changed, Dawson you're still the quiet hero.
Stepping in at the right time, lending your efforts never asking for a reward in return.
You're smart, capable, sincere.
See, I think you're editorialising.
Come on.
It's just a little bit farther.
Right up here.
A couple more steps.
Right here.
Stop.
Right there.
Perfect.
We're here.
I don't know where here is, but seems to me we're nowhere.
Think back with me for a second.
Remember how this thing started? It started with a girl, a wall - and a paintbrush.
- You bought me a paintbrush? No, lame-o.
I stole this from your permanent collection.
- You bought me a wall? - Not bought.
Rented.
It didn't come cheap.
It cost 100 bucks.
You bought me a wall? You said that already.
It's a limited time offer.
Get cracking.
Pacey, did you fail to notice the size of this thing? Your next endeavour should be bigger and better than your last.
It's important you keep on growing both as a person and as an artist.
I got you this.
It's not gonna cover all of it.
As the saying goes, "The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.
" I'm going to need your help on this one.
No, no, no.
Not this time.
You're on your own, sister.
Pacey, you're unbelievable.
As soon as I think I have you figured out you go and you do something so outrageous that completely challenges me in a way that no one else would even think of, that- In case I don't say it enough thank you.
It's about time, Potter.
It's about time.