Original subtitles

This isn't going Well, is it?

Well, it depends on Who you ask.

Yeah. If you're An enraged parent With a misguided agenda,

It's going great.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Superintendent,

But I don't recall The board of ed Passing any 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,

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?

Oh, yes, please.

Please. Mr. Caufield.

Do you consider yourself A member of this community?

Yes.

Are going to let The personal 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.

Isn't anyone going To defend principal green

For everything That he's done?

Miss potter, my son Tells me that you Are the one

Whose mural Was destroyed.

This has nothing To do with me, ok?

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 urban war zones

Than our civilized Community.

You did not just 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.

And if you were doing Your job as a parent, Mr. Caufield,

Maybe your son would Still be in school Right now.

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 maybe some Of the other students,

Whose families don't Embr--

Don't what?

Don't embrace the values That we as a community--

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 meeting is adjourned!

This is ridiculous.

Did what I think Just happened happen?

Fielding's going To railroad green Into changing his ruling.

Either that Or out of town.

Ok. 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--it's great To see you.

You look terrific.

So do you.

Hey, congratulations On making field reporter.

That's a long way from The shy intern that I hired.

Well, I could say I owe it all to you.

The new generation Of female reporters Would be nowhere

Without veteran Trailblazers like Yourself.

So, uh, what's your story?

You were inside there. Didn't you see?

I saw a bunch Of 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 real whacko to me.

Come on, sherry. We gotta move.

Ah, we got to get Going.

Got a deadline to make.

You remember those days.

Oh. It was great Seeing you, gale.

Hmm. 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 routinely denied The chance to Participate

In decisions That affect their Everyday lives.

And the problem is that The squeaky wheel gets All the grease.

I mean, all these idiots Rant and rave about Low test scores.

I mean, the people Who are perfectly happy With the way things are

Just sit back And mind their own business.

True. Happy, satisfied People rarely attend

Emergency pta meetings.

And teenagers, I mean, Come on.

They'd have to be coaxed And prodded

Before they'd actually Set down their play stations, Turn off trl,

And do something About something.

You said it, sister.

So who's going To rally the troops?

Obviously nobody.

You could.

Ha! Yeah, joey potter Against the system.

What am I going to do, Paint another mural?

That'll help.

I don't even know Why I bothered to go.

It was a total waste of time.

There were barely Any students there,

And I got 2 sentences out Before I was attacked.

Joey, you can't just 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?

I thing you're going To want to see this.

I'm on the phone.

No, really. I think You're going to want To see this.

Safe schools, But at what cost?

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 present At tonight's meeting

And summed it up best When she said this

About caufield's Harsh punishment.

This is ridiculous.

This whole thing has been Blown out of proportion.

I never said that.

We believe you, sis.

Sherry eisler, Wkwb reporting...

I mean, I said it, But not in that context.

I mean, this isn't fair. This--

No one is ever going To give me the chance

To say everything That I want to 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 after all.

And what advice was that?

This meeting. Rallying the troops.

I have to say, This is a big step Forward for you.

I mean, I'm known as The capeside crusader Far and wide,

Breaking down Sexual stereotypes, Eradicating rogue teachers,

But you, you're definitely more The rebel without The cause type.

So, look, I just Wanted to say

Don't hesitate to ask For any help that you Might need,

Seeing that this whole thing Was my idea in the first place.

You were encouraging, Yes, pacey,

But this meeting Was hardly your idea.

If that's the way You want to play, It's fine with me.

If you want to pretend Like you devised this Whole call to action--

I didn't.

I'm all out.

Me, too.

Ahem!

Oh, that's right. You guys have--

You guys Have never met.

Um, 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 up the troops.

Yeah. To give capeside A small taste of some

Tried and true College protest action.

Quick!

Green's coming inside,

And you guys Got to see this.

Green too extreme!

Green 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 this servitude.

Not a moment too soon.

I must say, This restaurant stuff,

It's a lot more work Than I expected.

Well, I'm sorry I couldn't Be here any sooner.

What happened at that Meeting at joey's Tonight?

You should've seen her.

Totally confident.

Totally inspired.

You're proud of her.

Yeah.

How can I not be?

I mean, she's finally Standing up for herself

And fighting back The way I always knew she could.

You know,

I can't help but feel A part of that.

She's organizing An action tomorrow

Outside the superintendent's Office.

Well, she's got A tough road In front of her.

Especially with That spokesmodel Turned journalist

Misrepresenting her story.

Byron fielding--

You know What kills me

Is to see An important story

Done badly simply 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 would need To get back in the game Is a camera.

And a crew.

In these days Of digital video, A crew is one person.

Oh, 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 That the station Would run it.

They've made it clear Many times over

That my services are Past their prime.

Well, we're into doing For the station.

We're doing it for you.

And for principal green

And for joey.

We barely have enough people To fill a softball team,

Let alone change the world.

Rome wasn't built In a day, joey.

Thanks for doing this.

Hot coffee is great For morale.

No problem. So where's joey?

She's getting ready For her close-up.

She's great, Isn't she?

A born leader.

Ah, she's a peach, All right.

I'm going to ask you A series of questions

About the nature Of the protest

And where the movement Came from,

And then I think We should concentrate--

Gale! 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.

Joey, I would love To get a follow-up Interview with you.

In your frosted Blonde dreams, barbie.

You didn't think I was Too hard on her?

Felt 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?

Because fielding Is an unscrupulous, Ineffectual jerk

Who cares more about Job security than about what Anybody out here thinks.

He's only going To threaten you, jo.

I don't think you should Go in there.

What do you think?

I'd go.

Ms. Josephine potter, Correct?

Yes.

Have a seat.

I assume you know Who I am.

The man who shows up For football games And graduation.

I appreciate A sense of humor,

Though 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 clamoring Outside.

That true?

Well, parents Can picket a school,

Students can picket A superintendent's Office.

Fair enough.

And just 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,

And he shouldn't be Forced into changing His ruling

Simply because-- 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 is happening To principal green Is wrong.

As far as I know,

All you represent is That meager 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--a student-signed Petition

With 300 signatures.

300?

Mm-hmm. And there's Going to be a rally Tomorrow night.

I mean, if you think The crowd last night Was vocal,

You just wait Until tomorrow.

I didn't know about this.

Make no mistake, Dr. Fielding,

There's a voice That doesn't agree with What's happening here,

And that voice Will be heard.

I'm all ears.

Now, I suggest that you And your friends hurry Back to school

Before that principal You love so 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 A late afternoon Honor?

We're here For your interview.

Interview? What interview?

For the story that I'm hoping To run on channel 3

About the situation In the community

As a result of Matt caufield's Expulsion.

I talked to nikki This afternoon. She said it was ok.

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 all that matters.

I'm sorry, but my daughter Misinformed you.

Mr, green, For what it's worth,

People severely Misinterpreted you And this entire situation.

Are you sure You don't want a chance To explain your actions?

It's not my job to prove To people that I'm A fair and decent man.

If they don't know that By now,

Some sound bite On a television show Is not going to 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.

I'm just saying It might've been nice

To have a little Heads up before you Invented a petition

With over 300 signatures.

I don't think We have 300 students At our school.

She had to bluff.

How else was She going to get The guy's respect?

Right. Look, it'll Be fine, pacey.

Just tell us what we're doing To get people to come To the rally.

That bluff's going To be a little bit Harder to pull off.

A petition is Easy enough to fake.

You just convince kids That you're campaigning

For extra chocolate milk Days at the cafeteria,

But for a rally, You got to produce Actual bodies.

Those are problems. We need solutions.

All right, Which we have.

See, pacey, here, Said think internet,

So jack is right now Putting an announcement

On the capeside website, And andy is getting word out The old-fashioned way.

Ok, if you don't come, Then you can forget About me participating

When it comes to me putting All those little names And faces together

In the yearbook, ok?

Great. Ha! Personal touch Is always nice when It comes to blackmail.

Oh, I should call--hello?

Hello? Oh, no. Hold on one second.

Bessie!

Yeah?

Oh, for you.

Hello.

Joey!

We designed A new flyer,

For your approval of course.

Great. Great.

Good, 'cause I already Ordered 500 copies.

How are we going To pay for that?

We're not, actually.

Pacey managed to Convince a civil-minded Copy shop owner

To run them for free.

He did?

Yes, he did.

Ok.

Ok, attention, Everyone.

Look, 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.

Great job.

Hey!

Are you sure You've never Done this before?

Yeah. I can't believe I'm doing it now.

Well, believe it, 'cause it's happening.

Thanks to you.

You're the one that Convinced me to do it In the first place

And you came All the way down here.

I couldn't have done it Without you.

You ok?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah. I think I'm Just going to hang Some of these flyers up.

Ok. I just got A phone call.

What is it?

Some concerned citizen Wanted me to know

That letting high school Students use my place Of business

As their point of attack Against the system

Is not the best way to keep My business afloat.

I don't get it.

You don't, do you?

You never do.

Look, bessie, It was probably just

A stupid little prank,

And I wouldn't be Surprised

If matt caufield Did it himself.

Bess, relax. I'm--I'm Sure it's no big deal.

What if it wasn't A prank?

We can't afford to Antagonize the people

Who hold the mortgage On this house.

Or at least bodie and I can't.

We'll still be living here When you go to college.

So I'm just supposed To sit around And wait patiently

Until I get out Of this town?

I'm not allowed To criticize it Or even change it

In any way?

I didn't say that.

Look, I can't Stop now, bessie.

Is that what you Want me to do?

Jo, jo, no one's Asking you to stop.

I think bessie just wants you To be realistic about The situation.

I am being realistic.

Spending all this time And effort defending a man

Who won't even defend himself. How is that realistic?

He shouldn't have To defend himself.

He didn't do Anything wrong.

You're sure this kid Doesn't deserve another chance?

Everyone at school Knows that capeside high

Is a much better place Without matt caufield.

The students know it And the teachers know it.

So all these parents, They're just wrong?

Yes. You weren't At that meeting.

You don't know what Mr. Caufield said, ok?

He's got his own Personal agenda,

And I'm not just Talking about saving His son's ass.

What do you mean?

She means all these Concerned citizens

Wouldn't be fighting This decision so hard

If principal green Were white.

They would still Be upset.

Upset, yeah, And they might try And take action about it,

But not like this.

There wouldn't be this level Of anger and hostility

And misunderstanding,

And they certainly wouldn't Try and threaten the family

Of some teenage girl Trying to speak her mind.

I give up. Joey, you want to change

The world from our living room, Fine. Whatever.

Sorry.

It's ok.

Too bad you're not A paying guest.

This scene Would have been

Even more Heinously awkward.

Look, uh, this is probably not The best time to say this,

But, uh...

You're leaving?

Yeah. I figure since I've alienated you

From your sister

And completely 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 something Without nautical Wallpaper.

No, no. I got to 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?

Uh, pacey, I think You got that one covered.

Hurricane won't take it down.

Ha ha.

You know, it might make you Feel better if you Talk about it.

Talk about what?

About what's bothering you.

There's nothing Bothering me.

Ha ha. Fine.

Fine.

I'm fine.

Ok. So I do kinda 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 want to Make me do that?

Ok.

Ha. Ok.

Um, let's just 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 that she could Laugh in my face?

That's a great idea.

How do you know That's how she'd react?

Well, I have it On pretty good authority

That my rough charms Don't really register

On her rarefied Romantic pallet.

I mean, 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 Definitely does not Get the girl.

Yes, but he makes the girl Feel good about herself.

He does. He stands by her Through innumerable Fashion emergencies.

He humiliates himself By lip-syncing In a public place,

And he takes her To the prom.

Where she promptly dumps Him for another guy.

Ha ha ha.

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 going to let Hurt feelings and pride

Prevent you from being The friend

That 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.

Mom, why are we doing this?

If green won't talk, Why are we interviewing Fielding?

Because there's 2 sides to every story,

And it's not our job To editorialize.

Well, I'm sorry,

But it's my Editorial opinion

That the world's heard enough From this side.

Honey, if I didn't Do this interview,

I'd be just like Sherry,

Picking the news That I want to tell.

Well, why shouldn't you?

Everyone else does These days.

No, not the best Journalists.

The best ones just 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.

Yes, 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 its 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.

Ah, 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?

Ah...

"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 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 that your Number one priority

Should be to these students And their welfare.

In fact, 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

In such a hurry?

He can, but he's not Going to like the answer.

Joey's rally.

You could come with me, You know.

You already know My position on that.

I'm not sure I know Your position on anything Anymore.

You spend so much time Trying to protect How you're seen

For fear that they're Going to 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.

Now, I don't want To leave these kids,

And 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--they support you.

They're fighting for you, For us.

And they need to know that, Win or lose, you support them.

Now, I'd say that pacey Did a pretty impressive job

Of getting the word out To the people.

Don't you think?

Yeah. Speaking of pacey,

I haven't seen Or heard from him all day.

Testing! Testing.

1,2, testing. unos, dos. ok!

As you can see, 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 tonight.

Let's give her a nice Warm round of applause, Shall we?

Without further ado, Ms. Joey potter!

Think I warmed Them up for you?

Ahem!

Well, uh, 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.

It's because some people In our town seem to think

That our principal doesn't Know what's best for us,

That he's some sort Of an outsider.

But 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 the time To get to know us,

To figure out our talents, Whether they be filmmaking

Or student government Or painting

And supported and encouraged All of us who don't even Know yet

What our talents are.

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.

Ok, no hands. Uh...

I'm starting to feel like I'm back in mr. Peterson's English class.

That's better.

Andie.

Well, the 2 most Important things

That 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, even When we act like them.

He treats us With respect

And listens to what We have to say.

We've been trying To form this Committee...

I don't really know Very many of you.

I'm the new kid and all.

But what I do I 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.

But after sitting at home And thinking about Some of the 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.

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.

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.

You 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 potter I know.

It certainly Wasn't the one

In front of all those People tonight.

You saw?

Yeah.

Well, 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.

Ah, ms. Potter.

You haven't been In my office In a long time.

You haven't gotten yourself In trouble, I hope.

You have a few minutes.

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, uh...

I can't help but feeling That maybe I, uh...

I failed you.

We couldn't stop them.

We weren't loud enough Or...

Or strong enough.

And I'm really sorry.

Joey.

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 that I can be down there

In less than an hour.

Ok.

Ok, 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 now

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?

What you always do. You inspired me, honey,

The way that you Inspire everybody.

You see, 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 editorializing.

Oh, come on.

Just a little bit Farther.

A couple more steps.

Right here. Whoa. Stop. Right there.

Perfect. We're here.

Pacey, I don't know where You think "Here" is,

But it seems to me We're nowhere.

Think back with me For just a second.

Do you remember how This whole 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.

And this thing didn't Come cheap, either.

It cost me 100 bucks.

You bought me a wall?

You said that already.

Look, it's a limited Time offer,

So you should Get cracking.

Pacey, did you Fail to notice

The size of this thing?

I just thought Your next endeavor

Should be Bigger and better Than your last one.

It's important that You keep on growing

Both as a person And as an artist.

I also got you this.

I know it's not gonna Cover the whole thing,

But, as the saying goes, The journey of a thousand 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 all 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.