Dawson's Creek - Season 2, Episode 19

Jen regrets turning Abby's eulogy into a roast

"Abby Morgan, Rest in Peace"
Original airdate: 5/5/1999

Episode summary: Jen runs afoul of Grams when she roasts Abby at her own funeral. Shaggy D.A. receives a job offer in Philadelphia.

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Recap: Following the wedding reception, Joey and Dawson smoochily stroll over to Casa Leery. Dawson implores Joey to not over-analyze their re-connection - as would be her natural tendency - then invites her to climb up the ladder leading to his bedroom. Joey smilingly decides 'sure, why the hell not?' ... and when they find a tearful Jen sitting on Dawson's bed, they ask her whassup with her being here at this time of night. She mumblingly replies that she and Abby had been drinking on the docks when Abby fell and hit her head, then took a fatal plunge into the water below. An incredulous Joey and Dawson are all, "Wha-a-a-a?", and Joey sits beside Jen and puts a comforting arm around her shoulders.

The next morning, a morose Joey is staring at photos of her mom when her dad enters the room and asks whassup with all the sad reminiscing. Joey explains that a fellow classmate died last night, and the unexpected death got her thinking about her own deceased loved one. She then abruptly says she doesn't have time to talk about it anymore 'cause she has to go get ready for school.

Jen arrives at school and is immediately aware that everyone is openly gawking at her in morbid curiosity.
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A grief counsellor is leading a session with a group of students sitting in a circle. She asks Jen if she'd like to share her feelings regarding Abby’s untimely demise...and when Jen gives her a sullen no, she puts Andie in the hot seat. Andie BSes about what an incredible spirit Abby had and how she was "very alive" before the tragedy - which, technically, was true enough - and Jen contorts her face into an expression of disgust before getting up and storming out of the classroom.

"Is there something nice you can think of to say about Abby?"

"She was very alive...until recently."

Joey joins Dawson in the cafeteria, and both agree 1) to again not over-analyze their re-connection, and 2) that they completely despised Abby, and have no problem acknowledging that even after she's dead. Joey declares that she's not planning to attend the funeral 'cause it'd remind her too much of her mom's death...which she admits she hasn't fully dealt with, as is evidenced by her refusal to visit the poor woman's gravesite. She explains that part of her is still waiting for her mom's return, so that her "death" will have been a cosmic error that's been corrected. Dawson furrows his brows and points out that that's a child's false hope which eventually she needs to let go of - but Joey's like, "Nope, don't wanna" and tells Dawson he can't fathom what it's like to lose a parent [at least yet].

Andie finds Jen in the ladies room and asks her if she's OK, and Jen grumbles about how sickening it is to watch everyone at Capeside High pretend to have been friends with Abby, despite Abby not actually having friends. Andie blurts out, "Because she was a bitch!", and Jen's like, "Exactly!" and chides Andie for not trashing her in front of the grief counsellor just now. Andie explains to the dimwit that she doesn't like the idea of publicly maligning a dead person, and Jen nonsensically argues that it isn't maligning if the trash-talk is true, then complains about how everyone is treating her like a celebrity just 'cause she was with Abby when she fell ass-backwards into the sea. She caps off the rant by blaming Andie for the accident 'cause she had kicked the two of them out of the wedding reception they crashed, which I guess gave Jen and Abby no choice but to guzzle booze on a rickety dock with not high enough rails.

Shaggy D.A. informs Dawson that she's been offered a job as a network correspondent in Philadelphia, and that she's super thrilled 'cause she's worked very hard for years to get such a high-profile gig. Dawson scrunches his face concernedly and says he has zero desire to move to Philadelphia, and Shaggy D.A. hastily says she would never dream of uprooting him from Capeside and hopes that maybe Mitch would be willing to move back in and parent him until he's a fully functioning adult. She sadly admits that since Mitch has no interest in their marriage, she's pretty much dunzo barking up that tree.

Grams finds Jen laying in bed and says she's worried about her, and Jen assures her that she's fine, just tired. Grams admits that Abby wasn't exactly her favorite person in the world and always got the sense she was mocking her, and Jen chuckles and confirms that, yep, she was mocking her all right...but that since she was such a malevolent turd, she treated everyone with the same level of disdain. Grams laments God's decision to take someone who was so young and remarks on how he works in mysterious ways, and Jen gets all prickly and says she's in no mood for any kind of religious discussion on the matter.

At a downtown eatery, Pacey tells Andie she can't possibly blame herself for Abby's death, not least 'cause she was "a hideous creature" who she (Andie) repeatedly tried to befriend. A few seconds later, Abby's mom walks into the eatery, recognizes Andie, and asks her if she wouldn't mind saying a few words at her daughter's funeral. Andie assures her she'd love to... but once Ma Morgan is out of earshot, Andie stares at Pacey in horror and wonders aloud what in blazes she's just gotten herself into.

Andie and Pacey arrive at Abby's house for a pre-funeral memorial. Andie says she wants to do her best to honor Abby's memory truthfully yet respectfully...and decrees that in order to do all that, she needs to see her late frenemy's bedroom.

​Jen has returned to the scene of Abby's demise, and is guzzling booze and angrily tossing flowers from the RIP wreaths into the water.

While wandering around Abby's bedroom, Andie tells Pacey that the room feels as though it's waiting for Abby to return. She rummages around and finds Abby's diary and decides 'why not sneak a peek?' ... and proceeds to read aloud snarky passages about how "that slut Jen" stole her boyfriend, how much she hates her own mother, and that she (Andie) is a psycho. Pacey grabs the diary from her, says he can't bear to hear anymore, and suggests they head downstairs to join the rest of the mourners.  

Over at Capeside High, Dawson tells Mitch about Shaggy D.A.'s job offer in Philadelphia, and Mitch just stares blankly into space for a few seconds before saying that he'll have to congratulate her on this notable achievement. Dawson's all, "That's it?" and says he's irked that that's all he's willing to do for his soon-to-be ex-wife.

"Mom got a great job offer in Philadelphia."

"I shall send her a congratulatory memo."

At the Ice House, Jack suddenly realizes that he's probably the last person Abby ever smooched. Joey nods and replies, "She went out with a bang!", and the two chuckle about Abby's attempt to turn Jack hetero...or, at the very least, confuse him with her flirtitude.

Dawson is watching footage of Abby from his movie when Pacey enters the classroom. He tells Dawson that Ma Morgan asked Andie to give a eulogy at Abby's wedding, then remarks on how weird it is that his latest movie features a now dead girl.
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Grams is cooking dinner when Jen returns home, and she haughtily tells her granddaughter she can smell the booze on her breath. She chides Jen for masking her grief with alcohol and warns that binge-drinking can only make things worse. Jen explains that she was boozing it up to numbly remember all the good times she had with Abby, then jokes that the troll is probably in hell right now, doing shooters with Satan. Grams reminds her of her belief that God has a special place in heaven for deceased children, and Jen rails about how there's no God, heaven, or peace...and that her "Sunday school fables" are making her wanna puke. When Grams patiently says she's merely trying to be understanding, Jen bellows, "Are you sick of me yet?" [uh, if Grams isn't, I definitely am] and proposes moving out if she's going to be shackled from speaking her mind. As Grams mulls over that attractive prospect, Jen bitchily stomps upstairs.   

Over breakfast, Joey tells her dad she can no longer get a clear picture of her mom 'cause her image is slowly fading away, and Pa Potter nods sympathetically and says that while he was languishing in prison he felt so much guilt for cheating on his cancer-stricken late wife, then tells Joey she's a lot like her: tough, independent, funny,  stubborn...and, presumably, obnoxiously miserable every moment of every day.

While walking along the beach, Andie tells Pacey she has no idea how to eulogize Abby, and has no real desire to go the honest route and shock/devastate her mother. Pacey offers to take the burden off of her shoulders by delivering the speech on her behalf, but Andie says she doesn't want him to regard her as "a helpless lunatic" who can't take care of herself, and vows to cobble together something reasonably appropriate to say.
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Funeral Day. Inside the chapel, Andie psychs herself up to deliver the eulogy, while Joey makes a surprise appearance and seats herself next to Dawson. Grams arrives and tells Jen she forgives her for acting like such a selfish little shitbag earlier, and Jen dickishly retorts that she's looking for understanding not forgiveness, and doubts that she's capable of offering that.

The minister starts the ceremony and invites anyone who's interested to share their memories of Abby to step forward. Jen decides 'why not use this opportunity to express my disdain for Abby's many deficiencies in front of her entire family?' and goes to the front of the chapel and describes Abby's personality as toxic, as in the radio active variety. She describes Abby as "cruel, spiteful, and petty", and someone who enjoyed stirring up trouble and taking pleasure in others' pain. She then wonders aloud that if God really, truly, actually made Abby in his image, what this says about God...and concludes that Abby was good for one thing: teaching her the sadistic nature of God. As everyone stares at her with open-mouthed WTF? expressions, she returns to her pew, where Grams shoots her a really squinty stink-eye before storming out of the church. As Ma Morgan looks as if she might suffer a total emotional meltdown, Andie hastily gets up to balance out Jen's eulogy-turned-roast with some far kinder remarks.

"Abby was a cunt who was toxic."

"Did she just call our dead daughter a dunce who had moxy?"

Andie describes Abby not as a person who had ever given her comfort in life, but as someone who cuntishly challenged her by pushing her to the breaking point. She credits Abby for unwittingly giving her more strength than she thought she could ever have...and the mourners look touched by her round-about way of concurring that, yep, Abby was a hateful troll-child throughout her short life. After a few more minutes of half-hearted wankery, Andie wraps up her eulogy by referring to Abby as "a one-of-a-kind" who will always hold a special place in her heart.

During the burial portion of the ceremony, Abby's schoolmates place flowers atop the coffin, including a now sheepish looking Jen. 

Dawson tells Joey he suddenly realizes how fleeting life is, and that he doesn't want to die regretting taking action in his life. He tells her again how very happy he is about their re-connection, and Joey responds by kissing him and asking him if he'd walk her someplace she's been avoiding for the last three years. 

Andie finds Jen sitting alone beside Abby's coffin and joins her. Jen apologizes for blaming her for Abby's fatal accident and says, in fact, she blames herself for egging Abby on to drunkenly party on the docks. As well she should. She also regrets the bitchy rant she blurted out at the chapel 'cause she feels especially bad about angering Grams - but Andie points out that her speech was truthful to Abby's general nastiness, then reveals that she kept a diary that would probably really upset her mom if she were to find it.

Dawson escorts Joey to her mom's gravesite...and Joey tearfully lays down some flowers and tells Dawson she hopes her mom is happy, wherever she is. 

Jen arrives home and is stunned to see that Grams has packed up her things and tossed them onto the front porch. When Jen's all, "Wha-a-a-at is happening?!", Grams rails at her for thumbing her nose at her faith, repeatedly taking her pain out on her, and never once considering that she (Jen) could maybe offer understanding to her (Grams) once in a fucking while considering everything she's done for her since Season 1. She snappishly tells Jen she'd be better off living with someone she respects, then storms into the house and slams the door on her. Ouch. And hurray for Grams!!

"You're a hateful, self-centered brat."

"I was under the illusion that you found that aspect of my personality charming."

Andie sneaks into the Morgan house, tiptoes upstairs, and quickly retrieves Abby's diary. In the process, she sees a vision of Abby smirking at her in the mirror, and when she whirls around, there's no one there...which causes her to stare into space with a haunted, freaked out expression.

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