The Best of Dawson's Creek

I'm old enough to admit that I am sort of a romantic, and this show is all about romance. It's by far the biggest strength  of this show, and despite like Beverly Hills 90210 and other similar shows it touches on many different subjects of life problems and especially teen problems, Dawson's Creek never forget the spirit its created in.

Dawson’s Creek debuted January 20, 1998 with a simple premise of four teens coming of age amidst lots of hormones, and gained attention immediately for the hyper-verbal dialogue rife with self-analysis. On this show, fifteen-year-old frequently said things like “I just think our emerging hormones are destined to alter our relationship and I’m trying to limit the fallout.”

From the very first scene this show touches on childhood friends growing into teens, and with the new problems that comes along for friends of different gender as well as the same. From there it only goes uphill as a show and downhill as an easy experience for the characters, and if you dare allowing yourself the pleasure of giving your heart to the characters, you'll soon find yourself deeply emotionally cruising on this roller coaster of teen romances, heartbreaks and friends.

The two main leads were childhood best friends Dawson, a movie-obsessed dreamer, and Joey, a chip-on-her-shoulder tomboy, whose close relationship was being challenged by the added complications of “breasts and genitalia” and a slightly mysterious new girl in town, Jen, who’d caught Dawson’s eye. Rounding out the quartet was Dawson’s other best friend, mouthy class clown Pacey.

The major plot line of the first season was how Dawson would choose between the alluring newcomer or his spunky soul mate. And like the rest of the audience who watched that first season, oh, was I rooting for that poor little Joey Potter!

I'll be the first to admit there was some episodes in the middle of the show where I felt it was just transportation, but I'll also be to first to admit that was mainly because my heart was set on 2 of the characters finding each other and then I just longed for them to come back in the frame figuring out their problems. Whether they did or not doesn't matter at all, as I soon found myself interested in other aspects as well, and the life of the Creek teens moved on. The reason I first had a 9 as the show score was mainly because of that feeling during those episodes, but as I now write this review I know in my heart that is no reason to slash the score.

Pacey and Joeys Kiss

But despite the obvious OTP-ness (One True Pairing) of our leads, there was a little spark of something between Joey and Pacey. From their first scene together in the pilot where they bickered their way through a rehearsal for a monster movie Dawson was shooting (and we all know what “I hate you” meet-cutes usually lead to, right?) to a mid season episode when they got paired up for a biology assignment that ended up with wacky snail-hunting hijinx…and falling in the lake hijinx...and undressing under a blanket, while Pacey tried to catch a peek in the car mirror….and ultimately a surprise kiss from Pacey that confused our poor Joey more than she expected it would.

Still, she and Dawson were the soul mates, the ones meant to be, and the first season finale ended with Dawson definitively choosing Joey. 

However in season 2, the problems began. As a couple, Dawson and Joey were…kind of miserable together. The writers clearly had no idea what to do with them since they’d paired them up so early, so there were all kinds of bad attempts at creating conflict (most notably Joey’s short-lived fling with newcomer Jack McPhee—who later turned out to be pretty spectacularly gay). And when our leads finally started to get back together at the end of the season? Dawson ruined it by getting Joey’s ex-con Dad sent back to prison!

Enter season three. In the premiere, Dawson, who’d had his head (and other body parts) turned by a wanton high school stripper (yeah, the show had taken some melodramatic turns by this point), flat out rejected Joey’s attempt at forgiveness via seduction and sent Pacey after her to look out for her. Bad move, D. Bad move. The episode ended with P&J sitting on the end of the dock, her head on his shoulder. And that’s when things got interesting.

Throughout the third season, Joey and Pacey slowly grew closer and closer. Their emerging friendship and connection with each other was so wonderfully written and acted (aided perhaps by their off-screen relationship as a couple), and it was (rare for TV) slowly and convincingly built. They had romantic moment after romantic moment: Pacey helping Joey’s family start a bed-and-breakfast, Joey taking Pacey’s side when Dawson (who’d turned into a whiny, entitled jerkwad by this point) punched him jealously, Pacey and Joey dancing a tension-filled tango when our quartet was forced to take dance lessons for an upcoming wedding.

However, the seeds had been planted, and four episodes later came the show finale, a special extended episode set five years into the future, where Joey found herself facing the same dilemma all over again: Dawson or Pacey? Her idealistic dreamer of a best friend? Or the sexy, down-to-earth guy who made her blood sing with passion? In the final moments of the finale, we get our somewhat shocking answer: the writers had her choose Pacey.

As a fan of Pacey and Joey's relationship, it made perfect sense to me. They had passion and chemistry and most importantly they made each other happier people. It was an ending that had been earned by all that had come before it. Dawson and Joey were still soul mates and best friends, but romantically, Pacey was the one for her. Still, a fair number of fans who were still pulling for the title character to get the girl, were shocked and disappointed by the outcome.

I really enjoy the four original main characters, and it's enough not to kill the experience. These teenager foursome with wit, sarcasm and vocabulary takes on the world, and the intelligent allusive dialogues drives this show all the way.

Most important of all. This show stays true to it's own way. It's created with heart, and never loses itself during the six seasons made. To me the main reason it's such a brilliant show is how well it takes on the emotional roller coaster of young romance. Good acting, wholehearted scripted and doesn't ever allow itself to take on the easy answers.