Doug:
Is she pretty?
Pacey:
Yeah, she is pretty. She is very very pretty. She’s actually the kind of pretty that gives you butterflies, you know what I mean?
Doug:
Ah, yeah…never lose the butterflies.
Pacey:
What?
Doug:
You maybe ask what sucks most about getting older. Somewhere along the line you just…lost the butterflies…
While feeling ill and waiting for my covid result, I watched Dawson’s Creek. The nostalgia effect helped me a lot. Pre-social media teenage show that gives you different nostalgia in a good way, and it feels like I’m watching it for the very first time. I was 15 when I first watched it, but what do I know then? I just want to see who’s with who and didn’t care how beautiful it was written.
My obsession with Joey Potter and Pacey Witter’s love story makes me happy in all parts of my body. It made me forget to become paranoid and made me check all the covid symptoms online that I might be having. My covid result is negative, by the way. Whew! And I feel a lot better now, not a hundred percent but still okay.
I remember back in high school because we didn’t have channel 23, I had to wait every Saturday and go to our neighbor’s house or uncle’s house just to watch this series. I learned on my birthday it’s on Netflix, guys! Yay! Wonderfully, in terms of digital streaming, we are progressing!
Some episodes made me cringe— Joey’s family being the talk of the town because she has an unwed pregnant sister to a black guy. Just like Jen Lindley said, people with a “small-town mentality”. Then there’s Gramps pushing her religious beliefs to her granddaughter (but Gramps character development did a whole 360 degrees turn, and you’ll find yourself loving her throughout the show). Also, Jack being gay was a big issue for his dad, which can happen 23 years ago living in a small village where you know almost everybody’s background stories. Just made you wonder, in another 23 years what kind of things that happening today that we will also look back on, and say, “Boy, we were in a bad place before, and what are we in a bad place right now.”
Dawson’s Creek gave us the first “passionate” kiss between two men in primetime television history.
Sadly, Netflix didn’t include their iconic opening song but did manage to add it onto the last 2 episodes of the season finale.
It was probably one of the best pilot episodes I had ever seen and watching it feels like I am a teenage girl again.
In the beginning, I thought it’s gonna be one of the shows from my teenage years that are not so great when you re-watch them, but it’s not. The nostalgia helped me a lot through lockdowns. The authenticity, sweetness, honesty, and romantic scenes that you don’t find in teen dramas nowadays. Plus, the peaceful and beautiful sceneries made me want to visit Wilmington, North Carolina. Sceneries that bring out the characters’ emotions accompanied with aptly good soundtracks. It’s so beautiful!
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Some episodes were so beautifully written. Although I think the A.I. Brooks’ arc should’ve been explored more.
Kevin Williamson, the creator of Dawson’s Creek, confessed how he was obsessed by “conflicts”. Conflicts are good for narrative. More often than not, it made the series more entertaining.
“Teenage boys are sex-crazed” narrative is there; a realistic portrayal of teenagers. What I love the most is they’re not afraid to say what’s on their mind. It got the complete recipe for friendships, romance, and family.
Thank you Kevin Williamson for creating this beautiful teenage drama series. Thank you to the rest of the talented writers who have contributed as well, for giving us a story that can change people’s mood whenever they watch it. It does happen to me. From that very moment, I forgot that I’m not feeling well. I forgot the pain I felt while watching this show. A show that can help us cope while going through a depressing state.
“Only 16 years old who wants to find herself.” – Dawson
When I heard that line, I could tell that Kevin and the rest of the writers are listening to their audiences. He also confirmed it during one of his interviews. I’m definitely sure that that line was a comment from one of its viewers. They made us feel that they’re all aware of how stupid it was and tell exactly what’s on our minds.
Another one that probably came from viewers’ perspective was when Gretchen told Pacey how Joey and Pacey both have similarities; That they’re both classic scrappy underdogs.
Well, just like all the other TV series it has its moments, and there were, of course, very very bad episodes or seasons rather. (Season 5 is so bad so skip it! Except for Downtown Crossings and Long Goodbye from season 5 hahaha)
**Spoilers Ahead**
My Favourite Scenes:
I’m not gonna list down the obvious top crowd favourite scenes like Pacey’s standing up for Jack, students standing up for principal Green, and Pacey taking care of Andie while she was suffering from her mental health; to name a few.
- Euthanasia scene. Jen argues with her professor in school that life is not a gift but life is a bitch to someone lying on their deathbed.
- Abby Morgan’s funeral. Jen and Andie’s eulogy was heartbreaking and well written. Abby’s character strikes a balance to the black and white world of the principal characters. Needless to say, she added some spices to the drama. If the writer wanted to say something brutally honest, they could simply rely on her. They would let Abby Morgan say it because you cannot expect one of the main characters to say it. Abby leaving the show was quite sad. From what I read, she’s pursuing another show so they let her go.
- Dawson and Joey lying in Dawson’s bedroom while sharing their experiences after their college visit/tour. Joey was so excited not only because she can see herself getting out of Capeside, but also meeting people. People who get excited about books, ideas, and theories. Dawson got the opposite. His film was poorly received by a bunch of college students, thus, made him want to go back to his comfort zone. This contrast was explained by how they felt about his room. While Joey thinks that the room is getting smaller, Dawson thinks that it’s getting bigger and kind of safe.
- Audrey met a guy from a rock band. To my surprise, he’s monogamous. Not your stereotype rock band members, huh? I’m just glad and surprised that they made that guy different. A good listener and offered some good advice when Audrey seeks some.
Band Guy: How well do we know each other now?
Audrey: Not at all.
Band Guy: Um, which is exactly why you should tell me the truth.
My advice will be totally neutral.
- Audrey and Dawson’s circle sharing in rehab. Audrey showing how sorry she was from the “Christmas Eve from hell” by a role-playing kind of way with Dawson in a rehab sharing activity seemed so genuine to me.
- Dawson as an intern. Smiling when Todd told him to read the script on his chair (director chair). Even that small gesture like that, he felt like he was in heaven.
- Joey’s assignment/project. They needed to guess who the famous writer was talking to in her letter. They made a point that if you’re writing to your significant other, you might hold back something and be a bit afraid to tell everything. They also argue that if it’s a friend you can’t tell everything to them as well. So, when Joey saw the videotape of Audrey talking to herself and she was so embarrassed about everything she said on camera, she then formed a theory that the writer of the letter might be writing to herself; because it was written to tell everything about her. The professor didn’t say she was correct, because the letter was also a mystery to him, but everyone in that study group seemed to agree with Joey’s theory.
- The scene when Dawson gave his opinion to one of the Capeside film students. I think it’s lovely and comes from the heart. The script goes like this,
Dawson:
Remember this feeling, George. Remember what it was like to make a film about something that you loved. To have the confidence to do it your way, to control your vision, keep it your own.
George:
Yeah, you do sort of have the stink of burnout talent on you.
- In a college class where Joey was attending (for her college tour experience), A.J who was her roommate for that day has been asked to be a student-teacher in the same class. A.J asked Joey what book they considered to be great. She then replied, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
He smugly says, “It’s sort of a less successful version of Jane Eyre.”
He then asked the student this, “It’s a perennial American classic, yes. But a great book? Worthy of inclusion in the literary canon?“
Student 1: No way. This book is completely anti-feminist in spirit.
Student 2: I concur. I mean, the heroine supposedly burns with this artistic genius, but ultimately she gives up all of her dreams, gets married, and starts popping out babies.
Student 3: Alcott was a minor writer. Most of what she wrote, she wrote purely for money.
A.J. And what’s the lesson here? That we can’t say a book is great simply because we identify with the hero or heroine.
Joey obviously got pissed off from that. The dialogue after that scene is brilliant (Chef Kiss 😘)
A.J.: Joey, wait!
Joey: Why? So you can sic one of your little over-educated minions on me? Try again.
A.J.: Admittedly we were a little harsh.
Joey: I concur.
A.J.: You said you wanted the college experience.
Joey: Don’t be so glib. What you did in there was insensitive. You hardly know me, A.J. Maybe I am just some naive little high school girl, but I was actually looking forward to getting a taste of the fun part of the college experience. Not just that mean, bitter part. Do you spend so much time staring at that iBook that you’ve forgotten that part even existed?
A.J.: I’m sorry. How ‘bout we start over. Give me a chance to show you what college is really all about. What do you say?
❤️❤️❤️
- Jen and Grams are moving to New York. Convincing Jack to move with them and Jack says “How can I turn down living with 3 generations of crazies.” This scene warmed me all over.
- Mostly, the scenes where they just hang out all together like good friends. And of course, all of Joey and Pacey’s titillating scenes.
Very Bad Episodes:
The Promicide. Some say this one was decided because they want Joey to be with Dawson again. The way Pacey acted and treated Joey in this episode goes against Pacey’s personality that they built up, and it doesn’t really make any sense. So yeah, they get what they want, Dawson was in the limelight again.
The episode after the Downtown Crossing. After Joey had that traumatic event, all of them treated it like it was nothing because she turned out to be “okay”. It was really bad writing. A topic that they all been dodging and didn’t want to mention in that episode. I was like, “Man, can you guys have a moment to sit down with her and ask her if she’s okay.” Maybe they treat trauma and depression, like nothing during the ’90s, I don’t know.
Same with the episode when Pacey lost everything (mostly money), and no one was there for him. But when Dawson was left by Joey; Jen and the gang were there to cheer Dawson up. Not fair! 😦
Everybody hates Dawson, but I think he’s alright. I personally think Dawson is a great friend that we will never have. Yes, Dawson was a dick sometimes, what do you expect from a teenager? They’re smart, selfish, and stupid at the same time. Everybody should cut him some slack.
Watch it and experience bliss.
Just a thought. There’s this scene where Joey visits Dawson in film production, the film production built a house – a replica of Dawson’s house at the Capeside – for their film setting. It’s beautiful and it looks like a LEGIT full house. I was thinking, why not create a house? Buy a lot and give to the poor, once they’re done with the filming. I just think it’s a waste of money and effort building house props and not using them or giving them to the homeless afterward. If I were in a production, I think I’d start doing that. Or give the materials to the homeless so they can build a house. Maybe you argue they’ll still use the materials for the other props and so on and so forth, but if the materials are already cut, shaped, and painted; I don’t think big production would still use it for the next props. I don’t know. In my head, it sounded like a good idea.
Joan of Art's Ship of Imagination 