I couldn't agree with you more in regards to Andie and Jack. They needed characters who were not tied into the quad drama to keep it fresh and also get the main four a chance to breathe. Jack is one of my favorite TV characters of all time. Despite any missteps that the show might have made with him, his love, etc., I truly believe they created a good, well-rounded, gay teenage boy who perfectly fit the warm and easy pace of Capeside. Say what you want about what Kerr Smith said about the character ages ago - he played him well.

ETA: I just reread posts from this thread and saw that I said almost the exact same thing about Andie and Jack's addition nearly seven years ago

Edited January 22, 20187 yr by All My Shadows

I've been steadily watching season four over the last few days, and I have several quick comments:

- Okay, this season is definitely better than season three in multiple ways. Not sure why I was so drawn to season three when I originally watched years and years ago, but everything just flows better and is so much easier to get into in 4. The triangle heats up and is filled with melodrama, but it's pretty juicy and engrossing.

- Pacey's birthday. Damn it. I forgot how dramatic the whole party and aftermath was. It's such a great example of teen drama being human drama - quiet, slow-moving, and emotional. I miss teen soaps like this so SO much. Now, the entire show would center on Dawson trying to find Mrs. Potter's missing corpse.

- I never realized before that Jack was openly considered a hottie in Capeside. I've caught several times where Joey says he's "built like a Greek god" or Jen makes a sleazy face when he facetiously says "what if I started undressing in front of you." The Toby storyline is good, and it's made us see his not-so-virtuous side. Him trying to hook up with Jen was probably the most disgusting thing I've ever seen on television.

I always forget how much I love this show's vibe. I just wish I could hear the real damn theme song from time to time.

Edited December 6, 20213 yr by All My Shadows

David Monahan who played Toby is gay IRL. I didn't know that. I always had a crush on him. He's been with his partner for 20 years. David looks real good for being 50 years old.

 

Edited December 7, 20213 yr by Soapsuds

Season 5 is atrocious, guys, wow. And to get to the end and feel them trying to end the show and knowing that there’s another season…yikes.

The Joey episode with the mugger is provably the worst and most pointless in the series.

I finally finished season 6 and the series. Seasons 5 and 6 made it a chore to watch, but I powered through most of 6 in the last two weeks or so. I was just ready to put it to bed. I don't even have that much to say, but here goes:

- I think I've finally pinpointed what, for me, makes the final season so BLAHHHH to me. They wrote these characters like they were 30 years old when they were supposed to be young and dumb 20-year-olds. Why in the heck was Joey chaperoning a high school dance when she was barely a year and a half out of high school herself? She was probably still young enough to be in attendance as a guest! Goatee Pacey in a suit as a stockbroker? At age 20!!
- That leads to...the gang was super isolated! Dawson was off doing his thing, Joey was doing her own thing, Jen was kinda sorta doing her own thing but not really doing anything, Pacey was doing his own thing, Jack was also kinda sorta not doing anything but still there. None of these characters were friends anymore, and it was really hard to stay invested in anything when they were so far apart from each other. I get the BTS reasons why, and maybe that's how/why TPTB knew that it was time to pull the plug.
- That also leads to...way too many characters! With each character on his/her own island, each character had his/her own circle of supporting characters, and it was hard to care about ANY of them! Pacey's ugly coworkers with the ugly hair, Dawson's wannabe Hollywood starlet and smartass director, Joey's Todd Manning PhD (complete with his own Starr) and Eddie, etc. Just too many side characters with basically the same storyline.
- Audrey was annoying as all fck and I don't understand why anyone besides Joey was ever "friends" with her or why Joey would have continued to be friends with her after they were no longer roomies.

The finale was nearly perfect, and thank goddddddd they put it in the hands of KW. It had its faults. I never really dug the Jack/Doug thing - Jack deserved a purely happy relationship with a new character (not sure why they stuck in yet another love interest for Joey if he wasn't gonna make it past one damn scene), and Doug should have just been straight so as to shut up the years of BS from Pacey. Speaking of...Pacey as a homewrecker and getting punched so that he spends most of the episode with bruises on his face was unnecessary. And lastly, Jen's death was heartbreaking, and I'm okay with it, but her whole spiel about "never fitting in" and always being an outsider was kinda weird. After all of those years and the relationships she built with the gang (barring the last season, of course), she shouldn't have been feeling like an outsider still.

As for the resolution of the triangle - I couldn't even care less lol once the triangle became all about What Joey Wants, it didn't even matter much anymore.

I re-watched the whole series a few years back and it took me 3 years to get through season 5.  

Did anyone see Michelle Williams beautiful speech at the Gotham Awards a few weeks ago thanking Mary Beth Peil.

 

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/michelle-williams-honors-dawsons-creek-grams-mary-beth-peil-1235444311/

Edited December 18, 20222 yr by jcar03

I remember that I watched a few season 6 episodes sporadic as a child but I still can’t bring myself to actually watch the final season!

i think the season 5 finale kinda wrapped everything up perfectly like it should be wrapped up. 

On Jan. 20, 1998 DAWSON'S CREEK debuted. They call it a teen drama but we know it's a soap! About a close-knit group of friends, beginning when they are 15 & in high school & running for 5 years, when some of them are in college, so till May 14, 2003. Dawson, Joey, Pacey & Jen. The twins Andie & Jack moved into the fictional town of Capeside, MA. A Kevin Williamson production out of Wilmington, NC, by Columbia Tri-Star then, now Sony. 128 episodes, along with BUFFY & 7TH HEAVEN, they made up the flagship shows of the new network, The WB. The show is credited with starting a trend of teen-centered shows. Dawson & Pacey worked part-time in a video rental store. Tomboy Joey would climb into Dawson's window. Dealt with coming-of-age, first love, divorce & fractured families, death, homophobia, coming out, mental health & class distinctions. You had to declare yourself either Team Dawson or Team Pacey. I was Team Pacey!

On 5/15/2022 at 11:24 AM, All My Shadows said:

Season 5 is atrocious, guys, wow. And to get to the end and feel them trying to end the show and knowing that there’s another season…yikes.

The Joey episode with the mugger is provably the worst and most pointless in the series.

Yes the mugger played by Sam Ball who was the final Drew Buchanan on OLTL in 1998 (Barbara Graham shot him when she attempted to kill Kevin)

'Dawson's Creek' Cast Will Reunite For F Cancer Charity Event

Series stars Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, and Busy Philipps will reunite at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City on Monday, Sept. 22 for a live reading of the show’s 1998 pilot episode. Van Der Beek was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2023, but did not publicly share his diagnosis until Nov. 2024.

James could not be there (he sent in a video message - he's clearly not well but his spirit seems very strong). Lin Manuel Miranda filled in for him.

19 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

James could not be there (he sent in a video message - he's clearly not well but his spirit seems very strong). Lin Manuel Miranda filled in for him.

I haven't thought much about this show in years, and I found the final few seasons a chore to endure, but I enjoyed the first seasons and the finale, written by Kevin Williamson.

Thanks for alerting us to this. I never would have thought to look for it, but now that I know it exists, I'm going to watch it.

Thank you for posting that. Everyone looked wonderful. Any Dawson's Creek fan that was in the audience got a memory of a lifetime to treasure. Katie Holmes being the only one to step forward for her bow . By all accounts, James van der Beek seems like a mensch, so all the best to him. Was that his family that came out at the end? I also thought it was a smart move to have Renee Elise Goldsberry host the event, because it instantly helped Lin Manuel Miranda in not feeling like a fish out of water.

Edited September 25Sep 25 by Bright Eyes

I just feel so bad for Van Der Beek. What a grueling illness.

10 minutes ago, Bright Eyes said:

Thank you for posting that. Everyone looked wonderful. Any Dawson's Creek fan that was in the audience got a memory of a lifetime to treasure. Katie Holmes being the only one to step forward for her bow . By all accounts, James van der Beek seems like a mensch, so all the best to him. Was that his family that came out at the end? I also thought it was a smart move to Renee Elise Goldsberry host the event, because it instantly helped Lin Manuel Miranda in not feeling like a fish out of water.

Yes, his wife and daughters joined the song.

I saw someone saying Lin Manuel Miranda is Dawson-coded, which amused me.