5 Reasons Why Dawson's Creek is Still Awesome

I just recently finished a summer rewatch of Dawson's Creek on Netflix. I own the seasons of Dawson’s Creek on DVD, but thanks to Netflix, I was able to watch a lot of the series without having to get off the couch to swap out the DVDs. The ease of clicking "play next episode" also allowed me to neglect other things like cleaning my apartment or taking a shower. 

I remember watching Dawson's Creek for the first time when I was 11 and feeling so excited because my mom let me watch something that talked about sex. I also remember feeling extremely afraid to go to high school after watching the pilot because of their overuse of big words.

"Does everyone launch into a dissertation when they speak?" thought 11-year-old me. Of course, I didn't use the word dissertation because I had no idea what the word meant, but you catch my drift.

I also remember watching the show through it's six seasons and always believing that Joey should be with Dawson. I was young and naive then and couldn't understand all of the reasons why these two wouldn't work. Maybe this is the reason I fell for my best friend and we've been dating for 6 years: I projected my young fantasies of two fictional characters into my own life. 

It all makes sense now.

I had been meaning to do a rewatch sooner, but I remember the show jumping the shark in seasons 5&6, so I had put the whole thing off. Why couldn’t you just watch the first four seasons and abandon the ship before it started sinking?, you might ask. Because I’m not a quitter. When I commit, I commit myself completely, even through the often meta-ness of the writing, Oliver Hudson’s guest appearances, and Dawson's annoying only-child syndrome.

In the months of rewatching the show (and yes, suffering through a lot of season 6), I realized that Dawson's Creek is still awesome and here's why:

1.     The “K” Mart Episode

I’ve always loved episodes where characters are trapped together, thus forcing them to confront their issues. Possibly one of the few treasured episodes in season 6 happens when Joey and Pacey visit a K-Mart so Pacey can buy condoms to sleep with some random no-name that he met at a party. It’s minutes before closing, and the doors are already locked, but the two sneak in while a security guard is not looking. Long story short, they end up locked inside of a K-Mart for the night. They immediately begin screaming at each other about their sex lives post-breakup, which is just their obvious sexual tension coming to a boiling point. In the end, Pacey admits his feelings for Joey, and although unsure (because she’s Joey), she kisses him back and they sleep next to each other in the camping section of the store. And Alexia sits on her couch and beams with all the feels. JOEY+PACEY=4EVER

2. Pacey Witter aka “Man of my Dreams”

 
Most people who watched Dawson's Creek growing up had a crush on Joshua Jackson. I remember feeling excited the first time I saw him in the opening credits because I had loved him so much as Charlie Conway on The Mighty Ducks. Seeing him as Pacey made me forget the countless hours I’d spend wishing I were Charlie’s girlfriend, now, I wanted to be Pacey’s girlfriend. In my rewatch, none of that changed. If anything, my love for Pacey’s character grew stronger because of his charm and respect for the women in his life, which some people might also refer to as “white knight syndrome”. Whatever.  Plus, “I’m the best sex you’ll never have” is one of the greatest ways to get an older woman to throw away her already questionable morals and take a chance with a 15-year-old who works at a video store. Yes, Pacey Witter was then, is now, and will always be the fictional boyfriend I wish I had. 

 3. Jack stepping out of the closet as well as societal roles
Second best to Pacey Witter is the character of Jack McPhee. When I was 11, I didn’t really understand how important of a character Jack was for the show and for gay teens. Being a Black woman, I know how difficult it is to see people who represent me in TV and film, and when I do finally see characters of color getting great storylines (Olivia Pope of Scandal and Kat Graham of The Vampire Diaries), I feel included. Sure, Jack didn’t get a lot of screen time with dating and he wasn’t the main character of Dawson’s Creek (let’s admit it, Jack’s Creek would have been way more interesting), but he was a staple on the show. For one of the first times on television, there was a multifaceted gay character who didn’t fit into any preconceived boxes. Jack wanted to play football and join a fraternity, so he did. He did face scrutiny, but that’s reality. I’m glad the writers didn’t shy away from including his struggles because they allowed him to be portrayed as more than just “the gay guy in Capeside.” 

4. Joey Potter’s journey
Growing up, I loved Joey Potter. I really identified with a lot of what her character went through: absent father, shying away from situations because of the fear of getting hurt, and every cute boy wanting to date me (okay, that last one is made up). In rewatching the series, I found myself getting annoyed with Joey’s character, who I used to think could do no wrong. I felt at times she led a lot of men on and enjoyed having them fight over her while always knowing she wasn’t going to choose them.

Then, in the last few episodes of the series, I realized that her fear of being hurt was what led her to walk away from so many people in her life, and that’s when I began to respect her character’s journey. 

5. Natural beauty aka “I Woke Up Like This”
The most important lesson I learned in my rewatch was just how much makeup and strict dieting goes into playing a leading lady (or male) on television today. Think about it: everyone on the CW is breathtakingly gorgeous with crazy fit bodies for the teenagers they portray (I’m lookin’ at you, The Vampire Diaries). Do people in Mystic Falls even get acne? I guess not. 

I mean, sure Nina Dobrev and others on the show are good looking without the makeup, extensions, and sexy clothes, but they are selling the unattainable, which is why it was so refreshing to see Pacey’s acne, Dawson’s non-muscly “sixteen”-year-old body, Joey practically makeup-less, and Audrey in a crop top without a six-pack. These characters represented attainable beauty; they were more realistic. 

All in all, I'd say my rewatch was successful. 

So, thanks Dawson's Creek for teaching me that sex was too complicated to try and navigate at a young age. For creating the flawed, but "human" Joey Potter. And finally, thank you, Pacey Witter for remaining sexy ten years later. 

Image credit: moviefancentral.com