The real finale of this series is S6E22. I'd like to think that someone high up in the hierarchy creatively really intended that to be the end. It feels like it is. But fans demanded that Joey end up with Pacey even though that really doesn't fit. Personally, I always rooted for Dawson, but the truth is neither one of them deserves her. In S6E22, Joey comments about life imitating art imitating life and then asks Dawson what his movie was really about. His answer is that it is about a girl and expands on that thought. He says nothing about the two boys. Of course everyone knows that the girl is Joey and that his movie is really a prop for the series itself.
Both boys are deeply flawed and not in a heroic way. Both wear masks with what appears to be good character underneath the boyhood lusts. They can each pull up noble actions almost on demand. Dawson's selfish character takes longer to manifest and I even think that the writer gods changed him sometime after the first season. He earned my respect the night he held Jen in his arms all night after her grandfather died. Dawson had other noble moments in season 1. At that point, I feel like that was the real Dawson, as he was at that time. Later the noble moments were just the mask. The real Dawson appeared every time Joey crossed him, or anyone for that matter. When Jen dumped him, his anger quickly faded, but after that his burning anger would remain for long periods until something came along to turn his interest elsewhere.
Pacey, on the other hand, went to the dark side quickly. His behavior might be excused as youthful lust, but the same basic behavior continued through many woman and girls continuously right into S6E23 when he got beat up by jealous husbands. While I don't hold him solely responsible for losing Dawson's money, that period in his life was controlled by arrogance and lust both for sex and money. Even at the best times in his relationships with any of his women, his was motivated by greed with jealousy always lurking. The one time in his story where I had hope for him was with Andie.
Joey had her issues, but she always gave of herself more than she took. Insecurities rooted in her family history made her seem weak at times. Still she chose the high road more often than not. She really seemed to grow as a person. I especially loved how she took on Harley and mentored her with the love of a big sister. Her performance in S6E22 was positively heroic and should have been her curtain call.
Like most TV shows, this series took on issues of the day usually against the traditional viewpoint of the times. That's not bad in itself, but some of the story arcs were morally questionable. Pacey and Tamara hit us early on. It was presented in such a way that I just can't condone.
Grams was introduced as a bigoted judgmental Bible thumper. Early on it seemed like she was unyielding, but even then she always said things in a way that left room to know that she might truly be thinking in the best interest of the person she came down on, usually Jen. That became more and more obvious as time went on, but in later seasons most of her religious values of righteousness disappeared almost entirely. In other words, she joined the opposition.
Parents were anything from incompetent and hypocritical to everything that is bad in parenting. Dawson's parents, Bessie, and Grams, were the only ones that had any good traits, although a couple softened a little in later seasons. Audrey's and Drue's never did. Jen's dad knew Jen had seen something that deeply disturbed her and just tried to act as if nothing had happened. If nothing worse, almost all the parents virtually ignored their kids.
Drinking and drugs. I think every teen character went on a bender at some point. Consequences ranged from social alienation to total destruction of property. Academic standing was threatened more than once. One person ended up in rehab. One might say that such actions always ended in negative consequences, so that's OK. However, many of the benders were extreme even by typical adolescent standards. I find it amazing that none of them ever learned from each other, and a couple even did it again.
Perhaps my biggest complaint, and it leaves me wondering why I haven't seen more of this criticism, is the way the series treats women. Males in the series almost universally have the attitude that women are sex objects. Some never seem to learn any better. Almost every woman other than Bessie and Grams has at least one instance of being treated like crap by a man and that even includes Gale. With Jen, I feel like the writer gods have chosen her for special abuse. She goes from one disaster to another. To top it off, during the missing 5 years, she gets pregnant and dumped yet again setting her up for her series finale death leaving an orphan! She does have a brief run with Dawson which is nice but emphasis on brief. Jen is another character that appears to have suffered a character rewrite somewhere early in season 2. I admired the young woman during season 1 who seemed to be making good choices and treating others well.
So why did I stick with this series enough to binge the entire thing in about a week on the 20th anniversary of its farewell?
There were a few really nice moments. The birth of Bessie's baby was one. Dawson actually coming together with Jen was another. Andie's temporary rehabilitation of Pace. Gretchen and Dawson. But those things were pretty spread out.
The answer is Katie Holmes/Joey Potter. That innocent smile showing all her teeth is a killer. The character is so sweet and unselfish to a fault. She really deserves better than either guy.
Both boys are deeply flawed and not in a heroic way. Both wear masks with what appears to be good character underneath the boyhood lusts. They can each pull up noble actions almost on demand. Dawson's selfish character takes longer to manifest and I even think that the writer gods changed him sometime after the first season. He earned my respect the night he held Jen in his arms all night after her grandfather died. Dawson had other noble moments in season 1. At that point, I feel like that was the real Dawson, as he was at that time. Later the noble moments were just the mask. The real Dawson appeared every time Joey crossed him, or anyone for that matter. When Jen dumped him, his anger quickly faded, but after that his burning anger would remain for long periods until something came along to turn his interest elsewhere.
Pacey, on the other hand, went to the dark side quickly. His behavior might be excused as youthful lust, but the same basic behavior continued through many woman and girls continuously right into S6E23 when he got beat up by jealous husbands. While I don't hold him solely responsible for losing Dawson's money, that period in his life was controlled by arrogance and lust both for sex and money. Even at the best times in his relationships with any of his women, his was motivated by greed with jealousy always lurking. The one time in his story where I had hope for him was with Andie.
Joey had her issues, but she always gave of herself more than she took. Insecurities rooted in her family history made her seem weak at times. Still she chose the high road more often than not. She really seemed to grow as a person. I especially loved how she took on Harley and mentored her with the love of a big sister. Her performance in S6E22 was positively heroic and should have been her curtain call.
Like most TV shows, this series took on issues of the day usually against the traditional viewpoint of the times. That's not bad in itself, but some of the story arcs were morally questionable. Pacey and Tamara hit us early on. It was presented in such a way that I just can't condone.
Grams was introduced as a bigoted judgmental Bible thumper. Early on it seemed like she was unyielding, but even then she always said things in a way that left room to know that she might truly be thinking in the best interest of the person she came down on, usually Jen. That became more and more obvious as time went on, but in later seasons most of her religious values of righteousness disappeared almost entirely. In other words, she joined the opposition.
Parents were anything from incompetent and hypocritical to everything that is bad in parenting. Dawson's parents, Bessie, and Grams, were the only ones that had any good traits, although a couple softened a little in later seasons. Audrey's and Drue's never did. Jen's dad knew Jen had seen something that deeply disturbed her and just tried to act as if nothing had happened. If nothing worse, almost all the parents virtually ignored their kids.
Drinking and drugs. I think every teen character went on a bender at some point. Consequences ranged from social alienation to total destruction of property. Academic standing was threatened more than once. One person ended up in rehab. One might say that such actions always ended in negative consequences, so that's OK. However, many of the benders were extreme even by typical adolescent standards. I find it amazing that none of them ever learned from each other, and a couple even did it again.
Perhaps my biggest complaint, and it leaves me wondering why I haven't seen more of this criticism, is the way the series treats women. Males in the series almost universally have the attitude that women are sex objects. Some never seem to learn any better. Almost every woman other than Bessie and Grams has at least one instance of being treated like crap by a man and that even includes Gale. With Jen, I feel like the writer gods have chosen her for special abuse. She goes from one disaster to another. To top it off, during the missing 5 years, she gets pregnant and dumped yet again setting her up for her series finale death leaving an orphan! She does have a brief run with Dawson which is nice but emphasis on brief. Jen is another character that appears to have suffered a character rewrite somewhere early in season 2. I admired the young woman during season 1 who seemed to be making good choices and treating others well.
So why did I stick with this series enough to binge the entire thing in about a week on the 20th anniversary of its farewell?
There were a few really nice moments. The birth of Bessie's baby was one. Dawson actually coming together with Jen was another. Andie's temporary rehabilitation of Pace. Gretchen and Dawson. But those things were pretty spread out.
The answer is Katie Holmes/Joey Potter. That innocent smile showing all her teeth is a killer. The character is so sweet and unselfish to a fault. She really deserves better than either guy.