Watching Dawson's Creek from the beginning...

Hi, Michelle!

When is the Heath Ledger troll going to chime in?

I had a such a crush on Kerr Smith.

Shit show. James is hot.

r3 gorgeous man. what is he up to these days?

Welfare

Last I heard he owns a brewery.

Michelle's had a lot of plastic surgery since then. No more piggy face.

Yeah she either had a shit ton of surgery or, I don't know, lost some weight.

Spare a thought for poor Katie Holmes, who gave up what could have been a promising career to marry Tom Cruise.

I thought it was better than 90210.

Michelle looked like a fat dwarf in DsC. I was shocked

Michelle Williams looks 40.

Duckface

Ottawa wait, for our lives to be over...

Hey remember me? I'm the annoying cast member that quit the show.

"Wanna go back to my trailer?"

r17 the actor who played his dad is totally gay, right?

JJ/ Pacey totally took over the show from JV/Dawson. It was one of the first times a show completely changed their course of direction and switched half of the 'destined to be together from birth' love interests. They were smart in doing that.

I'm surprised both guys are still kind of hot. Too bad Joshua's girlfriend left him for Daryl Dixon.

Joey was always the character to whom I most related. She was the homely girl. It was so fitting that she sang "On My Own", as she was clearly Eponine, even down to her shitty family. I was so happy when she got with Pacey and found a little bit of happiness.

r21 Oh my.

r21 - it looked like she was lip synching - almost like she really did sing, they used autotune, and then played it back for her to mouth the words again.

Sasha Alexander is one of the better actresses to come from Dawson's Creek - much better than Katie Holmes, Busy Phillips and James Vanderbeek.

Dawson's Creek still has one of the best all time season finales ever. Seriously, it was just incredibly well done. A perfect wrap-up of the entire series.

Oh wow. This thread has altered my entire perspective on life! How can I ever thank you, OP?!

TIL that Dawson's Creek hasn't yet fallen to the bottom of the deep and dark chasm known as "Shows That Were Once on TV That Nobody Talks About Anymore".

Huh.

Who'da thunk?

R21 I related to misfit Jen & shy Jack more than whiny, miserable, pass-agg Joey.

I thought Pacey belonged with Andie.

R18 - I remember rumors about onscreen father and son fucking and the father getting killed off before it could blow up in public and wreck the show's brand.

I prefer Dawson's crack

Dawson’s Creek was one of those shows that benefited greatly from its soundtrack. It was perfect for the more earnest pop-rock and cerebral female singer-songwriter lead alternative tracks that were ascendant in the late 90s (outside of the teen pop boom that was also omnipresent). So many of the scenes from that show were made better because of the songs playing in the background of any given scene. I’m not sure the show would have been as good if it weren’t for the music.

I'm up to season 4 and i still can't stand Joey, although she does have good chemistry with Pacey. Jen and Jack are my faves and it sucks that they killed her off.

I despised Joey too, R32. She was judgemental, touchy, smug and quite charmless. IMO Dawson liked her so much because he was the only one so wrapped up in himself that her faults escaped his notice.

Joey's shitty background did make her somewhat more sympathetic, though. She came good.

Andie was wonderful. r28 she gave both Jack and Pacey real depth.

I loved the show until it became "Dawson's Creek: The College Years".

R15 Netflix have made some adjustments to show as they re-air it.

I have to say, reinstating the original superlative theme was an inspired choice.

I wish Andie and Pacey had lasted a little longer.

I remember there were plenty of stories online about Van Der Beek being a complete asshole to his fans. Poor guy, he seriously thought he would make it big in Hollywood.

r38 he had fans?

James VdB himself wasn't much of a fan of the show or the character, either.

I remember Paul Walker saying he didn't like JVDB when they did Varsity Blues. Wonder how bad was he on the set of DC?

Busy Phillips liked James enough to stay in contact, and Busy is (or was?) close to Michelle so perhaps that goes x2. Looking back it would seem the male cast members had more of a problem with the Beek. Maybe jealousy?

I thought it was funny that Busy was the only one they could get on Bitch from Apartment 23.

R36, that is a better song, but I don't remember ever hearing it during DC's original run, and I watched from the pilot to the end. All I remember hearing is "I Don't Wanna Wait."

R44 Jann Arden is great, an underrated Canadian chanteuse.

Her album BLOOD RED CHERRY is a delight and a forgotten classic in 00s female pop.

Here you go, R30

R46 You could have at least included his butt.

I bet James was really annoyed even the show eventually seemed to become all about Joey. I think there were even episodes without him in it. The show was DAWSON'S creek not Joey's Creek. I never found Joey that compelling. Kerr Smith was by far the hottest guy on that show. Pacey annoyed me and I hated his name and I thought Pacey and Andie were the best pairing on the show .

When the show not even

R48 by the last season Dawson was basically cameoing in his own story. But maybe that was the point? Finding his life as he outgrew the 'Creek' and all that. I think I might be one of the only fans of DC that actually liked Dawson Leery most of the time through all the seasons; he was a jackass but he always had his reasons and stayed true to his own character. He was like an affectionate parody of a WASP-brat.

If they wanted to go with a female lead in his place they should have picked Jen, she was far more interesting than Josephine. Making Jen pregnant and killing her off was the worst thing DC did imo - she had so much drive & energy and had the most unique character Arc. The show could even have followed newbie Audrey more closely, at least she had an interesting life & past. Hell, Grams had more spunk than Joey.

Clever, humane, vivacious Andie deserved better than an institution. She catalysed Pacey to become a man, arguably (and not just in that way, you animals). Joey regressed him back to boy. He was a smug, simpering and self-impressed jerk either way but Andie at least got him to reflect on himself. The Pacey/Joey fans may be the worst to ever befall the teen drama genre.

Jack was so cute and he should have had more centric episodes. The happy ending he got broke ground at the time, but looking back with an eye to storytelling the whole sudden romance with hot cop Doug was too contrived and came out of nowhere.

[quote]the whole sudden romance with hot cop Doug was too contrived and came out of nowhere.

spin-off!

Katie Holmes CANNOT act. Dawson's dad was sex on legs. Pacey has an understated beauty, and yeah Michelle reigns supreme talent wise.

r34 I used to watch this show in middle school. good times. And that is an epic line.

r44 Thats because that song was never used. perhaps they couldn't licensing from paula cole's publishing but I dam well remember when Dawson's creek first aired and that shit won't played.

Agree that Andie and Pacey played well off one another. I really liked how the friendship between Jen and Jack developed. Grams more or less adopted Jack.

R48 funny you should mention that. I only watched a few episodes and I remember thinking, "Uh this should be called Joey's creek..." since you know, she was always the one canoeing in it to his house or whatever.

JVDB got the role on his knees. I never understood why anyone would want him though. I thought it was funny that the writers had his nickname be Oopma Loompa. Surprised he allowed it.

Pacey and Dawson's dad spending time together after school would have been a nice episode.

"Paul Walker saying he didn't like JVDB when they did Varsity Blues. "

Because they kept fighting over who got to fuck Scott Caan's ass first.

Didnt they have a spinoff!

I watched the show back in the day, and am ashamed to admit that I partook in the internet fandom.

Boy, you all should've seen the epic board discussions that were had back then on Fanforum and Mightybigtv. The war between Dawson/Joey fans and Pacey/Joey fans were legendary. Just pages upon pages of back-and-forth posts made by teenage girls, middle-age fraus and snarky gay men...all endlessly debating which couple was better, complete with dissertation length analyses aimed at proving what a douche Dawson or Pacey was.

Looking back it was all so silly, but I swear people took these shipping debates/wars so fucking seriously.

I think a lot of people forget, however, how much the character of Dawson was hated back then by a huge portion of the show's audience--at least online. And I think a large part of that was due to James Van Der Beek, who in my opinion, played him incredibly whiny, entitled and smug. He also wasn't a really good actor, if you ask me. Just look at his infamous crying face below, which has gone on to spawn a million hilarious memes.

Contrast that with Joshua Jackson, who was hotter, more natural on screen, and had way more chemistry with Katie Holmes (probably because they were dating), and it's no wonder the collective Vajayjays of the straight female demo got so wet for Pacey instead of Dawson.

Thus the shipping wars began and DC went from a 90s Wonder Years re-boot attempt, to a soapy Days of Our Lives made for teens.

Dawsons Creek would probably be even more popular if Dawson wasnt so ugly. How did he get that role? It is a major requirement for teen soaps to have a gorgeous male lead actor and a relatable plain-ish female lead actor. No wonder Pacey ended up getting a bigger role.

You forget that Pacey started out even more ugly, with an epically bad haircut.

And then he got the frosted tips...

hahaa, James, no. Even with the Caesar haircut and the frosted tips, Josh wasn't ugly... or freakishly Oompa Loompa looking.

I remember my best friend and I absolutely howling at r21's clip when it originally aired. Years later, when Tom bought his bride a 10 minute spot on 'So You Think You Can Dance', we were hoping for something as equally awful but to be honest she wasn't all that bad on SYTYCD.

Another cringeworthy moment featuring Katie Holmes.

R64...amen. Josh was hot even then, haircut and all.

Interestingly, he auditioned to play Dawson, but they gave the part to the Beek. Big mistake in my opinion. I have a feeling the show would've been completely different in tone if Josh was cast to play Dawson. He was a better actor, better looking, and probably would've made the character more sympathetic as I'm sure the writers intended him to be.

It's pretty telling that by the 3rd season the writers had shifted the show's focus away from Dawson to Pacey and Joey.

JVDB has always looked like he wears bad cologne, and too much of it, no matter who he plays.

I remember they censored Jack's gay storyline. They wouldn't allow him to kiss, it took fucking forever for him to get a love interest.

the Jack & Tobey kiss

[Quote] I watched the show back in the day, and am ashamed to admit that I partook in the internet fandom. Boy, you all should've seen the epic board discussions that were had back then on Fanforum and Mightybigtv. The war between Dawson/Joey fans and Pacey/Joey fans were legendary. Just pages upon pages of back-and-forth posts made by teenage girls, middle-age fraus and snarky gay men...all endlessly debating which couple was better, complete with dissertation length analyses aimed at proving what a douche Dawson or Pacey was. Looking back it was all so silly, but I swear people took these shipping debates/wars so fucking seriously.

That shit still happens now, it's just all on tumblr with gifs and fanfics. Fandom has also become alot more entitled and can now interact with the cast/crew thanks to social media/conventions.

R31 I haven't listened to the music on them in over a decade, but rather embarrassingly, I used to loooooove the Dawson's Creek soundtracks. My god, I completely forgot about them.

[Quote] I remember they censored Jack's gay storyline. They wouldn't allow him to kiss, it took fucking forever for him to get a love interest.

I felt so bad for him after he kissed Ethan ☹️

Officer Doug was a cutie, and always getting teased by Pacey for his unmanly choice of music. I wonder if the writers had decided he was gay from day one, or if they just figured it worked for the finale.

Grams was a hoot -still remember her "love is the hardest of woods" meta monologue.

[Quote] Officer Doug was a cutie, and always getting teased by Pacey for his unmanly choice of music. I wonder if the writers had decided he was gay from day one, or if they just figured it worked for the finale.

I wondered that too.

[quote]I felt so bad for him after he kissed Ethan

Why?

R76 Because Jack finally put himself out there and i thought we were going to see them date. Instead Jack gets rejected and Ethan gets back with his ex.

Did we know then how homophobic Kerr Smith is, R77?

Abby Morgan was a DL icon.

R78 No i didn't. I only just started watching the show this year.

Nobody could have known initially that Josh Jackson would eclipse JvDB in looks (he was always more talented). He took over the show naturally especially since JvDB kept asking for outs to do movies.

I also preferred Pacey & Andie by the way! Joey was the worst. Dawson & Jen should have ended up together but apparently she'd rather die (lol)

I've noticed that usually fans find the main boring and latch onto the other characters.

Then you could have known, R80.

Jann Arden is very fat.

[quote] I remember Paul Walker saying he didn't like JVDB when they did Varsity Blues. Wonder how bad was he on the set of DC?

I always suspected that the rumors about him & John Wesley Shipp rocking their trailer originated from someone on set trying to get back at JVDB for his diva behavior and there was not actually any truth to it.

If they wanted to get back at him, i'm sure they could've made up something more scandalous/hurtful than hooking up with a costar.

Oh, so Dawson takes loads by creeks too?

The Paley Center in LA hosted a panel on the show about 8 years ago. None of the main cast members other than JVDB showed. The only others who came were Busy Phillips and Meredith Monroe. Monica Keena was there, but poor girl had to buy a ticket and sat in the audience.

A friend sat by Kerr Smith at a performance of Cabaret in NY when Michelle Williams was starring. Idk if those two still keep in touch, but I'm guessing not since Kerr was sitting in the rear mezzanine about as far away from Michelle as you could get.

Watching Dawson's c̶r̶e̶e̶k̶k̶ crack from the beginning...

[quote] Monica Keena was there, but poor girl had to buy a ticket and sat in the audience.

Pathetic bitch. And that was $$$ I could have used on blow.

[quote]Nobody could have known initially that Josh Jackson would eclipse JvDB in looks

Really? I'm pretty sure anyone with eyes knew Josh had always been better looking than Oompa Loompa.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Well I'm excited. Dawson's Creek is now on Amazon. Before it was cut from Netflix I was only able to watch up to season 5, so now I have the chance to see how the gang all turn out. Might be time for some binge-watching!

I liked the first couple seasons and then I had to bow out. How was the show soooo fucking white? Like not one person of color? An openly gay teen in NC in the 90s bit not a speck of diversity? I was over it especially when I saw the ads for the pure white spinoff Young Americans. It just felt odd. This is all coming from a white guy too.

The show was set on the cape of Massachusetts though.

That Young Americans show was interesting for its gay storyline. They had Ian Somerhalder's straight character confused about falling in love with who he thought was a boy, but was really a butch girl. He even got to the the "fuck it, guess I'm gay" point and made out with "him." But man was he relieved when he found out the truth.

I remember back in 1999, after Season 2 ended, everybody just hated Jen.

I remember when Dawnson and Jen finally had sex and eventually got into a relationship, and everybody thought it was weird, which was weird since Jen was his first girlfriend on the show.

And then in the season finale, when Jen dies, it’s like Dawson had never been romantically involved with her.

Wasn’t Meredith Monroe the Gabrielle Carteris of the show? The 30 year-old playing a high schooler?

Why did she really leave the show?

[Quote] I remember back in 1999, after Season 2 ended, everybody just hated Jen.

Really? It took me less than a season to start hating Joey.

Sanctimonious Joey should have paddled away down the Creek in Season 3.

I am and always will be ride-or-die Andie/Pacey, who should have been Endgame in the last season.

Mitch was the hottest dad ever.

(But yeah, it's problematic when you have off the charts chemistry with the actor who plays your son!)

John Wesley Shipp makes me moister than a snack cake.

The episodes in which Sebastian Spence played a teacher infatuated with Jack prompted some fantasies back in the day. But the story line wasn't pursued.

I loved all the Jack stuff. Loved the attempted spinoff, Young Americans, even more. Television Without Pity had the best recaps.

Young Americans was super gay except Ian Somerhalder was in love with kind of a trans girl Paltrow's cousin.

[Quote] Sanctimonious Joey should have paddled away down the Creek in Season 3.

I don't know how they put up with her. I recently watched season 4 and was waiting for Gretchen to tell her to fuck off and leave Pacey alone.

[Quote] Mitch was the hottest dad ever.

[italic]Was[/italic] being the key word. He did a good job playing an abusive dad on Teen Wolf.

Team Pacey from the very beginning here. I havent seen that show since the original finale. God i am OLD.

Trans girl Paltrow’s cousin? Wtf. U mean hot dyke SHANE? How close of cousins r they? Shane cane be proud of that shit.

R104 You mean Kate Moennig from the L Word.

Ahh I loved this show!!

Jen was my spirit animal (I had also moved from a big city to a small city where I didn’t fit in).

Jack was my first time seeing a gay person portrayed positively.

I was ok on Dawson.

Loved short too until the show became all about her.

And Pacey was what I thought a perfect boyfriend would be like.

I was sad when they write Andy off though, and the scene she has with Pacey in the finale made me tear up. Too bad the writers couldn’t keep her around.

I actually stopped watching during the college years though. It changed too much and I also couldn’t stand the new girl played by Busy Phillips. And the college years focused way too much on Joey and caused me to dislike her.

As a huge Jen fan I have to say I seem to be the only one that loved the fact that she died in the end. That caused the finale to basically be all about her. It was tragic but it also allowed the best actor on the show to hit a home run. I don’t remember anything about the finale besides the Jen centered scenes. Also, Jen and jack were the true soulmates on this show.

I also don’t think Doug was intended to be gay but by the end, it made sense to reveal him as Jacks lover. They were probably the only good looking gays in that town.

Season 2 was my favorite. Abby Morgan! Joey turning on her dad! The fire! And Jens relationship w grams was awesome to see play out! Andie and Joey!

Oh and Grams!!! Loved her. The scene when Jen dies and she told her she’s see her soon in Heaven still makes me cry. Their relationship was so complex. Also loved when religious Grams defended homosexuality to Jen jackass boyfriend at the time.

Michelle didn’t come off as so talented. But then she did Dick, was effortlessly natural with an English accent in Me Without You, station agent, she’d built a nice little film resume before she showed up to get nominated for revoking jack nasty a couple years after her show died.

[Quote] Season 2 was my favorite. Abby Morgan!

It's a shame Monica Keena is such a mess in real life. I don't think i have seen her in anything since Freddy vs Jason (and i barely recognized her in that).

*rebuking jack nasty

R17 I may just tear one off to that image.

How does Kerr Smith make a living now?

What happened to Monica Keener?

I mean Monica Keena. I first saw her in this INSANE 90s indie about 2 young girls who run away and slut it around on an army base.

What about any Dawson’s Creek inconsistencies? What where they, if any?

[quote] What about any Dawson’s Creek inconsistencies? What where they, if any?

Dawson's Dad was a Dickhound.

That's inconsistent with the whole wife thing.....

Keena hung around with a bunch of loser ugly alcoholic gays who dragged her down.

R119, I had no idea Keena was a datalounger.

I did not like Joey Potter, but I still think that moment when she reads Jen for filth in Season 1 is iconic.

“Hey Joey, I love your lipstick, what shade is that?” “‘Wicked Red’. Jen, I love your hair color; what number is that?”

R121 I think Jen references that scene in a later season too.

[quote]How does Kerr Smith make a living now?

He does not, one hopes.

Do you think Dawson’s parents, both former hot jocks, were let down that they had such a geeky son?

Damn, so many A/P fans. They sucked! Andie was a whiney bitch. I'm rewatching some episodes now and the best thing about the show was Pacey and Joey. It wouldn't have been remembered as it is now if not for them. The show did do some remarkable things, chiefly replacing the lead with the sidekick. Back then people used to say it became Pacey's Pond. Not only did they shift the romance, but they truly shattered D/P relationship. It was never the same after Pacey and Joey got together. Dawson became his own entity in many ways. They all were a bit fragmented. The thing about D/J was that Dawson wasn't really in love with her, he was more in love with having a film career. Which is why P/J ending up together was the only way to go. They beat a dead horse with Dawson in the equation well after its expiration date. The college years were awful, I hated Audrey.

If they ever reboot, maybe Andie could get with Dawson:-)

I knew someone who worked in the show and they said JVDB was the biggest douche.

How did she get this face?

I liked all four the the main leads, but it was very obvious that Michelle was the "discovery" from the very start.

I would have been most surprised if she had not gone on to have a great career. I just never would have guessed it would be as prestigious as is has been.