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In still feeling cheated at the end of Dawson's Creek?

154 replies

Valerrie · 08/02/2018 14:59

I've just re-watched as the box set is on All-4 at the moment. Dawson's Creek was a huge part of my teenage years and I still love it.

However, I still feel cheated at the end. Am I alone?

First of all, it felt like the Jen show. I've never found Jen a particularly likeable character and the last two episodes were all about her, which I feel took it away from the main three characters.

Then there's Andie. I didn't really like her that much either, but where was she? She didn't come back for Ken's death, her brother moving back to Capeside with Doug? Seems odd as they were very close.

I'm happy with Joey and Pacey being together. When I was a teen, it absolutely devastated me as I thought she'd finally end up with Dawson, but after a re-watch, I realised Dawson is a bit of a selfish bugger really. But it all felt SO rushed. One minute they're in Capeside and the next they have this teeny and fairly insignificant scene then boom, it's over.

I can only take consolation in the fact that the writer said that Joey and Pacey would still be together now, with children, Dawson is in a good place and Jack and Doug raised Amy successfully and she has two wonderful fathers.

I am aware I have invested way too much time in thinking about this Grin

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Valerrie · 08/02/2018 15:00

Jen's death. Not Ken.

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IWannaSeeHowItEnds · 08/02/2018 15:03

You are right. It did feel very thrown together at the last minute. Dawson was such an arse - can't believe I didn't really see it first time around!

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Valerrie · 08/02/2018 15:26

I know. I absolutely loved Dawson years ago and thought he was the perfect boy/man.

Now I can see he was really awful to Joey! No wonder she went with Pacey.

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ThomasHardyPerennial · 08/02/2018 15:36

Jen is terrible, and I don't really like Grams either to be honest. Jen is always going on about how people never let her forget her past, but she is constantly bringing it up! She drives me nuts Grin. I agree with you op, the finale does feel rushed. I was so obsessed with the show when it was on TV.

Chickenpie9 · 08/02/2018 16:32

Is All 4 only available online ? I would love to revisit Dawson’s Creek

londonrach · 08/02/2018 16:41

Rewatching it at the moment. Never like dawson. Pacey was my fav and i loved how joey dressed

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/02/2018 16:44

She didn't come back for Ken's death,

She did! She came and explained in layman’s term a what was happening to Jen.

HarrietKettleWasHere · 08/02/2018 16:47

I thought Andie did come back and there was a hospital scene where she had to explain to everyone that heart failure pretty much meant Jen was going to pop her cogs fairly soon.

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/02/2018 16:49

Btw I think it was absolutely fantastic that the creator was able to stick it to Dawson so harshly considering Dawson was the lead character and I always assumed the show was autobiographical to some extent. Confirmed by the last episodes where Dawson was writing creek days based on his own life Grin it was life imitating art, imitating life! Dawson was not a likeable character. And I think that was deliberate. I really appreciated that the writers did that. Usually the title character is the one everyone loves and roots for! But to my mind it was always the joey and pacey show. Right from episode one those writers knew where they were going with that. (Also confirmation in my mind that it was based on real events)

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/02/2018 16:51

Btw I blame pacey for me being single most of my adult life Grin that was a high standard set early!

HarrietKettleWasHere · 08/02/2018 16:53

Who has the meme of that amazing crying Dawson face?!

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/02/2018 16:53

I have the box set on DVD and have watched it dozens of times. I now have to stop before the last episode as it leaves me in foods of tears and an emotional wreck for ages afterwards. I watch it about once a year but I have to mentally prepare myself for it before I can watch the final episode.

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/02/2018 16:55

Grin harriet! I love that meme. When I was studying a few years ago my class were forever posting that on our FB group when we were doing a particularly nasty physics exam!

Yamayo · 08/02/2018 16:57

I remember reading that the show creator was totally in love with Dawson and completely rooting for him to be Joey' s one true love.
Apparently we were meant to feel sad for him during the terrible crying scene.

The show broke Pacey and Joey off randomly. One minute Pacey (the perfect boyfriend always there for her) and Joey are happy then suddenly out of nowhere he decides he's too jealous to deal with her relationship with Dawson and walks off? No fucking way.
That's because the showrunners wanted Dawson/Joey as endgame. They finally realised that all the fans wanted her back with Pacey hence the final episodes.

Anyone remember the one when Joey and Pacey got stuck in Wal-Mart overnight? I remember taping it and watching it repeatedly with friends. How sad we were... Grin

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Valerrie · 08/02/2018 16:57

The writer confirmed that it was only when he was writing the last episode that he decided Joey would end up with Pacey. He said he always intended it to be Dawson, then when he wrote the final one, he had a change of heart and wanted to do what people wouldn't expect. It was on Buzzfeed fairly recently as they released an interview with him Smile

I didn't like Grams at the start but her turnaround I thought was pretty cool. It was back in my teenage days anyway, as my grandmother was similar and I don't think she ever would have accepted certain things.

I must have missed Andie then! I watched the last two episodes today so I don't understand how! I'll have to re-watch.

The other thing that has annoyed me about the All4 ones is that the Run Like Mad theme tune was used for every episode. Apparently the I Don't Want to Wait theme wasn't paid for to use in the future, and she refused to let them use it, so they had to use Run Like Mad. It made me sad, especially as they use a line from it when The Creek ends. They have apparently paid for lifetime use for the last two episodes, but when I got to them, All4 hadn't used it Sad

I did like the nod to One Hand in My Pocket though when Jen was in hospital, as they wanted to use that for the theme originally.

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Valerrie · 08/02/2018 17:00

I have the box set on DVD too, but they're in my garage and I can never be bothered to go and get them. All4 is so much easier!

I love the one where they're locked in! The wall gets me every time though.

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DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/02/2018 17:01

No way!! See an there was me all convinced it was written In the stars that joey and pacey for menat for each other. It just seemed so bloody obvious!! How could anyone write such an appalling character as Dawson without the awareness of how he came across? Confused

I loved the Walmart episode. I was gutted when that didn’t work out for them after that one.

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/02/2018 17:02

Oh the wall. No-one ever bought (rented) me a wall. Sad I should put that as a requirement on my online dating profile. Grin

Yamayo · 08/02/2018 17:08

And the dance when he whispers 'I remember everything'? Had Dawson said it, it would have been super creepy. But my friends and I totally swooned at that scene.

And the first kiss when he's driving her back and keeps asking why he was the first person she called?

I wanted/who am I kidding still want a Pacey.

Yamayo · 08/02/2018 17:09

I'm going to have to check out All4. Just forward all the Dawson scenes. Him and his creepy parents. They were a deeply unpleasant family.

Dozer · 08/02/2018 17:09

If the writer really did that he’s a dick!

nothruroad · 08/02/2018 17:13

I’m going to look like a total Dawson geek here but I don’t care. Andie didn’t visit Jen in the original episode shown on TV as it was cut but it’s shown in the extended version. This confused me for ages.

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/02/2018 17:17

And the dance when he whispers 'I remember everything'? Had Dawson said it, it would have been super creepy. But my friends and I totally swooned at that scene.

Yep.

I remember watching the scene at Mitch and Gail’s wedding and Dawson and joey were dancing. He was talking about everything they would do together that summer and she had literal tears in her eyes. Any decent person would see how much pain their friend was in and tell them to go and be with the person they loved but not Dawson, he just carried on dancing with her and yabbering on. Just so glad he had won her. What a knob. He was a total bellend to all the girls in his life.

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Valerrie · 08/02/2018 17:17

I knew I didn't see her!! I'll have to dig my DVDs out then!

Oh yes you're right about them being an unpleasant family. Mitch was so controlling, the part when he tried to force Dawson to have a PC over a Mac (I guess he was paying though Grin) and he didn't like to let him make his own decisions. I wasn't overly bothered when he died. The actor who played him wanted more scenes and became more demanding for money, so I read, then they cut him.

I think everyone wants a Pacey, do they not? I suppose my DH is as caring, but not as romantic. I need to make him watch them as it might give him some ideas Grin

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DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 08/02/2018 17:18

Ahh! I never saw the tv version nothru, just the DVD release. I stopped watching DC in season 2 as a teenager and only watched the full thing as an adult.