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

[Valerrie]

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

[Luisa77]

I’ve just started watching season 3. God, Dawson is soooo sanctimonious!

Yes! Totally right - red flags all over! Ugh.

[Panickypete]

This had a massive impact on me as a teenage girl.

Me too. I identified with Joey and the others in a way I hadn’t with other tv/ film characters.

[Kinraddie]

Dawson's Creek is my all time favourite show. Pacey forever. I love the very final episode but have only ever seen the one without Andie. Where can I see/get the uncut version with her in it. Pacey and Joey ending up together made my year/decade/life.

[MinnieMousse]

Kinraddie the deleted scene with Andie is available on clip (about 1m40 in). I always found Andie very annoying but she was better than usual in this scene and looks great!

[Mischa123]

I couldn't work out what was wrong with the theme tune and now you have solved the mystery, I am currently half way through the first season. I love love love pacey and he would have been my boyfriend choice but Joey has and always will be my girl crush, I love her

[Luisa77]

Lovely to see the clip with Andie - thanks! Yes she does look a lot better - I think she was older than the others in real life and so never quite meshed as a teen (I’ve just watched an episode where she has bunches and it looks ridiculous)

I’ve started skim watching season 3 from the beginning- not seen these episodes about 18 years! I’ve watched the later ones with the Pacey and Joey romance more recently but it’s lovely to go back to the early ones on the series that build that relationship up organically. I’d forgotten most of it (Andie cheating in the test and her fake sexual assault claim, Pacey and Jen’s sex pact). Some things never change though. Pacey is still totally lovely - even when he breaks up with Andie for cheating on him, he doesn’t really blame her - just says that it shows that he wasn’t the one for her), Dawson is still a tool (I’ve just watched the episode where he’s indignant about Joey and Pacey doing ballroom dancing and making it ALL ABOUT HIM! Especially as I know what’s coming on that front. Yes, I get that you’d be upset if your ex got together with your friend - we’ve all been there - but it’s the way that he’s so self righteous and thinks they all revolve around him and owe him something. And p.s. he’s a SHITTY friend too

So basically I guess I have to differ from the OP in being disappointed in how the whole series ended as for me, I was so happy that Joey picked Pacey rather than Mr Fivehead, that I didn’t really care about much else in the finale - except Jen, R.I.P.

[DonnyAndVladSittingInATree]

I never really understood Dawson’s feelings of ownership over joey. When I was a teen we all mixed in a group and you kind of had to get used to seeing the person you “went out with” last summer snogging your best mate for a few weeks at some point. When you’re friends with a group of people for so long it’s inevitable that a bit of musical relationships happens. And capeside wasn’t so small that Dawson had no other female friends or potential love matches. It’s incredibly creepy how possessive he was over her. And Jen too actually. He got incredibly upset when Jen was planning to have sex with the rich guy with the mansion they went to study at. Like he had appointed himself guardian of all the vaginas he knew. “None shall pass”

[Yamayo]

Speaking of older cast members remember in season 4 when Dawson was seeing Pacey's 20 year old (gasp) sister? The actress looked like she was in her 30s.
I never understood why they couldn't hire someone age-appropriate.

Am currently super frustrated because All4 is not working either on the TV or my IPad...

[Yamayo]

Donny I now have a mental image of Dawson holding a giant staff and stomping his feet... 😊

[DonnyAndVladSittingInATree]

with his gurning face.

[Luisa77]

Yes, his sense of entitlement was really creepy. I'd forgotten that he issued her an ultimatum in the yacht race episode after he found out about her and Pacey - either pick Pacey or her friendship with him. She gives in to his manipulation as I guess he's given her a sense of security in her life, but man, what a tool. Meanwhile, Pacey makes no such ultimatum and tells her that he gets it and gives her space. How is it even a choice between them? Their respective characters are highlighted so clearly in this episode and Dawson does not come off well in comparison!

That face when he cries when Joey goes off to sail away with Pace will never not make me laugh.

[Marlboroandmalbec34]

Ooooh I still adore Joshua Jackson

[DonnyAndVladSittingInATree]

See that’s why I was so convinced the writers had already decided pacey was the man for joey. Because they wrote Dawson as such a horrible character. They can’t seriously have written him like that and expected the viewers to be rooting for Dawson?

[Valerrie]

Oh I forgot about the yacht race! He was such an idiot in that episode, almost killing them all.

I remember as a teen thinking how cool he was. What on earth was I thinking?

[youarenotkiddingme]

I know it's was 'Dawsons' creek but I spent my entire teenage years swooning over Joshua Jackson! I also loved him in the film skulls.

I never watched the last series as I LOVED abroad for 7 years. I didn't know Jen died 😢

Might have to fill some of half term catching up!

[youarenotkiddingme]

Moved abroad obviously. Not entirely sure why my phone decided a capital loved was better?!

[Luisa77]

Yes, totally - it would make more sense if were were supposed to think that he was a tool, but I don't think it was intentional. At least not from the show's original creator, who saw Dawson as a version of himself. But he left after series 2 and I think the new showrunner clearly had his head screwed on and could see who the better man was (well and obviously dictated how he was written - I'm talking about them like they are real people - ha! Although I do think that a lot of the unlikeability of Dawson comes from James VDB's (non) charms). You lot have spiralled me back into Dawson's Creek reminiscing! I've been doing some googling and came across this which sheds some light on to the choices they made re Joey and Pacey

www.vulture.com/2015/10/joey-pacey-dawsons-creek.html

[DonnyAndVladSittingInATree]

That’s an interesting read luisa. I’m just baffled that any of the writers could have even been deluded enough at the end to still think Dawson and joey had anything at all! They dated for a couple of months aged 15 and then had a one’s night stand aged 18/19. And that was it. In comparison to her relationship with pacey Dawson was a drop in the ocean.

[ihearttc]

Ohh Ive found my people!!

I love Dawson's Creek...annoyingly I can't seem to get All4 despite having every single other channel known to man.

Ive been watching another box set called Switched at Birth and it's written by Paul Stupin who I think was something to do with DC. Emmet buys Bay a billboard in it like Pacey got Joey a wall!

[Yamayo]

Dawson cheated in the boat race but still won...

I've managed go get All4 to work on my phone. Not ideal but better than nothing.

[DonnyAndVladSittingInATree]

He was disqualified from the race though so didn’t win anything. He was furious about it.

[CaptainBrickbeard]

Joey and Pacey redeemed the show. I hated Dawson obvs and he suffers from re-watching: what a knob.

However, it’s the treatment of Jen that riles me. She was exploited at a young age and packed off in disgrace by her shitty parents. Then everyone condemns her over and over as a slut and she thinks no one will ever love or value her because she isn’t a perfect, pure model of virginal chastity (like Joey). But is fine for Pacey to have as much sex as he likes because, duh, he’s a boy so that’s totally fine (this dynamic was later repeated with Aubrey). Finally, she commits the ultimate sin of becoming an unwed mother which reveals her heart defect so basically, she dies of having sex. It’s positively Victorian!

[CaptainBrickbeard]

I could watch Joey getting on that boat all day though . It’s so romantic...

[Luisa77]

Oh god I know - with hindsight, the treatment of Jen is horrible slut shaming. And then she dies. Poor Jen!

I do kind of like that of all of them Michelle Williams has by far the best career now, what with all the oscar noms etc.

[DonnyAndVladSittingInATree]

Yes the whole treatment of Jen (and overall message) was quite disgusting. I remember trying to work out how much sex Jen had actually had in the show compared to others like pacey or jack (who went through a lot of men after his boyfriend broke up with him) and it wasn’t a lot at all.