Dawson's Creek

Dawson's Creek is by no means a realistic portrayal of teenage angst. I'll admit this. The power of the series and what, in my view, makes it far and away the best thing to happen to TV in a long, long time, is that is it a realistic portrayal of teenage emotions...

The characters in Dawson's Creek may only be 16, yet as Eve said to Dawson (early Season 3) they are all 'old souls'. The emotions in the series are real, the emotions felt by the characters are real, yet, the fact that Kevin Williamson has allowed the characters a vocal outlet for these emotions is the genius of the show. My So Called Life was a brave attempt to do this, but fell short through its pretensions of grandeur. Dawson's Creek embraces the fact that the vocabulary spoken is fake and because of this, is entirely forgiven. This is why we watch television, to feel and see emotions that we cannot or do not feel in our own lives.

As Dawson once said, "Movies (And TV) by definition are escapism, if you want reality look out of the window." Dawson's Creek knows what it is. A fictional television show about high school kids and the emotions they deal with. By admitting its falseness, yet retaining its warmth, humanity and heart, we are able to witness characters that we know aren't real, that we know in real life wouldn't have the vocabulary that these kids possess, but who we believe in and we root for.

Not only emotionally is Dawson's Creek superb, but technically, the series is faultless. Musically, artists like Sarah Mclachlan and Jewel fit snugly into the feel of the series, while artists like New Radicals and Semisonic serve to enhance emotions. The choice of song in Dawson's Creek is rarely wrong and often perfect. The music does not lead the scene into the direction of the song, but serves to reinforce and enhance the emotion that the scene portrays and requires.

Visually, the gorgeous backdrop of Wilmington, North Carolina is fitting as the small American village that is Capeside. The scenic beauty of the Creek, the coast, the woodland, the foliage. Everything visually about the show is in keeping with the emotional context of the show.

Camera work is also faultless. When presented with a difficult emotional scene, we usually pull away from the action at the end of the scene, not judging the characters for their mistakes and allowing them the right to deal with it on their own, without our interference. Only rarely do we judge the characters and when we do, the characters themselves have already beat us to it. (Dawson and Andie getting drunk)

I'd like to thank Kevin Williamson for allowing me the chance to fall in love with the town, the people and the life. These emotions are real. The vocabulary, is just a way of allowing the emotions to have a voice.

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!OK now that we've got that out of the way I'd like to tell you why.First of all Kevin W.'s witty and intelligent writing style give the characters a real sense of personality.Second the young actors and actresses are extremely talented(in fact Katie Holmes happens to be one of my favorite actresses:).Finally I would like to compliment the show's honesty.Instead of talking down to teens in a condescending manner this show's very upfront and direct.It's willing to say things that others might be afraid of saying.Dawson's Creek is one of the best shows to come along in awhile.I love it:)

The thing about Dawson's Creek and it's borderline pretentious vocabulary is that the characters acknowledge that they are a bit too smart for the average teen. They know how silly they must sound at times. Remember the episode where Dawson had his birthday and Andee and him got drunk and he just leveled into everybody? Do you remember what he said to Joey? " Joey, the only fifteen year old I know that needs to find herself. "

To say these teens are precocious is to say that Star Wars has a large following. It's just not needed. We all know that, but what makes the show so good is the characters, the writing, the setting, the direction, the production values, oh hell, everything makes this show good. It really is one of a kind.

What I like best about it is that Dawson is a dreamer. He does not want to grow up to be " Joe " down the street. He wants to be Spielberg. And sometimes he takes flak for who he is. But how many of us have dreamed? How many of us have taken flak for it? So how many of us can relate to this in one way or another?

I do agree however with the general census that Joshua Jackson is the best part of the show. Pacey is down to earth and he is not as wordy as the other characters. But his relationship with Andee is so complex and so refreshing that you yearn for his screen time, you get anxious to see what he is going to do next, and I do think he has the greatest range on the show. In the final episode of the second year, when he finally made some sort of amends with his dad..... powerful stuff.

I do like Joey and I think Katie Holmes is a wonderful actor, as is Van Der Beek and Williams. All in all this show is a refreshing taste of what it was like to be a teen and I applaud them for having the guts to tackle such delicate subjects as homosexuality and the difficulty in believing in God. That takes guts and they handle it with integrity and class.

There isn't a better show on TV and I look forward to every Friday ( here in Ontario ) to see what is going to happen next. Just one complaint: When the hell are Dawson and Joey going to do it?

An excellent show!

Why on earth did they cast James Van Der Beek as Dawson in this series? It was a total irritant to see his expressionless face and stilted dialogue all the way through six series. So much so that in series 5 and 6 when he wasn't prominent in the episode the quality was vastly improved. After five and half series of acting practice he just about managed to gain the power to make facial expressions, loose the wooden acting and deliver a line audibly. Despite all of the above, the rest of the cast to a greater and lesser extent managed to rescue the situation and elevate the series and portray an interesting and sometimes clever storyline, even if quite a few credits should have had as themselves tagged on the credit. That being recognised, then the casting team did a good job, with that one blunder as the exception. All in all a thoroughly good watch with story lines that keep you watching and one of the best examples in this genre.

I watched this in high school until I graduated in 2001. I can't remember the ending so I believe that I stopped watching once I graduated. I rewatched it on Hulu and it's amazing how simple life was back then. No cell phones! We actually hung out with friends and talked to people IN PERSON. I love how PG this show is. So innocent. Sure there are hints of sex scenes but they cut from simply kissing to the aftermath of simply laying next to the person. The shows today are a little more risqué.

I enjoyed this show as a teen and I enjoyed rewatching it and remembering the "good ole days" of my youth.