Transitioning from high school to college has always been a difficult thing for teen shows to do. Dawson's Creek made a smart decision from the beginning, Not only did they start their characters as sophomores, but did not advance a year between the 1st and 2nd seasons. This gave them four full years of high school drama before they had to face the perplexing question of how to keep all their characters together. But now they had to deal with coming off their very worst season yet. What to do? Dawson's Creek made a bold decision to change the main character in the show's 5th season and the gamble paid off.

Another summer had passed and it was time to go to college. Joey (Katie Holmes) was now attending the prestigious Worthington College, while Jack (Kerr Smith) and Jen (Michelle Williams) were attending a local university in Boston, and living with Jen's grandmother (Mary Beth Peil). Meanwhile, Dawson (James Van Der Beek) was in Los Angeles trying to establish a film career. Pacey (Josh Jackson) returned from another long sailing trip to get a job as a chef.

The most notable change in season 5 was the decision to replace Dawson with Joey as the main character. It was a change that could be seen coming for a while. Once the Joey-Pacey romance started, Dawson was finished as a credible leading character. However, it wasn't until this season until that was made clear. The title of the show was still Dawson's Creek, but the opening of season 5 was a shot of Joey jogging with a voiceover about her life. The torch had been passed.

The change in lead characters freed the show from the incessant melodrama of season 4. With Joey in charge, the show followed the pattern of a winsome dramedy, and more than a few shots suggested a Mary Tyler Moore reference. Helping matters was the addition of new character Audrey Liddell (Busy Phillips) who added energy and humor that had been missing since season 2. Audrey was Joey's roommate, and the show developed a very sweet friendship between the two.

One of the worst things about season 4 was how angry Pacey seemed all the time. He was especially a jerk in the later episodes. Season 5 fixed this by giving him a strong individual narrative. His character was no longer dependent on Dawson or Joey. Pacey became a chef and regained the confidence he had lost in the past year. Despite an ill-advised early season romance, this was a strong way to reshape his character. Even better was his eventual coupling with Audrey (with Joey's permission of course). Josh Jackson and Busy Phillips had wonderful chemistry and the writers usually put them into the sort of fun situations we didn't get to see for Joey and Pacey the previous season.

The overall tone of the show was lighter and more sentimental. They were even more willing to explore Jack's sexuality, even having him and Pacey visit a gay bar in one episode. "Appetite for Destruction" was a midseason episode where everyone learned of Dawson and Jen's relationship and was the funniest episode of the entire series. Even a potential relationship between Joey and her professor was handled whimsically. It was clear that the actors were having more fun too. In almost every scene you can catch them smiling, perhaps a bit too much.

Dawson was still problematic in season 5. In the first episode, he gets chewed out by an egotistical director and retaliates with an excruciatingly mushy speech. Even worse was the attempt to create a Capraesque bond between Dawson and the folksy studio security guard. Separating him from the rest of the cast made it difficult to create an interesting ongoing story for his character until later in the year when they copped out and had him go to film school in Boston. There were a few moments of decency, though. In an early season episode about the death of Dawson's father, James Van Der Beek actually gave a decent performance. And later in the year, they developed an interesting relationship between Dawson and Jen that was based mostly on sex. Dawson was less annoying this year than in others, but he would never be a plus for the show.

The 5th season of Dawson's Creek showed what can happen when writers recognize the inherent flaws in their show. By changing the lead from their weakest character to their strongest, they fixed a problem that had existed since the first season. And by realizing that the overwrought melodrama ruined season 4, they were able to take the show back to its earlier sentimental roots. It still wasn't a quality show. There was still the ridiculously verbose dialogue, an execrable Very Special episode halfway through, and James Van Der Beek was still in the cast. However, season 5 proved they could squeeze out one more year of good cheesy entertainment.

Other seasons:

Dawson's Creek - First Season
Dawson's Creek - Second Season
Dawson's Creek - Third Season
Dawson's Creek - Fourth Season
Dawson's Creek - Sixth Season


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD