It had to come to an end sometime. Dawson’s Creek couldn’t quite match the 10-year run of Beverly Hills 90210, but 6 years is still a pretty good stretch. The quality of Dawson’s Creek has varied widely throughout its run. It started off with a mixed 1st season, and then began to approach greatness in year 2. Then Kevin Williamson left and the show went through a sharp decline over the next two seasons to the point where it was unwatchable. However, the writers got their act together and refocused the show on Joey Potter, making the 5th season very entertaining. And now here we at the final season, one in which makes a mess of almost everything that worked the previous year, preventing the show from going out on a strong note.

As expected, the 6th season revolved heavily around the Joey (Katie Holmes)/Pacey (Josh Jackson)/Dawson (James Van Der Beek) triangle, although it was thankfully less melodramatic than in previous seasons. The first few episodes dealt with Joey and Dawson finally getting together again, but only showed exactly how wrong they were for each other. It was clear at this point that the only satisfying conclusion to the triangle would be a Joey and Pacey union, but it would take the whole season for that to play out.

In the middle of all this, the writers attempted to explore a new potential relationship for Joey. They introduced Eddie (Oliver Hudson), who was a bartender and also college student in Joey’s literary class. This was a typical Joey romance, where she would initially clash with a mysterious guy and then fall for him. Hudson was not bad, but the romance was far too predictable to work. Add to that the unnecessary introduction of Professor Hetson, the typical antagonistic professor who constantly gave both of them a hard time.

Pacey found himself mired in predictability as well. Through a series of contrivances, he found himself a job as a stockbroker. This story arc followed the exact same pattern he had last year at the restaurant. There was the mentor who appeared to be up to no good, and the mysterious woman who knew he was headed for danger. The main reason for this arc was to eventually create conflict with Dawson leading up to the finale, but Josh Jackson seemed bored most of the season and the only moments he really shined were the series of episode where he solely interacted with Katie Holmes.

The worst aspect of season 6 was the complete destruction of Audrey’s (Busy Phillips) character. She was one of the main reasons that the show had rebounded the previous year, adding spunk and depth to the show. The writers attempted to explore Audrey’s dark side, but instead they just turned her into an annoying drunk. Having alienated Joey and Pacey, she had very little connection to the show for most of the season. Then in an unfortunate decision, she didn’t get to participate in the season finale, robbing her character of much needed closure.

There weren’t any standout episodes this season, but the most entertaining was “Castaways”, a thoroughly derivative remake of the awful “Career Opportunities”, but it exclusively featured Katie Holmes and Josh Jackson for the entire episode and they proved for one last time their wonderful comic and romantic chemistry. There were other great moments between the pair throughout the year, but they were mostly surrounded by miserable writing for the other characters. Surprisingly, the best romance besides them involved Dawson’s infatuation with an actress (Bianca Kajlich). Kajlich was very appealing and actually able to create chemistry with Van Der Beek, a truly monumental task.

The season led up to the bizarre episode that functions as the regular season finale. In an episode directed with a dizzying speed that made it seem like the director was on acid, Joey attempted to repair Dawson and Pacey’s friendship. Kevin Williamson would return to write the two-part series finale, which took place a couple years later. This episode is so disconnected from events in the 6th season that it doesn’t feel like it really belongs as part of the same DVD set. Still, Williamson was able to create a nice ending for each of the characters and the resolution of the love triangle was handled perfectly. Even Jack had a dignified resolution. The DVD of the series finale is available separately as well, and that might be a better option for fans of the series who don’t want to put up with the mess that was season 6.

I have probably written about Dawson’s Creek far more than the show really deserves. It was never a great show. At its best in season 2, it was a quality teen soap opera. At the very worst, it was miserable trash. But no matter how bad the series got, the emotional connection to each of the characters remained. We got to see 6 years in the lives of these people. When people ask why I watch so much television, I tell them that it allows for a stronger connection to characters than any other format. Even when I think back on how bad Dawson’s Creek could be, I never forget Dawson Leery, Joey Potter, Pacey Witter, Jen Lindley, and Jack McPhee. For that reason alone, I’m glad I spent six years watching this show.

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 - Fifth Season


Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD