There’s something about the late ’90’s/early 2000’s that will forever remain a better time. Even as the innocence of the late ’90’s was crushed under the weight of 9/11, the early 2000’s retains a certain level of a “better days” vibe, which trailed into the mid 2000’s and seemed to be gone by 2010. Life was different, in a way that kids today will never understand. The internet hadn’t fully immersed itself into every second of our lives, but allowed music, art, and social connections to thrive in a way that had never existed before. You were still hanging out with friends in person, movies required a trip to the movie theater or a video rental store, and streaming was just a tech concept.
In short, the mid ’90’s – mid 2000’s was the last great decade of primetime network TV. You had to be home to catch your shows or set your VCR or early version DVR to record. You lived for each week that a new episode would drop. Binging consisted of watching repeats or box sets of previous seasons. You never had the opportunity to watch a show, in full, start to finish, at your own whim until that show ended. And you bought the box sets. Not to mention that show seasons of that time period were very often over 20 episodes, which is nearly unheard of now.
The WB was the crown of primetime network TV as the millennium approached. “Dawson’s Creek”, arguably the most iconic show of the time period, humbly premiered in early 1998 as a mid season replacement and “Felicity” hit the airwaves in September 1998 as a full season premiere. Both launched huge fanbases, but “Felicity” always lived a little under the radar, as “Dawson’s Creek” rose to be the crown jewel of the network.
*** Spoiler Alert ***
“Dawson’s Creek”
The funny thing about me and “Dawson’s Creek” is I kind of hated it when it first aired. Dawson (James Van Der Beek) annoyed me, Joey (Katie Holmes) was frustrating to watch, the plots seemed cheesy. I loved Joshua Jackson, and his character Pacey, but the first few seasons never held much appeal for me. I was 12 when it premiered, but was drawn to more mature material as much as I was to my own age group’s target shows. I followed it peripherally through friends, limited internet sources, and watching some but not all episodes.
It wasn’t until season 3, when it became clear that a slow burn Pacey/Joey storyline was in the works, that I started to watch regularly. I remember the first episode they kissed, 3×17, “Cinderella Story”. I was in 9th grade, and my friend had asked me to tape the episode since they would miss it. And it was EPIC. It still stands as one of my favorite episodes of all time, and the second half of season 3 remains one of the greatest string of episodes to ever exist.
The pain between Joey and Pacey, knowing their secret romance would kill Dawson, was intense and sad and exciting. Pacey’s love for Joey, his loyalty and dedication to her happiness, no matter the cost to him, cemented him as one of my favorite all time characters. I saw much of myself in him, particularly in his loyalty to the point of being a fault sometimes. His dedication to being there for someone he loves, whether that’s Dawson, Joey, Andie (Meredith Monroe), Jen (a young, pre-fame Michelle Williams), or his family, really resonated with me.
I’ve re-watched “Dawson’s Creek” in part or in full many times since the series finale aired in 2003, and I still cry through the entire double episode finale, as I did when it originally aired my senior year of high school. No better time than a pandemic to re-watch the 6 seasons and 128 episodes, and it still holds up in 2021. Sure there are very nostalgic throwbacks that kids today won’t get – pop culture references, old technology, Dawson’s now ancient camera equipment – but the story and the characters can resonate in any place and any time.
For me, there are two particular scenes from that Season 3 run that stand out from the moment it aired in 2000 to now.
The scene of broken hearted and broken up Joey and Pacey dancing at the Anti-Prom in 3×22 “The Anti-Prom” is still talked about to this day. It’s so heartbreaking and honest, that it gets me every time, no matter how many times I’ve seen it. A beautifully written, acted, and filmed scene that goes above and beyond a teenage centric TV show.
In the Season 3 finale, episode 3×23, “True Love”, Pacey can no longer take trying to fight for Joey. He decides to take his boat, aptly named “True Love”, sailing for the summer. In one last effort to force Joey to make a choice between him and Dawson, he paints the wall he leased for her in 3×16, as a new canvas for her paint. I think we all can relate to the moment of someone asking you to stay, choosing you. It’s a pivotal moment for the show, if Joey chooses Pacey, the entire trajectory shifts for the coming seasons.
Joey: I expected you to say good-bye.
Pacey: Right. The good-bye scene. Played that one over a thousand times in my head. I come to you, heart in hand, and announce my plans. You stare at me, pained, but then, of course, the Potter sarcasm kicks in. And I leave, never getting what I came for.
Joey: What is that, Pacey?
Pacey: You never ask me to stay. Ever.
While Joey and Pacey’s romantic relationship ends in Season 4, the characters are drawn together over the next two seasons. Pacey never lets go of his love for Joey, and in a more subtle way, she never lets go of him. Even as they both explore other relationships, and the continual question of “will Dawson and Joey ever get together”, there are breadcrumbs. And they all lead to the second episode of the series finale in which they finally get back together. A bold, bold choice and one that made my “Dawson’s Creek” love complete, ending how it should, with Pacey and Joey finally together for good.
Over the years, as I’ve had my own life experiences, I’ve come to understand Dawson a little more. In my most recent re-watch, it really drove home how lucky Dawson is to write and rewrite his and Joey’s relationship throughout the various iterations of “The Creek”, first as a movie and then as a TV show. Wouldn’t we all want that chance?
“Felicity”
8th grade had just begun when “Felicity” aired. In my memory, it was the more edgy WB show, going a little darker and a little more adult than “Dawson’s Creek”. It made sense, with the characters beginning college in the first season, and the four seasons covering the four years in which so many people’s lives change. Attending college or not, your late teens into your early 20’s can be monumentally pivotal in self discovery and exploring new worlds.
“Felicity” was a show that I never watched regularly, but followed much like other popular shows of the time. Discussions with friends and classmates, entertainment news stories, previews for episodes. That’s another thing kids are missing today from shows that drop a season at a time – you LIVED for the previews of the next episode, especially if the show was going on a hiatus during an active season.
Over the years in the 2000’s, I saw every “Felicity” episode, often through repeats. For the first time this year, I watched it in full, in order, start to finish, and really loved it. I think I have much more appreciation for it as an adult, partially because the time period of the show is one I’d give anything to go back to, but also because the show does have really adult topics. At 4 seasons and 84 episodes, it makes for a really good 2020’s binge if you’re looking for great characters mixed in with humor and emotional turmoil. Personally, I love that it contains great footage of NYC from 1998-2002. In a city that always changes, it brings me back to a time of the city that I love dearly.
And, in case you’re wondering, I’m team Ben (Scott Speedman) and Felicity (Keri Russell). But I do love Noel (Scott Foley).
headphones are on 