Hahahahaha! The face that launched a thousand memes. As soon as Dawson and Joey hit the dock, the realization suddenly hit me that True Love was the source of that infamous image up top. Oh, Van Der Beek. Who knew your face could contort like that? Gah. True Love is actually a really wonderful finale, pulling together all the themes of the season and featuring an ending which pushes most of the cast into absorbing new directions. Dawson, Jen and Jack all grow, and Joey and Pacey finally run for the hills together. It's a happy ending, not that you would guess it from that picture. It never gets old, right?The theme of 'true love' runs through the entire episode. Not only is it explored through Joey and Pacey, but the true meaning of the word becomes cleverly resonant with Dawson's decision to grant Joey his blessing. His true love for Joey enables him to see through his own longing and embrace her happiness instead of wanting to suppress it, which is similar to Andie's development last week. Even if her happiness isn't with him, keeping her captive in Capeside and forcing her to pine over her lost love all summer is the work of a very cruel person... so, instead, he encourages her to go and chase her dream. There's also less animosity here between Dawson and Pacey. They're still frosty, but their few encounters don't devolve into sniping at each other, for a change. I'm not sure this particular friendship will recover anytime soon, but it takes a strong person to put aside their own feelings for the sake of the ones they love.
Grams initiates the other exploration into 'true love'. After a moving monologue in which she tells of her own brief encounter with a loved one years ago, she drives Jen and Jack to both of their betrothed, encouraging them to take a leap and profess their feelings. I'm still in a world of not caring when it comes to Jen and Henry, but I can recognize how much Jen has grown over the course of their relationship, finally seeming to be comfortable with her past and on her way to becoming a fully stable adult.
Similarly, I never particularly bought Jack and Ethan as a couple, either. But it's hard to not feel something when he finally embraces his identity and goes in for a kiss. Sure, it all ends in tears, but the fact that this was the first gay kiss on network television helps it strike a truly emotional chord. Any show from this era which depicted homosexuality in such a positive, ordinary light deserves major respect, and it's ridiculously awesome that the show insisted on having Jack express physical intimacy with another guy, instead of just dancing around the subject like so many shows of this type. Furthering that, he gets a moment of emotional support from his dad: another strong depiction of people not making such a big deal out of sexuality.
It's that final scene that leaves you with a huge smile on your face, though. I loved the gradual building of Joey and Pacey this year, and always thought they had a ton of chemistry together. They're stable, secure with one another, and actually generate heat. Season three was a creative mess when it opened, but the time and care the writers dedicated to this coupling made the arc so much more engaging and romantic than the ratings bait 'love triangle'-thing it could have so easily been. I really damn care for these two, and supported them all the way. Regardless of the issues this year, that coda really ends the season on a high. True love on-board True Love. It's corny, melodramatic and lame, but it's absolutely Dawson's Creek. A
Credits
Guest stars Dylan Neal (Doug Witter); Michael Pitt (Henry Parker); Adam Kaufman (Ethan Brody); Obi Ndefo (Bodie Wells); David Dukes (Joseph McPhee)
Teleplay Tom Kapinos, Gina Fattore Story Greg Berlanti, Jeffrey Stepakoff Director James Whitmore, Jr.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteSeason three of Dawson's Creek is, as you point out, an interesting season because it starts out such a mess but ends, not only on a strong note, but with a story arc ready to cover the next few years of the show. I also enjoy seeing the writing of Tom Kapinos and Gina Fattore start to emerge during this season, and they wrote some of the better episodes of the show in my opinion (although, kapinos was less succsesful as a show runner as is evident by his time running the last two 'college' season's of DC- ah well, I suppose it was a sort of training camp before californication).
I think your blog is great, by the way. I discovered it by accident whilst googling the DC episode 'Valentines day massacre'. I grew up on dawson's, so I appreciate the in depth reviews you're doing. Personally, whilst it WAS a teen soap I think it was a little better at the story telling than most. For example, in season four pacey and joey pretty much stay together for the entire season and their relationship is explored rather well. I can't imagine a gossip girl or a one tree hill, with their let's try out every variety of couple combination- and let's try and jam all that into one single episode- style, having that sort of patience.
As I say, great blog. I really want to read your Mad Men (aka the greatest television drama of all time) reviews but, alas, I havan't been able to watch season five yet and I don't want any spoilers before I can get my hands on the boxset. I'll definitely take a peep at what you have to say about damages. Have you thought about covering any west wing or the wire, I'd be interested in your thoughts on those shows? Also, if you want to cover anymore WB melodrama have you thought about giving gilmore girls a try? It's probably one of the best written shows of this particular genre.
anyway's keep it up,
First of all, thanks a whole lot for finding the blog, reading my stuff and being so complimentary. I've had incredible feedback these last couple of years, and it means a lot, so thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnd commenting on Dawson's Creek! Nobody ever does that, so thanks, heh. Agreed about the effort put into Joey and Pacey, and I echo your sentiments about season four. I re-watched it recently and adored it. Strong character dynamics, plotting that really, really worked. I loved Gretchen, too. Gina Fattore really became a stand-out as well. She always seemed to write the episodes that broke new ground or played around with formula, which was always good.
And I really loved this show, too. It's definitely over-written and full of genre melodrama, but there was always a warmth and charm to it that made it so easy to love. Such a strong ensemble as well, those four kids and all their romantic tribulations. And it was wholesome and relatable without being overly saccharine, at least compared to the sort of sensationalist and money-driven YA shows of today.
About other shows, I'm posting Mad Men's first season in December, so keep an eye open for that. It's actually the only real 'prestige' show that I've ever seriously watched, having never pursued The Wire or The West Wing or anything of that caliber. It's probably a failing of mind, and I've definitely got The Wire in my sights at some point in the future, but I doubt I'll actually be reviewing it. My apologies, heh.
Gilmore Girls is something I saw a little bit of when it was first airing, but I don't remember it really grabbing me. But I absolutely appreciate that it's considered a ridiculously well-written show with a pretty huge fanbase of its own. I don't know... maybe some day.
But thanks so much for writing -- it's hugely rewarding, dude.
I think you should do Gilmore girls.
ReplyDeleteI hear it's a great show, but it's one that's never totally appealed to me. Enough at least to tune in.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and contributing, though!