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STUDIO: Sony Pictures
MSRP: $119.95
RATED: Not Rated
RUNNING TIME: 570 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Commentaries
Featurette
The Pitch
Teenager wants to be Spielberg. Three buddies show up for misadventures.
The Humans
James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Michelle Williams and Kerr Smith
The Nutshell
Dawson Leary has been best friends with Joey Potter for the longest time. Now, they’re entering High School and feelings are changing. Friendships are made and promises of maidenheads being plucked weigh heavy on the future. Hell, they even take the time to give a gay kid the spotlight. Teen drama progressed so far in the late 1990s. Relive the magic today.
The Lowdown
Series creator Kevin Williamson really had something going on for the first four seasons. Then, Dawson’s Creek feel into the WB trap of melodramatic soap opera bullshit. What I want to reflect on is the show’s debut in the Winter of 1998. So much promise, so much Spielberg adoration and so much virginal promise in the young Katie Holmes. There was just so much that was in the future for these promising characters.
Dawson’s Creek opens with our introduction to Dawson and Joey. Joey’s got a crush on Dawson, but he has no idea what’s going on. Things get more complicated, as new arrival Jen shows up to take care of her grandmother. Joey is suspicious of Jen, but Dawson wants to bone her. The other main character Pacey was busy boning a female teacher.
When
The Breakfast Club homage episode shows up, Williamson finally feels in control. He’s playing against classic teen drama tropes and mixing it with honest emotion. Over the first half of the season, we learn more and more about the four leads. Connecting with characters such as these on an emotional level almost seems silly.
The first season isn’t the best showcase for Dawson’s Creek. But, it sets the pace for what will follow. Everyone who was of age at the time of its debut can’t help but to remember elements of the show. It became part of the cultural landscape. Sure, shows like Glee and Degrassi do the teen drama a tad better. But, celebrate Dawson’s Creek for what it was.
The Package
The
DVDs for the first season contains a look at the casting of the series. Plus, you get to see what lead the show to the WB and away from the major networks. Kevin Williamson and the other writers take the time to explain away the first thirteen episodes. The A/V Quality is pretty clean for a standard definition TV on DVD bow. Hopefully, more special features show up later in the release.