I see the character of Jack McPhee in much of the same terms that I see the character of Jen Lindley, largely vilified for much of this season as the character at least partially responsible for breaking up everyone’s favorite couple, Dawson Leery and Joey Potter, and many fans, including myself, cringed as Jack replaced Dawson as Joey’s boyfriend, and also replaced Dawson as Joey’s friend and confident. Jack McPhee, however, proved himself to be a much more complex character than was first supposed, and towards the end of the season, his character became much more than a wedge between the two characters around who Dawson’s Creek revolves.
I see Jack McPhee as a deeply wounded soul, forced to live in the shadow of his popular older brother most of his life, and like Pacey Witter, he has been neglected by a cruel, aloof, and more recently, absentee father. In many ways, Jack’s father is even worse than Pacey’s father, as Mr. McPhee seems incapable of showing any emotion whatsoever, and he refuses to deal with the problems his family is having. Jack hid his feelings most of the season, and he only seemed to express his feelings by talking about his passion for art, but beneath his calm exterior lay a deeply troubling secret which he could reveal to no one, not his eventual girlfriend, Joey Potter, and not even his own sister, Andie McPhee. Jack was also forced to assume the role of caretaker for his emotionally unstable mother, and increasingly unstable sister, without the help or even the physical presence of his father. Jack comes to confide in one person, Joey Potter, who he works with and who he eventually has a romantic relationship with, but even Joey is not told of the one thing that he struggles with deep within his troubled soul, the realization that he is gay. In a dramatic way, Jack is forced to come to terms with his sexuality, first by writing and being forced to read a poem in which he expresses his struggle over his sexual identity, and finally by confronting his father in an emotionally charged and moving way, as he admits to his father, Andie, and finally Joey, that he is gay. Finally coming to terms with his sexuality seemed to free Jack to reveal a compassionate and understanding side to his personality, as he becomes a true friend to Joey, even helping her reunite with Dawson, and finally by offering friendship and shelter to that other troubled soul, Jen Lindley. I look forward to seeing Jack’s character develop further in a positive way. Already, in his own quiet way, Jack McPhee has defied many of the stereotypes that many people have about a gay character on a television show, and Jack has been show as a complex and compassionate young man who just happens to be gay. It will be interesting to see what is done with Jack’s character next season (Season 3).
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