Reflections on Season Two
The first season of Dawson's Creek was, in my opinion, one of the best inaugural seasons of any television show that I have ever seen. What made the show so good was that some very appealing characters were presented in situations that were very plausible, and in situations that many fans, both in the age demographic of the characters of the show, and other fans of varying ages, could relate to, namely, growing up, first infatuation, first heartbreak, and other realistic (if somewhat idealized) situations that all of us have gone through in some fashion. The show did have its controversial themes, most notably the illicit affair between a teacher and one of her students, and it also covered the repercussions of an adulterous affair, but these themes did not dominate the show, and the show instead focused on the interplay between the four main characters. What attracted me to the show was a review that I read in my local newspaper, which said that what the show did well was make you care about the characters, and the characters, as presented, were simply wonderful: Dawson Leery: The idealistic aspiring film maker, who possesses a precocious intelligence, but is utterly clueless when it comes to "affairs of the heart," Joey Potter, Dawson's best friend, who hides an appealing vulnerability behind a tough exterior, Pacey Witter, the wit of the group, who was about to embark on a controversial romantic adventure with his English teacher, and Jen Lindley, the mysterious "new girl in town" who very quickly becomes the object of Dawson's infatuation, and Joey's scorn, because Joey, it turns out, is secretly in love with Dawson.
What was also wonderful about the show is that right from the beginning, unlike many other shows that present teenagers as caricatures, this show presented teenagers as intelligent, analytical human beings, and the show very quickly established itself as a character and dialogue driven show. We got see all of the characters interact with each other, and the dialogue fairly sparkled with wit and intelligence. Each show accomplished the purpose of moving the characters forward, until the season ended with a very satisfying (to most people) conclusion: the fabled kiss between the two characters around which the entire series revolved, Dawson Leery and Joey Potter.
Therefore, many people, including myself, looked forward to Season 2 expecting that level of excellence to be sustained and enhanced, but instead, to our great dismay, we were subjected to what was basically a disaster of a season, as the show switched from a character and dialogue driven show to a situational and crisis driven show, with the emphasis on crisis. Where the first season focused on simple things that appealed to many fans, the second season focused on whatever stereotypical crisis situation they could fit into each show, to the great detriment of the qualities that attracted us to the show in the first place. This season subjected us to promiscuous sex, divorce, drug dealing, attempted rape, drunkenness, hallucinatory mental illness, contemplation of suicide, and finally, death. All of these themes were presented in a very haphazard and uninspired way, and the show, and its characters, seemed to lose focus, as they brought Dawson and Joey together, then almost immediately broke them apart for the most contrived of reasons, and we then had to spend much of the season wallowing in Dawson's misery, while Joey turned around the opinions of many people who adored her the first season by behaving in a hypocritical manner, saying essentially that she needed to find her own worth, alone, and breaking up with Dawson, but almost immediately "hooking up" with one of the new characters introduced to the show, Jack McPhee, a character many fans found to be completely unappealing, and who later turned out to be gay. Introducing the two new characters, Andie and Jack McPhee, also destroyed the original relationship dynamic of the four main characters, as Andie became Pacey's girlfriend, which was a delight to see at first, but then she very quickly isolated Pacey from all the other characters, especially from Joey, who everyone enjoyed seeing Pacey exchanging sarcastic repartees with the first season, as Andie descended into a very caricatured and unrealistic mental breakdown. Each character seemed to either lose focus, or lose the qualities that made them so appealing in the first place, as Dawson became an essentially whiney and miserable character due to his loss of Joey, as Joey lost her original appeal and became a hypocritical and sometimes cruel character, acting like an emotional powder keg with Dawson, always ready to explode, finally blaming him for her father's return to drug dealing and the necessity to turn him in to the authorities, but being infinitely patient with Jack, as Pacey lost almost all of the wit and sense of fun that his character had the first season, as he became a "superhero" to his increasingly unstable girlfriend, and as Jen veered back and forth between promiscuity, drunkenness, and finally contemplation of suicide on one end of the spectrum, and wisdom, kindness, courage, and friendship with Dawson on the other end of the spectrum.
With very few exceptions, each show in the new season was disjointed, and did little to propel the characters forward, and the incredibly contrived situations that they put the characters in simply caused the character development to stagnate and the dialogue to suffer. The season also lost a lot of the humor that was a hallmark of the first season, and the show descended from drama to melodrama.
What I think needs to be done to "save" this once wonderful show is to return to the basics:
1. They need to show these characters facing situations that normal teenagers face, instead of the outlandish situations that they subjected the characters to this season.
2. They need to restore the interaction between all of the main characters, especially Pacey and Joey.
3. They need to restore the friendship, if not the romantic relationship, of Dawson and Joey, or they need to have these characters move on to other people if Dawson and Joey can not get together and stay together.
I think that the writers should look at the first season, and use it as a template for the new season, because if the new season continues the pattern established by season two, then I feel that a lot of fans, including myself, will find something else to do on Wednesday evenings.
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