| Pacey is a very complex, yet very simple character. His older brother Doug was a lot like his father, and therefore the favorite son. He did everything right, and for Pacey the only way to get attention was to do everything wrong. He has major authority issues due to his father being a cop. Growing up he also disapproved of the way his father treated people, and found it hard to reconcile the man he knew as his father with the ideal picture of a father. This is what caused him to spend so much time at the Leery household. Dawson was Pacey's window into the 'perfect' life. I think their relationship started to move apart as soon as Dawson's life turned out to be not so perfect. Pacey really hates the fact that Dawson has so many things going for him, but still takes things for granted. Like when Pacey started to fall in love with Joey in season 3. It really irritated him that Dawson had such a great girl and gave her up so willingly. When he fell for her he just saw how great she was and couldn't understand how anyone would not want her. Then it really irritated him, as it did me, that Dawson got so upset about him and Joey. He felt kind of bad about going around behind his back, and really bad for what it was doing to Joey, but Dawson was in the wrong. Not only were he and Joey not a couple anymore, it was because of him that they weren't a couple. He had absolutley no claim on Joey. And Dawson acted like he didn't know anything about what was going on, but that was just that - an act. When Pacey went into the woods with Dawson to try and talk to him, Dawson was purposely trying to see if Pacey would say anything. He was trying to see if his suspicions were correct - trying to see for sure if Pacey liked Joey. And in the infamous ep The Longest Day when Jen accidentally slips up about it, he basically guesses it. When Pacey and Joey broke up, it was once again about his insecurities. He continually felt like a screw up, and couldn't figure out why Joey would be with him instead of Dawson. He almost resented the fact that Joey didn't seem to notice his faults. Like she was ignoring them in order to be able to be with him. I think the time away he spent this past summer really helped him get a handle on things. With him getting a job and actually doing well at it, as well as some long-awaited respect from his father, I think Pacey's doing better now than he has been in a long time. But we'll see...... |
