Dawson’s Creek
Once a fortnight, we put forward the case to defend some of our favourite works of art. This week, Bridget Jones sticks up for Dawson’s Creek.
Paula Cole had it right with her 1996 earworm, I Don’t Want to Wait. No, we didn’t want to wait for our lives to be over. Yes, we did want to know - right now - what would ‘‘it’’ be?
As a teenager, there’s no such thing as patience. The idea of waiting for tomorrow, incomprehensible. You think you are mature, poised and ready for anything. The reality is very different. Unless, of course, you are a character on perfectly-flawed teen television series, Dawson’s Creek.
It was the brainchild of Kevin Williamson, the man who wrote Scream. When the show debuted in
The dialogue was intense and ran a mile-aminute. And for six seasons, we thought he was writing our story.
1998, he was a 33-year-old man, putting words into the mouths of 15-year-old characters, played by actors who were (largely) about to enter their early-20s.
The dialogue was intense and ran a mile-a-minute and for six seasons. We thought he was writing our story.
We yearned for the friendshipturned-romance of Dawson and his girl-next-door, Joey. We thought we were sophisticated and smart and sassy, just like Michelle Williams and her oh-so-worldly Jen. Or emotionally mature enough to really grasp the repercussions of Pacey’s affair with his teacher.
Of course, we were wrong.
The drama that filled the lives of these beautiful ‘‘teens’’ bordered on the absurd. The show fizzled during later seasons, before ending with a (patchy) bang. It was over the top, critics said. It was unrealistic, detractors wrote.
But, even now, watching storylines about teen sexuality, friendship, death and high school, the navel-gazing and hyperbole is exquisite. More importantly, though, the lessons are honest.
Gone was the taboo that frequently surrounded sex – because let’s be honest, that’s all these kids talked about. And it showed people our age(ish) as smart and independent thinkers. Or at least giving it a crack.
The truth is, Dawson and his creek picked up where Beverly Hills 90210 left off, giving a generation of kids the perfect storm of teen angst, pain and emotions – oh, the emotions – in a way that didn’t talk down to them or tell them they weren’t ready for the world. Dawson’s Creek didn’t make us wait for anything.