I think the first half of season 5 is really underrated, it was interesting to see the gang in a new setting and they get some good storylines going on. Mitch's death was especially well handled, and Audrey also added an interesting dynamic for that year. It was only towards the end they seemed to lose the focus a bit
And I thought I was the only one that liked Jen and Charlie at first! Charlie/Joey were always kind of blah and didn't make sense to me, he just seemed the latest in a long line to fall head over heels for her, whereas Charlie and Jen were pretty cute in the beginning when they were first getting to know one another. I also loved Dawson/Jen this season
and it was a real shame they broke them up as swiftly as they did.