yeah I understand your frustrations RMadrid4Life

it was very fan servicey and disappointing (don’t want to get too much into it here because this isn’t an anti thread)

for me I actually like to compare them to Ross and Rachel

did you see my message on your profile?

I can understand too especially b/c I didn't become a PJo fan until watching repeats.

Now I love both couples but will always feel it's not fair that DJo didn't get a real chance in a relationship.

Yeah exactly. I think the writers potentially thought they wouldn't bother getting them officially together during the series because they had the idea that they would finally bring them together in the series finale but then that came and they screwed over DJo in the last second from what I've read. Which meant that everything written prior to the finale is not aligned with what actually ended up happening in the finale. And it's disappointing because alright even if they didn't end up together, it would've been good to at least see them as a couple. Instead, not only did we not get to see them as a couple but also they didn't end up together. PJo got their time as a couple AND ended up together. So they got the good end of the deal both times.

I think there is a lot for both couples that shows Joey could have chosen either guy throughout the show when I rewatched.


I don't feel like anything was final until the series finale though.


That's just my opinion.

DJo should have at least got a season together too.

Yes they were the planned endgame but that didn't mean we didn't need to see them make a relationship work for more than a few episodes.

I looked into my messages but can't find your message. How can I find it?? Sorry I haven't used this website in a looong time

DJo should have at least got a season together too.
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On the season 2 dvd commentary it’s mentioned by one of the producers that they made a mistake breaking them up mid season because he doesn’t think they paid off all the D/J fans from season one that well. I agree.

Hi all, it’s been a while since I’ve been on this website!

I am a first time watcher of Dawson's Creek and I have just finished watching the series. I need to vent lol.

What an emotional rollercoaster of a show.

Firstly I'd like to say I am just devastated with the ending. I cannot believe it. I have never been this teased by a tv show ever and believe me I have watched a decent amount of tv shows lol. The ending just does not make sense to me. How you can you build up this couple for six years literally up until the last episode and not have them end up together. I would've been ok with all them ending up alone or Joey to end up with someone new but to end up with Pacey, that was just a slap in the face which leads me to my first point.

The moment this love triangle was introduced, it changed the whole tone of the show for me and completely ruined the build up of what was once a solid and loyal friendship between Dawson and Pacey. If the writers really wanted Joey to have another option, I wish they chose anyone else besides Dawson's best friend. If the writers never had any intention of keeping Dawson and Pacey as best friends then their friendship should've been written differently from the start because to me it came across as this awesome brotherly bond. I liked Pacey (and I continued to like all non-Joey related stuff about him) but after he actively pursued a relationship with Joey KNOWING that it was his best friend's soulmate, I just could not see him in the same way from then on. Joey wasn't just a random crush for Dawson. She was it. She was the one. She was the girl for him. Pacey knew that and he knew it very well. He's a nice guy overall, but this thing that he did is unforgiveable in my books. And yes of course you can argue that he couldn't control his feelings etc but to me, a friend's loyalty is not something negotiable. I perhaps would've felt entirely different about Pacey and Joey if Pacey had done what he did the first time around in season 1 and approached Dawson first (I don’t consider this the beginning of the triangle though). That to me, although difficult to swallow, demonstrated his loyalty and I really respected him for that. However, it all came tumbling down in season 3 when he chose to instead, sneak around with her. And she is just as much at fault for this. It's funny that he did the more mature thing when he was younger… And poor Dawson, he loved Joey so much that in spite of the fact that she was with his best friend, he still wanted to end up with her. Not many guys would think the same in a real life situation. I will say that I'm glad with how Dawson reacted to the friendship after the situation happened. He was (eventually) civil with Pacey but kept his distance (until the end which I will get to). I did find it cringe with how desperate he came across when he was trying to get her back. Wish he just left it and let time do its thing but of course it's easier said than done in these type of situations.

Now let's talk about the term 'soulmates' and how the writers appear to depict it. Frankly, I feel like the term is used very loosely on this show. To me it means the one and only person in the world that completes you. That loves you unconditionally and no other lover comes even close to the feeling you have with them. But how can the show emphasise this soulmate aspect for Dawson and Joey so much and depict them as being these star crossed lovers yet write into the story of Joey falling in love with the best friend. I know soulmates can go through life loving other people, but what I don't find to be very soulmate like behaviour is for Joey to fall in love with, of all the people in the world, Dawson's best friend. Again, you can argue that people can't control these feelings but the writers can control the story and for the writers to choose the best friend of all people, I think it was a terrible decision. To draw a comparison, the way I see it, it would be like in The Notebook if Allie, after Noah, had fallen for Fin. Not impossible but just so wrong given how the story was set out. I don’t think Pacey and Joey getting together completely discounted the concept that Dawson and Joey are soulmates because I do still think they are. I do however think that the writers did some damage to the image of them being soulmates when they involved a best friend in the mix. Again, I may have been able to get past Pacey and Joey getting together if the writers did it tastefully, perhaps as mentioned before, with Pacey approaching Dawson first but their relationship started off sneaky and therefore felt tainted the whole time whilst watching them. I do still believe Dawson and Joey were destined for each other in spite of what happened but the writers really did a number on them.

Overall, I wish the triangle never happened because not only did it ruin a well written friendship between two 'brothers', it also completely destroyed the group dynamic between the 3. This leads me to my next point.

I personally find it so unrealistic for the show to end on a note where all 3 are friends and happy with each other. Sorry but when a man's best friend is the one that end's up with said man's greatest love, how on earth would he be content with that situation? Like I said before, it's not just any girl, Joey was THE ONE for Dawson.

I feel like the 3 times that Joey dumped Dawson were all just bizarre. The first time, and mind you after years of pining after him and finally getting together, a couple months later (not sure on the exact timeline), she decides to end it because she needs to "find herself"? Like what?? You are 15 chill. They probably would've broken up for some other stupid teenager reason but that reason just felt like it came out of nowhere (perhaps the writers just needed any excuse to break them up). The second time when it was because of her father (this was a bit of a tricky situation I admit), Dawson tried to do the right thing and keep her away from danger and she essentially disowns him not only as a boyfriend but as a friend as well which is probably the worst part of it all as friendship was the foundation of their connection (no matter how bad things got between them she never wanted to lose his friendship). She even realised she was in the wrong since she apologised to him (and then Dawson ruined it by not taking her back). The third time, she got pissed that he was seeing someone in LA when they slept together. I understand why she was annoyed but I don't think it was reason enough to completely end the relationship. He really tried to do the right thing and broke it off with Natasha the second he got a private moment after he slept with Joey but Joey just didn't want a bar of it. Yet she was happy to give it a shot with Pacey knowing he was actively involved in an affair with a married woman and in fact had just gotten beat up for it.

I found it incredibly frustrating that Dawson in the earlier seasons was just too chicken s**t to admit his feelings to her which is essentially what drove Joey into Pacey's arms. He (figuratively speaking) served Joey on a silver platter for Pacey.

Joey whilst in general I do like her, my goodness did she frustrate me a lot especially all those times she treated Dawson like s**t. He's no angel either but Joey was quite cruel to him many times. I don't even want to go into detail because this post will be even longer than it is.

Regarding the PJo relationship itself, I just don't see how it fits. I feel sorry for Pacey in that he would do anything for Joey but when that anything has an impact on his male ego, he doesn't feel good about himself which I get. So he's sort of in a checkmate position and therefore I think the healthiest thing for him was to bow out. Also, in the finale there is no indication that they sorted out their prior problems. He had that inferiority complex (which I could understand) and let's say he did get over it, nothing changes the fact that he left everything in Capeside to live out JOEY'S dream in New York in HER apartment. You can just already see this spiralling. Also didn't Pacey give some big speech about not wanting to rely his happiness and success on someone else yet he uprooted his whole life to go live with her in New York??? And on Joey's part, there's all the Dawson stuff which leads me to my next point.

I think what the most detrimental part of their relationship is, is that to me, it seems that Pacey loves her more than she loves him and I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that Joey still loves Dawson. And not just as a friend, and we can see that because they still had this little romantic spark between them in the later episodes even when they were strictly friends. Whilst there's a part of her heart that loves Pacey, there's still a part in there that is only for Dawson and no other man can conquer that part of her heart. Not Pacey, not Eddie, not anyone. No matter how hard she tries to give that part to someone else it will forever remain as Dawson's. What I'm saying is, I don't think she could ever fully love any man, not just Pacey, because a part of her love was already given to and reserved for Dawson. And I think she eventually came to terms with that when she told him "you and me always". I don't think she would've dared to admit that to Pacey though, not if she didn't want his insecurities to jump off the scale.

Given the such strong and deep connection between Dawson and Joey, any man that Joey dates would have to deal with the fact that Joey has a best friend that is a male whom she has known since she was born, whom she has dated a few times, whom she has slept with, and whom she still has this sexual tension with (am I the only one that got this vibe from the last few episodes?). I don't know about you but I would be extremely uncomfortable if a partner had this kind of person in their life and very closely in their life I might add. I find it hard to believe that any guy would stick around a long time knowing that that was Joey's situation (it's essentially a condition that needs to be accepted in order to be with her because she was not giving up Dawson's friendship for anyone). I feel like their insecurities would go into overdrive and rightfully so. We already got an example of that with Pacey and his Dawson insecurities throughout the PJo times and I get the feeling that these insecurities of Pacey were not going away post finale.

Overall, I feel like the writers really screwed over the Dawson and Joey couple and it's quite deflating after having watched them grow over the years and seeing them declare their love for each other and in such deep and meaningful ways. They really had so much potential and could've been written in such an amazing way but unfortunately the writing of the show really let them down and it really is a waste.

Anyway, I know not everyone will agree and that's fair but that's just my two cents as a complete newbie lol.

RMadrid4Life
Kevin Williamson had written originally for D/J to end together and were attending Pacey and Andie's wedding but due to not having much background with Andie since season 4 they decided not as well Paul Stupin and his PJ clan decided they wanted it to end differently..
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I’d actually like to read his original script for that version.