Forwood4Bamon

I rewatched the whole series so I did my part.

JenMixelle

Well, part of it was also to watch an episode & come here & share your thoughts so we can discuss it

Forwood4Bamon

ok, I loved a lot of the episodes Jen. My favorite was the pilot when everything started. Do you guys have a soulmate in your lives a Dawson?

wistfuldreamer

Here's my commentary for the Pilot. I watched it live as I typed this so I could get as many thoughts in as possible.

Opening Scene {DJo}

The banter between DJo here is completely adorable. JK had great chemistry from the start, I believe these two characters have been best friends their entire lives. I also get the impression that the show starts at the turning point of DJo's friendship. It's obvious that Joey is starting to develop not so friendly feelings for Dawson while he's completely oblivious. He wants her to sleep over and she doesn't think it's a good idea. Her defense is that she has breasts. I like how he says "Why did you bring this up?" at the end of the scene.

The Movie/Everybody meets the new girl

How fitting that Pacey is the sea monster. "He grabbed my ass!" Ah the days where Joey hated Pacey and he wasn't interested. Jen's entrance reminds me of a scene from a teen movie. It's hilarous how the guys completely ignore Joey when they see Jen. I often wonder what s1 would've been like if PJen had happened instead of DJen.

Lots of stuff that's not comment worthy.

The Movie Store

Why would you use a credit card to rent a video? "She wanted me!" "She wanted Dustin Hoffman." Great scene all around. I really enjoyed the DP friendship in s1.

Dawson and Jen: Movie Talk

"I reject reality." Probably one of the best lines of the show. I really like how they introduced what Dawson's character was all about here. He believes the answer to all of life's questions can be found in a film. This is something about his character that stuck throughout the entire show.

Filler scenes.

Jen/Joey

It's so obvious that Joey's anger is fueled by jealousy. How anyone could say Joey only saw Dawson as a friend is beyond me. Her jealousy this entire episode is its own character.

DJo outside school

"We can talk about anything." Oh Dawson, you are so utterly blind. The girl likes likes you. Open your eyes.

Jen/Grams

"I'll go to church when you say penis." I like how this episode sets the tone of their relationship. They continuously challenge each other to go beyond their comfort level. The cheek kiss was cute too.

The gang at the Rialto

Joey is so crass in this scene but I love it because I'm such a DJer. Jealous Joey is my favorite. "Did you notice the long fingers?" Her? Maybe not but you certainly have Miss Potter. Honestly I didn't pay attention to the rest of the characters in this scene. The whole DJo dynamic here is just full of complications and so much history.

Tamara/Pacey

I wonder if they did this storyline to bring in viewers. They had to compete with Beverly Hills 90120 so it'd make sense. I can't think of any other reason for it.

End Scene {DJo}

"What we have is the only thing that makes sense to me." A theme that's true throughout the whole show. They're both so confused here about the changes their relationship is going through. I think they're just lying to themselves when they say they never think about each other that way.

Gah, I'll Stand By You is my favorite song for them. Him shouting out the window to her was cute. Their relationship has elements of what it was (them being able to talk about anything) and how it's changed (jealousy, confusion, sexual awakening). I like how the episode ended, the music stops when Joey sees that Gail is kissing somebody else. It's like the perfect life she accused Dawson of having was a lie. It's like it shattered her view of him/his family too.

Overall, I'd give this episode an A-. It's a great intro to the characters and their dynamics but not a lot of forward motion. If I had watched this episode for the first time, I'd only care about Dawson and DJo. The other characters are almost like cardboard cut-outs in this episode. They're there to move the DJo story forward and that's about it.

I tried to be as witty as possible but I'm tired so there you have it. I didn't analyze much either but if you guys have specific parts you'd like me to look deeper into, just ask. You know I love that type of thing.

Forwood4Bamon

love that analysis Nic.

dcluv

Oh the "I reject reality" line....I've quoted that many times

JenMixelle

"The girl likes likes you. Open your eyes" season one in a nutshell, basically

Love the summary, Nic & you've made me curious as to what you labeled "filler scenes" because I can't remember them!

And like Kimberly, I've used the reality line a few too many times

I've wondered about the T/P storyline too, What was the reasoning behind it? Create drama? Make it more appealing to juvenile delinquents? I would've preferred to see more of Pacey's home life (because back I still liked him ).

wistfuldreamer

I assume that the filler scenes were all the Pacey, Jen, and Gail/Mitch stuff. The Pilot really didn't have a lot of meaty stuff or any of those characters, they were there just to set up the plot and show us about DJo.

s1 would have been a lot better if we had learned more about Pacey's home life, for sure. I didn't mind Tamra, it just didn't do much for his character.

Can we do multiple episodes, Jen? If so, I'd like to tackle "Dance" next. My friend got me s2, s4, and s5 for my birthday so I'm in the mood to watch the show now.

Lucas William

James and Katie really were great at selling D/Jo as super close best friends with many years of history together I was hooked right from that first scene.


yup I thought that too the way Jen's walking up with the music playing and everyone starring at her it totally feels like a teen movie moment.

Me too I wish the writers would have kept Dawson & Pacey friends like that in all the seasons.

"What we have is the only thing that makes sense to me." I love that line and like you said he always felt that way.

That's one of my favorite songs for them too and it's a perfect song for describing their friendship.

That last scene is easily my favorite D/Jo moment in the pilot the way Joey goes from crying to pure happiness with a big smile on her face after Dawson answers her question cuz then she knows she's not loosing him that thing are still the same.

Great review of the Pilot Nic

Forwood4Bamon

I hated when Pacey lost all of Dawsons money. That was upsetting. That was close to the end of the show. Thier friendship was so strained.

JenMixelle

Nic, feel free to I'm hoping to FINALLY get a chance to watch Detention in the next few days & if we each watch more, we'll fly through them

cute_kitten

Such a shame I don't have the time to rewatch and comment everything but I'll be happy to be reading your thoughts, the Pilot seems such a long time ago

wistfuldreamer

Here's my commentary for Dance. Once again I'm typing this out as I watch it:

The opening:

Ah the days where the idea of kissing Pacey made Joey's stomach turn. "He's so..un-kissworthy." s1 Joey would slap s3 Joey. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. Although DJo are talking about kissing other people, I really do like this scene because of all the bantering that's involved. I love how their whole exchange ends, "What's the crisco for?"

Filler. (Mr. Gold/Dawson & Pacey/Tamara).

The gang at school:

This scene is worth mentioning because of Joey's reaction to Dawson's suggestion that Jen take her place in the movie. She loves the idea of Pacey/Jen. I'm right there with you babe.

Filler. (Class film project, DJo at lockers, Jen/Cliff).

Mitch/Dawson (mechanics of kissing):

I really love this whole exchange. Mitch passing on fatherly advice about kissing a girl and romance and all that. It's clear that Dawson gets his cheesy side from his dad. That whole story about his first kiss with Gail proves that. "I thought you were all about sex." "Well we still jumped each other." And his humor.

When Mitch was talking about chemistry while Joey walked through Dawson's bedroom was totally directed toward DJo. Dawson practicing kissing Joey's dummy head while she watched is more sensual than it is weird. This show really made that work. Just another one of those moments that make you long for DJo to get together. And another time that shows the audience that Joey feels more for Dawson than she's admitting.

Gail/Joey:

I really hated Gail at first because of this whole affair. Here Mitch is, talking about how great their first kiss was and she's in the closet talking to Bob. Ugh. I did like that Joey told her she knew about the affair. Of course, it's easier to say that to Gail than Dawson.

Joey "dies" (the film):

Love the fake Joey prop at the end. His film looks so cheesy, more like a mockery of what horror films are. I'm not sure if that's the point he's trying to make but that's what it looks like.

Joey/Jen:

I like how they talk about body image here. It's normal for teenage girls to hate the way they look. I'm glad Joey could put her jealousy aside long enough to reassure her that she doesn't look like a duck.

PJen kiss:

Love how into the kiss they got. I wonder if that was really Pacey/Jen or Michelle/Josh there. It's also funny how flustered Dawson gets about the whole kiss situation while Joey just laughs at it. PJen still make more sense to me at this point, DJen always felt forced to me in s1.

Filler (PJo/DJen talk about the dance).

DJo in his room:

I love how Dawson freaks out and Joey just makes all these wry comments. I've always loved how different DJo are. He's overly emotional and intellectual and Joey is more steady. They really balance each other well. She has a logical response to every dramatic fantasy he has. She's also really good at pretending she's not jealous of his feelings for Jen or how he wants to kiss her.

Joey/Gail:

I liked this because we learn more of Joey's history here. How her mom was sick and her dad was a cheater. It really shows that her issues don't just come from her mom's death, it's so much deeper than that. After her explanation, I understand why she hasn't told Dawson. She knows the truth would destroy him and Mitch. I think she just wants Gail to stop before it's too late.

The dance:

Heh. Funny how Dawson asks Joey to dance after she tells him that dancing is foreplay. Even though he asked Joey to dance to make Jen jealous, I do love how he gets caught up in the moment with Joey. For a second, he let his guard down long enough to really see Joey. As somebody who can dance and be feminine. I wonder what would have happened if Jen hadn't interrupted them.

"She could be you..except she's Jen." I feel like Dawson went for Jen just because she was somebody he had never met before. It's like he's transferring his feelings for Joey towards Jen. He even said he felt like he had a bond with Jen and that she challenged him the way Joey did. From what we've seen so far, Jen hasn't really challenged him. She's been sweet and uncomplicated thus far.

Dawson telling Cliff to back off Jen just made me embarrassed for him. It was like a scene he had seen in a movie so he thought he'd try it.

Filler (JDP).

Mitch/Gail:

I admit that scene is cute. The way she teased him about not remembering the kiss was adorable. They really reminded me of DJo here with the banter. Most times, I do like Mitch/Gail, I just hate that she cheated.

Tamara/Pacey:

Still don't see why this is even happening. So far, Pacey just seems like an over-sexed teenager. Yup, that's as far as it goes with his character in the first two episodes.

DJo:

This scene just adds to the layers of their friendship. I love how he lets it all out and she just tells him she's too tired to philosophize. "next time I get like this, chain me to the bed." "Can I use leather straps?" "not until you explain the crisco!" Love how this joke came back. She's just had his head going circles over this the whole episode.

DJen:

I like that we get more of an idea where Jen's head is at here. She's just tired of moving in the fast lane, she wants to be different than she used to be. Even though we don't know her history yet, this much is clear about her character. I do like the little dance they share here too. I'm not a shipper but it is a cute scene. Love how the episode ends with Joey watching them with longing. More proof that what she said to Dawson in the Pilot was a lie (not wanting him that way).

Overall I'd give this episode an A-. We still don't know a lot about Pacey, Jen, Mitch, or Gail but we're starting to discover bits and pieces about these characters. But still, I feel like Dawson and Joey are still the focus of the show at this point.