COOLCAT200

What do you guys feel was the closet thing Jen had to romantic love on the show during the 6 seasons?

Jerry D

Great question, Eric.

I'd say the closest Jen got to having a romantic love with someone was in her brief relationship with Dawson the second time around. I really wish that the writers wouldn't have ended their relationship before it really had a chance to begin, because I really loved them as a romantic couple in the few episodes in Season Five that they actually were a romantic couple.

QueenBitch

Yes, but I didn't think it'd work out. What about Jack? She came to care about him a lot, developing feelings.

SpySyd

Jen&Jack were soulmates,so no romantic feelings.

I agree with Jerry.The second time with Dawson.Although,I really think CJ and her made a good match.

So yeah,I'd say Dawson&CJ were the only real boyfriends she had.Henry was just a high school crush.

Jerry D

C.J. was completely ruined for me as a romantic prospect for Jen because of the crappy way he treated her when they first met, especially when he slept with Audrey, so I could never warm up to him being with Jen after that.

It really angered me when C.J. told Jack that Jen “wasn’t his type” in one of the early episodes of Season Five, and then he went on to sleep with the downward spiraling Audrey after turning Jen down, telling her that he “didn’t date” in Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell, so in my mind, that made him a hypocrite and a jerk, and so I didn’t want him to be with Jen after that.

How could C.J. not like Jen initially? How could Jen not be his type? My heart sunk for Jen when Jack had to find out that C.J. wasn’t interested in her, and Jack didn’t have the heart to tell her. Why did TMTB always do this to Jen? I don’t care that he came to appreciate Jen later, because for me, it was too little too late.

It always incensed me that this wonderful character was neglected on this show so much, and she never got the chance to be in a long-term romantic relationship with someone, while the eternally self-obsessed Joey got the all the major story lines and practically every guy that came along.

QueenBitch

So soulmates can't have romantic relationships?

They treated her with little respect. I feel for Michelle, with everything her character was put through. I could use the "after KW left, things changed" card, but even in 1 and 2 she wasn't given that much of a chance.

You got it. "Eternally self-obsessed" is a great way to sum her up. Season 1? No. She evolved into somewhat of a diva, probably in the time between season's 1 and 2. She realized she was in demand, and used it to get what she wanted, turning into a brat.

newmom5497

Good Question.

I think I would have to go with Jack. Even though they could never be romantic partners, I think Jen had sexual/romantic feelings towards him anyway. I think that was the closest thing she had during the 6 seasons to true-love, romantic love. Sort of like a "Will and Grace" type thing...on that show, I think Grace, like Jen, always longs for Will in a romantic way even though he was gay.

With Dawson, even in Season 5, I still think it was a "safety" kind of relationship for Jen.

SpySyd

Hmmmm....tough question and I'd go with yes AND no.Yes they can have romantic feelings,like Dawson&Joey had,but that doesn't mean soulmates share the 'true love' kind of love.Not when you follow Williamson's take on the word 'soulmate'.

Not to forget Jack was gay.Thus,there was no real romantic relationship possible between Jack&Jen.Plus,I don't remember which philosopher said that,but true love can only exist when 2 people share the same kind of love.Obviously,if Jen had some romantic feelings for Jack,as much as Jack loved her,it wasn't romantic.
(which doesn't mean Jack loved her less,just in a different way)

Actually I don't agree.Yes,compared to Joey,she was really like a "second choice" kind of girl but I find that very plausible(only with Charlie&CJ--and the latter changed his mind).Not because Jen was a horrible person,on the contrary,but because it happens to everyone in real life to be treated this way one day.No matter how great you can be,this happens.Just for the reality matter of the story,I liked it.I didn't "feel bad" for Jen,because the only person we can feel bad for is Michelle,because she didn't get as much good publicity as she should have from her interpretation of Jen.I thought Jen's story was credible and plausible enough to get interested in,unlike Joey's one(which didn't sound real most of the time).

[ 01-18-2004: Message edited SpySyd ]

QueenBitch

Alright, good reasoning, but why does it have to be what KW says? Sure, it's his show, but we've never conformed to what him or any other producers/writers expected us to think. "True love" and "soulmates" are both two ruined phrases for me. Forget them. They're equal to one another, IMO. KW just wanted us to see the different views of the spectrum. Mission accomplished.

Anra

FOr me it was CJ. Yes, the writers made their relation start out bad, but it grew into something better, that I really enjoyed watching.
Her relationship w/ Dawson always seemed weird to me, since there was all the history of previous seasons. I didn't dislike it, but never got into it.
As for Jack, I do believe that Jen loved him more than any of the other guys. But not in a romantic way. Like other have said, they were soulmates. And best friends. Kinda like D/J, only Jen & Jack never had the romantic love to destroy their friendship.
But as far as romantic loves goes, I'd say CJ was the best she had.

SpySyd

It has to be what KW says coz these characters are his,at least initially,and we got to see him ending his show.So as far as DC's concerned,I have to have in mind that KW's definition of "Soulmate" wasn't the common one.It certainly isn't mine,but I think he made pretty clear HIS point of view of what were "true love" and "soulmates".

I don't know,the whole show's pretty clear to me,and the ending just confirmed it to me.That's the messages the producers/writers wanted to send,and that's the way I see the show&received their messages.LOL,I'm doing a lousy job explaining myself...I don't want to see the show as what it was not.I don't want to take the parts I liked and reject the others.I take the show as a whole,and as the producers/writers wanted the audience to take it.

Jerry D

Great post, SpySyd, but I'll never understand why Jen was always a second choice kind of girl compared to Joey.

I just didn’t get the writers on this show. Jen was sweet, beautiful, caring, funny, witty, and she had a level head on her shoulders, yet the writers always had her putting herself down, or losing out romantically to Joey, or they also almost always had her hook up with some guy that she ends up getting hurt by right up to the very end, when she revealed that her boyfriend had “knocked her up and left her to raise a baby on her own.”

First of all, who in their right mind would pick Joey over Jen? Jen was every bit as beautiful as Joey, and I personally think that Jen is prettier then Joey, but putting looks aside, Jen is infinitely nicer than Joey! I’ve never understood the adulation that Joey received on this show, because she was basically bitchy to every guy she ran across, but sooner or later, almost every single guy on this show ended up falling for Joey, while poor Jen got left out in the cold.

I really was angry in Season Five when Charlie shamelessly used and hurt Jen, but then he told Joey that he could be a “man of substance” for her. Give me a break! [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

I thought that Jen was a wonderful character, and I thought that Michelle Williams was the best actress on this show, and it never failed to disappoint me that this wonderful character and the beautiful and talented actress who played her were so underutilized on this show.

QueenBitch

He said he wanted to show it wasn't always just romantic. And you weren't doing a lousy job at explaining/

Jerry, they wanted to show it wasn't always the gorgeous girl who gets the guiy in the end. They did this well in season 1. But from there on out, not som uch in 2, but in 3-6, Joey was much more the star than Jen, they'd almost switched rolls. It was showing that guys leave the nice girl behind, and go for the brat, in some sense, which goes against everything the show was initially for.

SpySyd

I think it wasn't about being the nicest,or the most beautiful but about Joey's character.Yes,the show was named after Dawson,but honestly,from day one,Joey was more interesting to follow.And I think we have to give the credits for that to Katie.She really was good as the snarky/ambitious yet vulnerable little girl from the bad side of the creek.She was interesting because she had to fight to obtain what she wanted,but from S5,she had it all.Everytime:the boys,the teacher...I still liked that Joey because we could get once in a while some glances of who Joey Potter truly was.I mean,I'm not gonna bash my fav character of the show,LOL.But yes,aside from the ups&downs of her relationships with Dawson and Pacey,nothing of what was happening to her seemed real.And that's the writers' fault,not Katie's.

QueenBitch

Jen was equally interesting, IMO, but Joey was originally written in more plots than Jen. She's also one of my favorite characters, but over the years, I began to resent her. I miss the ambitious, opinionated girl who'd throw it right back at you. She just turned into a brat. I found her unlikeable after season 2, and even in some of 2. In 3, she had her good moments.