Amazon.co.uk Review
Dawson's Creek is, first and foremost, one of the defining shows about teen angst and complicated teenage relationships. The first two seasons were the classic ones, as Dawson oscillates in his affections between beautiful Jen and his best friend Joey and manages to fall entirely between two stools. This is a show in which indecision and failure to commit is always going to lead to nothing good, however uncertain the prospects of commitment. Michelle Williams as Jen and Katie Holmes as Joey provide the show with its emotional centre of quirky intensity. James Van Der Beek as the essentially unreliable Dawson provides good looks and a hang-dog complexity of feeling to the mix, while Joshua Jackson as his sidekick Pacey provides both reliable comic relief and a sense of more depth to come in the show's later seasons.
The "Best of Season 1" provides good examples of what the show does best. "The Scare" is a finely judged commentary on teen horror films--the show's creator Kevin Williamson was also responsible for the Scream franchise--and "Beauty Contest" is a finely judged social comedy about the show's high-toned resort community. Dawson's Creek is essential teen soap, savvy enough in its post-modern edge to play well with self-parody and intertextuality.--Roz Kaveney
Synopsis
In 'The Scare' it is Friday the 13th and Dawson has plans to play some practical jokes on his friends, but when phone lines are cut and the power fails maybe it isn't down to Dawson...
In 'Beauty Contest' Joey enters Capeside's beauty contest in the hope of winning the prize money to pay for her tuition fees. And Pacey becomes the first male to enter the competition...
