You Complete Me

It’s taken 3 years and 3 days to complete, but every little step has made those three years worthwhile.

On January 20, 1998, the first episode of Dawson’s Creek aired after much advertisement on The WB. I can remember the advertisements being just Dawson on his boat out on the creek and basically saying, “it’s coming January 20th." I remember being in my dorm room waiting quite impatiently for it to begin. The series started on a Tuesday, but was later moved to Wednesdays. I would go to church on Wednesday nights, but I would not go to sleep that night until I had watched the episode. I never missed one.

On May 14, 2003, the final episode faded to black around 10pm ET after 2 hours of one of the best episodes of the series, and I had tears streaming down my face. About a month before that on April 1, 2003, season one of the series was released on DVD.

For nearly 5 1/2 years, I shared their storylines, sat on the edge of my seat, yelled at the screen, laughed, smiled, cried, cheered them on, rolled my eyes in disgust (mostly at Dawson) and always hoped that what I wanted to happen really would.

So, here it is, 8 years after the series first aired and the 6th and final season was released on DVD on Tuesday, April 4th. My collection is complete. I no longer have to wait for TBS to get around to one of my favorite episodes.

I can tell you almost anything. I can tell you in the opening 90 seconds which episode it is and what is going to happen. I can tell you which episodes are still so painful to watch because I just want to slap Dawson. I actually liked Dawson in season one and pulled wholeheartedly for Joey and Dawson to get together because I knew EXACTLY where she was coming from in her unrequited love for him. But then Pacey came in and shook everything up and Dawson became a whiney little (fill in the blank). I can tell you that their Halloween episodes are among the best of the series and that I still cry at the end of the final episode every time I see it.

My favorite episodes take place not in Capeside, but during trips away from their hometown. Excluding the series finale, my favorite episode is the one where Pacey and Joey get stuck in Kmart overnight. My least favorite episodes are the ones when Audrey is at the height of her alcoholism and the episodes when Dawson is at his jerkiest about Pacey.

These characters changed and evolved through their high school days and part of their college days for the greater part of my own college career. It may be silly, but they’re a part of me. So, now the collection is complete. Welcome Home, Capesiders.