Season 3 is the first I've watched from start to finish, on its original run. The tone was a lot lighter. Too light even, it made the writing lose complexity and the characters became your regular stereotypical teens. Some of the dialogues and storylines make my skin crawl, when I think of previous seasons attention to details. In this episode in particular, the way some regulars act completely out of character, is baffling. Some big changes occurred offscreen, and it shows in several aspects of the storytelling, and acting even. It lacks substance, but is very addictive. And my guilty pleasure season for the whole series. I can't think of one episode I don't like. And has a great season finale. And most importantly, less music changes than season 2...
2 Reviews
Begins to set up the season
sheepandsharks2 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
There is a lot I hate in this episode. There are also a lot of seeds planted for the season to come, which will (eventually) be great.
I'll start with the bad:
-The Dawson/Eve hook-up scene is straight out of a Wattpad story, decades before Wattpad existed. (Seriously, WHO THOUGHT THIS EVE STUFF WAS A GOOD IDEA??)
-The Pacey/Andie break-up. Obviously it had to happen to prepare for the rest of the season, but it feels so out of character for Andie. Just awful.
Now for the good:
-Obba Babatundé as Principal Green. He is a fantastic addition to this show, and I forgot to mention him in last episode's review. I only wish he had been kept around longer.
-The debut of Jack 2.0. Admittedly, I hate that they so abruptly drop Jack's sensitive artist persona, and I wish they had merged it with Jock Jack. But Kerr Smith definitely has real athleticism and is *really* gorgeous, so I very much buy him as the Alpha Gay (to borrow a term from Glee).
-The debut of Henry, who will pull many manipulative NiceGuy moves this season that no real person should ever imitate, but it is a pleasure to watch in a fictional TV show. He and Jen are adorable.
-Joey joining Pacey on his trip to get Andie, which mirrors him taking her to see her dad in the s1 finale.
-Joey and Dawson wrapping up their angst so we can all move on.
-The condom scene in the store feels like it comes out of a much better comedy.
Overall, sort of a "the sum is less than its parts" episode, but one that is needed to get things going.
I'll start with the bad:
-The Dawson/Eve hook-up scene is straight out of a Wattpad story, decades before Wattpad existed. (Seriously, WHO THOUGHT THIS EVE STUFF WAS A GOOD IDEA??)
-The Pacey/Andie break-up. Obviously it had to happen to prepare for the rest of the season, but it feels so out of character for Andie. Just awful.
Now for the good:
-Obba Babatundé as Principal Green. He is a fantastic addition to this show, and I forgot to mention him in last episode's review. I only wish he had been kept around longer.
-The debut of Jack 2.0. Admittedly, I hate that they so abruptly drop Jack's sensitive artist persona, and I wish they had merged it with Jock Jack. But Kerr Smith definitely has real athleticism and is *really* gorgeous, so I very much buy him as the Alpha Gay (to borrow a term from Glee).
-The debut of Henry, who will pull many manipulative NiceGuy moves this season that no real person should ever imitate, but it is a pleasure to watch in a fictional TV show. He and Jen are adorable.
-Joey joining Pacey on his trip to get Andie, which mirrors him taking her to see her dad in the s1 finale.
-Joey and Dawson wrapping up their angst so we can all move on.
-The condom scene in the store feels like it comes out of a much better comedy.
Overall, sort of a "the sum is less than its parts" episode, but one that is needed to get things going.
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