Dawson's Creek (TV Series) Pilot (1998) User Reviews

The First Episode...

[taylorkingston · 7/10 · 20 April 2015]

I love the introduction to Dawson's Creek. It's a fantastic Series Premiere and it does the rest of the show justice. It's true that sometimes Pilot episodes aren't great and the show slowly gets better, but this is a great Pilot episode, and while the rest of the show does get better, this is in no way, the worst episode.

In this episode, we meet Dawson Leery. A fifteen year old film buff living in the peaceful town of Capeside, Massachusetts. His best friend Joey, a girl, not a boy, lives right down the creek. Yes, they have creeks in their backyards. Anyone else want to live here, or is it just me? Anyway, Dawson dreams of becoming the next Steven Spielberg and he is making a movie with Joey and his other best friend, Pacey. On the day before starting high school, a new girl moves to town from New York. Jen is a fun-loving girl who Dawson instantly falls for. This is bad news for Joey, since she's been secretly carrying a torch for him for years. On the first day of school, Pacey falls for his teacher, which you know isn't going to end well.

Fun Fact: Katie Holmes never actually rowed the boat. The boat was pulled by a rope that remained out of focus.

Fun Fact: Jen's grandmother is played by a different actress for the rest of the series.

Overall, I give this episode a 7 out of 10, which in my ratings book is: Great.

Actually pretty good

[savinainenpihla · 9/10 · 21 June 2021]

After browsing through shows for about an hour, this pilot was the only one which grabbed my attention within the first scene, mostly when I heard how the characters talk. I have really low expectations on writers nailing how teens talk but there was something charming about how the characters spoke to each other here. And probably also that I'm obsessed with films, and found Dawson really similar to myself. I have no complaints about the acting or the soundtrack, but comparing this to the other episodes I've seen, it's pretty weak like pilot episodes usually are.

One of the best episodes by far.

[m-47826 · 8/10 · 5 July 2022]

And one of the best pilot episodes. Which is very rare. Sometimes the pace is wrong, some parts and characters don't work. Even the feel isn't quite there yet. But in Dawson's Creek's case, everything does. The writing is full of wits, and honesty. The acting is flawless and it reminded me why I used to think Katie Holmes would become a big star. The music choice is on point, and not too radio friendly. And I just love how for a teen drama, it is very mature and daring. I stopped counting the number of times I used to watch this episode on tape. And it is still great after all these years, so I'm excited to rediscover this season. Who doesn't love late 90s series? But why didn't they kept Run Like Mad for this season opening credits? It works best for it.

The journey begins!!!

[katie_marie · 10 February 2006]

I thought it was a good way to begin the series.Dawson is a dreamer who loves movies. Joey is the girl next door. Pacey is the slacker.Jen is the the wild child from New York.The acting is very will done, emotion and comedy is shown. The reason the show is so great is because it deals with real issues every day teens go through.This episode in particular shows that a certain age the thing you did when you were younger are no longer appropriate.And that growing up is inevitable.Also the music in this episode is great, i particularly like the song called "Good Mother" by Jann Arden which is herd in the scene where Bettsy is putting lipstick on Joey, another song i enjoyed was "Hey Pritty Girl" by the Bodeans which is herd in the scene where Jen gets out of the taxi. One of the funniest parts of the episode is when Joey asks Dawson what time of day he walks his dog and he yells out the window to tell her.I enjoyed this episode a lot.

One of the best pilots I've seen

[jjpscott01 · 10/10 · 7 September 2021]

Pilots are a tricky deal. They have to generate enough interest to hook an audience while at the same time set up an entire story arc all while introducing the central characters on a way that makes us care about them. It's tough to nail it but the pilot to Dawson's Creek is about as perfect as it gets. We get a good feel for who Dawson, Pacey, Joey, Jen are and even the supporting characters are pretty fleshed out. It contains humor, heart, and never seems boring or drawn out. The town of capeside (The beautiful Wilmington nc) is basically a character of its own as it's the perfect backdrop for a story about these teens growing up. I generally don't like teen dramas but I've always considered Dawson's Creek the expectation. It's highly underrated and I honestly think it's as good as a show now as it was when it originally aired.

Dawson's Creek: Pilot marks the last program on the WB's final day

[tavm · 6/10 · 22 September 2006]

Sunday, September 17, 2006, marked the last broadcast day of the WB network. Among the pilots of classic WB shows shown that day: Felicity, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the one reviewed here-Dawson's Creek. The first episode begins with Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek) and his friend Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) watching the end of E.T. in Dawson's bedroom. Joey then mentions that she can't spend time in Dawson's room anymore because of growth hormones. Dawson doesn't believe a word Joey says and insists things haven't changed just because they're now 15. Dawson also spends time with Pacey (Joshua Jackson) and they work at a video store. A beautiful middle-age customer comes in and asks for The Graduate. Pacey flirts a little and she flirts back. Meanwhile, a new girl named Jen (Michelle Williams) comes to town to help her grandmother take care of her bedridden husband. Dawson becomes smitten with her which makes Joey jealous. The woman who flirted with Pacey is revealed to be his English teacher. At the local movie house, Dawson seems to ignore Joey who makes a fool of herself in front of him and Jen while Pacey gets punched by his English teacher's date who happened to be a film school teacher that rejected Dawson's application because the class is too full. Earlier, Dawson discussed the possibility that his mother, a news anchor, is fooling around with her co-star while Joey sees that it's true...Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson created this show and while his intentions were good, one gets the feeling that the teens are saying things they would've like to say looking back as adults as opposed to what they really would've said at that age. Still, the performances are good and director Steve Miner, who also helmed the pilot of The Wonder Years, does a good job of evoking a yearning to be in the capeside town inhabited by Dawson, Joey, Pacey, and Jen. It marks a fitting end to the WB as we say goodbye to Michigan J. Frog and all the stars that got their start here as identified in the farewell promo that aired afterwards. Farewell, WB. Hope your spirit lives on the CW...