"Rob Jensen" <ShutUpRob@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:2j1mmjFsj3f6U1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Seaclock wrote:
> > Maybe this has been discussed before, but when, if ever, do people
think
> > DC jumped the shark? I really liked season 2 and don't feel that
season
> > 3 lived up to it, but I found the show varied from good to tolerable
> > until the end of season 5. Season 6, however, was pretty bad. On the
> > whole, the gang never should have left Capeside.
> >
> >
>
> Being a Creek newbie who jumped on with the DVDs and the most recent
> round of repeats on TBS (Jan - May), I thought the show was *great* all
> the way through the end of Season 4 and good in s5, but jumped the shark
> when Dawson and Joey finally boinked at the top of s6 (thus destroying
> the s5 finale in the process).
>
> I thought that the Dawson-Gretchen storyline in s4 made up for the
> mistakes the writers made with Pacey and Joey that season. Season 5
> would have made a fine transition season to a new four-or-so-year arc if
> it weren't for s6 making it clear that the writers didn't have a game
> plan for the college years. Joey darn near jumped the shark as a
> character with the mugging episode, which completed more of her
> father-fixation arc than it really should have -- the episode was as
> unsubtle as a brick in the head and was too long by about ten minutes.
> IMO, the story needed to be severely edited, especially in the death
> scene and an unrelated, possibly comedic, B-story from Pacey or Dawson
> should have been added for contrast. I thought Mitch's death in s5
> played rather well in retrospect and helped to fuel the rest of Dawson's
> arc quite nicely.
>
> Season 6 was a train wreck. I knew it was coming, but Joey and Dawson
> sleeping together ultimately felt like ***** and the series floundered
> for the rest of the season as a result. Saddling JJ and Pacey with a
> storyline that was nothing more than a tenth-rate ripoff of The Boiler
> Room pissed me off. Audrey was a blast in s5, which makes their
> mistreatment of the character in s6 all the more irritating and Audrey
> driving the car through the Leerys' ****ch was darn near the final straw
> for me, but starting with the rehab episode, they started to get their
> bearings back with both her and Dawson. And what the hell happened to
> Jack & Jen in s6? Jack disappears for half the season and acts like a
> cocktease when he comes back (note: I'm straight and I *hated* Jack's
> aimlessness in s6. He deserved *much* better than that.) and Jen's
> practically a guest star. s6 was so unfocused that at times, I thought
> *Todd* was the only character worth watching. I've read that part of
> the problem was that the s6 renewal was unexpected and certain unnamed
> cast members didn't even want to do it. And it shows.
>
> But at least they rallied to wrap the characters up in the last
> four-five episodes before the finale. I liked the finale, but wish
> Williamson would have written either Audrey or Gretchen or both into it
> rather than stick with just the characters he'd created -- especially
> since Stupin had been telegraphing since at least as early as the s4
> finale that they were going to jump 5 years ahead in the timeline at
> some point. Jack ending up with Deputy Doug (and Jen's baby) was a
> brilliantly done surprise even though I knew it was coming. Jen's death
> completed the show's cribbing of Dumas's Camille quite well.
>
> I recommend to newbies to skip from the 2-part s6 opener all the way to
> "All Good Things" and ignore everything in-between even though I'm
> partial to Dawson's arc, especially the last two episodes before the
> finale when Joey rallies the troops to film Dawson's movie.
> (Ironically, Dawson's my least favorite of the core characters -- Andie
> and Audrey included -- but I found him the only one of the core with a
> consistently watchable storyline in s6, BID). Skip five years from
> Dawson and Joey boinking and both the Joey-Dawson and Joey-Pacey
> pairings are left totally up in the air and lead into the finale much
> more effectively than the hopeless muddle of s6 made them turn out to
> be, IMO.
>
> -- Rob
>
Although I hate Season Four above all others, I agree with most of your
Season Six commentary.
I can see Pacey wanting to succeed, to prove to himself that he is not a
loser, but being a stockbroker and a marginally crooked one at that, makes
no sense. I can't see why they didn't have him continue as a chef. I
surprised they made him a chef in season five, but having done that let
the
story play out.
Audrey was a good outside commentator on the group, before the alcoholic
plot. It was a useful and fun role they should have continued.
I hate the Dawson Leery character (he is the only character that you are
supposed to like in any series I have watched that I wished would die a
horrible death). Having said that, his story with Todd was enjoyable,
although I credit Todd and not DL.
As for the finale, I was a P/J ****pper, but TPTB laid no basis for Joey
getting together with Pacey (or Dawson). I am happy with the result, but
felt I was cheated out of seeing how it happened.
Sharpe Fan
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