Plot: What’s it about?
In the small town of Capeside, Massachusetts, a group of teenagers prepare to enter the world of high school. Dawson (James Van Der Beek) has a good homelife and seeks to make movies, which is the reason he and his friend Pacey (Joshua Jackson) work at the local video outlet. But while Dawson has been friends with a beautiful girl named Joey (Katie Holmes) since they were kids, the winds of change have started to blow. The onset of growing up and the hormones involved have started to put some cracks in that friendship, as Joey believes that the changes are certain to doom their relationship. But Dawson is sure they can continue to be friends, even sleep in the same bed, no matter how much body hair is involved. At the same time, a hot new girl Jen (Michelle Williams) move into town and right from the start, Dawson is taken with her. This creates some tension with Joey, but she buries her feelings about the situation. Pacey finds himself drawn toward an older woman, which could land both of them in serious trouble. Even as adulthood looms overhead, these teens try to stay unchanged, though that is impossible. Can the teens of Capeside manage to keep things together, or will the trials & tribulations of growing up stand in the way? And who will end up falling for who?
As created by Kevin Williamson (writer of Scream), Dawson’s Creek is another one of those sappy, trendy teen soap operas. But of course, it was one of the first and its success ignited a slew of shows of its kind. Dawson’s Creek helped give its small network some credibility, as well as inspiring several clone shows, some of which also found some success. But as I went back and watched this debut season again, I have no idea why the show became so popular and revived the teen soap opera on television. Maybe its because I prefer shows like Saved By The Bell or Boy Meets World, but Dawson’s Creek comes off as lame to me, as if some nerds got together and wanted to relive their lost high school potential. The writing is contrived and predictable, but we’re made to think its magical, which is where the show loses my interest. I know people want to see hip, popular kids, but come on, this show takes itself too seriously, considering the poor writing and performances from its young cast. Yes, Katie Holmes is hot and most of the cast has went on to feature films, but I found Dawson’s Creek to be a real disappointment. This three disc collection from Columbia houses all thirteen episodes from the first season, plus some nominal supplements. But even with a rabid fanbase out there, Columbia has chosen to skimp on this release, as video is lackluster and the extras seem a tad thin. So unless you’re a diehard Dawson’s Creek addict, this collection simply isn’t worth the cost involved.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. As this is such a recent series, I was quite let down by the poor visual effort here. The image here is very soft and even has some grain, which contribute to a lackluster, VHS level presentation. This is a real disappointment, as the episodes look better on television broadcasts, as they’re not so damn soft. The softness extends to the color and contrast also, which lessens the visuals even more. The colors tend to smear, which is unacceptable on such recent material, while contrast sits at consistent, but not as refined as you’d expect. I don’t think these episodes are unwatchable, but Columbia has dropped the ball on this one, as reruns look better than this.
Audio: How does it sound?
This sounds just as good as when its shown on television, thanks to a solid 2.0 surround option. Of course, this material isn’t designed to showcase high end audio equipment, so surround use is infrequent and uneventful, but the elements sound quite good here. All the various sound effects come across loud and clear, while the musical soundtrack adds some life and depth to the experience. The music sometimes makes good use of the surrounds, but aside from that, only a few instances of surround presence can be detected. The main focus here is on dialogue, which is as clean and crisp as we could want. This release also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Korean.
Supplements: What are the extras?
On the first and last episodes, creator Kevin Williamson and producer Paul Stupin contribute audio commentary sessions. As usual, Williamson is talkative and reveals the show’s origins, the cast process, and other assorted production details. Stupin also chimes in with some good information, but Williamson is the main attraction on these tracks. This collection also include two brief, overly promotional featurettes.
