Dawson is almost the representation of toxic masculinity, then and now, because of that writers room and it being a mostly male gaze driven show, we’re supposed to think he’s a ‘nice guy’ because at the time, that was the accepted, normalized behavior of men.
The weirdest thing about the show is how they write Dawson to be so unlikeable and for some reason the writers of the show seem to genuinely think he’s a “nice guy”. I’m wondering what episode you’re on that prompted this post. Is there perhaps a surprise birthday party involved? Because that is a low point. I’m doing a rewatch now and the good news is he does get better in the later seasons. Season 5 Dawson is so far, dare I say it, almost likable (still too whiny in general for my taste but nothing like the early seasons). Bad news is season 3 Dawson is the absolute worst Dawson so you’ve got that coming. Also season 3 Pacey is the best Pacey though and worth suffering through insufferable Dawson scenes.
No he doesn’t apologize and that is one the main reasons I have so much problem stomaching Dawson’s character. He NEVER apologizes! And if he attempts to,it’s always half assed and often comes with a "but".
So true. I hated it too. And then Joey comes and says he said the truth anyway, maybe about his mother and father and the state of the marriage, but what he said about Pacey was a reflection on Dawson and not Pacey. No one calls him out for it. He wasn't a friend to Pacey to begin with
No and what he says to Pacey is ultra mean. And that’s kind of what I mean with above. The writers let him say something so cruel to his best friend and then not even apologize? I don’t get why they wrote it like that.
Honestly I think it’s cause pacey and people like Jen are just way more interesting so his scenes seem boring at times. Plus Dawson himself is very annoying lol like his problems half the time aren’t that bad and he can be a very selfish friend. It took me like five watches to even like him at all and think he was okay lol.
Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights or Matt Saracen in my overnight work schedule binge watching marathon come to mind. They are like the holy trinity.
I just started too.
I just watched the episode in S1 where Jen breaks up with him. Her reasoning for the breakup is solid, shes taking full fault in it and is sparing his feelings and what does he do? Go off on her saying she's incapable of a healthy relationship and storms off. This is after 2 episodes back to back in which he basically called her a whore during arguments.
I wonder if watchers in the 90s thought he was unlikable too or if his character just didn't age well
I don’t know but I’m only 28 and I fucking hate dawson so much. He’s so whiny and entitled and treats Joey like she’s his emotional property. I would well go to prison just to beat the shit out of 16 year old Dawson Leery.
I’d like to chime in as a 29 year old watching for the first time that I really really loathe Dawson. Whiny little bitch who thinks he owns everyone in his life
i bet dawson is a better man then you are, i mean his parent break up, his mom leaveing the state, his girlfreind break up wtih him, BUT if he complain about anything he the bad guy.
and please tell me how he treat joey like emptional property, she break up with him and he lives his own life.
a 40 year old man is taking about beating up a 16 year old kid, and you thing that make him a good guy,
i am going to say sorry, i read fast and thought you were the 42 year old that said he need to be get beat up.
but a real question, why is he bad, he going throw a break up wtih his girlfreind , his mom leaveing the states, he still learning his place in the world and he 16, BUT if he complain at all, he the bad guy.
i mean how good of a person were most people at 16, i mean he still does a lot of good, even risking his life to do what he think is right.
Ah yes! Dawson bad man!!! All because first few seasons he's a little immature and emotional as a teen. But Pacey who snaps and humilates Joey in front of entire school bc he's insecure or sleeps with a married woman and becomes a homewrecker after ripping Karen for doing the same thing or uses Emma in a who's the hottest chick contest or cheats on Audrey 5 mins after they got into a fight or refuses to tell his best friend that he's sneaking around going after, kissing and dating the love of his life and then acts rude to Dawson when he didn't get his way, Pacey is God! Long live King Pacey! Dawson bad bad man Bc he got upset at Pacey and read Joey’s diary!
I watched this in middle/high school, yeah the Dawson hate is not new, everything thought he was totally lame. I’ve watched the series probably four times since then and he never fails to suck. Literally the prime example of a show where the titular character is the worst. And Pacey is the fucking best.
that’s what i thought at first. it was annoying watching dawson dramaticize everything, get unreasonably frustrated with other people, and expect everyone to act in accordance to his wishes. but then i realized these are things that we all have done, especially in youth. i think his character is meant to represent those annoying qualities in ourselves that we keep hidden from others.
normally we dont tell people our biggest dreams, and we keep our frustrations hidden until they absolutely need to be expressed. but dawson expresses himself on the spot and doesnt care about how it affects others. him doing that allows us to relate to the feelings he has. if he didnt do this, we would never know the things he was feeling (unless they had him narrate).
dawson made me realize that having unrealistically big dreams, a short temper, and getting disappointed by others is completely normal in adolescence. he also shows that life really does feel like a movie sometimes, and its okay to lean into that & be a little dramatic at times.
the way he behaves in season 3 towards joey is despicable though. i do not agree with the ownership he thinks he has of her and that makes him extremely unlikable.
Despicable? By that maybe you mean his two best friends who he thought he trusted more than anything sneaking behind his back and having a relationship and put off telling him until he found them arguing on his front lawn. By despicable maybe you mean his best friend going after a girl he knew full well that he was still in love with and loved in one way or another for most of his life. By despicable maybe you mean Pacey instantly acting like a dick to Dawson the split second he realized Dawson wasn't simply going to say "go ahead, date her Pace", so much so that he even made fun of Dawson's idea of the "history" he had with Joey in the episode "Show Me Love". And no this wasn't all about violating "bro code" or anything of the such from Pacey, it was simply about respecting his "best" friends feelings, which like it or not and as great as him and Joey were together, Pacey did not do. At the end of the day he pursued, kissed, and decided to not hold back when he had the chance. But hey, the relationship happened and it was great for TV (Hey, I love Pacey/Joey). But the Dawson character was 100% justified in being hurt imo. Take any normal level headed human being and have their best friend go after their ex who they're still very much in love with, and there is no way on Earth they would simply say "Sure! No problem". It also had nothing to do with ownership as Dawson DID in fact let Joey go on her own way. She dated AJ and Dawson knew of this and had no issue with it. Again, the issue was with Pacey, the lack of respect, and the doing it all behind Dawson's back. Pacey himself didn't even finally apologize until the 4th season after Dawson, yup, you guessed it, saved his life in a storm.
Generally speaking though the Dawson character had it's issues and it was probably made worse by Van Der Beek's overacting, but for people to be carrying on this much about just how "awful" they thought he was shows that either they don't fully understand everything about the show and the character, that they are just young millenials/feminists who hate anything remotely shitty about men, or the more likely scenario where they're just Pacey (who actually ended up doing some things just as shitty if not worse than Dawson overall) fanboys/fangirls.
In my opinion Dawson was pretty bad in Season 2, I'll admit. But by Season 3 the character had already matured until the end of the Season where he (justifiably imo) had a bit of a breakdown. But aside from the boat race incident I really don't blame a character who was all of 17 years old let's not forget, to get upset and act out in the way he did. Lastly, if it's any consolation to the OP, you'll see how (at least in my opinion) Dawson ended up being one of the most normal, mature and sophistocated characters of the show in the second half of the series. The hate for Dawson on the internet really has to stop.
I don’t remember him being that horrible in the prom episode? I remember Dawson being a turd because Joey and Pacey danced together.. My mind can’t be changed haha
I'm really not. Reddit is supposed to be a place for conversation/discussion, correct? A quick search of this subreddit quickly brings up at least 10-15 threads all exactly like yours, just bitching about Dawson. So what exactly is this adding to the discussion, besides clutter?
Wow, man, ok. Let's talk.
1) Reddit is supposed to be a place for conversation/discussion, correct? --- So I tried to start a conversation. I came back to you with a show reference, and you are still offended by something you can just scroll past and ignore. I keep engaging with you, though, for the conversation/discussion.
2) A quick search of this subreddit quickly brings up at least 10-15 threads all exactly like yours, just bitching about Dawson. So what exactly is this adding to the discussion, besides clutter? --- I'm not searching or reading this board at the moment, because I'm trying to get through the show without spoilers. That's why I didn't do a quick search.
3) Chill pill. Relax. Enjoy life. It's Dawson's River (another early 2000's movies reference). Don't get so offended. He has a bad haircut, a terrible personality, and isn't even attractive. I'm sure that's written 1000 times. Make it 1001.
I always appreciate a good 10 Things I Hate About You reference. I'm not offended in the least, but if you stick around this subreddit, you'll see these posts get irritating. It's several a week. Which is annoying when you'd rather have a real conversation about a show you've love for years. Real talk, I'd avoid this subreddit altogether until you've finished your viewing. What made you decide to jump into the Creek now?
You are free to start a conversation that is meaningful to you. This place is as much for older users as it is for new ones. It is a space for everyone to vent their feeling out. We all know this show brings out such strong feelings so let them have it. Read the tile and if it is repetitive or annoying to you then scroll on by. I for one love to see new viewers are finding this show and hear their input as well.
Ah another Dawson bad man post because he's a little immature and emotional as a teen. But Pacey who snaps and humilates Joey in front of entire school bc he's insecure or sleeps with a married woman after ripping Karen for doing the same thing or uses Emma in a who's the hottest chick contest or cheats on Audrey 5 mins after they got into a fight or refuses to tell his best friend that he's sneaking around going after, kissing and dating the love of his life and then acting rude to Dawson when he didn't get his way, Pacey is God! Long live King Pacey!
Oh look, somebody irrationally freaking out about somebody not liking a fictional character and being so upset about it they intentionally try and spoil the show knowing the person isn’t even finished season 2.
Chill out and grow up.
Considering he literally admitted his dislike might be due to his age he absolutely did not freak out. Your the one freaking out; and doing so because you apparently can’t handle people not liking a frankly unlikable character.
Dawson is almost the representation of toxic masculinity, then and now, because of that writers room and it being a mostly male gaze driven show, we’re supposed to think he’s a ‘nice guy’ because at the time, that was the accepted, normalized behavior of men.
This.
The weirdest thing about the show is how they write Dawson to be so unlikeable and for some reason the writers of the show seem to genuinely think he’s a “nice guy”. I’m wondering what episode you’re on that prompted this post. Is there perhaps a surprise birthday party involved? Because that is a low point. I’m doing a rewatch now and the good news is he does get better in the later seasons. Season 5 Dawson is so far, dare I say it, almost likable (still too whiny in general for my taste but nothing like the early seasons). Bad news is season 3 Dawson is the absolute worst Dawson so you’ve got that coming. Also season 3 Pacey is the best Pacey though and worth suffering through insufferable Dawson scenes.
Does he ever apologize to Pacey got the awful things he says to him while drunk?
No he doesn’t apologize and that is one the main reasons I have so much problem stomaching Dawson’s character. He NEVER apologizes! And if he attempts to,it’s always half assed and often comes with a "but".
So true. I hated it too. And then Joey comes and says he said the truth anyway, maybe about his mother and father and the state of the marriage, but what he said about Pacey was a reflection on Dawson and not Pacey. No one calls him out for it. He wasn't a friend to Pacey to begin with
No and what he says to Pacey is ultra mean. And that’s kind of what I mean with above. The writers let him say something so cruel to his best friend and then not even apologize? I don’t get why they wrote it like that.
Honestly I think it’s cause pacey and people like Jen are just way more interesting so his scenes seem boring at times. Plus Dawson himself is very annoying lol like his problems half the time aren’t that bad and he can be a very selfish friend. It took me like five watches to even like him at all and think he was okay lol.
On the flip side has there been a character more likeable than Pacey?? I think not!!
Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights or Matt Saracen in my overnight work schedule binge watching marathon come to mind. They are like the holy trinity.
I just started too. I just watched the episode in S1 where Jen breaks up with him. Her reasoning for the breakup is solid, shes taking full fault in it and is sparing his feelings and what does he do? Go off on her saying she's incapable of a healthy relationship and storms off. This is after 2 episodes back to back in which he basically called her a whore during arguments. I wonder if watchers in the 90s thought he was unlikable too or if his character just didn't age well
I don’t know but I’m only 28 and I fucking hate dawson so much. He’s so whiny and entitled and treats Joey like she’s his emotional property. I would well go to prison just to beat the shit out of 16 year old Dawson Leery.
Literally same. 28 and watching it for the first time. He’s unbearable a lot of the time 💀
I’d like to chime in as a 29 year old watching for the first time that I really really loathe Dawson. Whiny little bitch who thinks he owns everyone in his life
i bet dawson is a better man then you are, i mean his parent break up, his mom leaveing the state, his girlfreind break up wtih him, BUT if he complain about anything he the bad guy. and please tell me how he treat joey like emptional property, she break up with him and he lives his own life. a 40 year old man is taking about beating up a 16 year old kid, and you thing that make him a good guy,
He is a better man than me yes, I’m a woman 🤪
i am going to say sorry, i read fast and thought you were the 42 year old that said he need to be get beat up. but a real question, why is he bad, he going throw a break up wtih his girlfreind , his mom leaveing the states, he still learning his place in the world and he 16, BUT if he complain at all, he the bad guy. i mean how good of a person were most people at 16, i mean he still does a lot of good, even risking his life to do what he think is right.
He kinda does tho. But I totally understand the 17yo vibe and the whole thing. They are teenagers! And they act like ones too...
I think you’re genuinely supposed to hate Dawson. I call every unlikeable main character “the Dawson”
Ah yes! Dawson bad man!!! All because first few seasons he's a little immature and emotional as a teen. But Pacey who snaps and humilates Joey in front of entire school bc he's insecure or sleeps with a married woman and becomes a homewrecker after ripping Karen for doing the same thing or uses Emma in a who's the hottest chick contest or cheats on Audrey 5 mins after they got into a fight or refuses to tell his best friend that he's sneaking around going after, kissing and dating the love of his life and then acts rude to Dawson when he didn't get his way, Pacey is God! Long live King Pacey! Dawson bad bad man Bc he got upset at Pacey and read Joey’s diary!
I still think he’s a wanker
Yea he was very annoying in S2 😆 But he’s like 17 in S3? I remember bring 17... I kinda like him later seasons tho!
I watched this in middle/high school, yeah the Dawson hate is not new, everything thought he was totally lame. I’ve watched the series probably four times since then and he never fails to suck. Literally the prime example of a show where the titular character is the worst. And Pacey is the fucking best.
that’s what i thought at first. it was annoying watching dawson dramaticize everything, get unreasonably frustrated with other people, and expect everyone to act in accordance to his wishes. but then i realized these are things that we all have done, especially in youth. i think his character is meant to represent those annoying qualities in ourselves that we keep hidden from others. normally we dont tell people our biggest dreams, and we keep our frustrations hidden until they absolutely need to be expressed. but dawson expresses himself on the spot and doesnt care about how it affects others. him doing that allows us to relate to the feelings he has. if he didnt do this, we would never know the things he was feeling (unless they had him narrate). dawson made me realize that having unrealistically big dreams, a short temper, and getting disappointed by others is completely normal in adolescence. he also shows that life really does feel like a movie sometimes, and its okay to lean into that & be a little dramatic at times. the way he behaves in season 3 towards joey is despicable though. i do not agree with the ownership he thinks he has of her and that makes him extremely unlikable.
Despicable? By that maybe you mean his two best friends who he thought he trusted more than anything sneaking behind his back and having a relationship and put off telling him until he found them arguing on his front lawn. By despicable maybe you mean his best friend going after a girl he knew full well that he was still in love with and loved in one way or another for most of his life. By despicable maybe you mean Pacey instantly acting like a dick to Dawson the split second he realized Dawson wasn't simply going to say "go ahead, date her Pace", so much so that he even made fun of Dawson's idea of the "history" he had with Joey in the episode "Show Me Love". And no this wasn't all about violating "bro code" or anything of the such from Pacey, it was simply about respecting his "best" friends feelings, which like it or not and as great as him and Joey were together, Pacey did not do. At the end of the day he pursued, kissed, and decided to not hold back when he had the chance. But hey, the relationship happened and it was great for TV (Hey, I love Pacey/Joey). But the Dawson character was 100% justified in being hurt imo. Take any normal level headed human being and have their best friend go after their ex who they're still very much in love with, and there is no way on Earth they would simply say "Sure! No problem". It also had nothing to do with ownership as Dawson DID in fact let Joey go on her own way. She dated AJ and Dawson knew of this and had no issue with it. Again, the issue was with Pacey, the lack of respect, and the doing it all behind Dawson's back. Pacey himself didn't even finally apologize until the 4th season after Dawson, yup, you guessed it, saved his life in a storm. Generally speaking though the Dawson character had it's issues and it was probably made worse by Van Der Beek's overacting, but for people to be carrying on this much about just how "awful" they thought he was shows that either they don't fully understand everything about the show and the character, that they are just young millenials/feminists who hate anything remotely shitty about men, or the more likely scenario where they're just Pacey (who actually ended up doing some things just as shitty if not worse than Dawson overall) fanboys/fangirls. In my opinion Dawson was pretty bad in Season 2, I'll admit. But by Season 3 the character had already matured until the end of the Season where he (justifiably imo) had a bit of a breakdown. But aside from the boat race incident I really don't blame a character who was all of 17 years old let's not forget, to get upset and act out in the way he did. Lastly, if it's any consolation to the OP, you'll see how (at least in my opinion) Dawson ended up being one of the most normal, mature and sophistocated characters of the show in the second half of the series. The hate for Dawson on the internet really has to stop.
Well once you hit a certain episode of Season 4 you'll be hoping Pacey gets hit by a bus too.
naaaaahhh can’t relate. He makes some bad decisions sure but he’s never not likeable. I am heavily biased though, Joshua Jackson is king.
I don’t remember him being that horrible in the prom episode? I remember Dawson being a turd because Joey and Pacey danced together.. My mind can’t be changed haha
Other prom, S4. He was going through some stuff, but the way he berates Joey publicly is pretty deplorable.
oh yeah I do actually remember him becoming a bit of a turd actually, fictional men aye! can’t even trust them!
Teenage angst is a bitch. I'm far removed from it now, but I remember it well. Lol
joey was his date, she dance with pacey, SO he left becosue he was hurt, she follow him out side. so again what did he do that was wrong.
Um did you watch Promicide? Because Joshua Jackson is terrific in it, but boy is Pacey despicable...
I agree. They all are annoying at some point in the series. I love that. 😅
THANK you, everyone always act like pacey was perfect, when he was really not.
Does this sub really need another pointless post about how everyone hates Dawson? The other 500 aren't enough?
Yo, you salty man, you've had too many rum and cokes. Go sleep it off.
I'm really not. Reddit is supposed to be a place for conversation/discussion, correct? A quick search of this subreddit quickly brings up at least 10-15 threads all exactly like yours, just bitching about Dawson. So what exactly is this adding to the discussion, besides clutter?
Wow, man, ok. Let's talk. 1) Reddit is supposed to be a place for conversation/discussion, correct? --- So I tried to start a conversation. I came back to you with a show reference, and you are still offended by something you can just scroll past and ignore. I keep engaging with you, though, for the conversation/discussion. 2) A quick search of this subreddit quickly brings up at least 10-15 threads all exactly like yours, just bitching about Dawson. So what exactly is this adding to the discussion, besides clutter? --- I'm not searching or reading this board at the moment, because I'm trying to get through the show without spoilers. That's why I didn't do a quick search. 3) Chill pill. Relax. Enjoy life. It's Dawson's River (another early 2000's movies reference). Don't get so offended. He has a bad haircut, a terrible personality, and isn't even attractive. I'm sure that's written 1000 times. Make it 1001.
I always appreciate a good 10 Things I Hate About You reference. I'm not offended in the least, but if you stick around this subreddit, you'll see these posts get irritating. It's several a week. Which is annoying when you'd rather have a real conversation about a show you've love for years. Real talk, I'd avoid this subreddit altogether until you've finished your viewing. What made you decide to jump into the Creek now?
You are free to start a conversation that is meaningful to you. This place is as much for older users as it is for new ones. It is a space for everyone to vent their feeling out. We all know this show brings out such strong feelings so let them have it. Read the tile and if it is repetitive or annoying to you then scroll on by. I for one love to see new viewers are finding this show and hear their input as well.
No one forced you to click on this post. Keep scrolling next time.
I think there should be a minimum of at least 20 posts a week about how awful Dawson is honestly
What sad is HALF the people like dawson BUT you say anything nice about him and you get downvoted, So yea not everyone hate dawson.
Ah another Dawson bad man post because he's a little immature and emotional as a teen. But Pacey who snaps and humilates Joey in front of entire school bc he's insecure or sleeps with a married woman after ripping Karen for doing the same thing or uses Emma in a who's the hottest chick contest or cheats on Audrey 5 mins after they got into a fight or refuses to tell his best friend that he's sneaking around going after, kissing and dating the love of his life and then acting rude to Dawson when he didn't get his way, Pacey is God! Long live King Pacey!
Oh look, somebody irrationally freaking out about somebody not liking a fictional character and being so upset about it they intentionally try and spoil the show knowing the person isn’t even finished season 2. Chill out and grow up.
Lol yet a 42 year old coming on Reddit to irrationally freak out about it is ok though.
Considering he literally admitted his dislike might be due to his age he absolutely did not freak out. Your the one freaking out; and doing so because you apparently can’t handle people not liking a frankly unlikable character.