Review of Discovery

Dawson's Creek: Discovery (1998)
Season 1, Episode 4
We're only humans and the birth of James Van Der Beek
16 September 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Alone, devastated and confused. That's how Dawson felt at the end of this episode even if he's lucky enough to have Joey and Jen. The first mentioned social evolution in response to his fear of changes. We're biological creatures so it's logical that our body and mind evolve. During teenagehood the transformation can be overwhelming and impossible to control if you haven't been well prepared for it. To tell the truth I wasn't expecting him to find out about so many secrets at the same time. Learning who was Tamara's lover only stunned him but learning about Jen's troubled past right after discovering her mother had an affair was really too much for him to handle. That's why their conversations were quite enlightening and I liked the way the story focused on character development instead of the film project drama for example, even if it's entertaining. First Joey didn't really try to tell him about his mother so he was right to push her away. But in the end their friendship was apparently strong enough to survive. However he got the wake up call he needed and the Dawson of tomorrow should be an other person. It leads us to Pacey as his naughty adventure with teacher Tamara slightly changed the way his friend sees him. In the future thanks to her maturity he should feel more confident with girls but I'm still disappointed by the way their relationship is covered. I suppose we will have to wait for Dawson to react or probably Joey to find out about the tape. Keeping it was too predictable in my opinion. Of course destroying it wouldn't have been as intriguing but I wish the writers had come up with a more original idea. As for Jen I tend to agree with her grandmother because once you have made mistakes it's important to be reminded of them so you don't end up in a vicious circle. Moreover it's not like if she tried to forbid her of seeing her boyfriend. She just wants to protect her so it's definitely a declaration of love and in her own teenager twisted way, Jen knows it. That's probably why she asked Joey's help so I wonder how their connection will evolve. Friends or foes ? I suspect Dawson will get his heart broken and considering how she feels about him I suppose she'll hate Jen or something. In fact I don't think Joey's persona is subtle enough. Did she really have to talk to herself after leaving Dawson ? I almost regret the boy from Kiss is gone because involving more characters would blur the lines and make the story less predictable. I was also disappointed by Katie Holmes make-up because a more natural one, like the one Michelle Williams had, would better suit her. In fact considering how pretty she was back then it really jarred with her fresh beauty. Anyway they don't play in the same league as Leann Hunley and Miss Jacobs was just ravishing in her silky shiny top. As for Joshua Jackson I really hope they'll change his nerdy haircut now he has lost his virginity. Last but not least I can't imagine how James Van Der Beek sorrow acting crushed millions of hearts back then. From beginning to end his misery was palpable. That's the benefit of playing in TV shows. They allow you to sharpen your emotional palette and once you're skilled enough you can fly away and perform in controversial but interesting films like The Rules of Attraction.
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