MovieChat Forums > Dawson's Creek (1998) Discussion > The ending was such a copout

The ending was such a copout

posted 8 years ago by shrilltrills
7 replies | jump to latest

Dawson as her soulmate and Pacey as her boyfriend? Realistically, how well is that going to work? We saw them a few months later, but is this something that would really last a lifetime? They didn't show that Joey and Pacey ended up getting married and growing old together, they showed that they were dating and living in New York at 25. Two different things, and being in a relationship at age 25 doesn't mean you are going to end up together.

When Pacey and Joey were together in high school, Dawson was ALWAYS an issue. Pacey could never really get over the idea that she loved Dawson more. I don't think even SHE could ever convince herself that Pacey was more important to her than Dawson - I still think a big part of why she slept with Pacey was to prove to herself that she was over Dawson. Now that she's declared Dawson as her soulmate but wants to be with Pacey, how is Pacey going to be OK with that? That's not really going to go away.

Basically, the ending was all about Joey having it all and everyone else getting screwed. Jen dies, Pacey has a girlfriend who sees another man as her soulmate, and Dawson knows his soulmate is sleeping with his former best friend and doesn't want to be with him. And Joey doesn't have to make a choice between the two because she gets to have her cake and eat it too - Dawson's her soulmate, and Pacey's her boyfriend.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (66090889) 8 years ago

I disagree with your belief that Dawson knows his soul mate is sleeping with his best friend and doesn't want him. We see Dawson ecstatic over his one true love, filmmaking, and getting ready to meet his icon. Pacey and Joey seem happy as well. It's like Pacey has finally grown up and realizes that even if Joey will always truly love Dawson, he's at his best when he's with Joey and she keeps him out of trouble!

[–] kimmie_baever 8 years ago

Exactly.

[–] shrilltrills 8 years ago

even if Joey will always truly love Dawson, he's at his best when he's with Joey and she keeps him out of trouble!

What evidence do we have that he is at his best when he's with Joey? On the show, we see the complete opposite. He's at his best without her. When he was with her, he was constantly insecure and his grades slipped even when he had shown that he was capable of doing well earlier on. Didn't he even end up getting arrested? He ditched school with Drue Valentine and they both got arrested for underage drinking.

He was at his best when he was with Andie. His grades got better and he finally saw what he was capable of. He was at his best when Joey was either in the background of his life or not there at all. In the years they spent apart before the finale, Pacey became a business owner.

I always thought Joey brought out the very worst in Pacey. If he was to end up with anyone, it should have been Andie, not her.

[–] Scarlett_Butler 8 years ago

100% agree. Joey and Pacey were a truly toxic relationship. All they ever did was fight in season 4.

[–] timpolcha 7 years ago

I think you missed the entire point of the series finale and more specifically the last 15 minutes or so. Joey and Dawson finally, fully let go of each other. Pacey finally let go of his insecurities and realized he was not only good enough for Joey but the one she really wanted all along.

[–] hollywoodgal23 7 years ago

YES!

[–] winepooh96 7 years ago

I completely agree with you and the other comment about Dawson. I've always thought it was quite obvious Dawson's true love was filmmaking. What kind of relationship would Dawson have with Joey anyway? They already established in the finale that he didn't return her emails and that he blew off his date so he could work. Pacey and Joey were in a similar place in life, settled with regular jobs and lives. Dawson was still chasing his dream. He and Joey never would have worked out; he was west coast Hollywood, she was east coast publishing. The distance also gave Pacey and Joey a better chance for their relationship to develop and become established without the tension that Dawson's constant presence would bring. I think the ending showed them all finally good with each other. I thought it was odd they even brought up the 'triangle" in the finale.' I felt it was long over, even Joey's conversations with both Jen and Pacey confirmed there was no debate. It only still existed in Dawson's mind. He had his chance and he didn't have ownership of Joey. Besides, what if Joey accepted her boyfriend's proposal? I think a lot of Dawson's obsession with winning Joey was more about not losing to Pacey. He would't care if she was with any other guy. The only thing I will agree with the OP is the whole soulmate nonsense. They always had to toss that in to reaffirm Dawson and Joey's friendship. You can share a bond without being soulmates. Just like the dream wedding, I thought they put that out to throw a bone to the Joey/Dawson fans. Though Joey did add that it would always be platonic relationship, so in the end it was much like Jen and Jack's relationship.

This is one show that begs for a reunion. Though Jen's dead, the other three can more than carry it, along with Jack and the other secondary characters. Besides, MW would probably never have done it anyway so it all works out.