Somewhere in a quaint little coastal town (hence the Creek) in North Carolina lived a close-knit group of teens who were just trying to get through high school and college. It might not sound like the recipe of a genius, mind-blowing, life-altering show but believe me, it was. Yes, before Made In Chelsea owned Chelsea embankment as its sulking ground, the *Dawson's Creek *dock was the place for teenage angst.
The four main characters played by James Van Der Beek (Dawson), Joshua Jackson (Pacey), Katie Holmes (Joey) and Michelle Williams (Jen) were the foundations of who teenagers across the world in the late ’90s/early noughties wanted to be/wanted to be with. Basically, you were either team Pacey or team Dawson and you were most definitely either a goody-too-shoes like Joey or a hot mess like Jen. It was so good that whenever the theme song I Don't Want To Wait by Paula Cole comes on, I'm fairly sure at least 1/3 of the world still gets shivers. Here's why you need to join the Creek clique…
**’90s nostalgia means nothing without Dawson's Creek
**The scriptwriters were wisdom wizards who imparted vital life lessons on to us. They also referred to the 1990s a lot. Such lines included:
'It's the ’90s, you've gotta be careful.'
'Everybody comes from a dysfunctional family, it's the ’90s.'
'This is 1998, sex is always a risky choice.'
Not to mention that all the boys (bar Pacey, who was so ahead of his time) had curtains, the girls only wore middle-partings, and bucket hats, backwards caps, velvet shirts and slip dresses were the norm.
Pacey was the world's first loveable bad boy
I defy you to try and meet someone who watched *Dawson's Creek *and wasn't in love with Pacey. He had that cheeky, hard-on-his-luck boyishness about him that made you forgive any indiscretion. Plus, now he's dating Diane Kruger in real-life so is 1/2 of the world's most fashionable couple, sorry Olivia Palermo/Johannes Huebl.
It was pioneering for its time
And the show wasn't afraid to talk about sex. Dawson was watching Good Will Humping porn, Jen was exploring cybersex on IM and realising she wasn't very good at it and penises were referred to as 'joysticks.' Back in a time pre-dating Tinder and when dial-up internet was still a thing, this was all very ahead of its era.
**It taught us how to be a woman
**Ie. When upset by a boy, put on a green gooey face mask and complain about said boy in the company of other girls in green gooey facemasks. Also, if someone tells you they 'love to hate you', don't focus on the love part because it probably means they don't love you. And, no matter what, be nice to your sister and know that sometimes your frenemies can end up being your BFFs.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.