Top 10 Unforgettable Dawson's Creek Moments

When Dawson, Joey, Pacey, and Jen all get stuck with a Saturday detention, tensions are running high. To break up the monotony, Abby Morgan – the resident troublemaker of Capeside High School – suggests a simple game of Truth or Dare. The entire episode takes on a distinct “Breakfast Club” vibe, as the friends reveal (or try to hide) their personal secrets. Joey and Dawson end up sharing their first ever kiss (although Joey still isn’t ready to admit that she has feelings for Dawson) … and of course Abby is right there to make matters more awkward. With this episode arriving roughly half-way through season one, it helped to firmly cement the characters and the relationships to come.

Here we bring you 2 moments for the price of 1. Abby Morgan was hardly anyone’s favorite person. She lived to stir up trouble – for herself and others – and frequently delighted in the mischief she’d caused. Seen as toxic, her only real friend was Jen, who was new in town and (being somewhat troubled herself) got to know her in a different way. But a drunken night out turned to disaster when Abby fell from the pier after hitting her head and drowned. The death of this recurring character in the otherwise wholesome and optimistic show was a shocking moment, and the follow-up was increasingly tragic as Jen called out the hypocrisy in Capeside’s mourning students, who were never Abby’s friends to begin with.

Compared to some of his friends, Dawson lives a pretty charmed life. The only child of loving parents - at least for the first 3 seasons - he’s at times quite self-centered. And while his parents Mitch and Gail Leery have had their rough patches, they are ultimately a loving couple and great parents. When Dawson decides to drop out of film school, Mitch is incredibly disappointed, they share heated words, and Dawson storms out. Later that night, while running a small errand, Mitch is involved in a head-on collision and dies. It’s a heartbreaking moment, and one that changes Dawson forever as he later struggles with the knowledge that the last words he and his father ever had were in anger.

Pacey has got a pretty casual attitude about life, but it’s a mask for his low self-esteem. This laissez-faire attitude is nowhere near good enough for his strict, alcoholic, and abusive father, Sheriff John Witter. He bullies his son constantly when all Pacey ever wants is to be good enough. After a father-son fishing trip, the Sheriff gets loaded and it’s up to Pacey to carry him home. While his father is passed out on the beach, Pacey gives himself the father/son talk he’s never had. He dissolves into tears when he begins to ask his unconscious father just when he gave up on him, knowing that he’ll never get the love and support he craves, and that at just 16 he’s already on his own.

#6: Joey Wears a Wire “Parental Discretion Advised”

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Dawson Leery sees things in black and white. When he learns that Joey’s father (who was recently released from prison) is dealing drugs, he struggles with whether or not to tell her. But when one of Mr. Potter’s competitors burns his restaurant down, nearly resulting in the death of Joey and the others, Dawson decides something has to be done and he forces Joey to go to the police. Under extreme protest, she agrees to wear a wire and, after a tearful and remorseful confessional, her father is arrested. Joey is devastated, her character is changed forever, and Joey and Dawson’s relationship is irreparably damaged.

#5: Joey’s First Time “A Winter’s Tale”

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While on the senior class skiing trip, Joey and Pacey have other activities than hitting the slopes on their minds. Amidst the unsupervised shenanigans, Pacey articulates his thoughts on sex and Joey remembers just why she loves him. As they get ready for bed (being adorable the whole way through), Joey expresses that she’s ready to go all the way. It’s all the little things he’s done that have proven to her that he cares, and why she loves and trusts him. She reminds him of all this as they slowly undress. It’s an incredibly sweet as well as an incredibly romantic moment that proves why they were arguably the best couple on the show.

#4: Joey & Pacey's First Real Kiss “Stolen Kisses”

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The Potter/Witter relationship has had its serious ebbs and flows. Having known one another since they were kids, theirs is a gradual romance. But it’s clear to the audience that their back and forth of witty barbs and trading insults is a cover for deeper, more complicated feelings. During a spring break at Dawson’s aunt’s house, the two continue to battle their feelings. Pacey has made his sentiments clear in the past, having kissed Joey first all the way back in season one. Joey has been playing catch-up as she processes her feelings for Dawson. However, by episode’s end, she puts her anxiety aside, follows her heart, and delivers the kiss Pacey has been waiting for.

Here’s another twofer, but this time it’s because it comes from an episode that was split into 2 parts. One of the nastiest things a person can do is to try to out a gay person before they are ready. Sadly, this is what happens when Jack is forced to read a certain poem he has written in class. The fallout from this is messy, with Pacey literally spitting in Mr. Peterson’s face and Jack himself still not being honest when he is asked about it point blank by a freaked-out Joey - who he is currently dating. Worst still is how his Jack’s father reacts. At least his sister Andie is on his side… eventually. McPhee father and son would reconcile the following season, but in the interim Jack’s coming out was a time when friends and found family were so much more important and supportive.

#2: Saying Goodbye to Jen "...Must Come to an End"

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The final episode of the series - which is the second half of another 2-parter - leaps ahead five years. The gang is in their mid-twenties, but all is not well with Jen. The others learn that she has pulmonary congestion, a fatal heart condition. Adding to the tragedy is that during their time away, Jen has become a single mother to a little girl, Amy, whom she says goodbye to via video message. It is gut-wrenching to see one of the show’s feistiest and fiercest characters brought so low by illness. She leaves Amy in Jack’s care, who promises to raise her. With Grams by her side, she slips away peacefully in the hospital, and Grams utters maybe the most heartbreaking line of the entire series. Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions: Joey Is Held Up at an ATM “Downtown Crossing” Pacey “Buys” Joey a Wall “To Green, with Love” Stuck at Kmart “Castaways” Dance Lessons “Four to Tango” Jack's Father Accepts Him “True Love”

#1: “I Remember Everything.” “The Anti-Prom”

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Despite their years of loving jabs, it’s hard not to think that Joey and Pacey have the best chemistry of any of the characters on the show. While Joey accompanies Dawson to the school’s anti-prom, she finally gets up the nerve to just ask Pacey to dance with her. He surprises her by noticing she’s wearing her late mom’s bracelet, and then stuns her by recounting the exact moment she found the bracelet six months prior, as well as their conversation about it. It becomes clear to her that Pacey isn’t just about big gestures, like renting a wall, but also that he notices the little things. Though Joey’s declaration of love in the following episode has its merits, Pacey’s dance floor confession is one of the most romantic TV boyfriend speeches ever, sealing the deal for the Pacey/Joey romance as he concludes with an iconic and heartfelt line.