Why Dawson's Creek's 'True Love' Still Resonates

The Season 3 finale of Dawson's Creek, "True Love," remains one of the show's most talked-about episodes. Best known for the "Crying Dawson" meme, the episode also helped shape television storytelling in its own way. The episode opens with the main characters at a low point as Dawson's parents prepare for their second wedding and everyone nurses broken hearts.

Joey has just ended things with Pacey to spare Dawson, Pacey prepares his boat the True Love for the summer, and Dawson ultimately forgives Joey and urges her to follow her heart before collapsing in tears; his friends refuse to let him suffer alone. Joey catches up with Pacey, confesses her love, and they sail off together.

True Love also broke ground for LGBTQ+ representation by staging what the story describes as the first passionate kiss between two men on network television.

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