EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT LOVE I LEARNED FROM DAWSON'S CREEK
Even in junior high, no self-respecting teenage male would be caught dead watching Dawson's Creek. And although I was aware of the devastating social repercussions, I not only admitted to watching that show, but frequently spoke of its brilliance. Like the crazed religious man at Speaker's Circle I would shout to passersby just how great Dawson's Creek was, and like the crazed religious man I was largely ignored. Sure, people told me that it was way over the top, and that teenage life, even at its most dramatic, would never come close to what was displayed weekly on that show, but I didn't care. In fact, I think that's why I liked it so much.
I've seen almost every episode of Dawson's Creek, and I've learned a lot. Not only about relationships and love, but about the nature of humanity. I've learned that it's okay not to talk to your best friend for four years simply because he stole away the girl that you were in love with. I've learned that overly obessing about good grades, although beneficial in the old academic department, carries with it a pretty steep price, and that is ofcourse...complete loss of mental health. And I've also learned that anybody can have sex with anybody else and still remain friends with only minimal traces of awkwardness.
Most importantly though, I've learned why I suck at relationships. If you look at the first season of the show, which in many ways is superior to the others due to the fact that the show was sullied the moment Jack and Andie, the loveable but neuroses riddled McPhee siblings, set foot in Capeside, you can witness the forming and eventual collapse of Dawson and Jen's relationship.
For those of you not familiar with the Dawson's Creek universe, here's a quick tutorial. In the first few episodes of the show we see Dawson, an idealistic and naive aspiring filmmaker, fall in love with Jen, the worldly and beautiful girl who has come to Capeside because things were moving "too fast" for her in New York. As expected the whole thing is awkward at first. He's never really asked a girl out before, to say nothing of the fact that she's way out of his league. And having a commited relationship (where sex may be involved) is precisely the kind of the thing she left New York to avoid.
But, as expected, the two of them do eventually get together, after all what kind of show would it be if they didn't get together, and their happy...at least for a few episodes, but then it becomes too much. What becomes too much, you ask...Dawson's obsession with making everything so much bigger than it is. He doesn't know how to live in a world where there is no drama. So when it's missing he goes ahead and whips some right up. Doesn't really think about the consequences. He just wants drama in his life.
Long story short, he and Jen break up. Their relationship, which by fictional standards seemed so perfect since the two of them were polar opposites, was ripped apart by Dawson's constant need for drama.
Sadly, Dawson and I aren't all that different. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I suck at relationships.
GARDEN STATE
I watch the Garden State teaser trailer at least once a day. Sometimes twice. Sometimes I don't look at the screen, but simply listen to the melodic song by Frou Frou. Other times I turn the sound off and just watch the images. I've seen it more than twenty times, and it's less than two minutes long.
God only knows what's gonna happen when the actual trailer comes out. Can't wait to see the movie.
In related news, Zach Braff has recently been added to my list of "guys I would fuck despite the fact that I'm totally hetero". By doing so he joins the likes of Matt Damon, John Cusack, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Smith, and Aaron Sorkin. Not bad company.
Even in junior high, no self-respecting teenage male would be caught dead watching Dawson's Creek. And although I was aware of the devastating social repercussions, I not only admitted to watching that show, but frequently spoke of its brilliance. Like the crazed religious man at Speaker's Circle I would shout to passersby just how great Dawson's Creek was, and like the crazed religious man I was largely ignored. Sure, people told me that it was way over the top, and that teenage life, even at its most dramatic, would never come close to what was displayed weekly on that show, but I didn't care. In fact, I think that's why I liked it so much.
I've seen almost every episode of Dawson's Creek, and I've learned a lot. Not only about relationships and love, but about the nature of humanity. I've learned that it's okay not to talk to your best friend for four years simply because he stole away the girl that you were in love with. I've learned that overly obessing about good grades, although beneficial in the old academic department, carries with it a pretty steep price, and that is ofcourse...complete loss of mental health. And I've also learned that anybody can have sex with anybody else and still remain friends with only minimal traces of awkwardness.
Most importantly though, I've learned why I suck at relationships. If you look at the first season of the show, which in many ways is superior to the others due to the fact that the show was sullied the moment Jack and Andie, the loveable but neuroses riddled McPhee siblings, set foot in Capeside, you can witness the forming and eventual collapse of Dawson and Jen's relationship.
For those of you not familiar with the Dawson's Creek universe, here's a quick tutorial. In the first few episodes of the show we see Dawson, an idealistic and naive aspiring filmmaker, fall in love with Jen, the worldly and beautiful girl who has come to Capeside because things were moving "too fast" for her in New York. As expected the whole thing is awkward at first. He's never really asked a girl out before, to say nothing of the fact that she's way out of his league. And having a commited relationship (where sex may be involved) is precisely the kind of the thing she left New York to avoid.
But, as expected, the two of them do eventually get together, after all what kind of show would it be if they didn't get together, and their happy...at least for a few episodes, but then it becomes too much. What becomes too much, you ask...Dawson's obsession with making everything so much bigger than it is. He doesn't know how to live in a world where there is no drama. So when it's missing he goes ahead and whips some right up. Doesn't really think about the consequences. He just wants drama in his life.
Long story short, he and Jen break up. Their relationship, which by fictional standards seemed so perfect since the two of them were polar opposites, was ripped apart by Dawson's constant need for drama.
Sadly, Dawson and I aren't all that different. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I suck at relationships.
GARDEN STATE
I watch the Garden State teaser trailer at least once a day. Sometimes twice. Sometimes I don't look at the screen, but simply listen to the melodic song by Frou Frou. Other times I turn the sound off and just watch the images. I've seen it more than twenty times, and it's less than two minutes long.
God only knows what's gonna happen when the actual trailer comes out. Can't wait to see the movie.
In related news, Zach Braff has recently been added to my list of "guys I would fuck despite the fact that I'm totally hetero". By doing so he joins the likes of Matt Damon, John Cusack, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Smith, and Aaron Sorkin. Not bad company.
