Best friends since childhood, Dawson and Joey must redefine their relationship as teenagers. Dawson's best friend, Pacey, looks for adventure and the woman of his dreams, while newcomer Jen from New York may be the woman of Dawson's dreams, much to Joey's chagrin.
| #
| episode
| written by
| airdate
| #
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| 1
| Pilot
| Kevin Williamson
| 20 JANUARY 1998
| 1
|
| At the onset of their sophomore year of high school, Dawson Leery and his best friend, Josephine "Joey" Potter, battle with the knowledge that their lifelong friendship may be changing. Adding to Joey's confusing emotions is the arrival of the radiant Jennifer Lindley, who appears to be "the girl next door," but has an air of mystery. Rounding out the clique is Pacey, whose gift for sarcasm is topped only by an over-confident knack for stumbling awkwardly unprepared into adult situations.
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| 2
| Dance
| Kevin Williamson
| 28 JANUARY 1998
| 2
|
| Dawson experiences his first bout of jealousy when Jen accepts a date with Cliff the superjock (guest star Scott Foley); after their first kiss, Tamara (Leann Hunley) does her best to elude Pacey but they once again find themselves in a compromising situation; and Joey makes it clear to Dawson's mother (Mary-Margaret Humes) that she knows her secret.
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| 3
| Kiss
| Rob Thomas
| 7 FEBRUARY 1998
| 3
|
| Dawson's dream of a perfect, storybook first kiss with Jen may finally be coming true; at school, Dawson has the opportunity to join the film class as a silent observer, but can't keep quiet when he sees the film is in trouble; Joey finds herself swept away by Anderson Crawford (guest-star Ian Bohen), an attractive, wealthy preppy; and Pacey and Ms. Jacobs' secret rendezvous may no longer be so secret.
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| 4
| Discovery
| Jon Harmon Feldman
| 10 FEBRUARY 1998
| 4
|
| On the day of Dawson's parents' twentieth wedding anniversary, he spots his mother with another man. Later, Dawson turns to his best friend Joey, rather than his girlfriend Jen, when he needs a friend to confide in about his suspicions. Meanwhile, Pacey and Ms. Jacobs (guest star Leann Hunley) continue to grow closer.
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| 5
| Hurricane
| Dana Baratta
| 17 FEBRUARY 1998
| 5
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| When the Leerys, the Potters, Jen and her grandmother are confined to the Leery house during a hurricane, temperaments run high when Dawson angrily confronts his mother about her affair and Jen's grandmother exchanges acrimonious words with Bessie and Bodie (guest star Obi Nfedo) about their relationship and their unborn child. Meanwhile, across town, Pacey and Tamara (guest star Leann Hunley) struggle to keep their emotions under control as they weather out the storm in her house with Pacey's older brother, Deputy Doug Witter (guest star Dylan Neal).
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| 6
| Baby
| Joanne Waters
Jon Harmon Feldman
| 24 FEBRUARY 1998
| 6
|
| As Bessie goes into labor at the Leery household, Joey turns to Dawson for solace when her sister's anguish floods her with memories of her mother's death; Jen must put aside her religious differences with Grams, who must overcome her own racial judgements, when they are the only ones who must deliver the baby. Meanwhile, when rumors of Pacey's closeness with Miss Jacobs begin to spread, the school board calls for an emergency meeting to decide her fate.
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| 7
| Detention
| Mike White
| 3 MARCH 1998
| 7
|
| Emotions run rampant in the halls of Capeside High when Dawson, Joey, Jen and Pacey are all saddled with Saturday detention. But the detention rapidly evolves into a game of truth or dare forcing the friends to face their true feelings for each other, revealing that sometimes a kiss is just a kiss and sometimes it's more.
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| 8
| Boyfriend
| K. Rosin, C. Rosin,
Baratta & Feldman
| 10 MARCH 1998
| 8
|
| Jen's ex-boyfriend from New York (guest star Eion Bailey) shows up in Capeside to win her back, and from Dawson's callow point of view it seems to be happening; Pacey convinces an overworked and tired Joey to crash a party and her evening ands in unforeseen results; and Gale and Mitch continue to work on bringing romance back into their shattered marriage.
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| 9
| Road Trip
| Rob Thomas
| 17 MARCH 1998
| 9
|
| Dawson, heartbroken after his break-up with Jen, allows himself to be coerced into an impetuous road trip with Pacey and Jen's ex-boyfriend, Billy (guest star Eion Bailey). Meanwhile, Jen and Joey find common ground confronting an arrogant Jock (guest star Eric Balfour).
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| 10
| Double Date
| Jon Harmon Feldman
| 28 APRIL 1998
| 10
|
| Dawson, sulking over his break-up with Jen and the knowledge that she has a date with Cliff (guest star Scott Foley), masterminds a double date to stay close to Jen. Meanwhile, Pacey starts to see Joey in a new light and shares his feelings with Dawson, who then reevaluates his own feelings about their childhood friend.
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| 11
| The Scare
| Mike White
| 5 MAY 1998
| 11
|
| It's Friday the 13th in Capeside and Dawson revels in his infamous blood curdling practical jokes. Meanwhile, news hits the sleepy town that young women are being brutally murdered, and Jen fears she might be the next victim when she receives a frightening anonymous phone call; and Pacey brings a peculiar woman (guest star Jennifer McComb), who does not know she is being stalked, to Dawson's where all guests have encounters of the scariest kind.
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| 12
| Beauty Contest
| Dana Baratta
| 12 MAY 1998
| 12
|
| Joey becomes the center of amorous attention when she enters a local beauty competition to earn money towards her future education; meanwhile, to the pageant judges' dismay, Pacey enters the pageant on the grounds that he is as qualified as any female contestant. Furthermore, on the eve of the extravaganza, Dawson is surrounded by romance when Jen confesses her regrets about breaking off their relationship and Joey unburdens her heart.
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| 13
| Decisions
| Dana Baratta
| 19 MAY 1998
| 13
|
| When Dawson learns that Joey might leave Capeside, he is forced to confront his true feelings for his childhood friend. But even though Joey has longed for Dawson for years, she must now decide if this is her one true love. Elsewhere, Jen and Grams (Mary Beth Peil) concede their religious differences to mourn the death of a cherished family member.
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