Season 1

Season 1 of Dawson's Creek takes place during the first half of the group's sophomore year.

Synopsis

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.

Starring

James Van Der Beek as Dawson Leery

Michelle Williams as Jen Lindley

Joshua Jackson as Pacey Witter

Katie Holmes as Joey Potter

Mary-Margaret Humes as Gale Leery

John Wesley Shipp as Mitch Leery

Mary Beth Peil as Evelyn Ryan

Nina Repeta as Bessie Potter

Recurring cast

Leann Hunley as Tamara Jacobs (6 episodes)

Scott Foley as Cliff Elliot (5 episodes)

Ed Grady as Gramps (4 episodes)

Dylan Neal as Doug Witter (3 episodes)

Obi Ndefo as Bodie Wells (3 episodes)

Guest starring

Nicole Nieth as Nellie Oleson (3 episodes)

Eion Bailey as Billy Konrad (2 episodes)

Monica Keena as Abby Morgan (2 episodes)

Gareth Williams as Mike Potter ("Decisions")

George Gaffney as Bodie Wells ("Pilot")

Eric Balfour as Warren Goering ("Road Trip")

Megahn Perry as Mary Beth ("Double Date")

Jennifer McComb as Ursula ("The Scare")

Lori Rom as Hannah Von Wenning ("Beauty Contest")

Co-starring

Helen Baldwin as Mrs. Tringle (2 episodes)

Trivia

• Airing as a midseason starter, it consists of only 13 episodes and is the season with the fewest episodes.
• It was released on DVD on April 1, 2003.

Photos

Season 1/Gallery

Episodes

EPISODE	AIRDATE	WRITER	EP #	#
Pilot	20 JANUARY 1998	Kevin Williamson	1	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.
Dance	28 JANUARY 1998	Kevin Williamson	2	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.
Kiss	7 FEBRUARY 1998	Rob Thomas	3	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' (guest star Leann Hunley) secret rendezvous may no longer be so secret.
Discovery	10 FEBRUARY 1998	Jon Harmon Feldman	4	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.
Hurricane	17 FEBRUARY 1998	Dana Baratta	5	5
	When the Leerys, the Potters, Jen and her grandmother (Mary Beth Peil) 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 (Nina Repeta) 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).
Baby	24 FEBRUARY 1998	Joanne Waters Jon Harmon Feldman	6	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.
Detention	3 MARCH 1998	Mike White	7	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.
Boyfriend	10 MARCH 1998	K. Rosin, C. Rosin, D. Baratta J. H. Feldman	8	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.
Road Trip	17 MARCH 1998	Rob Thomas	9	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).
Double Date	28 APRIL 1998	Jon Harmon Feldman	10	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.
The Scare	5 MAY 1998	Mike White	11	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.
Beauty Contest	12 MAY 1998	Dana Baratta	12	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.
Decisions	19 MAY 1998	Dana Baratta	13	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.