Dawson Wade Leery is the titular protagonist from the WB television drama Dawson's Creek. He is introduced in the pilot and portrayed by James Van Der Beek in 122 episodes throughout the series' run, as well as a non-canon cameo in Scary Movie (2000).
Dawson, created by Kevin Williamson based on his own experiences as a teenager, is a budding filmmaker growing up in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts. The series follows his journey from adolescence into adulthood, particularly focusing on his filmmaking struggles and complex relationship with childhood best friend Joey Potter.
Fictional biography Background Dawson is the first child and only son of Mitch Leery and his college sweetheart, Gail Leery. He was born on March 14, 1983 (per Season 3, Episode 10). His three best friends are Joey Potter, the girl across the creek whom he has known since childhood and considers his soulmate; Pacey Witter, Capeside High's class clown, and Jen Lindley, a girl who has moved from New York into the house next door. Dawson's younger sister Lily is born when he is eighteen years old.
Character arc
Season 1
Introduced as a quality friend and eternal optimist, Dawson believes in the good old fashioned values of romance and honesty, and he also believes that you can find all of life's answers in a Steven Spielberg film. He was a keen filmmaker and made several low cost and amateur films, which were entered into film festivals across the country, and in some festivals his films won top prize. He and long-time friend Joey Potter spend much of their time together, often sleeping in Dawson's bed together. However, their relationship complicates as they age and especially with the arrival of New York exile Jen Lindley, who moves in next door to Dawson. He enters into his first relationship with her, but after her ex visits, she dumps him, insisting she needs time for herself.
After this, a series of events causes him to see lifelong friend Joey in a whole new light. First, his wise-cracking best friend Pacey Witter asks for Dawson's permission to ask Joey out. Dawson responds jealously. Later, he sees Joey looking sophisticated and mature for a Beauty Pageant, which opens his eyes to her beauty. Finally, he joins Joey on a birthday visit to her father in prison and tells Mike Potter all about the daughter he doesn't know. While Joey wrestles with the idea of spending a year in France, Dawson realizes that he can no longer hold back his romantic feelings towards her. The season ends with Dawson and Joey kissing in front of his bedroom window.
Season 2 Although initially Dawson and Joey have smooth sailing, newcomer Jack McPhee comes to town and develops feelings for Joey, eventually kissing her. The kiss confuses Joey, who is struggling to find a passion in life. She dumps Dawson in an effort to find herself, but ends up quickly dating Jack. This sends Dawson back into the arms of Jen, who has been flirting with her old rebellious ways, and helps Dawson cut loose. All along, Dawson mopes over the loss of Joey, even making a movie recounting their breakup.
When Joey's relationship with Jack crumbles due to the revelation that he is homosexual, she comes literally crying to Dawson. For his sixteenth birthday, Dawson feels depressed that he hasn't grown and wasn't able to keep Joey, so he gets drunk with Andie McPhee. This results in him insulting nearly all of his friends, including Pacey, of whom Dawson is envious for his newly together life. Soon Dawson and Joey end up back together. However, their reconciliation is short-lived, as Dawson soon learns that Joey's father, who has gotten paroled from jail, is selling drugs again. Dawson urges Joey to wear a wire to bust her father. After this, Joey vows that she will never forgive Dawson for the position he put her in.
Season 3 After a summer spent with his mom in Philadelphia, Dawson returns to Capeside still reeling from his split with Joey. On the bus ride home, he meets Eve, a mysterious, blonde femme fatale that seems intent upon luring Dawson with her sex appeal. After make out scenes in the janitor's closet and in front of the entire school at a pep rally, Eve convinces Dawson to go for a ride in his dad's boat. He does, but wrecks it on the way in and is told he must pay $3,000 to repair the damage to the dock he crashed into. Pacey then convinces Dawson to throw a stripper party at his parents' house to earn the money to pay for the dock. Although they successfully gather enough money, Mitch catches everyone leaving the house and Dawson knows he's in trouble.
Joey corners Dawson, apologises for breaking up with him and attempts to seduce him into restarting their relationship. Dawson refuses, concerned that further drama would destroy their fragile friendship.
In the meantime, Dawson finds Eve snooping around in Grams's house one night. Before he had realized that it was Eve he had called the police and it is Deputy Doug that turns up on the scene. He brushes it off afterwards, not wanting to get Eve in trouble. He later discovers an old photograph of a blonde lady in the house-boat that Eve has been living in, which he takes. Doug informs Dawson that the boat belongs to an elderly couple.
When Eve later comes for the photo he insists that Eve tell the truth. Eve reveals that she is adopted and that the woman in the picture is her biological mother and that she is searching for her. While helping Grams at her house, Dawson notices the same woman in a picture sitting on a nightstand. He asks who the woman is and Grams reveals that it's her daughter, Helen, Jen's mother. Dawson decides against telling Jen of his discovery. However, when Jen's mother visits her mother and her daughter at Thanksgiving Dawson confronts her, pretty much forcing her to tell Jen herself.
When Dawson, Pacey and Joey join Jack and his ex-girlfriend Kate at a party hosted by Matt Caufield, the entire group, except Joey, gets drunk. Dawson, fighting to have a life separate from Joey's, nearly kisses Kate. When Pacey's brother, Deputy Doug busts the party after finding Pacey lying in a tree, the group all end up spending the remainder of the evening behind bars. While Dawson tells Joey that she cannot be his keeper, Jack confesses to Kate that he's gay. Meanwhile, Mitch turns from friend to parent, and as a result of having to bail his son out of jail, enlists Dawson to help out at his mother's new restaurant.
After meeting a rival film-maker, Dawson realizes that he has let his desire to become a director overtake his life, and he decides to give it up for a period of time. He takes down all the posters in his room, and tries to cultivate other interests. During this tumultuous time, he realizes that the only thing in his life that has ever made sense is Joey, and determines to win her back.
Unbeknownst to Dawson, Joey and Pacey have been growing closer and eventually embark on a secret romance. When Dawson hears about the burgeoning relationship from Jen, he reacts with anger and cuts Pacey out of his life. He becomes more determined than ever to win Joey back. Joey and Dawson attend prom together, but when Dawson sees Joey sharing a dance with Pacey, he demands Joey choose between the two of them. Later, he realizes he doesn't want to hold Joey back from following her heart, and encourages her to go after Pacey. Dawson, dejected at losing Joey, is emotionally supported by Jen, Jack, and Andie, who make plans to spend the summer together as foursome.
Season 4 Dawson has spent the summer working on his photography and building his friendships with Jen, Jack and Andie. Joey returns with a symbolic gift, apologizing and reiterating her desire to begin rebuilding their friendship, however Dawson admits he isn't convinced he wants to be friends with her, or even try.
Dawson shows disinterest in having Pacey in his life at all, but after heroically saving Pacey and Jen from a storm at sea, Pacey apologizes for the hurt he caused Dawson, and the two call a truce. Dawson is forced to white wash a fence for old-time film director A.I. Brooks, as punishment for putting a hole in his boat which Dawson was forced to take to rescue Pacey and Jen. Eventually, Mr. Brooks warms to Dawson and lets him film a documentary on him when he tells Dawson that he is dying of cancer.
In the meantime, he is confronted with the realities of Pacey and Joey being a couple. Due to her determination to repair their friendship, Dawson reluctantly begins to let Joey back into his life, though his relationship with Pacey remains staunch until the end of the series.
Dawson must make a life-or-death decision about Mr. Brooks when he's admitted to the hospital in a coma involving his terminal illness and has requested that Dawson be the one to take him off life support. Dawson chooses to let him go. After an impromptu hangout with Joey, she lies to him, telling Dawson that she hasn't had sex with Pacey.
Dawson eventually receives an inheritance check from Mr Brooks estate, which he decides to use to help Joey attend the college of her choice, since she wasn't offered financial aid. Joey confesses her lie to Dawson, but Dawson finally reaffirms their friendship in spite of the turbulent year they had gone through and offers her the money anyway.
During this season, Dawson strikes up a romance with Gretchen, Pacey's 21-year-old sister, who has arrived back to Capeside to take a break from college, or so everyone thinks, but she later reveals that she is there to recuperate from a miscarriage that took place during her previous semester. The baby's father was her ex-boyfriend, pig-headed Nick, whom Pacey admired at first. During the Leery Christmas Party, Dawson and Gretchen share a kiss, which ignites old feelings from his pre-teen years when he had a crush on her.
After his sister Lily's birth in May 2001, Dawson and Gretchen part ways and she returns to college, and he graduates from high school. He and Joey resume their friendship in the wake of the demise of their relationships, which grows more intense as Dawson's departure to California grows closer. In his last night in Capeside, amid conversation and reflection on their complicated friendship, the two share a kiss. Despite Joey asking Dawson to stay, he heads off to USC to pursue his dream of becoming a film maker.
Season 5 After graduating, he studied film at USC, but soon dropped out and moved to Boston to be with his friends and potentially pursue a romantic relationship with Joey. Before Dawson can even get his parents approval for moving to Boston his father Mitch Leery is tragically killed in a car accident.
Dawson struggles to cope in the aftermath. He blames himself and struggles to connect with Joey; instead confiding in his old girlfriend, Jen Lindley.
During their trip to the Hookset Film Festival in New Hampshire, Dawson loses his virginity to Jen, and they begin a relationship. It is at this festival that Dawson wins first prize for his documentary about A.I. Brooks. There, Dawson meets Oliver Churchkirk, an aspiring film director from Boston Bay College who fancies himself the best in the business. After being asked to read his script, Dawson agrees to direct Oliver's first major film. He casts Joey's bubbly roommate Audrey Liddell as the female lead, and Oliver casts himself as heartbreaker, Gage. After several flubbed lines and mistakes, Dawson concludes that Oliver is not the right person for the role. He then reluctantly casts Charlie Todd.