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Dawson's Creek: The Complete First Season

I guess it had to happen sometime. It was only a matter of time after "Felicity" hit DVD that "Dawson's Creek," the crowning achievement of creator Kevin Williamson's career and the show that brought the WB to the attention of audiences everywhere, would make its way to the home viewing format. Ever since the show's original season in 1998, the series has garnered a cult following of hardcore fans and devotees, many of whom would rather die than miss a single episode. Call it a soap opera; call it a teen movie stretched to television length; call it whatever you like, but don't dare say it didn't grab anyone's attention. ***

The singlemost attractive factor of the show was quite obviously its attractive cast. James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson, playing slightly younger characters (like anyone really noticed, or even cared), became the ideal vision of teen life for the faithful viewers. Their clothes, their surroundings, and their lives... they were everything that people wanted to be. Williamson, who also penned the first two "Scream" films, knew how to work the public into a frenzy: with horror, he turned the routine into something smart. With the Creek, he mined the realm of teenage melodrama for something that would become vastly popular and ultimately rewarding for all involved. ***

This first season, the one that started it all, is one of the series' best; the show would eventually go downhill after Williamson made his exit after two seasons. So turn off the lights, grab some popcorn and a comfy cushion, and relive the experiences of Dawson, Joey, Jen, and Pacey.

For such a hit, Columbia TriStar hasn't really done much with the quality of the presentation. Each episode is measured in the fullframe ratio of 1.33:1, and is much less appealing than most other TV-to-DVD transfers I've seen. The good news is that there is a sufficient lack of artifacts or enhancement halos. The bad news is that colors are marred by bleeding and intrusive noise, and contrast is wanting in detail. The overall picture looks very flat and muddled; let's hope that the ensuing season sets will show some vast improvements. ***

Also failing to make much of an impression is the Dolby 2.0 Surround presentation, which sounds fine for what it is, but is less immersive than other tracks of its kind. Dialogue sounds good and the front channel separation is admirable, but the surround usage is wanting in use of music or atmospheric sounds. Good, but not great.