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September 13, 2005
Pop Tarts | A pop culture critique: Tom Cruise killed Joey Potter
Just last week, Katie Holmes announced that following her wedding she plans to change her name to Kate Cruise. It’s hard to imagine if anybody actually cares at this point. The only reaction is simply to wince at the death nail being pounded into the coffin of a television icon. Holme’s relationship with Cruise has obliterated the memory of an endearing TV character.
Every so often a show like Dawson’s Creek comes along that strikes a chord with a segment of society. Television can personalize the experiences, and validate the feelings of its audience. Teen dramas, like Dawson’s Creek, give agency to alienated youth by elevating their experiences into an easily digestible art. When a show does a particularly good job, it fosters an ongoing relationship with its audience.
My high school was filled with kids who dressed like and styled themselves after the characters; who idolized and lusted after the show’s stars.
What set Dawson’s Creek apart was the way it portrayed the teenage experience with respect and reverence. The characters were smart, but flawed individuals who had an undeniable innocence to them which made them easy to care for. The effect was never greater than in Holmes, also known as Joey Potter. While Michelle Williams was clearly the more talented of the two, Holmes was the star because, quite frankly, she was the living embodiment of her character. The stereotypical girl next door has been a staple of teen entertainment for years, yet never before had the girl been so believable as somebody you could sit next to in English class.
With time, this actually became a liability to the show, as the fans overwhelmingly fell in love with Potter, as did the producers. While definitely a less complex and challenging role than some, Potter served as a perfect role model, played by a former teen model.
As the show slouched towards the Bethlehem of its tragic college years a successor rose.
The OC is the natural replacement for Dawson’s Creek, but simply, it doesn’t work. The OC is more about materialism and serves as escapist entertainment for kids who wish to be millionaires in California. It does not have the Creek’s casual New England setting. The skeletal stars are outfitted by the likes of Chloæ, Marc Jacobs and Juicy Couture instead of the accessible style of J. Crew and American Eagle, which each did the costuming for Dawson’s Creek. The pill popping, drunk Marissa Cooper is not a suitable replacement for the classy bookworm Potter. And no matter how hard he tries, Adam Broody is no Joshua Jackson.
Dawson’s Creek slipped in the ratings before getting canceled, but is still in its prime in TBS reruns. This
lets the audience, who moved on to adulthood and “College Years” as well, look back at the show as you’d look back at a yearbook. There’s a comfortable nostalgia in seeing it when you flip through channels because suddenly you’re 14 again and can remember the hope of a first kiss, without thinking of that person who uncomfortably slobbered on you after school.
But Holmes is attempting to deny us that.
As she tries to become the next Nicole Kidman, she is subverting our image of Potter. Dawson’s Creek fans know Potter would never sell out for money or fame, but its hard to ignore that massive rock which now sits on her finger. The brainy, strong willed beauty is now hollow looking arm candy with a vacant stare. The image of a young women who followed her heart, has been stamped out by the stiletto of a gold digger.
It’s painful because it’s a part of life. At some point we all leave the naive idealism of youth behind and must suffer through the real world. Potter will be 15 forever on DVD, but Holmes has grown up and sold out.
Eventually we all have to grow up, but we don’t need Kate Cruise to show us. I’d rather let the past be the past, and stop by TBS to help remember it once in a while. At least then there’s hope for the future. Clap if you believe.
Posted by msveum at September 13, 2005 01:02 PM