Dawson's Creek has a legacy in pop culture that has fans wondering about the possibility of a revival with the original cast on board, even 20 years after it first hit the airwaves back in 1998. It also has a legacy for a very different reason: The Dawson Leery Cry-Face. In an episode that saw Dawson go on an emotional ride, James Van Der Beek's face crumpled into a cry that would be turned into a popular meme years later. By this point, it's safe to say that more people recognize James Van Der Beek from the meme than from Dawson's Creek. Well, Van Der Beek's Dawson's Creek co-star Joshua Jackson has offered up a challenge to The Dawson Leery Cry-Face, and it's pretty epic. Take a look!
Joshua Jackson has officially upped the cry-face ante! If you'd asked me only a few days ago if it was at all possible for a member of the Dawson's Creek cast to pull a face that could possibly eclipse The Dawson Leery Cry-Face, I wouldn't have believed it. Most of the members of the Dawson's Creek cast shed plenty of tears over the years on the teen drama, and Pacey certainly didn't have the stiffest of upper lips. Never once did Pacey's cry-face come close to resembling Dawson's. Did Joshua Jackson just need 18 years or so to perfect what James Van Der Beek pulled off back in 2000?
At least Joshua Jackson's cry-face had nothing to do with Joey Potter and the bizarre teen love triangle between Pacey, Joey, and Dawson during the early years of Dawson's Creek. That said, Jackson's post makes me want to see an ugly-cry entry from Katie Holmes. We're probably not going to get that Dawson's Creek revival that so many may be looking for; why not an ugly cry-face competition via social media?
James Van Der Beek responded with "Bring It" comment on Joshua Jackson's Instagram post, so we can have fun imagining what might happen next. If we can't get a three-way cry-off between Jackson, Van Der Beek, and Katie Holmes to see which Dawson's Creek love triangle alum deserves the top prize for best ugly cry face, why not a web video or sketch of Jackson and Van Der Beek going head-to-head with their tears?
Then again, there's still one full season of The Affair to go before it ends on Showtime. Maybe James Van Der Beek could appear as a rival love interest to Joshua Jackson's character. Pacey came out on top of the Dawson's Creek love triangle; maybe James Van Der Beek could tackle a role that puts him on top in a sticky romantic storyline. Is this likely? Not even a little bit. But it's fun to imagine the possibilities in a a world in which two 90s teen heartthrobs are joking about their cry-faces on social media in 2018.
If you want to relive the glory days of Dawson's Creek, you can find the full series streaming on both Hulu and Amazon Prime. For Joshua Jackson's more current work, you can catch the Season 4 finale of The Affair on August 19 at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime. For more of what you can watch in the not-too-distant future, take a peek at our fall TV premiere guide.
