I see Pacey Witter as a young man who has had a very unhappy childhood, who has been made to feel like a loser by his emotionally remote and cruel father, who has never given him one bit of encouragement, and by his favored son older brother, who has followed in his father’s footsteps right down to his choice of profession and unspeakable disrespect for Pacey. I can’t comment on the role that Pacey’s mother and sisters have played in his life, because little mention has been made of them. Therefore, because of this, Pacey has been content leading an unspectacular life, barely getting by in school, and hiding his pain and hurt behind a mask of sarcastic wit and joviality. Behind this wit, however also lies a deep affection for his friends, even his supposed adversary, Joey, who he "sparred" with often during the first season, but who he offered a helping hand to in times when she needed him, and Dawson, his best friend and confidante. He embarked on a potentially disastrous affair with his English teacher during the first season, but things ended somewhat well for him, and he got to demonstrate the two attributes of his character that stand out more than any other, compassion and nobility. I think the thing that distinguishes Pacey from Dawson the most is that Pacey thinks of others first, while Dawson thinks of himself first. A good example of this was shown during "His Leading Lady" when Dawson told Pacey to give up on Andie, and Pacey replied that he wasn’t going to give up on someone he loved just when she needed him the most, even if Andie herself didn’t realize how much she needed him. Another example was the courage he showed standing up to that malicious teacher on Jack’s behalf during "To Be Or Not To Be." Every major character on Dawson’s Creek is incredibly self absorbed, but not Pacey. I am constantly struck by the warmth and kindness he demonstrates to the people he cares about, and I also admired the way he has called Dawson down at times for thinking that everything revolves around him. Dawson definitely needs someone like that in his life, and Pacey is the perfect person to provide that reality check for the sometimes incredibly self absorbed Dawson.
Much has been said about how Andie McPhee, once she became Pacey’s girlfriend and started descending down the path to a mental breakdown, "ruined" Pacey’s character. Although I myself didn’t like the way they made Andie’s character become a caricature of the mental illness of the week, and in doing so forced Pacey to become a caregiver for his increasingly unstable girlfriend, I completely disagree with this assessment. Andie brought true love and devotion into Pacey’s life, and for the first time, Pacey was with someone who believed in him, and who recognized the intelligence and kindness that lay behind his outwardly sarcastic manner. Having Andie in his life allowed Pacey to further develop those characteristics in his personality which were already there but were largely repressed, namely his capacity for kindness and expression of affection. It was also wonderful to see Pacey begin to excel in school, and finally confront his ogre of a father. Pacey still hides a lot of pain that has existed at the core of his being, but he has shown more growth as a person than any of the other characters. I just simply like Pacey, and I like the person that he is, and the person that he is becoming. I hope that next season, we are allowed to further get to know this wonderful character, and also see a further development along the course of gaining the love and respect he deserves from his father. I would also like to "meet" his mother and sisters, and get to understand the role that they have played in his life. In conclusion, I’d also like to say that Josh Jackson has done an incredible job in his portrayal of this wonderful character, and a lot of Pacey’s popularity stems from the acting talent of this gifted young actor.
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