Season three of
Dawson's Creek opens shortly after the divorce of Dawson Leery's parents, with 16-year-old aspiring filmmaker Dawson (
James Van Der Beek) having spent the summer with his mom in Philadelphia. Back in Capeside, MA, Joey (
Katie Holmes) is down on herself big-time for having broken up with Dawson just when he needed her most -- though Dawson himself has been consoling himself with the company of "mystery woman" Eve Whitman (
Brittany Daniel), whose quirky antisocial behavior alters many lives when she herself arrives in Capeside. Meanwhile, Dawson's dad, Mitch (John Wesley Shipp), has become the local high-school football coach, with Jack McPhee (
Kerr Smith) as the team's top player, a fact that causes a bit consternation for Jack, who still hasn't fully "come out" as a homosexual. Jack's sister Andie (Meredith Monroe) returns to town, recovered from her mental breakdown. With Dawson apparently out of the picture, his pal Pacey (
Joshua Jackson) begins dating Joey -- a situation that causes a rift between the two buddies. And Dawson and Joey's onetime mutual "amour" Jen (
Michelle Williams) starts going out with Henry Parker (
Michael Pitt), but breaks off the relationship after an unpleasant scene at the junior prom. Notable episodes this season include "Escape From Witch Island," a full-blooded lampoon of
The Blair Witch Project, and "
Stolen Kisses," which introduces Rodney Scott as Will Krudski, who would later be spun off into his own series,
Young Americans. Season three ends with Joey trying to choose between Dawson and Pacey -- and, far more memorably, with American network television's first gay teenage kiss, between Jack and his boyfriend, Ethan (Adam Kaufman). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide