"The Tao of Dawson" (4.11) End: "Promicide" (4.20) Reason: Gretchen breaks up with him because she doesn't see a future with him and she believes he's not over Joey. Amy Lloyd Fling Beginning: "100 Light Years from Home" (5.19) End: "After Hours" (5.21) Natasha Girlfriend First relationship: Beginning: Between "Swan Song" (5.23) and "The Kids Are Alright" (6.01) End: "The Kids Are Alright" (6.01) Reason: Dawson breaks up with her over the phone after having slept with Joey the night before. Second relationship: Beginning: "Spiderwebs" (6.08) End: "Merry Mayhem" (6.10) Reason: Natasha breaks it off because she never really sees them going far and it is more of a fling for her. Conception Series creator Kevin Williamson originally envisioned Dawson and Joey as the show's central couple who would ultimately end up together. When Williamson left the series after season two to work on other projects, the remaining writers struggled to find the voice of the show. They eventually settled on making Pacey the romantic hero figure and fashioned a King Arthur-style love triangle between him, Joey, and Dawson—a decision which was credited with saving the show from flagging ratings. Reception Despite being the series’ titular character, there was much criticism of Dawson’s character during the series’ initial run as well as retrospectively. At the time of Dawson's Creek original broadcast run, Dawson's character was seen as a departure from previous leading men of teen dramas such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and My So-Called Life, in part because he was a contrast to jocks and bad boy-types and had a sensitive, introspective nature. Television Without Pity, a TV recap website created to recap Dawson's Creek episodes, wrote, “In the early series, Dawson is sort of a doofus, but in the way most teens are. But then he became a score-keeping, judgmental, self-satisfied guy whose hair was an affront.” Critics argued "Pacey [eventually] eclipsed Dawson as both the series’ most relatable character and its moral centre." Among the most criticized aspects of Dawson's character was a "misguided sense of ownership over women," as when he believes Jack stole Joey away from him in season two and later tries to "win" Joey by entering a sailing competition in season three. In an article for Vice, writer Sarit Luban wrote, "Dawson believes that women should be treated well and that he personally treats women well, which leads him to assume that he's a