Dawson’s Creek: Pacey’s 5 Best & 5 Worst Personality Traits

When Joshua Jackson was cast as Pacey Witter on 

Pacey is smarter than he might appear and he knows that he has to make something out of himself. Over the six seasons that Dawson’s Creek aired for, Pacey makes smart and silly choices, goes through ups and downs, and stays true to who he is. Like the other teens he hangs out with, he has both positive and negative traits.

10 Best: Selfless

Pacey is one of the best boyfriends on the show and that’s because he’s so selfless. The fact that he can put his own problems aside and deeply care about other people is one of the best things about him.

When Pacey dates Andie, he learns about her mental health struggles and he goes all in to help her. He isn’t afraid of her tragic family life or how much he cares about her.

9 Worst: Immature

When Pacey sleeps with Tamara Jacobs in season one, this is total proof of how immature he is. Being with his teacher (played by Leann Hunley) is the worst idea ever, and instead of understanding how he’s putting them both at risk, he shrugs it off and acts like he’s a stud. Pacey doesn’t handle this well and he brags to Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek) about it when he should be thinking about his actions.

8 Best: Dependable

It’s not great when Pacey loses Dawson’s money, but he does the right thing by getting all the cash together by the series finale. Pacey is a dependable person, and this is one of his most positive traits.

The hallmark of a good pal is being someone that others can always rely on and that’s definitely Pacey. Even though he and Dawson have been through so much, he still wants to keep his end of the bargain.

7 Worst: Sarcastic

Sure, sarcastic characters can be hilarious, and Pacey’s true love Joey definitely has that character trait. But for Pacey, the fact that he’s sarcastic isn’t a positive thing. This is one of Pacey’s worst traits because he uses sarcasm to deflect or avoid his emotions, and that’s something that he should change.

6 Best: Courageous

It’s a pretty big deal to date your best friend’s soulmate, which is why Pacey has a lot of courage. Sure, this hurt Dawson a lot and it wasn’t really the best thing to do, but Dawson’s Creek fans know that Pacey and Joey have their own love story and that betraying Dawson was worth it.

Pacey isn’t scared to follow his heart, even if it’s going to be difficult, and even if he’s going to have to face other people along the way.

5 Worst: Cruel

Pacey and Joey are an amazing couple but when he dumps her at prom, it’s one of the cruelest things that he could ever do. He doesn’t care that he’s hurting her feelings because he’s so convinced that they would never be able to stay together through college and afterward.

Pacey also makes a lot of mean comments over the years, especially when he keeps talking about his brother Doug’s sexuality. He could stand to think about how his words are going to affect people.

4 Best: Good Listener

One of Pacey’s best traits is the fact that he’s a really good listener. He spends a lot of time making light of every situation and being the jokester but he can be serious when he has to be, which can’t be said of every class clown.

Everyone in the group from Andie to Dawson to Joey and Jen (Michelle Williams) thinks that Pacey is great at listening to them talk about their problems.

3 Worst: Lazy

Everyone in Pacey’s life is frustrated by how smart he is but how he doesn’t want to work. One of his worst traits is how lazy he is, as he doesn’t even try to study for tests or do his homework. He figures he can float through high school and get by on his looks and sense of humor but it’s not true.

Eventually Pacey and Joey find each other again, but one reason why he can’t make it work with Joey at the end of high school is that he doesn’t share her drive to be successful.

2 Best: Up For Anything

While the other teens in Capeside might spend too much time wondering if they should make a move, Pacey will just go for it. He’s up for anything, one of his best traits.

Whether he’s attempting a casual romance with Jen or dying his hair, he’s game to try new things. Sure, these choices weren’t the best and didn’t work out, but at least he tried.

1 Worst: Self-Doubt

Most characters on teen dramas are going to experience some self-doubt at one point or another, thanks to the fact that they’re in high school. Pacey has a lot of self-doubt because his family has never told him that he could be something, so this is a belief that he carries around. Thankfully, by the end of the show he can move on from this, but it takes him a while.

About The Author

Aya Tsintziras
(1742 Articles Published)

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Aya Tsintziras is a freelance writer who writes about pop culture and TV. She has a Political Science degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. She loves coffee, reading, working out, and watching TV. She lives in Toronto with her husband.

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