Dawson's Creek

This subsection presents transcripts of the three episodes of Dawson's Creek (DC), aired in April and May 2000, in which Will Krudski, the narrating character of Young Americans (YA), appeared to promote YA to viewers of DC, for which YA aired as a summer 2000 fill-in on The WB network, and which, like YA, was produced by Columbia Tri-Star.  Rodney Scott, who played Will Krudski in YA, also played that character in those episodes of DC.

Contrary to widespread misreporting, Young Americans was not a "spin-off" of Dawson's Creek. Only after YA was scheduled to run as a summer 2000 fill-in for DC, as a result of YA's having alread been sold to The WB on the basis of an unaired pilot episode filmed in 1999 without reference to DC, did Columbia Tri-Star and The WB decide to promote YA to DC viewers by inserting Krudski, a character who originated in YA, into three episodes of DC.

Those three episodes of DC in which Krudski appeared, all in season 3, were:  episode 19, "Stolen Kisses"; episode 20, "The Longest Day"; and episode 21, "Show Me Love."  "The Longest Day" happens to be both the climactic and the most artful episode of DC's six-season trajectory.  It is the episode in which Dawson learns that he has lost to his best friend the girl he had assumed he would someday marry, and it is presented from a Rashomon-like multiplicity of perspectives.  Unlike Young Americans, season 3 of Dawson's Creek is commercially available on an authorized DVD.

Full transcripts of all three episodes are accessible in Microsoft Word document form at the bottom of this page.  However, these full transcripts are accessible only when the reader is logged into a Google account.  All three transcripts were prepared for the Dawson's Creek Information Zone fansite, from which they derive by way of the now defunct TwizTV scripts site and the "Young Americans" section of the Oxblood television criticism site.  The transcripts at the bottom of this page have been edited to highlight in bold typeface the scenes in which Will Krudski appears, and to highlight Will's lines in dark red typeface.

In addition, selected scenes of all three episodes in which Will Krudski appears are copied onto this page, below, with Will's lines in dark red typeface.

Comment:  The features of Will's appearance in Dawson's Creek that are useful for understanding Young Americans, and not duplicated in YA itself, are:


Ichabod Grubb

Created:  May 2014. 

Last updated:  February 2024.


Selected Will Krudski scenes in Dawson's Creek 3/19, "Stolen Kisses" (aired 26 April 2000)


[Dawson and Joey have made it to the Leery SUV, just as Pacey walks up with another guy.]

Pacey: Hey guys, look what I found.

Joey: This can't be who I think it is… Will Krudski? Hey!

Dawson: Last time I saw you was the 3rd grade, kicking Pacey's butt around the playground.

Will: Yeah, well what was I supposed to do? He was calling me Will Cruddy.

Pacey: It's a good thing you moved to New Rawley, pal because without you to worry about, I became king of the playground.

Joey: So what brings you to Capeside, Will?

Will: Thought I would surprise an old friend.

Pacey: And in the spirit of friendship, I took the liberty of telling Will here that maybe you guys would have room for two more on your little impromptu journey. (Joey shifts uncomfortably)

Dawson: I don't have a problem with that.

Will: I'm not intruding?

Dawson: No, not at all, please. Besides, the list of things to do in Capeside when you're 16 is woefully short.

Andie: (walking up carrying all her luggage) Hey guys!

Pacey: (to Will) Whoa. Beware of McPhees bearing too much luggage.

Andie: Hey!

Pacey: (to Andie) Where's Jackers?

Andie: He bailed in favor of spending quality time with Dad. (Dawson takes two bags out of her hand and Will takes the other) Oh, who's the kind hearted gentleman?

Will: I'm Will.

Andie: Nice to meet you, Will. I'm Andie.

Will: Let me help you here.


[Pacey, Andie, Will, Dawson and Joey sit around a table eating.]

Andie: Okay, Will … quick get to know you quiz. Favorite movie?

Will: Well, umm, when I was about 5 years old, my dad took me to a revival of Planet of the Apes, which, if you knew my dad, is a really big thing. I'd have to say that makes it my favorite. But I'm really more of a book guy.

Andie: Favorite movie doesn't star Adam Sandler or Steven Seagal and he likes to read. You sure he's your friend, Pacey? Okay, favorite book?

Will: That's easy, Catcher in the Rye. Salinger is a god.

Andie: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Will: I don't know. Just happy, I guess.

Dawson: You're gonna get along great with my Aunt Gwen. She's another Salinger freak.

Andie: So what's your Aunt Gwen like?

Joey: She's an artist.

Dawson: Painter.

Joey: She's incredibly talented. She paints and she reads great books and she does yoga and she lives life on her own terms.

Andie: Is she married?

Dawson: She was once. To this uptight lawyer. She had this picture perfect suburban life and then she met Richard, who was this crazy, bearded painter - about 20 years older than her. She left her husband for him and never looked back.

Pacey: Are we gonna get to meet this wife stealing Picasso?

Dawson: Unfortunately their happily ever after only lasted a couple years. Richard died about a year ago of a heart attack.

Andie: Oh, sad.

Will: I don't know. I mean, isn't it better to have a short time with somebody that you really love, than a lifetime with somebody who's basically a roommate? It's just a thought.


[Gwen's Porch - Will is sitting outside as Andie approaches. She takes a seat next to him.]

Andie: Well, might I have found the hustler in a contemplative moment?

Will: Yeah. Contemplating my next big score.

Andie: You're a mass of contradictions, Will Krudski.

Will: How's that?

Andie: Oh, come on. The well-read pool shark. The blue-collar academic.

Will: You read the color of my collar pretty quickly. Is it that obvious?

Andie: Well, not as obvious as the fact that you're pretty darn smart.

Will: That's nice of you to say.

Andie: So, what makes you so unhappy?

Will: What do you mean?

Andie: You said that all you wanted to do when you grow up is be happy, so what makes you so unhappy now?

Will: Too many things to mention, I guess.

Andie: So, how about trying one?

Will: My father.

Andie: What's he like?

Will: He's a jerk. He works at the factory, so he's this total townie. He treats my mother like crap. I can't wait to get the hell away from him. I came to hang out with Pacey because I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out of the house.

Andie: I'm sorry, Will.


Selected Will Krudski scenes in Dawson's Creek 3/20, "The Longest Day" (aired 3 May 2000)


[Dawson is at the library going through the stacks when he sees Will. Will is looking around as if he's lost.]

Dawson: Will.

Will: Dawson, hey... Look, I was wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for some secret room Andie says is ideal for studying.

Dawson: Umm, she probably means the Genealogy room. It's usually pretty dead in there.

Will: Cool, I guess I'll try that.

Dawson: Alright.

Will: Good luck. (going to leave and then coming back) Hey Dawson, what did you and Joey do on your first date?

Dawson: Excuse me?

Will: Uhh, you know, if you don't want to tell me...

Dawson: No, it's fine... I'm just kinda surprised, it's a left field question.

Will: Uhh, not if you just asked someone out...

Dawson: Andie?

Will: Yeah... So, what should I do?

Dawson: Umm, well, Joey and I went to the movies which is a really terrible idea because you can't talk to the person, you can't even really look at them.

Will: So, where would you suggest?

Dawson: Umm, there's always the creek. With the night sky over head, boat (missed word) in the water. It's one of those things that's achieved cliché status but actually is romantic.

Will: Uhh, where would I get a boat?

Dawson: My house.

Will: You sure?

Dawson: Yeah, absolutely. You know where it is, just come by and get it.

Will: Great. So, uhh, what are you up to tonight?

Dawson: I think I'm gonna try to hook up with an old friend.


[Night time. Will and Andie are in Dawson's boat out in the creek.]

Will: A little much, maybe? For a first date?

Andie: No, no, I mean, it's beautiful.

Will: Come on, admit it. I did kinda go...

Andie: Overboard? (laughs)

Will: Yeah. Plan A. Pretend we're not on a boat.

Andie: Okay, ummm... You're rowing us across a body of water, what do you want me to pretend, that this is something from Greek mythology?

Will: Orpheus and Eurydice. Do you know that one? (Andie shakes her head no) They were a couple of kids totally in love, but then she died. Snake bite. He couldn't deal so being the ancient world's most kick ass musician, he goes to the underworld, located the proper authorities, and played for them. All about Eurydice. About how he had to have her back.

Andie: And? And what happened?

Will: It worked. But there was one condition. He wasn't allow to look at her until they went back into the real world. So they sat out and they were just about to make it, and they looked back.

Andie: So, she died all over again?

Will: He went to grab for her and all he got was air.


Both Will Krudski scenes in Dawson's Creek 3/21, "Show Me Love" (aired 10 May 2000)


[McPhee Residence - Andie's room. Andie sits in front of her iMac when Will knocks at the door.]

Andie: Come in.

Will: (walking in) I, uh, hope you don't mind. Jack let me in.

Andie: No. So is Dawson still downstairs with him going over "Sailing for Dummies"?

Will: Actually, they're, uh, heading out to get some hands-on experience.

Andie: Hmm. Looks like you and Pacey will have some competition after all.

Will: Yeah, but that's not why I came here. I got some really good news. That scholarship to Rawley... it came through.

Andie: (hugging him) Will, that's fantastic.

Will: It's amazing, isn't it? I finally caught a break.

Andie: And now you don't have to worry about your dad any more, and that's great.

Will: Yeah, but... Pacey. I'm kinda worried about him.

Andie: Yeah, well, Pacey and Joey brought this situation on themselves, alright?

Will: Why, because they developed feelings for each other and had the guts to do something about it?

Andie: Is that the way you see this, Will? We were all friends.

Will: They didn't set out to hurt you.

Andie: Yeah, well once upon a time I didn't set out to hurt Pacey either, but he offered me no forgiveness, and our relationship came to a earth-shattering halt. Now things are never gonna be the way they were.

Will: If you can't let go of all this anger, Andie, they probably never will. And instead of you being this warm-hearted and cheerful person that I met on spring break, you'll just end up being the kind of person that… that I feel sorry for. And I know you're better than that.


[Train Station - Pacey walks Will to the steps of the building where they stop to say their goodbyes. A station attendant calls out for Will's train.]

Pacey: Well, that's you, man. Will, be safe, man. (they hug)

Will: I'll do my best. So, any advice?

Pacey: Yeah, you know, avoid public nudity, stay off drugs, try not to murder anybody, the obvious stuff. And one last thing ... don't sleep with any of your teachers. Believe me, it never works out as well as you think.

Will: Witter words of wisdom. Priceless. Here's some for you. Don't give up.

Pacey: Give up?

Will: On true love. It always wins in the end.

Pacey: Hey, be good, man. (Will walks into the station.)