Factual error: When Jack and Andie are talking at the dinner table about her cheating on the PSAT, Jack says, "Do you really want to get kicked out of school for cheating on something that has the world 'Practice' in front of it?" PSAT actually stands for Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, not Practice SAT. This is the same mistake that Pacey made in an earlier episode.
A Weekend in the Country - S3-E12
Plot hole: When everyone is staying at the Potter B&B, Joey mentions that it's supposed to be the coldest night of the year. Also, Mr. Fricke tells them at breakfast that the heat went out again during the night. After such a cold night and the heat going out, the house must have been freezing that morning. Yet Joey wakes up and is wearing only a skimpy sleeveless top and PJ bottoms, more like summer pajamas. She continues walking into the very cold house without putting a robe or anything else on. It looks a bit odd, considering how cold the temperature is and the fact that everyone else that morning is already wearing long sleeves. Later that morning, the house is still so cold Joey is sleeping by the fire with a blanket over her. Yet earlier that morning, she seemed to be comfortable in scanty summer PJs.
Factual error: During the Pilot of Dawson's Creek, Joey mentions to Dawson that they are about to "Start High School" soon, implying they are just entering High School for the first time. When Jen shows up in the taxi for the first time, they also tell her they are Sophomores as well as she. I assumed this must be a High School that begins with Sophomore grade, meaning Middle School in their area must have been 6th or 7th through 9th grade. The entire first two Seasons of the show are their Sophomore Year. But in Season 3, during their Junior Year Jen meets Henry, a "Freshman". He is repeatedly referred to in the show as a Freshman, although technically Capeside High is supposed to be 10th through 12th grade. This makes no sense timewise, as there are no Freshmen at that school. The main characters all started High School as Sophomores. Also-there is a trivia section on one of the DVDs that lists certain classes/teachers the main characters had as Freshman English, etc. But since they had those classes/teachers in the show, they were really Sophomores which further verifies there are no Freshmen at the school.
Plot hole: Jack and Jen go to Capefest, primarily because Jack wants to run into Ethan who invited him there for the festivities. Jack and Ethan spend time together at Capefest, and become friends. Ethan makes a comment that he wants to go straight to sleep because he is tired, and the next day was a big day, meaning 20 bands starting at dawn. But the next morning, before breakfast Ethan and Jack talk briefly, Ethan says 'Goodbye' and they go their separate ways without enjoying any of the music fun together. It doesn't seem plausible that Ethan would invite Jack to Capefest to enjoy the music scene, and then take off just when all the fun is starting on the main day. Why wouldn't they have spent the day together as friends enjoying all the bands and festivities which is what they went there for?
Continuity mistake: After Dawson and Eve check his locker to see if the PSAT test was returned, they then start talking in the hallway next to his locker. Just as Eve says "Tell me who you think it is", there is a shot of her from the rear as she turns around to face Dawson with her arms crossed in front of her, and down by her sides. The next shot of Eve is from the front, as she says "Whoever you were just thinking of"; and suddenly her arms are at an angle away from her sides with her hands on her hips. Then the next shot of Eve is from the rear, and again her arms are straight and back down close to her sides as she says "It is". Then the next shot of Eve, again from the front shows her arms back out at an angle again with her hands on her hips as she says "Simple and obvious". There was no time for her to have moved her arms and hands during this scene, the transition was too fast. Apparently the shots of Eve from the front, and from the rear during this scene were filmed at two different times.
Continuity mistake: When Jen walks into the Video Store, she is wearing a black top, red skirt and a black leather jacket that is completely open and unbuttoned. As she talks to Dawson, who is behind the counter, she says, "I'm working on a project with Pacey in a 'human growth and development' thing - is he here?" She is standing up, but leaning slightly forward against the counter and her coat is still widely open. But the next shot of Jen, as she says, "But he told me that he was working today," the black leather jacket is suddenly closed together as if buttoned, and she is leaning foward more on the counter. Then, after Dawson walks over to the movie rack and Jen follows him, her jacket is again hanging completely open and unbuttoned.
Visible crew/equipment: When Joey is walking out to the pier to talk to Dawson, right after the wedding; the wind is blowing her dress back and you can see a prominent, solid line going up the front of her dress from about the waist up to the neck. I assume this is probably a microphone wire of some kind and not just a wrinkle, as the line is solid and protruding through the material.
Valentine's Day Massacre - S3-E14
Factual error: This episode is set on Valentine's Day, but there is a shot of the front of the school where a girl is wearing shorts. It snows in Massachusetts in February, where Capeside is set.
Plot hole: When Jen is helping Dawson at the Video Store, and spots Pacey and Joey out on the street, she asks, "Dawson, do you have one of those little signs that says 'Back in 5'?" Dawson then relies "Yeah", implying he could leave the store for several minutes on a small break. But then he and Jen follow to where Joey and Pacey are taking their dance lesson. Dawson then proceeds to dance his way through an entire dance lesson, witness a confrontational scene in the coat closet, and then lingers outside in the street having a meaningful conversation with Joey. This would all obviously take up a considerable amount of time, much more than a small break. Therefore - how would he have gotten away with closing down the Video Store for that amount of time without losing business and possibly his job? Especially if the sign only indicated he would be away a few minutes. This would be very un-Dawson-like to be that irresponsible with his only place of employment.
Plot hole: When Dawson and Eve are in the PSAT room After Hours looking for the test, there is a noticeably open outside window behind them implying that was how they broke into the room. But when the security guard suddenly comes in the room and walks by the window twice, he makes no attempt to close the window and secure the room, which one would think was his job.
Suggested correction: Eve closed the window before they hid under the table.
Plot hole: When Jack and Andie are using the computer at school, Jack shows a clear knowledge of computers by explaining search engine criteria to Andie. It's also mentioned that they had already done an extensive background check on Ben, again implying that Jack has extensive computer skills. So why would Jack, who is apparently quite skilled with computers: not know what an Instant Message is, not know how to 'get rid of this thing' by clicking off the IM window, and not know to click 'Send' in order to send an IM back to Ben. It doesn't make sense that Jack would know so much about computers, and not have any awareness of how something as simple and basic in Internet usage as 'Instant Messages' would work.
Continuity mistake: When Jack and Andie are using the computer with Ben's Instant Message on the screen, there is a close-up of the computer screen as they wait for Ben's photo to download. Just to the right of the photo is the entire IM, which shows all 3 lines of dialogue between Ben and Jack. The last line says, "So. What do you think?" But after the photo is finished, there is a sudden 'beep' from the computer signalling another incoming IM message, which Jack then reads out loud as if it is a new message. But what he reads is, "So. What do you think?", the exact same line that was already in the IM box before the photo finished downloading. The implication is that he is reading a message that just came in, yet that line of dialogue from Ben was already present in the IM box previously.
Plot hole: When Dawson picks up the phone in his bedroom after seeing the lights in the house next door, he dials 9-1-1 (You can hear the three beeps from the phone buttons). Yet when the person on the other end answers the phone, she says "Capeside Police". Later in the episode Doug also makes a reference to Dawson dialing 911. Yet when he called 911, they should have responded "911" instead of "Capeside Police". Normally when you call 911 you would get a 911 operator, not be put directly through to the local Police until you requested it.
Continuity mistake: When Pacey is nursing his black eye with a raw steak, Joey comes into Doug's apartment to talk to Pacey. Just when Pacey says, "Looking out for ya," there is a frontal shot of Joey. Her hair is bunched up considerably in the back, near her right ear. As Pacey says, "To look after said girl," the next shot of Joey shows the bunched up hair in the back suddenly gone, and her hair is smooth.
Continuity mistake: Right after Pacey leaves Dawson's bedroom at the beginning of the episode, Dawson looks out his side window to see Pacey leave and suddenly notices flashlights in the dark house next door. It's clear that Dawson is looking out the side window on the right of his bed, as he is directly facing Jen's house. There is also a side window to the left of his bed which also faces the same direction. But in a later episode (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner); they show a wide shot of that side of Dawson's house. There are two windows on that side of his house facing Jen's house, but they are on each side of a chimney and the two windows make up the complete upstairs (looks more like two rooms). But whenever we see Dawson's bedroom, it's much smaller and does not take up the complete upstairs space of the house. In fact, there is a clear upstairs stair landing that his bedroom is off of, and this landing looks out over a large open space with the dining room, living room, etc. So there is no way that Dawson's room with both side windows could possibly take up the entire sideways width of the upstairs as is shown from the outside. There is also no fireplace and chimney that runs the entire height of the house on that side of the house, and which would in theory be located right where Dawson's bed is between his two side windows. Obviously the real house exteriors differ considerably from the inside sets.
Plot hole: When Jen and Henry are talking in the park, he tells her that he's 15. But later in Season 3, he has a Birthday party at the Skating Rink in which he would have to be turning 16. Henry is a Freshman, and it's highly unlikely he would be turning 16 in his Freshman year. All the main characters of Dawson's Creek turned 16 during their Sophomore years. It also doesn't seem likely that Henry would have skipped an academic school year, as his personality/character doesn't appear to be intellectually motivated.
Suggested correction: You have it backwards. To be a 16-year old freshman Henry wouldn't have skipped a year - he would have had to repeat one. As you put it, he's not exactly "intellectually motivated," so it's plausible to think he did indeed repeat a year.
Continuity mistake: When Joey meets Dawson before The Anti-Prom, he loans her his mother's diamond earrings. Just as Bessie says "Put them on, and then I'll get one more picture"; there is a close-up of Joey as she puts an earring in her right ear. It appears that she has just started putting the earrings on; but then she turns to face forward for the photo with Dawson, and you can see both earrings already on her ears. Joey started putting the right earring in just after Dawson told her to put the earrings on, so how did the left ear get done?
Valentine's Day Massacre - S3-E14
Revealing mistake: When Jen goes to visit Henry at the hospital, he is eating a small individual-sized Jello. There is another identical Jello on the same tray, in front of Jen when she sits down to talk to Henry. You can see that the corner of the Jello lid has already been pulled up rather noticeably. This is probably to make it easier for Michelle Williams, the actress to be able to open the Jello quickly during her scene.
Continuity mistake: When Pacey is driving Joey back from Boston in the morning, they start talking about what happened. Every shot of Pacey or Joey from either side shows a heavily wooded forest (mostly pine trees it looks like) in the background. But when Pacey abruptly veers off the road to the right and parks; suddenly the landscape on Joey's side is barren with a huge lake, and no forest or trees except a few they just passed on the curve. The pine tree footage was probably added in to make Wilmington, NC look more like Capeside, Mass.
Visible crew/equipment: When Joey is in Dawson's room, trying to tell him about her relationship with Pacey, she can't find the words and turns to leave. As she bends over to climb back out of his bedroom window, you can suddenly see a microphone wire protruding from the back of her white shirt. It's a visible vertical line, and as she continues to climb out the window, you can see that there is no mike pack on her lower back. (00:19:05)
