Andie McPhee

Andrea "Andie" McPhee is a fictional character from the WB television drama Dawson's Creek, portrayed by Meredith Monroe.

Fictional biography

Background

Andie first appears in the Season 2 opener "The Kiss", and quickly becomes a love interest for Pacey Witter. The character returns for two guest appearances in order to provide closure for her character (in Season 4, when Andie returned to graduate), and to support the ongoing storylines at the time (in Season 6, to say goodbye to Jen Lindley and to show where Andie was in 2008). Her character exited the show early in Season 4 in the episode "You Had Me At Good Bye" - the character had eventually run its course, producers commenting that the only story arc left for Andie would have been a relationship with Dawson Leery.

Season 2

Andie crashes into the second season, literally, after she runs into the car that Pacey was driving. Knowing full well that it was his fault and that his father would "kill" him for damaging his police car, Pacey kept up with the pretense he was the police officer and it was his car. This kind of sparring would eventually define Andie and Pacey's relationship throughout Season 2. The two attended the school dance in the episode "The Dance", the episode closing with the two dancing on the docks, putting into motion the start of their relationship. However, throughout the course of the season the audience sees Andie experience mental health issues in trying to overcome the death of her brother, Tim, the reason the McPhee family moved to Capeside from Providence. It was Pacey who did not give up on Andie, coaxing her out of a locked room, eventually the two of them making the decision for Andie to be rehabilitated during summer break, and to return to Capeside in the fall, "happy, healthy, and more in love than ever". Andie left that season with her father, en route to Providence in the episode "Ch-Ch-Changes".

Season 3

When Andie comes back from her summer away, Pacey is overjoyed until he finds out she has slept with another patient over the summer break. They break up for good. Andie then steals a copy of the PSATs because she is desperate to ace the test to prove that she is recovered from her medical problems. Andie gets a little too involved with her role as head of the school disciplinary committee. Jack and Andie find some common ground and Jack ends up moving back home in 'A Weekend In The Country'. She eventually confesses to stealing the PSATs to the Principal and loses her scholarship. She then starts to have feelings for Pacey again and confesses them to Joey, who has been in a secret relationship with Pacey unbeknownst to Andie. Andie then must deal with these new romantic feelings between Pacey and Joey when they come to light, but still makes one more try for Pacey by going to prom with him. She then realizes Pacey only went with her to see Joey and she releases him to go after her. When Joey chooses Pacey over Dawson, Andie is there to comfort Dawson along with Jack and Jen.

Season 4

Andie starts the Season by meeting two foreign guys, realizing she is attracted to both of them. Andie has an interview for college, but her medical records get in her way and she is denied on the spot. As a storm rips apart Capeside with Pacey and Jen out on "The True Love", Andie takes control of the situation and guides everybody to rescue Jen and Pacey. In 'Great Xpectations', Andie gets accepted into Harvard in advance, but accomplishing what should be the biggest thing in her life doesn't exactly make her happy. She decides to explore different paths in her life by going to a rave. In the party, Drew gives Jen drugs and Andie ends up with them and takes them. The drugs make a disastrous combination with her anti-depressants, almost killing her. After Andie comes home from the hospital, her father tells her it would be better if she went to spend the rest of the year in Italy with her aunt since she already has the credits required for an early graduation. Andie decides to go, and plans a goodbye dinner with the whole gang. She tells them how important life is and not to waste valuable time with useless fights between natural best friends. Andie plays a little trick to bring Dawson and Pacey together and leaves Capeside on a happier note than most thought possible.

Later seasons

Andie returned to Capeside at the end of Season 4 to graduate from Capeside High, in the episode 'The Graduate'. She told Jack that she had "deferred Harvard by a year", saying that right now she "couldn't imagine being happier anywhere else". She remained a prominent part of Joey's graduation speech, as if she had never left.

Andie was mentioned at various points throughout the series after the character had left - in the sixth-season episode 'Merry Mayhem', Jen comments that Jack is in Europe spending Christmas with his Dad and Andie.

Series finale

Though her scenes were cut from the broadcast version of the series finale (but appear on the DVD extended cut), Andie returned to Capeside to say goodbye to her friend Jen, who was dying from pulmonary congestion, in the episodes "All Good Things ..." and "... Must Come To An End".

Andie is seen to be a happy medical resident in 2008, living and working in Boston. This episode, which marked the final appearance of the character, also brought closure to Pacey and Andie fans in a bittersweet scene between them in the hospital café. They both agree to talk to each other more - Pacey comments that with Andie completing her residency in Boston there should be no reason for them not to stay in touch. In her final lines in the series, she comments, "It's not about getting it right; it's about knowing when it's wrong and doing something about it".

Notable relationships

• Pacey Witter
  • Boyfriend
    • First Relationship:
      • Beginning: "The Dance" (2.06)
      • End: "Homecoming" (3.02)
        • Reason: She cheated on him.
    • Second Relationship:
      • Beginning: "Secrets and Lies" (3.06)
      • End: "Secrets and Lies" (3.06)
        • Reason: Pacey realized that she wasn't the one for him and he wasn't the one for her.
• Mark
  • Fling
    • Beginning: Between seasons 2 and 3
    • End: "Homecoming"(3.02)
      • Reason: He had a girlfriend and she was leaving the mental hospital.
• Rob Logan
  • Fling
    • Beginning: "Indian Summer"(3.05)
    • End: "Secrets and Lies"(3.06)
      • Reason: She claimed he wanted to rape her because she wanted Pacey back.
• Will Krudski
  • Almost Fling/Never Kissed
    • Beginning: "Stolen Kisses"(3.19)
    • End: "The Longest Day"(3.20)
      • Reason: She still loved Pacey.
• J.J.
  • Fling
    • Beginning: "Coming Home"(4.01)
    • End: "Coming Home" (4.01)
      • Reason: He left town.