I hate Dawn for one reason and one reason only. Season 7 episode- Empty Places when Dawn kicks Buffy out of the house. She had no right. She's a hated character for many reasons but that's mine. Loving the Buffy content!
Sarah Michelle Gellar was 17 when the pilot for Buffy season one was shot. Since Dawn appeared in Season 5, Sarah would have been about 21 when she shot season 5. Great video! I always enjoy your analysis of all things Buffy!
I always found the hate against Dawn pretty uncalled for. She's a fifteen-year-old girl (i.e. a CHILD) who discovered that she wasn't even a real person but a magical force of energy made to open the portal to another dimension, which lead her to an existential crisis so bad that she resorted to self-harm, then she lost her mother and her sister within months apart from one another, then her sister comes back from the dead but come back a shell of the person she once was, and *then* one of her closest friends almost kills her by driving while intoxicated. This all happened to her within the course of a year, so it's no surprise that she comes out the other end completely traumatized, but what is the one thing that someone needs when they are traumatized? Emotional support from their peers. Dawn got none of that in season six because everyone else is focused on their own problems, so *of course* she acts out.
Lol. I've never been in the Dawn hate train, and have always tried to get people to understand that she's kind of _supposed_ to be annoying.... It doesn't help that she was originally supposed to be like 10/11, but I'm sure we were all annoying and insufferable at age 14/15.... I sure was 🤷
She also grows A LOT over her 3 seasons, and shows moments of incredible strength and maturity as early as Season 5 (like when she rips Joyce's picture after she realizes what she's done and understands more how Buffy feels).
I actually don’t hate Dawn( I don’t particularly like her in season 5 then again season 5 is my least favourite season anyway.) I do like her season 7(a lot actually). Also Michelle Trachtenberg’s acting is amazing her screaming is so realistic you really believe the story she tells.
I absolutely despised her when I first watched Buffy (as a teen). I had nothing positive to say about her, she was insufferable, and she tainted the earlier seasons for me (I thought, but this isn't even how the characters remember these events, because Dawn must've been there). As an adult I kinda feel bad for being so harsh towards her. She went through so much trauma that I can't help but feel sad for her. Her very existence, losing Buffy, her mom and Tara. Also, she's very neglected by pretty much everyone. Love that episode when that vengeance demon is the only one that hear her pain. There are so many scenes that are hard to watch because of her suffering (self harm, hugging Buffy-bot, staying with Taras dead body, finding out about her mother etc). I feel alot more compassion for her now. Even though she's not really a character I like that much, I appreciate her more. And she has her moments, I especially like her relationship with Tara, Willow and Spike. Loved when she undid her resurrection spell on their mother by ripping apart the photograph. That must've been hard, but she realized the potential damage it could do to Buffy In short, I like her much more as an adult. Considering everything she went through, she handled it better than most would. I just refused to accept her before. Also, Michelle played her perfectly. I really enjoyed this video! Thank you 🙂
I’m kinda mixed on Dawn. I don’t mind her annoying qualities much, but for some reason, the premise of inserting all those false memories into Buffy’s head doesn’t sit right with me
The "supposed to be annoying" argument is one often made when defending Dawn. Like yeah, sure, but that doesn't mean it makes the show better. That's like saying I made a car with intentionally bad gas mileage and am wondering why no one wants to drive it. I achieved my goal but that doesn't mean the car is good. It's tricky writing characters like Dawn because kids her age are generally unlikable, that implies there's a trade off between realism and reliability. But there doesn't have to be. I hold the show-writers to a higher esteem in that they could've very well made a character like Dawn "annoying" while also being "good" and at the end of that, is a TV show I want to watch and enjoy. Excusing the bad characterization just doesn't make it better. Hate is a strong word in this regard, but i think the general dislike in the fandom is perfectly rational. That being said. Season 7 Dawn is a lot better then 5 and 6 and shows it could've been done better from the beginning with some better collaboration.
I hate Dawn for one reason and one reason only. Season 7 episode- Empty Places when Dawn kicks Buffy out of the house. She had no right. She's a hated character for many reasons but that's mine. Loving the Buffy content!
Sarah Michelle Gellar was 17 when the pilot for Buffy season one was shot. Since Dawn appeared in Season 5, Sarah would have been about 21 when she shot season 5.
Great video! I always enjoy your analysis of all things Buffy!
I always found the hate against Dawn pretty uncalled for. She's a fifteen-year-old girl (i.e. a CHILD) who discovered that she wasn't even a real person but a magical force of energy made to open the portal to another dimension, which lead her to an existential crisis so bad that she resorted to self-harm, then she lost her mother and her sister within months apart from one another, then her sister comes back from the dead but come back a shell of the person she once was, and *then* one of her closest friends almost kills her by driving while intoxicated. This all happened to her within the course of a year, so it's no surprise that she comes out the other end completely traumatized, but what is the one thing that someone needs when they are traumatized? Emotional support from their peers. Dawn got none of that in season six because everyone else is focused on their own problems, so *of course* she acts out.
Lol. I've never been in the Dawn hate train, and have always tried to get people to understand that she's kind of _supposed_ to be annoying.... It doesn't help that she was originally supposed to be like 10/11, but I'm sure we were all annoying and insufferable at age 14/15.... I sure was 🤷
She also grows A LOT over her 3 seasons, and shows moments of incredible strength and maturity as early as Season 5 (like when she rips Joyce's picture after she realizes what she's done and understands more how Buffy feels).
Thank You for making this, Dawn is underrated.
I actually don’t hate Dawn( I don’t particularly like her in season 5 then again season 5 is my least favourite season anyway.) I do like her season 7(a lot actually). Also Michelle Trachtenberg’s acting is amazing her screaming is so realistic you really believe the story she tells.
I absolutely despised her when I first watched Buffy (as a teen). I had nothing positive to say about her, she was insufferable, and she tainted the earlier seasons for me (I thought, but this isn't even how the characters remember these events, because Dawn must've been there).
As an adult I kinda feel bad for being so harsh towards her. She went through so much trauma that I can't help but feel sad for her. Her very existence, losing Buffy, her mom and Tara.
Also, she's very neglected by pretty much everyone. Love that episode when that vengeance demon is the only one that hear her pain.
There are so many scenes that are hard to watch because of her suffering (self harm, hugging Buffy-bot, staying with Taras dead body, finding out about her mother etc).
I feel alot more compassion for her now. Even though she's not really a character I like that much, I appreciate her more. And she has her moments, I especially like her relationship with Tara, Willow and Spike.
Loved when she undid her resurrection spell on their mother by ripping apart the photograph. That must've been hard, but she realized the potential damage it could do to Buffy
In short, I like her much more as an adult. Considering everything she went through, she handled it better than most would. I just refused to accept her before.
Also, Michelle played her perfectly.
I really enjoyed this video! Thank you 🙂
Aa the youngest child of three, i love Dawn for being relatable 😂
I’m kinda mixed on Dawn. I don’t mind her annoying qualities much, but for some reason, the premise of inserting all those false memories into Buffy’s head doesn’t sit right with me
The "supposed to be annoying" argument is one often made when defending Dawn. Like yeah, sure, but that doesn't mean it makes the show better. That's like saying I made a car with intentionally bad gas mileage and am wondering why no one wants to drive it. I achieved my goal but that doesn't mean the car is good. It's tricky writing characters like Dawn because kids her age are generally unlikable, that implies there's a trade off between realism and reliability. But there doesn't have to be. I hold the show-writers to a higher esteem in that they could've very well made a character like Dawn "annoying" while also being "good" and at the end of that, is a TV show I want to watch and enjoy. Excusing the bad characterization just doesn't make it better. Hate is a strong word in this regard, but i think the general dislike in the fandom is perfectly rational. That being said. Season 7 Dawn is a lot better then 5 and 6 and shows it could've been done better from the beginning with some better collaboration.
well she never annoyed me. this is all subjective.