Dawn appreciation thread

[AurelWillow]

Dawn is one of my favorite characters and maybe one of the most underrated character. She's a character that I would always defend because what I love with Dawn is the fact of showing a normal teenager and discovering more about her. During season 5, I love her narrative arc and I even felt bad for her when she learns that she is the Key. She is one of the best element of season 5.
Even if I'm a fan of season 6, I find it unfortunate that Dawn has lost importance in this season. Ironically season 7 which is the one I like least, Dawn seems to evolve what I found interesting.
And I also really enjoy Michelle Trachtenberg's performance during this three seasons.

 

[TaraEternal]

I’m a shameless Dawn apologist. Yes, Dawn could be annoying at times but uh, little known secret here: real life children can be very annoying. Her being a little grating at times was just a side effect of her being young and dumb. Some fans of the show were angry that Dawn wasn’t as mature as Buffy was at her age, but here’s the thing: Buffy is the slayer, Dawn is a normal girl with no superpowers (aside from the whole key ordeal but that was over at the end of season 5). So unlike Buffy, who had many more demanding responsibilities and didn’t get to have the most normal teenage life, Dawn was the typical teenager who could be bratty and naive and make stupid decisions. Some were annoyed about her whole identity crisis when she realized she was the key, but hell, you try learning your entire life was fabricated, tell me you wouldn’t be thrown into a downward spiral. 🙄
She is a very realistically portrayed character. Maybe her introduction to the series was a little strange and could’ve been executed a little better, but it was quite an interesting plot development.
Do note that I’m only speaking in terms of the TV series, I’ve not finished the comics yet.