Dawn isn't that bad!

[zobothehobo]

I'm sorry, I don't care how you phrase it or what happened in her life... shoplifting because people aren't paying attention to you at home is wrong and stupid. I said this to both my sisters when they did it and said "you guys never pay attention! It's not like you even care about me!" It's stupid and wrong... and completely irrational. And I don't buy the whole "she's young" thing. When I was younger, I didn't steal stuff. I didn't get attention at home... no one ever payed attention to me... I was drowning in depression to the point of suicide and neither parent, nor my sisters, had any idea. Teachers who HATED me were asking me if everything was ok and no one in my family even noticed something was wrong. But I never resorted to breaking the law. That thought never crossed my mind.

I can see Dawn in season 5 being "OK" and her behavior being "understandable" because of her situation and being "the baby" (although I have to say I think "being the baby" is just an excuse for younger siblings to act out)... But in season 6, Dawn was a brat. There's no way to argue against that. She stole from every store in the mall and the Magic Box... She stole from Giles and Anya. She knew them and they took care of her.... and she stole from them... repeatedly. That's not just against the law, it's ungrateful.

 

[Ms.Trick]

Oh, I forgot she had stolen Giles and Anya! 😱
I know it's never an excuse to be young or not paid attention to. I always feel insulted by those generalisations as I never did anything like that either, no matter how depressed I was.
I'm just saying, Buffy also happened to steal before she was the Slayer, and she almost did it again with Faith. The difference is, I love Buffy, and she is such a hero and a great character that I don't pay that much attention to it. In Dawn's case, it's more aggravating because she is already hard to like.

I still want to punch in season 6. But I understand her a bit more, even if it doesn't make it okay to act the way she does.

 

[Justme]

Awww I love Dawn to death by season 7. Season 5 clearly she is just really annoying. 6 she is half and half but 7 she is just lovely.

The way she tries so hard and accepts her role in the group. God bless her.

As for shop lifting.... I think a lot of teens do it. Quite honestly I think it's no big deal either way. Sure all depressed teens don't shop lift but I think Dawn had it rougher than most what with everybody dying on her/her not really existing etc.

 

[Chosen Enemy]

I like Dawn the most in s6, where she's the most annoying, and hate her the most in s7, where she's grown herself a personality and is always against Buffy (that's what I felt on that subject, anyway). Am I a weirdo?

 

[Wishing Oceans]

I'd like to start saying that annoying younger sister is a myth. It's always the big sis who annoys us. True story!

As a younger sister, I'd have to concur... But really, both are extremely annoying. 😉

I like her well enough in Season 7. In S5 and S6 I just don't like her. Yeah, she has her reasons for being completely aggravating and all, but there are SO many things that make me not like her much...

1. No offense to anyone named Dawn intended, but I just don't like the name Dawn. 😛

2. I don't like her voice.

3. I don't like her clothes, her hair, or her face.

4. She bored me as a character.

I would have greatly preferred no sister and more emphasis on the Core Four... Without Dawn coming and causing unwanted chaos and conflict.

 

[Washburne]

I like Dawn and have no trouble with Michelle. I won't go into one of my "defend Dawn speeches" today. I'll just in a calm fashion declare that yes, Dawn isn't that bad. At all in my opinion. Even if she without a doubt do some bad things.

As a younger sister, I'd have to concur... But really, both are extremely annoying. 😉

Too true. Both older and younger sisters are way annoying (at points). The middle child though, especially if it's a guy, is just totally lovable in every possible way.

Ahem...

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

She seems less annoying in the comic books.

She was fine in season 7, but I didn't really cared if she was there or not..

 

[Justme]

To the commenter's I didn't say normal. It really isn't that unusual though, sure most teens aren't complete cleptos like Dawnie but I really don't think it's such a huge deal. I still vaguely remember being a teen myself you know 😉

 

[Spikefan31]

Just watched Potential and The Killer In Me. I like Dawn in Potential, and agree she's not that bad...especially compared to Kennedy! lol 😀

 

[zobothehobo]

I agree she's not as bad as Kennedy. I actually wrote a song about Dawn inspired by the song "I Didn't Write a Song about Angel" and the last line is "at least she's not as bad as Kennedy!!!!"

 

[Connor Holtz]

She stole some stuff from the Magic Box... big deal. Most of it was returned, what wasn't, was worked off.

 

[zobothehobo]

She stole some stuff from the Magic Box... big deal. Most of it was returned, what wasn't, was worked off.

It's not the items she stole that was bad. It's the fact she stole from people who cared about her and took care of her. or that she stole at all. That stealing and breaking the law was her answer to her problems...

 

[Connor Holtz]

Meh. It's just stuff. It's not like anyone cared past the episode it was revealed. Even Anya had completely forgotten when Dawn asked what she could do to repay.

And she mostly just stole from Anya. You can say this or that but you've not been in her place. Being a key, constant threat of danger of being attacked by monsters, having your sister die and then came back from the dead to then completely ignoring you. I'm not saying it's justified but who cares if she stole some stuff TBH. It's not like she attacked someone or something to actually get upset over.

 

[buffyprops]

You want to know the moment that I TRULY realized that I hated Dawn?
It was this line of hers which she screamed at Buffy and her mother:

"GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!"​

Call it irrational but at that moment my stomach did a flip-flop and I had to get up and leave the room. I can barely stand to see her on screen with out reliving that one sickeningly delivered line.
I was VERY relieved that they didn't give her her own song in "Once More With Feeling" and you can tell that they were playing on that in the episode when they let her start her own little pity-ditty and then cut her off when she get's nabbed by the bad guy's. LOVED that part.

 

[charmedones193]

I Agree With buffyprops I Hate The Quote Get Out 3x, In Season 5 She's Very Annoying and Whiny, I Like Her Better In Season 6 and 7 (Until She Kicked Buffy Out Of Her House)

 

[Anya2012]

I'm rewatching Buffy and up to season 4...I'm dreading the fact I have to deal with Dawn soon but having Anya as a regular more than makes up for it.

 

[Tillow4ever]

Okay, so I like Dawn, don't get me wrong, but at the beggining she REALLY gives teenagers a bad name... she was 14, but acted like an 8 year old... it was ridiculous. I didn't really like her or start to understand her till my 2nd or 3rd rewatch

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

The thing that bugged me mostly about Dawn is, when she told Buffy after Joyce died, that it seems like she didn't cared about her, she didn't loved her.

Little rude.

 

[Chosen Enemy]

I think Dawn is acting a little immature for her age. I understand the whole teenage rage thing, but she wasn't just acting like a teenager, sometimes she was acting like a 6 years old. And that's how everybody was treating her. Calling her "the baby". She's 14 at season 5, for God's sake! They've always assigned a babysitter for her. She's 14! Old enough to be a babysitter, as she said. So I think the fact they've always treated her as a baby, made her a baby.

 

[zobothehobo]

I think Dawn is acting a little immature for her age. I understand the whole teenage rage thing, but she wasn't just acting like a teenager, sometimes she was acting like a 6 years old. And that's how everybody was treating her. Calling her "the baby". She's 14 at season 5, for God's sake! They've always assigned a babysitter for her. She's 14! Old enough to be a babysitter, as she said. So I think the fact they've always treated her as a baby, made her a baby.

I agree I think she acts immature for her age... but I think the point they were trying to make with "the baby" was the baby of the family... not an actual baby.