These are some thoughts that were published originally in WhatIsMyLine.com. That domain disappeared a long time ago, but another page in spanish, 'Entre Lineas', has some information about the original article. I translate it and bring it here so you can make your own conclusions.
Title: A different view of "Buffy vs Dracula"
Author: Tien
Date: October 13h 2001
Reference until: 5x05
The first time i saw Buffy vs Dracula i was very disappointed ... until i read a theory that some fans had written
The true is my opinion changed a lot after i read it. That became one regular episode into a more interesting one
However, there are a couple of things that not fix so much
What the theory says is "That's not the real Drà¡cula". It was actually a illusion made by the Order of Dagon to 'create' Dawn
How is this supported? Well....
1. On first act, everything is normal. Scoobies are in the beach, just another sunny day, and suddenly it starts to rain, after Willow do the fire spell. She says: I didn't do it or it's not my fault, or something like that. It's true, it's not her fault, there was when the monks 'change reality' and introduce Dracula into the story
2. ¿What was what bother a lot of fans about this episode? It was too 'Hollywoodian'
The accent was too exagerated
He had the typical powers (bats, wolfs, mist)
He wasn't like any other vampire in Buffyverse, physically.
The Castle? Giles and Riley said they never heard about a castle in Sunnydale
The sudden rain? Besides 'Surprise', I think in Sunnydale never rains. In Dracula tales, always rain
The coffin with ground? Element present in Dracula tales too.
3. Which Scoobies didn't meet Dracula? Anya and Spike, the only ones who absolutly know him... what a coincidence
4. Dawn is made from Buffy's blood. ¿How did they do that? When Dracula was in Buffy's room, he drank and then left. He never tried to hurt her. Just took a bit of her blood. What for? To create Dawn
Anyway, the point is, they used Dracula's myth to got close to Buffy so she couldn't notice their plans.
The fight in the castle was a distraction to got some time and created Dawn
When Buffy came to home and saw Dawn for first time, she said her: What are you doing here?; and Dawn looked her surprised. Then, just for one second, you can saw a change in Buffy. After that, Joyce said something about go to the movies and now it's like Dawn was there for a long time. It's when the monks finished the spell and changed everybody's memories
Obviously I'm forgetting a lot of arguements, in the original article there were more, but it's lost
What it doesn't fix.....
- When Dracula just arrived to Sunnydale, he killed two men. The monks surely didnt do that. It was no necesary
- Why did Buffy drink of him?
I like so much this theory, to think in this episode not so much as a poor first episode of a season, instead of a really interesting one
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That was it. I think there were many arguement that nto support the idea, like events in No place like home. But is interesnting.
PS: Sorry about posible mistakes in translation. I'm Latinamerican
