How would Buffy have coped without Dawn at Joyce's death?

[Xin Rong]

I was just wondering what dawn-haters (myself included) thought about what would have happened to Buffy post Joyce's death without Dawn. Would she have handled it better or worse? I'm inclined towards the latter?

Also, on a side note did anyone else notice how much dawn's teacher looked like Joyce? Deliberate, or happy accident?

 

[Blaze]

I think having a sibling helped her. In a weird way, it's someone to share the pain with, it's a very sad thing to see them hurt on top of hurting yourself, but having family in times like these is more important than having friends. Friends will never quite understand the situation the way your sister does, so I think it was important for Buffy and Dawn to have each other. Not saying that friends aren't important or that they aren't hurting, but only Dawn and Buffy will know what it's like to lose Joyce as a mother, having each other has to be somewhat comforting.

 

[iShower4free]

I wanna say she would have had an easier time getting through it without Dawn. I think the added stress of knowing she was now responsible for Dawn as well as worrying about how Dawn was coping with the loss of Joyce was an added strain on Buffy. She already had the Scoobies as well as Angel to help her get through it.

 

[Zeppelin92]

Buffy would have done worse without Dawn. The main reason Buffy recovered so quickly after Joyce's death was because she needed to look out for Dawn. Dawn was just a child at this point and Buffy knew she had to put Dawn before herself and be strong through the entire thing.

 

[Ethereal Warrior]

I think having that blood tie with Dawn helped her. It did make her grow up and take charge because she had Dawn to look out for. Without Dawn in her life, I think that she would have felt very much alone even with her friends all around her. She would probably have kept her emotions inside and either wouldn't feel a desire to do her duty as a Slayer or she'd be an ultimate Slayer, channeling her pain through her duty. She might have been unstable for a while.

 

[BuffyElevated]

Buffy would have done worse without Dawn. The main reason Buffy recovered so quickly after Joyce's death was because she needed to look out for Dawn. Dawn was just a child at this point and Buffy knew she had to put Dawn before herself and be strong through the entire thing.

I totally agree. Also, she didn't feel like she was completely alone as long as Dawn was around; she felt like she still had a piece of her family with her, and I think that helped her a little.

 

[BuffyBug]

I think having Dawn around helped her long term. I think it would've been easier right after if it was just her though. Even in the episode Buffy says it would be easier if she only had to worry about herself, but she has to be there for Dawn. Long term I think it helped her carry on.

 

[nightshade]

I think she would of handled it worse but she would still realise she had responsibilities with the house and the gallery. Without Dawn Buffy may have sold the house and not worked at Doublemeat Palace

 

[mywillowtree1]

I think having dawn made it worse for her. I mean, she had to deal with all Dawn's problems on top of hers. A

 

[buffffy]

I think that Dawn really helped Buffy keep moving, because Dawn was really the only thing Buffy had left to live for. I think if Dawn wasn't around and Joyce died, Buffy would have just gave up.

 

[white avenger]

The most basic answer is that, without Dawn, there would have been no Key, or at least it would have been simply a glowing green ball of energy. Easier to protect or keep out of Glory's hands, possibly, or without any feelings of sibling protectiveness attached to it, Buffy might have let Giles and Willow destroy it immediately.

Whatever else happened, Buffy almost certainly wouldn't have had to die to thwart Glory's plans. Beyond that, it's a whole new Buffyverse.

 

[Xin Rong]

The most basic answer is that, without Dawn, there would have been no Key, or at least it would have been simply a glowing green ball of energy. Easier to protect or keep out of Glory's hands, possibly, or without any feelings of sibling protectiveness attached to it, Buffy might have let Giles and Willow destroy it immediately.

Whatever else happened, Buffy almost certainly wouldn't have had to die to thwart Glory's plans. Beyond that, it's a whole new Buffyverse.

I'm confused, how does that relate to Joyce's death?

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

I think that without Dawn, Buffy would have gone off the deep end. Caring for Dawn forced Buffy to maintain some sense of normalcy, and not lose herself in grief. Also, I believe Dawn provided comfort to Buffy that her friends couldn't provide, because they shared the grief from the loss of Joyce equally, and Dawn understood what Buffy was going through exactly.

I think if Dawn hadn't been there, Buffy would have turned to Tara, since she knew that she lost her mother at a young age, too.

 

[Mitchy121]

My dad died in 2011 and it was easily the hardest time of my life. I had my sisters during the whole time and they kept me grounded and to this day they continue to keep me grounded and they are both instrumental on making sure I get through every day. I push on because of them and I think Buffy would've been doing something very similar with Dawn. She needed Dawn to keep her stable and keep her going, not only through that period of time but through the rest of their lives. Furthermore, the added level of responsibility wouldn't have been a burden during this period of time. My mothers added level of responsibility of taking care of us kids was not a burden for her but instead was a welcome distraction for the pain she felt.

 

[iShower4free]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss Mitchy, I can't imagine what it's like to lose a parent. It sounds like you experienced it in more of Dawn perspective than Buffy's though so it's not exactly fair to shut down my opinion of the situation based on your personal experience :-/ welcome to the boards by the way 😀

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Dawn imposed the necessity for Buffy to grow up quickly and take care of her and Season 6 shows Buffy taking on adult responsibilities. Without Dawn, she would have clung to Giles a bit more but maintained her life pretty much as before, so I think she would have done less without Dawn, but would have been happier. However, Dawn was the reason she had to continue to function and not just give up as happened in "The Weight of the World 5ABB21" when Dawn was kidnapped and Buffy sank into a catatonic state where she kept revisiting memories of a moment when she gave up.

So my vote is that she would have done better with one less burden, but with Dawn, she did not have the luxury of giving up.

 

[Mitchy121]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss Mitchy, I can't imagine what it's like to lose a parent. It sounds like you experienced it in more of Dawn perspective than Buffy's though so it's not exactly fair to shut down my opinion of the situation based on your personal experience :-/ welcome to the boards by the way 😀

Very sorry! 🙁
And it's all fine. Happened two years ago now so it's not particularly an everyday struggle anymore. Which is good, I guess.
My sister has said to me on several occasions that if it wasn't for me she'd have no idea how she gets through everyday. We don't talk everyday but when we do talk it's always lovely and when we see each other it's always really nice. She said that the only thing keeping her calm when dad died was myself and my other sister and her two children. Her partner didn't help. One of the best things during that time is to have family around. To have legitimate and caring family around. For Buffy, I imagine she thought the same.