The Problem With Dawn

[Willow-Tree]

There was a problem with Dawn? I never noticed. I was actually surprised at how much hate she got from fans. She's one of my favourite characters.

I like Dawn a lot, too. I think it's just because she was so unexpected and kind of made the flow of the show different... idk lol.

 

[Tome]

She was interesting in season 5, I liked her in the few episodes around when she finds out she's the key.

But she's never been a character I was really into during the show. I think she's lacking a real character development from season six and on =/ But I did like her in 'Conversation with Dead Peoples', haha! That scene when she's yelling at whatever was in the house, I thought that was great, GO DAWN!

 

[TheChosenTwo]

Not all teens are... I'm the sweetest teen ever (sw)

Anyway... 😛 I think you made a point, but I still dislike Dawn. Like GrrArghx3 said, she was very ungratefull. I sometimes felt sorry for her, when Buffy was with Spike and she was all alone.
I did feel like she got more mature in season 7.

 

[DoughnutHole]

Why I dislike Dawn has nothing to do with whiny or anything else. Being ungrateful to her sister who has given her life(literally) for her, dropped out of college for her, got a job even if she hated the place she was working...and then her sister got kicked out of her own house by a 15-year-old brat... That destroyed the character of Dawn for me. Whiny or crying have nothing to do with me disliking her. Because we can all be whiny and crybabies at some point of our lives.

Also, I do believe Buffy, as a series, was better without Dawn. That is just my personal opinion.

Agreed, completely. And I'm not a fan of Michelle, either. Bad acting, unbelievable as a little sister to Buffy.

The writers have said multiple times that when creating the character, they invisioned someone younger. Which would account for the fact that she seemed younger. I just felt like she disrupted the core. I don't even mind the idea of the key, I thought it was a good plot twist... just wish it had been someone else, I guess.

 

[Misty]

I actually like Dawn, but maybe it's because I'm a teenager and I'm really close with my older sister. But I will admit that I hated her at first because I wasn't used to her because she did first appear in the 5th season and she wasn't in the very beginning of Btvs.

 

[Anya2012]

I think Dawn doesn't have a lot of respect for Buffy.

 

[Nymphetamine]

I have to agree she's whiney, and still, if I see her in movies I still see Dawn. Even Michelle Trachtenberg herself.

 

[Bungle Jerry]

I think the problem with Dawn is that she was created for a one-season arc and then carried on past that. Dawn in S5 was annoying, of course: that was the whole *point* of the character (remember the first we see her in "Real Me", disrupting Buffy's training session?) But in S6, they had no idea what to do with her, so they suspended her in an arrested development that no longer made sense after Buffy's sacrifice. Dawn's behaviour in "Older and Far Away" is just bad writing (hey, Dawn's cool when she shreiks "get out get out GET OUT!" Let's have her do that again!)

There's a lot the writers could have done with Dawn's character if they'd given it enough thought: she was an infinitely old bundle of energy, after all. I was watching S5 recently and noticed something I'd overlooked: the comment that the monks thought thye could harness the power of the Key to do good. An intelligently-written storyline for Dawn would have been for her to go explore the monks' work and see if she could continue their work. Instead, all they took from S5 was "Dawn is Buffy's sister. Dawn is a teenager." That's so sad.

Otherwise, Dawn could have been a great character. And her performance in "Potential" is awesome from start to finish - one of the highlights of S7.

 

[Icarium]

I think the problem with Dawn is that she was created for a one-season arc and then carried on past that.

Agreed. Personally, I don't dislike Dawn and I think that after all she went through it's a freaking miracle she isn't a mental patient. But there was no reason whatsoever for her to be in every episode of S6-7, Joyce managed to be relevant in Buffy's life without being in that many episodes, why couldn't Dawn? Her one and only role in S6 is being Buffy's burden. Then in S7 she is suddenly very competent which in itself was a welcome change but came completely out of left field? Shouldn't Dawn have been even more depressed after Tara's death? I don't think she even mentions Tara in S7 which is just stupid considering her reaction immediately after Tara's death.

 

[ElmoHasAGun]

Right, so Dawn is a incredibly typical teenage American sweetheart who has lost both her parents, not to mention two parental figures. Her sister is "special" and is chosen to protect the world from the big bad vampires, because of this her mother treats her like a 5 year old. Oh and there's the whole thing where none of her memories are real, her family isn't her family and she was created to break down the walls to separate the dimensions. She, like Conner, has the right to be whiney every now and then.

 

[Wishing Oceans]

Not all teens are... I'm the sweetest teen ever (sw)

Anyway... 😛 I think you made a point, but I still dislike Dawn. Like GrrArghx3 said, she was very ungratefull. I sometimes felt sorry for her, when Buffy was with Spike and she was all alone.
I did feel like she got more mature in season 7.

I so agree lol... Dawn really gives teens a bad name. Really. She acted younger than I did when I was eleven. And she was what, 16? It's pretty ridiculous. 😀

I don't mind Dawn that much in S7, but up until then she's whiny, immature, self-absorbed, ignorant, the list goes on. Personality wise, she really IS the stereotypical teenager: Obnoxious, throws temper tantrums, doesn't understand anything, acts like somebody subtracted ten years from her age, etc. It's her immaturity, really. And I'm sure that many people would say that she acts like a twelve year old, but since I was twelve myself a few weeks ago, I know that to be untrue. She acts like a ten year old lol. She just acts like a baby, and always gets in the way of our prominent characters.

Also, I agree with whoever said that Michelle T. isn't a very good actress. I find most Dawn scenes to be incredibly bad and unbelievable, which certainly doesn't help the character be more likeable imo.

 

[Marisa]

For her just coming in in season 5 I liked her. She was your average teen to me. I do think I liked her alot more in season 7 and it was nice for Buffy to have her. They did have a few really nice moments.

I dont hate Dawn I think yes she was ungrateful at times. After watching the show a few times I have grown to love her so its a yes and no with me. I can see where people's points are coming from toward disliking her.

 

[Thursday]

I like Dawn, but have always felt like she was handled more as a plot device than a character.

I know this might sound weird, but I've always had a theory about Dawn. In S5, I felt like Dawn's storyline was like the story of the "adopted sister." Almost everything in Buffy is a metaphor for something in real life and that what I though Dawn's story was. She lived as a Summers all her life only to discover she's not a Summers. Buffy deals with it and comes to the realization that she doesn't care; she loves Dawn anyway. I think this also fits into S5's theme of Family. What do you think?

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

I so agree lol... Dawn really gives teens a bad name. Really. She acted younger than I did when I was eleven. And she was what, 16? It's pretty ridiculous. 😀

I don't mind Dawn that much in S7, but up until then she's whiny, immature, self-absorbed, ignorant, the list goes on. Personality wise, she really IS the stereotypical teenager: Obnoxious, throws temper tantrums, doesn't understand anything, acts like somebody subtracted ten years from her age, etc. It's her immaturity, really. And I'm sure that many people would say that she acts like a twelve year old, but since I was twelve myself a few weeks ago, I know that to be untrue. She acts like a ten year old lol. She just acts like a baby, and always gets in the way of our prominent characters.

Also, I agree with whoever said that Michelle T. isn't a very good actress. I find most Dawn scenes to be incredibly bad and unbelievable, which certainly doesn't help the character be more likeable imo.

I so agree with you. I don't know if I ever acted like Dawn, not just in my teen years. When I watched season 5, I was like 9, and I was still annoyed with her. Maybe some teens act like that, but no one who I know acted like that when they're 15, 16.. She did got better in season 7, though..

I also agree that Michelle is not such a good actress. Well, with Dawn she wasn't. She was plain with her eyes rolling and crossed arms.. but I have to say she's not that bad in Gossip Girl.. well with her acting.

 

[faeriegrrl27]

She has her moments. But really? She's obnoxious. I think she's a great plot device and a wonderful way to show how awesome Buffy is, and how awesome Spike is, but her character makes me cringe. She's a twit. And it's not just the whining. As someone who started watching at the age of 14, Dawn was absolutely not representative of that age. Well, not mine. And especially not someone who is Buffy's little sister. Sure, she was overshadowed, but living with Buffy should have gotten her more mature, less obnoxious.

 

[Tome]

Dawn was cool when she fought with Buffy in 'Grave' at the end 🙂 Sisters unite!

 

[MergedLoki]

I think ti's more that she's aTEEN, not a pre-teen (i guess 'tween' is the popular term these days 😛).

i'm 25 and i don't remember any of my friends acting like dawn did as she's supposed to be 15, 16 etc. in the show.

if any of you reading this ARE 16, and act the way dawn did (tantrums, etc.) please,,, please for the good of yourselves and society as a whole grow up just a bit 😛

 

[TheVoid68]

I think people overestimate the amount of tantrums Dawn actually had. Are there really that many? I remember...

1. One in Real Me - forgiven because her character was originally written to be younger than 14, and this early episode reflected that.
2. One in Blood Ties - which is fair enough considering.
3. One in All the Way.
4. One in Older and Faraway.

Anyone think of any more?

 

[prophecygirl17]

I had always really disliked Dawn and felt she was an unnecessary addition to the group but I must say I think I have finally grown to like her and understand why Joss decided to put her in the series. She has some brilliant moments in season 7 where some of her wit is really similar to Buffy's and I can understand how younger viewers might be able to associate with her position of living up to her big sister. We all love Buffy so it is hard to find faults in her and her actions so it is very interesting to see Dawn pick up on these things.

 

[Icarium]

I think people overestimate the amount of tantrums Dawn actually had. Are there really that many? I remember...

1. One in Real Me - forgiven because her character was originally written to be younger than 14, and this early episode reflected that.
2. One in Blood Ties - which is fair enough considering.
3. One in All the Way.
4. One in Older and Faraway.

Anyone think of any more?

In Normal Again Dawn is outraged she isn't included in Buffy's escapist fantasy world (really Dawn, that's what you are worried about when your sister is going crazy?). In Dead Things when Buffy wants to go to the police and admit her guilt Dawn somehow gets to the conclusion that this is because Buffy doesn't want to live with her.

Anyway, I think Buffy treating Dawn like a baby really encouraged Dawn to behave childishly, it was a vicious circle. Weirdly enough in Real Me Buffy is angry that people treat Dawn like a baby yet from then on she does the exact same thing.