What if Buffy let Dawn jump?

[orpheusxi]

Where do you think the writers could have taken the for a 6th season?

 

[white avenger]

If the writers substituted the whole "ripped out of heaven" subtext for the season with a new "just had to stand by helplessly while my little sister died" theme, substituting the sense loss of a loved one for the loss of Eternal Rest And Reward, they would have been able to pretty much keep Season 6 intact just as it originally was, especially if it was Buffy, and not Angel, who retreated to a temple in the mountains for the summer, leaving Spike and the Scoobies to take up the slack on the hellmouth. There was very little, if anything, of any importance that Dawn did in Season 6 or 7 that couldn't have been done just as easily, and in a far less irritating manner, by Willow, Xander, or Giles.

And, as an added bonus, not one single, "Get out. Get out! GET OUT!!!" for the entire season or ever again.

 

[Seeing Red]

I still think that Buffy would have suffered from depression and the feelings of helplessness and self hatred. I feel that Buffy would have never been able to forgive herself if she left Dawn to jump. Therefore, she would have still thrown herself into Spike's arms, and separated herself from her friends.

 

[Steven123]

Pretty much what [MENTION=6758]white avenger[/MENTION] said.

I think the season would have remained more or less the same, Buffy probably would have been going through roughly the same feelings of personal loss (only her sister rather than heaven). And in general i think it could have made the season a bit better.

 

[This Year's Girl]

I agree with the others, the storyline could still be pretty much the same. But I think we would've lost a lot if dawn wouldn't have been there. I think she had a lot to bring to the table. Potential was a great ep for one. I love how much dawn grows and how brave she becomes. When she fights in "grave" my big sister heart melts! :heart:

 

[Hale Caesar]

[MENTION=6758]white avenger[/MENTION] summed it up pretty well. Less Dawn would mean more focus for the other characters, and that would have definitely been a positive

 

[NY State of Mind]

yep WA is right...but one thing changing majorly would be the great episode of The Gift...nobody would cry if it was Dawn 😛

 

[Hale Caesar]

yep WA is right...but one thing changing majorly would be the great episode of The Gift...nobody would cry if it was Dawn 😛

If Dawn died I would throw a party.

 

[BuffyElevated]

I agree with almost everyone else... We still would have seen Buffy battling her depression, but it would have been a different kind of depression. I think Buffy would have been more about self-loathing than blaming her friends for tearing her out of Heaven.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

I refuse to entertain this question because Buffy would never have let Dawn jump. She'd have died first.

Oh, wait. She did.

 

[SlayerFest]

She wouldn't have let her. If anything, Dawn would have run before Buffy could catch her or something. I actually like that Buffy died...I mean, everyone is saying that she still would have been depressed and everything, but she would have felt less alone. Not one of them could relate to dying, going to heaven, and being ripped out of it. Losing a loved one is easier to relate to. Also, Buffy said in Weight of the World that if Dawn died, that everyone would feel sorry for her, but it would be over. It probably would have brought everyone closer together, as awful as that sounds.

 

[Living Dead Boy]

Yeah, Buffy definitely wouldn't let her jump. But if she did, then season 6 wouldn't see her "ripped out of heaven" phase, which I particularly loved. A lot of people tend to think of that part of Buffy's arc as "too epic", like we the audience couldn't possibly relate to her because of it. I tend to see her death and resurrection differently from others. To me, her death in "The Gift" was the death of her childhood. Her being resurrected simply states, "Life goes on, no matter what you go through. Now let's get serious." So I couldn't see her letting Dawn jump.

 

[Willow My Love]

I don't know that her depression would be as bad, but I think her self loathing would overwhelm her. The words of the first Slayer would ring in her ears and she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

I think Willow and Tara still would've moved in, so that Buffy wasn't alone, but maybe the focus would be more on Buffy's well-being than on the spell Willow did and Tara wouldn't have died...

 

[Okra]

If Dawn did jump then Buffy: ‘would it be important to bring her back to life like Buffy was?’ Sure, Dawn was the key: ‘and I think it was more important to keep Dawn alive then Buffy.’ On the other hand, some time down will have to die (not in the series), and there is really nothing dealing with her death to be natural.

 

[VaderSpike24]

Buffy would have been depressed over the death of her sister rather than herself, which is more believable and would have been a better way to go in my opinion, plus no Dawn for two more seasons. It also would have given Dawn's character a more heroic sendoff, not that she deserves it, but it would have been more than 'oh, let's kill a charcater just for the sake of it'.