What would happen if dawn died?

[S Rou]

Wouldn't everyone's memories of her be erased? Doesn't something like this happen in the comics, but she's brought back or something?

Does she even have a spirit/soul or will she just cease to exist after death while the key energy will live in, but it won't be her anymore? Can someone elaborate?

 

[Ragnar]

Had she died in the series, I think everyone's memories of her would remain. I always got the impression she was a normal human like anybody else, she just came into existence differently.

The key energy would continue after she died, but that's similar to what happens to all of us. We die, but whatever makes us up continues to exist in different forms. I think? I don't know science.

I don't take the comics that seriously, and can't really remember that storyline too well. I remember it annoyed me a bit, because the show made a point of stating she was a normal person, and Buffy's sister regardless of origin.

 

[Priceless]

If Dawn died of natural causes, it would be as if a normal girl had died. She is still the key, so that part of her would revert back to a ball of energy. It would need to controlled and protected, but I am sure Willow could deal with that.

In the comics, due to the destruction of magic, Dawn began to fade away, as did everyones memories of her. It's a beautifully written story and one of my favourities. Luckily magic was reinstated so Dawn survived.

 

[white avenger]

What would happen if Dawn died? Could we just say that the series would be improved and let it go at that? I guess not.

Supposedly, if Dawn dies, it would be pretty much the same as any other character who has died in the Buffyverse. They are mourned for awhile, then everyone pretty much goes back to their regular routine. Then there's a good chance that she will be resurrected the next Season.

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

I assume Dawn's body would revert back to the pure green energy and disperse, until it was summoned/collected of it's own accord. I don't think she would die in the manner that everyone else does.

 

[Altoz]

What about the spatiotemporal effects? Would everything Dawn said or did in the Buffyverse also be erased retrospectivelY?

 

[thrasherpix]

What about the spatiotemporal effects? Would everything Dawn said or did in the Buffyverse also be erased retrospectivelY?

That would be how spells normally work. Since there was a sacrifice (Buffy's), and she also demonstrated the quality of having a soul (by being able to invite in vampires) I'm not sure it counts in this case. (For what it's worth the characters began forgetting her in the comics when she died, though I only heard about it.)

Which begs the question, what WOULD they remember? Would Joyce have died of a demon attack without Dawn to distract the demon about to pounce on Joyce, calling to Buffy? Would Dolores the social worker still have her job? Would Buffy have had sex with that high school boy with the magic jacket without Dawn to interrupt things more than once? (I'm only assuming she'd be a counselor at the school because Principal Wood seemed to want her there anyway, but a few wouldn't have survived since it would've taken longer for him to involve her.) Would Buffy have gotten thrown out of her house (and if so, how would she remember it)?

And most of all, how would they remember their encounter with Glory at all, which presumably still happened? The butterfly effect is especially dangerous, or at least surreal memory wise, on this one.

 

[Altoz]

Which raises the other question- how essential is Dawn to those episodes? For starters. Season 5 would look very different. Glory wouldn't have come to Sunnydale without a Key to search for, would she?

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

My understanding is that her death had something to do with the end of magic. Yes, there was some seed that was keeping magic in the Buffyverse, then it got destroyed, but then they restored it, and Buffy and friends started a Magic Council to rewrite the rules. Remember when Dark Horse Comics was held in high esteem? Hmm.

 

[Altoz]

In order for Dawn to be killed off now, it would necessarily have to be for a proper purpose which added something to the series. Hmmm.

 

[sweetiepie]

I would have hated it. I love Dawn.

 

[TriBel]

I assume Dawn's body would revert back to the pure green energy and disperse, until it was summoned/collected of it's own accord. I don't think she would die in the manner that everyone else does.

Isn't that what happens to all of us when we die? The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can't be created or destroyed; energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another. Not sure it's green though.

 

[DeadlyDuo]

If Dawn had been killed off, she would've literally been nothing more than a plot device for Season 5. She would've been a cheap ploy to create drama that is then discarded because she is no longer of use. The writing for her is actually quite poor in Season 5, she's the bratty kid character who annoys the main character but the main character deeply cares about the bratty kid so is willing to sacrifice their life to keep the bratty kid safe. In some ways killing Dawn off would be a blessing, in other ways it would just highlight how Season 5 is an overrated season that skates by on its performances and the better production values.

 

[TriBel]

If Dawn had been killed off, she would've literally been nothing more than a plot device for Season 5. She would've been a cheap ploy to create drama that is then discarded because she is no longer of use.

Agree.

The writing for her is actually quite poor in Season 5, she's the bratty kid character who annoys the main character but the main character deeply cares about the bratty kid so is willing to sacrifice their life to keep the bratty kid safe.

I'm not so sure. She does annoy Buffy...but Buffy's also envious of her because of the way Joyce treats her. I think you have to ask why she's "childish"...is it by nature or because she's been nurtured in that way by Joyce? Does Joyce want to cling to her because she's lost her eldest daughter to slaying and her pseudo-father? I think the motivation for Buffy's death is designed to be questionable...just as her reasoning in Dead Things is questionable. I don't come down on either side because for me it amounts to the same thing...a ceding to the death wish in one form or another.

Season 5 is an overrated season

That I don't agree with. I'm becoming more and more convinced that Dawn was a really clever device that far exceeds plot.

 

[darkspook]

If Dawn had been killed off, she would've literally been nothing more than a plot device for Season 5. She would've been a cheap ploy to create drama that is then discarded because she is no longer of use. The writing for her is actually quite poor in Season 5, she's the bratty kid character who annoys the main character but the main character deeply cares about the bratty kid so is willing to sacrifice their life to keep the bratty kid safe. In some ways killing Dawn off would be a blessing, in other ways it would just highlight how Season 5 is an overrated season that skates by on its performances and the better production values.

I somewhat feel that she was a plot device and nothing more. The writers didn't really know what to do with her in season 6 and 7. Indeed the idea that Buffy was going to be close to Dawn training her, showing her the world in season 7 is a subplot they drop after a few episodes. I agree with the writing as well as at times I feel that she is 15 talking like she is 10.

 

[Spanky]

Dawn was a really clever device that far exceeds plot.

And execution. Were they to do Dawn right, it would have really altered the show. It would have been amazing to watch but you would have alienated and driven away so many fans.

 

[DeadlyDuo]

That I don't agree with. I'm becoming more and more convinced that Dawn was a really clever device that far exceeds plot.

I disagree. Whilst it's true that they managed to dress up Dawn's sudden insertion into the show in a way that serves the plot, at the end of the day she's still a character that has never been seen or heard about before yet is soooooooo important to the main character that she's willing to die to save this new character who is suddenly a main part of the show. The performances carry this storyline but if you strip that away and just focus on the writing, it's really not that good. Add in the fact that Dawn becomes a millstone around Buffy's neck in Season 6, it would've actually have helped Buffy a lot if Dawn had died.

In Season 5, the writers seem to make Buffy this too good for you snob who is suddenly desired by Spike, only to knock her down a peg in Season 6 by making out Spike is this loathsome creature that Buffy is lowering herself to be with (hence Xander's negative attitude towards Spike in Season 6 even though it makes no sense when compared to Season 5), in Season 7 they treat Buffy as if she's been "humbled" by her Season 6 experience.

I don't think it's a coincidence that people prefer Season 7 Dawn over Season 5 and 6 Dawn, when Season 7 is where Dawn is kind of pushed into the background. She is not a main plot point as in Season 5 and she's not doing the "why is nobody paying attention to me even though they've got a million other things to focus on?" routine as in Season 6. She just gets on with things.