I saw you last night. From action films, like 2009’s to the top of television’s most hated characters list, teen girls are consistently perceived as the albatrosses around the heroes’ necks (and in the case of Agent Brody, I’m using the term “hero” very, very loosely). Dawn was introduced at the end of “Buffy vs. Dracula,” the first episode of season five, in a scene that immediately established her little sister status. Casting characters like Dawn and Kim as the proverbial damsels in distress reinforces the idea that young women are less capable than their male counterparts. You’re not special. The only difference is it isn’t epic; it’s normal. Who Dawn was as a character was less important than what she offered to Buffy and the series which was a way to move forward from the central “high school is hell” premise that had been the show’s driving force for so long. Dawn's Bio; Dawn Summers, 16, is The Key, and Buffy's sister.
College Dawn; Boston; Episode: s03e10 Amends; Angst; Forget About the Comics; Buffyverse Femslash Week 2018; Summary. But I know. A hero needs someone to save, but if they are constantly saving the same person it reflects poorly on that character.The fact that both Dawn and Kim also happen to be teen girls only makes the audience more primed to pounce on any perceived weakness. Sacrifices have to be made at the end of all things. Buffy discovers that Dawn was originally energy known as the Key, having to do with opening up a dimensional portal. Dawnie’s story may not have the flash that comes with being the chosen one, but there is value in telling the stories of the girls who are one of many as well.Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) To be the one who isn’t chosen. At first, Dawn had the special ability to open the way to a hell dimension (with her blood). Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Her evolution was summed up perfectly by Xander, the only other “normal” character, in season seven’s “Potential”:They’ll never know how tough it is, Dawnie.
Dawn was all teen, all the time.
The question becomes is this a problem that lies with the writers or with the viewers’ perception of whose story is the most valuable?Teens are angsty; it’s just a facet of growing up and one that most of us can relate to. You’re extraordinary.Fan response to Dawn remains mixed, but taken as a whole her growth arc is every bit as interesting and layered as Buffy’s or Cordelia’s. Dawn was seen as an interloper, and an annoying one at that, thanks to her teenage angst.
By all accounts, Dawn is entirely average when we take her former key status out of the equation, and being average in a world populated by slayers, witches and vampires is a thankless job.
After protecting The Key for centuries, the monks of the order of Dagon were forced to hide it from Glory, a hellgod, by turning it into a human girl.
At the time of her introduction, Dawn was fourteen, and she craved attention and acceptance in equal measure. In the following months, Dawn does her best to stay strong, but with both her sister and mother dead, it's not an easy task. When Buffy is resurrected, Dawn is desperate to connect with her again, but from her perspective, Buffy doesn't seem to want anything to do with her. For fans of the show up until then, they knew something weird was going on because Buffy was an only child.
As the youngest member of the group, she often got herself into situations that required Buffy to swoop in and save the day, a phenomenon that was lampshaded in season six’s musical outing, “Once More with Feeling.” When Buffy is told Dawn has been kidnapped by the dancing demon Sweet, she responds with:At that point, Dawn had become the de facto victim of the Scooby Gang, a role that had previously fallen to Willow (before she powered up) and Xander in the early years. At the time, fans were caught off-guard by the sudden appearance of the slayer’s heretofore unmentioned younger sibling.
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. […] Women in the Box: Dawn Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (thiswastv.com) […][…] Previously on Women in the Box: Dawn Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer […]Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Include ? In both cases, the writers were leaning too heavily on the characters as plot devices.
When Buffy finds out how lonely Dawn has felt for so long, they bond a bit more and their relationship goes back to more of a sisterly one. One of Dawn’s contemporaries, received similar ridicule for what the audience saw as her constant ineptitude that required her father, Jack, to rush in and rescue her time and time again.