"Buffy vs. Dracula" (5x01) quick link here "The Replacement" (5x03) quick link here
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1) This review will almost definitely contain spoilers for episodes after this one.
1) This review will almost definitely contain spoilers for episodes after this one.
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With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?
“Real Me” is an episode that properly introduces and establishes Dawn Summers to “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. After her shocking arrival in “Buffy vs. Dracula”, a lot of people were left open-mouthed (myself included). Why does Buffy suddenly have a sister? Why does it appear that Dawn has always been there? Why do none of the Scoobies find this weird? Most of these questions are answered in “Real Me”, without actually revealing why Dawn is suddenly a part of the show or whether or not she has darker motives.
Before exploring the episode itself, I wish to talk a little about Dawn Summers. Out of every character on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, Dawn might be the most polarising. People seem to either hate Dawn and wish she was never introduced or they can empathise with Dawn and grow to like her. I fall into neither category. When the show first aired, I adored Dawn...having a massive crush on Michelle Trachtenberg back then certainly didn’t hurt (seriously, she was my biggest childhood crush. I was besotted). As I grew into my late teens and early 20s, I really disliked Dawn and found her to be a whiny brat. Now, at the ripe old age of 24, Dawn is a double-edged sword. I still find Dawn overly whiny and annoying, yet I can empathise with her and really appreciate the woman she grows in to in the last season of the show. I guess part of the reason why Dawn isn’t one of my favourite characters is because she serves very little purpose after season five. Once the whole key/Glory storyline had played out (which was fantastic), Dawn didn’t do much. What role did she bring to the Scoobies? What did she contribute to the show in seasons six and seven? Buffy is the Slayer, Xander is the heart and the guy who sees everything, Willow is the spirit and core of the show, Giles is the mind and the brains behind the operation, Anya is the comedic relief and has the Vengeance Demon angle, Tara is the moral backbone of the Scoobies and the surrogate mother (see season six)...what is Dawn? A kleptomaniac, yes. Someone who’s a thorn in Buffy’s side throughout season six, yes. What else? In season seven, Dawn does start to grow and becomes a secondary researcher, but other people could have filled that role. Willow is there and Giles returns. I just wish they did more with the character after her initial story was over.
Getting back to “Real Me”, having an episode revolve around Dawn right after the initial revelation of her existence in “Buffy vs. Dracula” was a smart move. This being done through a ‘dear diary...’ approach was terrific as it allowed us to see the world from Dawn’s perspective. We get to know a lot about her without giving away her purpose or whether or not she’s evil. Just because Dawn has now magically been around forever, she hasn’t to us, the audience. We don’t know how she feels or what her relationship is like with her sister, her mother, or the rest of the Scoobies. Now, we find out. Her character gets fleshed out in great detail in just 42 minutes of screen time. Throughout “Real Me”, it’s apparent that Dawn wants to be respected and treated like an adult by the people that surround her. It’s why Dawn likes and gravitates towards Xander, Willow, and Tara the most. They treat her as she wants to be treated. It explains why she has a crush on Xander and it explains why Dawn is so adamant about practising magic to be like Willow and Tara. Joyce treats Dawn like her little girl, which is totally understandable. Dawn uses this to her advantage when she needs to (like annoying Buffy), but it’s not how she wants to be treated by the world in general. Buffy and Giles treat Dawn more like an annoying inconvenience, hence why Dawn is less flattering about the two in her voiceovers.
In Buffy’s case, it’s understandable. Buffy wants to focus on her renewed interest in slaying and get to the root of her powers, and the history of where she comes from. Having to constantly babysit Dawn and protect her is a tiring, unwelcomed distraction. Buffy has to constantly worry about Dawn. Buffy knows about supernatural monsters, she knows about the Hellmouth, and Dawn is just 14 years old. Look at how Buffy overreacts when Dawn accidentally invites Harmony into the house! Buffy is constantly worrying about Dawn’s safety. In turn, she often talks down to Dawn and treats her like a child because of her fears of Dawn getting hurt. Plus, they’re 19-year-old and 14-year-old siblings. A certain amount of arguing and resentment is expected. Due to Buffy’s ordering Dawn around, Dawn resents Buffy sometimes. She has to live in the shadow of the Slayer, her sister, the ‘Chosen One’. It’s not an easy thing to match up to. I also appreciate that most of Dawn’s problems in this episode are completely normal. Living in the shadow of a sibling, wanting to be treated more like an adult, feeling misunderstood and unappreciated...these are all classic teenage problems. It emphasises the point that Dawn is a normal teenage girl, regardless of what else she might be. Buffy having a sibling thrust upon her and witnessing the sibling rivalry and Buffy acting a little more immature than usual is a great change of pace. For most of this episode, Buffy is Buffy the person, as opposed to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Outside of the exciting new character dynamics, “Real Me” doesn’t have a great deal of memorable moments to offer. Yes, Harmony is funny and I like her character a lot, but she doesn’t make for a good monster-of-the-week here. Everything comes across rather camp and underwhelming.
The episode opens on a very Zen looking Buffy. At the conclusion of “Buffy vs. Dracula”, Buffy expressed to Giles her desire to learn more about her powers and where she comes from. Clearly, these weren’t just words. Buffy is tapping more deeply into her Slayer essence than ever before and she’s channelling that power...until Dawn ruins everything and causes Buffy to fall over and land on her head. Ouch. I appreciate that the camera quickly pans downwards to show Dawn, as we get to see Dawn in that moment from Buffy’s perspective.
Riley arrives at the Summers’ house, ready to hang out with Buffy. There’s just one problem: Buffy forgot. On its own, this isn’t a big moment, but it adds to Riley’s theory that Buffy doesn’t love him, which he reveals to Xander in the next episode, “The Replacement”. Since Buffy revealed parts of her life with Angel to him in “The Yoko Factor”, Riley has been growing increasingly insecure. After Buffy ‘let’ Dracula bite her last week, his insecurities have reached even greater heights. Buffy’s new focus on slaying has demanded a lot of her time and attention, therefore Buffy is inadvertently leaving Riley out of the loop more and more. This does nothing to minimise Riley’s fears. Fears that will ultimately lead to Riley’s departure from Sunnydale in “Into The Woods” later this season.
Riley isn’t the only person adjusting to Buffy’s new life. Giles is too. When we last saw Giles, Buffy was requesting for him to be her Watcher again, unofficially. After feeling neglected and directionless for over a year, Giles was ecstatic to hear this. Before Buffy’s request, Giles was planning to leave Sunnydale and return to England. After realising that Buffy needed him, he’s discarded those plans for her. Just like his dream in “Restless” alluded to, Buffy comes first in Giles’ life. Even before himself. Now that he’s staying in Sunnydale for Buffy, he needs to create a new life for himself there. He buys The Magic Box to give himself a new revenue stream and purpose in Sunnydale outside of his role as unofficial Watcher. The Magic Box becomes the primary Scooby Gang HQ for the next two year. Plus, better still, Giles buys a new, shiny red sports car!...
Buffy: “Giles, are you breaking up with your car?”
Giles: “Well it did seduce me! All red and sporty.”
Buffy: “Little two-door tramp.”
Oh, mid-life crisis, how I adore thee.
After stumbling across a dead body in The Magic Box (Giles, why are you buying this store?), Buffy sends Dawn outside to wait. While waiting, a crazy “I’m a cat” man tells Dawn that she doesn’t belong there. What he means is that Dawn doesn’t belong to that life. He’s preluding to Dawn’s key-like status that will be revealed in “No Place Like Home”. Dawn’s a glorious blob of moulded energy that has been transformed into a human to hide from Glory. Jeez...imagine trying to explain that to your high school guidance counsellor.
Soon after this awkward encounter, Tara goes outside to look after Dawn. Tara, you’re so wonderful! Never leave us! Tara becomes something of a surrogate mother to Dawn after Joyce dies later in the season. Within just over a year of Joyce’s death, Tara is murdered...anyone starting to see why Dawn is so whiny and angry (“GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!”)? Here, Dawn and Tara are bonding over the fact that they’re both outcasts from the Scoobies. Dawn is constantly pushed aside as she’s ‘too young’, whereas Tara’s had very little interaction with them up until now. To cheer themselves up, they thumb wrestle. Later in the episode, Willow tries to comfort Tara and tell her that she’s part of the Scoobies, but Tara doesn’t believe her. This will all be openly addressed and rectified in episode six of this season, “Family”.
Simply, Harmony is the worst vampire in existence and I kind of love her for it. She has no idea how to be evil or bad! SHE HAS A UNICORN SHRINE! Being the leader of this group is not within Harmony’s comfort zone. She loves being popular and having minions again, like she did in Sunnydale High, but she’s not used to creating battle plans and being the leader of a vampire gang. That’s why Harmony is so quick to steal Spike’s mock-plan (oh, the sexual tension). Harmony’s gang vote people out of it. YOU’RE A VAMPIRE! HAVE SOME DIGNITY! For those of you unaware, Cyrus from Harmony’s gang is played by Tom Lenk, who will go on to play Andrew Wells in seasons six and seven. Mort (wooden unicorn staking!) is played by Brian Turk, who would go on to play Gabriel in the incredible “Carnivale”. Seriously, go watch. It’s not the most fast-paced show and there are only 24 episodes, but it’s a damn good story. It’s like a 24-part film. Go watch. Now. Please. Okay, after you’re finished on Shangel’s Reviews.
Dawn’s crush on Xander is pretty cute and not surprising in the least. As I mentioned before, Xander treats Dawn like an adult. He listens to her, offers her advice, and plays games with her. It’s natural that she’d develop feelings for him. I love how naive she is when it comes to Xander. She thinks that Xander went ‘undercover’ to stop Dracula in the last episode. In my own personal head-canon, Xander told Dawn this. It would be such a Xander thing to do. YOU CANNOT TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME. Speaking of Xander, I think he created a monster in this episode. While paying the ‘Game of Life’, Xander tells Anya that cash is good and it means she’s winning. After this episode, Anya is obsessed with money. I don’t recall her being obsessed with money before this episode...what have you done, Xander?! Also, I love that Joyce allows Xander to babysit Dawn. Two and a half years ago, Joyce was babysitting Xander, Buffy, and Willow. They’re growing up so fast!
Only Harmony could write a threatening note (“Slayer! Come out and die.”) and put a smiley face in the circle above the ‘I’, thus removing all traces of a threat. No wonder Xander laughs in Harmony’s face...“look out, it’s a terrifying Harmony gang! Ooooh!”. I always crack up at that.
Dawn: “Shut up!”
Xander: “Dawn, I’m handling this...shut up, Harmony!”
The verbal sparring between Xander and Harmony is the best scene of the episode. They reference their infamous slow-motion fight from “The Initiative”! That fight was brutally hilarious. In the past two episodes, two vampires have been invited into the Summers’ house – Dracula and Harmony. Joyce and Dawn should be forced into taking “how to live with a Slayer” lessons from Giles.
Anya’s arm being broken was a nice touch, as it allows Anya to question her own mortality in the next episode. Anya’s been human for a couple of years now, but she’s never been physically damaged to this extent before. Suddenly, she’s very aware of the fact that she’s mortal and is one day going to die.
“Real Me” also continues the trend of Buffy being a cow to Spike for no reason. She asks him some questions, he tells her the answers, she punches him in the nose for funsies. How rude. You can see Spike growing increasingly frustrated at not being able to hit her back. Spike gets off on violence and Buffy is giving him an all-you-can-eat buffet. No wonder he develops feelings for her. Oh God, “Friends” has ruined the word ‘buffet’ for me, since they created the porn title “Buffay, the Vampire Layer”.
Harmony: “So, Slayer, at last we meet.”
Buffy: “We’ve met Harmony, you halfwit.”
---------------
Buffy: “Harmony, when you tried to be head cheerleader, you were bad. When you tried to chair the homecoming committee, you were really bad. But, when you try to be bad, you suck!”
Buffy: “How bored were you last year?”
Giles: “I watched ‘Passions’ with Spike, let us never speak of it.”
GIVE ME THAT SCENE NOW! The mental images alone make me giggle like a gibbon getting its feet tickled. I can imagine them sat down on Giles’ sofa, Spike tied up, discussing the “Passions” storylines and characters that they love.
The episode closes on a cryptic note, with Dawn setting up the fact that she may potentially be more than just a teenage girl...“boy, is she in for a surprise”. The cool thing about this is that Dawn isn’t evil or anything. Dawn’s comment here is just a regular teenage girl determined to prove herself to her sister. That’s kind of adorable. Dawn wants Buffy’s respect and approval, nothing more. No hidden agenda or darker motive.
Quote Of The Episode
Anya: “Crap! Look at this! Now I’m burdened with a husband and several tiny pink children, and more cash than I can reasonably manage.”
Xander: “That means you’re winning.”
Anya: “Really?”
Xander: “Yes, cash equals good.”
Anya: “Oh! I’m so pleased! Can I trade in the children for more cash?”
FINAL SCORE: 6/10
What are your thoughts on "Real Me"? Did you enjoy this episode? Dislike it? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!
With that being said, let’s get started, shall we?
“Real Me” is an episode that properly introduces and establishes Dawn Summers to “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”. After her shocking arrival in “Buffy vs. Dracula”, a lot of people were left open-mouthed (myself included). Why does Buffy suddenly have a sister? Why does it appear that Dawn has always been there? Why do none of the Scoobies find this weird? Most of these questions are answered in “Real Me”, without actually revealing why Dawn is suddenly a part of the show or whether or not she has darker motives.
Before exploring the episode itself, I wish to talk a little about Dawn Summers. Out of every character on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, Dawn might be the most polarising. People seem to either hate Dawn and wish she was never introduced or they can empathise with Dawn and grow to like her. I fall into neither category. When the show first aired, I adored Dawn...having a massive crush on Michelle Trachtenberg back then certainly didn’t hurt (seriously, she was my biggest childhood crush. I was besotted). As I grew into my late teens and early 20s, I really disliked Dawn and found her to be a whiny brat. Now, at the ripe old age of 24, Dawn is a double-edged sword. I still find Dawn overly whiny and annoying, yet I can empathise with her and really appreciate the woman she grows in to in the last season of the show. I guess part of the reason why Dawn isn’t one of my favourite characters is because she serves very little purpose after season five. Once the whole key/Glory storyline had played out (which was fantastic), Dawn didn’t do much. What role did she bring to the Scoobies? What did she contribute to the show in seasons six and seven? Buffy is the Slayer, Xander is the heart and the guy who sees everything, Willow is the spirit and core of the show, Giles is the mind and the brains behind the operation, Anya is the comedic relief and has the Vengeance Demon angle, Tara is the moral backbone of the Scoobies and the surrogate mother (see season six)...what is Dawn? A kleptomaniac, yes. Someone who’s a thorn in Buffy’s side throughout season six, yes. What else? In season seven, Dawn does start to grow and becomes a secondary researcher, but other people could have filled that role. Willow is there and Giles returns. I just wish they did more with the character after her initial story was over.
Getting back to “Real Me”, having an episode revolve around Dawn right after the initial revelation of her existence in “Buffy vs. Dracula” was a smart move. This being done through a ‘dear diary...’ approach was terrific as it allowed us to see the world from Dawn’s perspective. We get to know a lot about her without giving away her purpose or whether or not she’s evil. Just because Dawn has now magically been around forever, she hasn’t to us, the audience. We don’t know how she feels or what her relationship is like with her sister, her mother, or the rest of the Scoobies. Now, we find out. Her character gets fleshed out in great detail in just 42 minutes of screen time. Throughout “Real Me”, it’s apparent that Dawn wants to be respected and treated like an adult by the people that surround her. It’s why Dawn likes and gravitates towards Xander, Willow, and Tara the most. They treat her as she wants to be treated. It explains why she has a crush on Xander and it explains why Dawn is so adamant about practising magic to be like Willow and Tara. Joyce treats Dawn like her little girl, which is totally understandable. Dawn uses this to her advantage when she needs to (like annoying Buffy), but it’s not how she wants to be treated by the world in general. Buffy and Giles treat Dawn more like an annoying inconvenience, hence why Dawn is less flattering about the two in her voiceovers.
In Buffy’s case, it’s understandable. Buffy wants to focus on her renewed interest in slaying and get to the root of her powers, and the history of where she comes from. Having to constantly babysit Dawn and protect her is a tiring, unwelcomed distraction. Buffy has to constantly worry about Dawn. Buffy knows about supernatural monsters, she knows about the Hellmouth, and Dawn is just 14 years old. Look at how Buffy overreacts when Dawn accidentally invites Harmony into the house! Buffy is constantly worrying about Dawn’s safety. In turn, she often talks down to Dawn and treats her like a child because of her fears of Dawn getting hurt. Plus, they’re 19-year-old and 14-year-old siblings. A certain amount of arguing and resentment is expected. Due to Buffy’s ordering Dawn around, Dawn resents Buffy sometimes. She has to live in the shadow of the Slayer, her sister, the ‘Chosen One’. It’s not an easy thing to match up to. I also appreciate that most of Dawn’s problems in this episode are completely normal. Living in the shadow of a sibling, wanting to be treated more like an adult, feeling misunderstood and unappreciated...these are all classic teenage problems. It emphasises the point that Dawn is a normal teenage girl, regardless of what else she might be. Buffy having a sibling thrust upon her and witnessing the sibling rivalry and Buffy acting a little more immature than usual is a great change of pace. For most of this episode, Buffy is Buffy the person, as opposed to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Outside of the exciting new character dynamics, “Real Me” doesn’t have a great deal of memorable moments to offer. Yes, Harmony is funny and I like her character a lot, but she doesn’t make for a good monster-of-the-week here. Everything comes across rather camp and underwhelming.
The episode opens on a very Zen looking Buffy. At the conclusion of “Buffy vs. Dracula”, Buffy expressed to Giles her desire to learn more about her powers and where she comes from. Clearly, these weren’t just words. Buffy is tapping more deeply into her Slayer essence than ever before and she’s channelling that power...until Dawn ruins everything and causes Buffy to fall over and land on her head. Ouch. I appreciate that the camera quickly pans downwards to show Dawn, as we get to see Dawn in that moment from Buffy’s perspective.
Riley arrives at the Summers’ house, ready to hang out with Buffy. There’s just one problem: Buffy forgot. On its own, this isn’t a big moment, but it adds to Riley’s theory that Buffy doesn’t love him, which he reveals to Xander in the next episode, “The Replacement”. Since Buffy revealed parts of her life with Angel to him in “The Yoko Factor”, Riley has been growing increasingly insecure. After Buffy ‘let’ Dracula bite her last week, his insecurities have reached even greater heights. Buffy’s new focus on slaying has demanded a lot of her time and attention, therefore Buffy is inadvertently leaving Riley out of the loop more and more. This does nothing to minimise Riley’s fears. Fears that will ultimately lead to Riley’s departure from Sunnydale in “Into The Woods” later this season.
Riley isn’t the only person adjusting to Buffy’s new life. Giles is too. When we last saw Giles, Buffy was requesting for him to be her Watcher again, unofficially. After feeling neglected and directionless for over a year, Giles was ecstatic to hear this. Before Buffy’s request, Giles was planning to leave Sunnydale and return to England. After realising that Buffy needed him, he’s discarded those plans for her. Just like his dream in “Restless” alluded to, Buffy comes first in Giles’ life. Even before himself. Now that he’s staying in Sunnydale for Buffy, he needs to create a new life for himself there. He buys The Magic Box to give himself a new revenue stream and purpose in Sunnydale outside of his role as unofficial Watcher. The Magic Box becomes the primary Scooby Gang HQ for the next two year. Plus, better still, Giles buys a new, shiny red sports car!...
Buffy: “Giles, are you breaking up with your car?”
Giles: “Well it did seduce me! All red and sporty.”
Buffy: “Little two-door tramp.”
Oh, mid-life crisis, how I adore thee.
After stumbling across a dead body in The Magic Box (Giles, why are you buying this store?), Buffy sends Dawn outside to wait. While waiting, a crazy “I’m a cat” man tells Dawn that she doesn’t belong there. What he means is that Dawn doesn’t belong to that life. He’s preluding to Dawn’s key-like status that will be revealed in “No Place Like Home”. Dawn’s a glorious blob of moulded energy that has been transformed into a human to hide from Glory. Jeez...imagine trying to explain that to your high school guidance counsellor.
Soon after this awkward encounter, Tara goes outside to look after Dawn. Tara, you’re so wonderful! Never leave us! Tara becomes something of a surrogate mother to Dawn after Joyce dies later in the season. Within just over a year of Joyce’s death, Tara is murdered...anyone starting to see why Dawn is so whiny and angry (“GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!”)? Here, Dawn and Tara are bonding over the fact that they’re both outcasts from the Scoobies. Dawn is constantly pushed aside as she’s ‘too young’, whereas Tara’s had very little interaction with them up until now. To cheer themselves up, they thumb wrestle. Later in the episode, Willow tries to comfort Tara and tell her that she’s part of the Scoobies, but Tara doesn’t believe her. This will all be openly addressed and rectified in episode six of this season, “Family”.
Simply, Harmony is the worst vampire in existence and I kind of love her for it. She has no idea how to be evil or bad! SHE HAS A UNICORN SHRINE! Being the leader of this group is not within Harmony’s comfort zone. She loves being popular and having minions again, like she did in Sunnydale High, but she’s not used to creating battle plans and being the leader of a vampire gang. That’s why Harmony is so quick to steal Spike’s mock-plan (oh, the sexual tension). Harmony’s gang vote people out of it. YOU’RE A VAMPIRE! HAVE SOME DIGNITY! For those of you unaware, Cyrus from Harmony’s gang is played by Tom Lenk, who will go on to play Andrew Wells in seasons six and seven. Mort (wooden unicorn staking!) is played by Brian Turk, who would go on to play Gabriel in the incredible “Carnivale”. Seriously, go watch. It’s not the most fast-paced show and there are only 24 episodes, but it’s a damn good story. It’s like a 24-part film. Go watch. Now. Please. Okay, after you’re finished on Shangel’s Reviews.
Dawn’s crush on Xander is pretty cute and not surprising in the least. As I mentioned before, Xander treats Dawn like an adult. He listens to her, offers her advice, and plays games with her. It’s natural that she’d develop feelings for him. I love how naive she is when it comes to Xander. She thinks that Xander went ‘undercover’ to stop Dracula in the last episode. In my own personal head-canon, Xander told Dawn this. It would be such a Xander thing to do. YOU CANNOT TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME. Speaking of Xander, I think he created a monster in this episode. While paying the ‘Game of Life’, Xander tells Anya that cash is good and it means she’s winning. After this episode, Anya is obsessed with money. I don’t recall her being obsessed with money before this episode...what have you done, Xander?! Also, I love that Joyce allows Xander to babysit Dawn. Two and a half years ago, Joyce was babysitting Xander, Buffy, and Willow. They’re growing up so fast!
Only Harmony could write a threatening note (“Slayer! Come out and die.”) and put a smiley face in the circle above the ‘I’, thus removing all traces of a threat. No wonder Xander laughs in Harmony’s face...“look out, it’s a terrifying Harmony gang! Ooooh!”. I always crack up at that.
Dawn: “Shut up!”
Xander: “Dawn, I’m handling this...shut up, Harmony!”
The verbal sparring between Xander and Harmony is the best scene of the episode. They reference their infamous slow-motion fight from “The Initiative”! That fight was brutally hilarious. In the past two episodes, two vampires have been invited into the Summers’ house – Dracula and Harmony. Joyce and Dawn should be forced into taking “how to live with a Slayer” lessons from Giles.
Anya’s arm being broken was a nice touch, as it allows Anya to question her own mortality in the next episode. Anya’s been human for a couple of years now, but she’s never been physically damaged to this extent before. Suddenly, she’s very aware of the fact that she’s mortal and is one day going to die.
“Real Me” also continues the trend of Buffy being a cow to Spike for no reason. She asks him some questions, he tells her the answers, she punches him in the nose for funsies. How rude. You can see Spike growing increasingly frustrated at not being able to hit her back. Spike gets off on violence and Buffy is giving him an all-you-can-eat buffet. No wonder he develops feelings for her. Oh God, “Friends” has ruined the word ‘buffet’ for me, since they created the porn title “Buffay, the Vampire Layer”.
Harmony: “So, Slayer, at last we meet.”
Buffy: “We’ve met Harmony, you halfwit.”
---------------
Buffy: “Harmony, when you tried to be head cheerleader, you were bad. When you tried to chair the homecoming committee, you were really bad. But, when you try to be bad, you suck!”
Buffy: “How bored were you last year?”
Giles: “I watched ‘Passions’ with Spike, let us never speak of it.”
GIVE ME THAT SCENE NOW! The mental images alone make me giggle like a gibbon getting its feet tickled. I can imagine them sat down on Giles’ sofa, Spike tied up, discussing the “Passions” storylines and characters that they love.
The episode closes on a cryptic note, with Dawn setting up the fact that she may potentially be more than just a teenage girl...“boy, is she in for a surprise”. The cool thing about this is that Dawn isn’t evil or anything. Dawn’s comment here is just a regular teenage girl determined to prove herself to her sister. That’s kind of adorable. Dawn wants Buffy’s respect and approval, nothing more. No hidden agenda or darker motive.
Quote Of The Episode
Anya: “Crap! Look at this! Now I’m burdened with a husband and several tiny pink children, and more cash than I can reasonably manage.”
Xander: “That means you’re winning.”
Anya: “Really?”
Xander: “Yes, cash equals good.”
Anya: “Oh! I’m so pleased! Can I trade in the children for more cash?”
FINAL SCORE: 6/10
What are your thoughts on "Real Me"? Did you enjoy this episode? Dislike it? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below!
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One of my favorite episodes just for the slap fight between Xander and Harmony...Plus I just love Harmony the vampire. Wanted to slap her when she was human but having her have a flaw like being a vampire made her more likable.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed "Real Me" and for many of the reasons you described. I think it is important that your brought up Anya, Xander and the game of Life. We finally see some characterization happening with Anya that was missed during season 4. Whereas before she was kind of a thorn in Xander's side, she begins to really develop a personality. I liked her in season 4 because she was dirty and I enjoy a dirty mind..but that was all. Now we are starting to see dimensions being formed which is always a good thing for character development. Harmony as the bad guy in this episode was wonderful for both comedy and strategy. The episode was really spent getting the audience acquainted with the character of Dawn. I have to wonder how many people freaked out and thought they missed something. Did Buffy have a sister and I missed it? I started watching Buffy on DVD and I thought I might have put the wrong disc in! The fact the Harmony was a less threatening bad guy made the threat viable but at the same time, not the focus of the story. "So when are we gonna do it?" Tom Lenk, you are a bad villain whether a vampire or a nerd! Besides the constant complaining Buffy does concerning Dawn, it was nice to see her laughing. I know SMG hated doing laughing scenes but it is so fun to watch her light up at the notion that Harmony was a threat. I agree that there is not much going on with this episode action-wise but it certainly does set up some great character development and foreshadows for the rest of the season. A fun read!
ReplyDeletePoor Tara: it's probably not so much feeling unaccepted as knowing she'll "have to leave" soon and is holding back.
ReplyDeleteSo much of Dawn's oddness is that she was originally written as a younger character & the early ep.s weren't re-written.
Around here is where Harmony started to become my second favorite char. after Tara, who became my favorite around "Tough Love."
Harmony, in this ep. only, shows as something Joss has used beforre (the clearest case was Gedndolyn Post MRs. in S-3 as relating to the Mayor.) of a miniature version of the S-6 Big Bad. Her approach, method of oeprating, attitude,orgnaization, etc. bear an interestingly non-exact but still resembling relationship to Glory's. D'C'A"
I was way older than both Buffy and Dawn when I first watched BtVS. Dawn didn't bother me the way she grated on many viewers much younger than myself.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's due to the perspective one acquires with age. Once several decades have intervened, we're much more willing to recognize that, while gaining maturity by leaps and bounds, we sometimes were annoyingly bratty and whiny as teens. Just like Dawn.
I also don't think Buffy's problems relating to Dawn all stem from a need to protect her. More than anything, Buffy's just plain jealous that her sis is living as a normal teenager, while Buffy herself had to bear the weight of the world on HER teen shoulders. She wants to be petulant and immature more often, TOO, darn it!
As for Dawn's ongoing purpose in the show? Once Joyce was gone, Dawn was Buffy's sole blood-relative. She represented the actual "family" part of "family and friends" in Buffy's life--and a continuing motivating factor for her.
Real Me is one of my favorite episodes. :)
ReplyDeleteoops, my bad. I was thinking of a different episode lol Normal Again is the episode I really like. :P
ReplyDeleteI always loved seeing Harmony, she only got better as time went on. I like how she doesn't actually want to hurt Dawn, she can pretend to be evil all she wants, but she isn't. I personally really like Dawn, yes she could be whiny at times but I understood it and as you said, emphasize her. I think her character got better as the show went along and she grew older, I love her in the Buffy comics. Also Dawn's relationship with Xander only got better, again I love this in the comics.
ReplyDelete- Nicholas Hardy
What I want to know is how did Harmony keep avoiding death? Her reasons for survival are cheaper than Spike's.
DeleteKilling Harmony would be like shooting fish in a barrel. I don't think anyone really felt she was worth the time to worry about.
Delete- Nicholas Hardy
I like Dawn a lot too. She was written for really badly in season 6 though as I don't think the writers really knew what to do with her but she improves in season 7. There's also the fact tha she can be a lot cannier than others seem to think.
ReplyDelete- Richard Oliver
We have to keep in mind that Dawn, though technically made of ancient energy...has only experienced as much humanity first-hand as a toddler. So, with that in mind, I try to cut her some slack.
ReplyDelete- Nicole Alexis
Haha, the Passions thing. I recall in the previous season when Spike was being kept in the house him yelling from the basement, "PASSIONS IS ON!" Too good.
ReplyDelete