Real Me

Season 5, Episode 2, Aired
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Episode Summary

Through her diary entries, Buffy's little sister Dawn gives her views on Buffy, Slaying, and the rest of the Scooby Gang. Though she only appeared at the end of the last episode, it now seems that she has been around since before the series started.
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Fan Episode Reviews (18)

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  • I love Dawnie

    7.0
    "Good"
    By joxerlives, Jan 20, 2012 Report Abuse
    The Good;
    A great tribute to writers and cast that Dawn really does seem to fit right in, as though she's always been there. Harmony also gets a chance to shine and I do love the silent ballet of breakfast in the Summer's house.

    The Bad;
    Nothing bad, just not as good as some other eps.

    Best line;
    Dawn; "I could totally save the world if someone handed me superpowers" (one day Dawnie, one day)
    also like;
    Xander; "Is that Brad Konig? Not so tough now as when you were beating up kids in gym class?"
    Brad (giving him the finger) "Screw you Harris!"-High school's over, Brad's a vampire but some things never change.

    Women good/men bad; Harmony accuses Xander of being a hair puller and 'a big girl'. On the plus side she tells Spike to drop dead.

    Jeez!;
    The murder of another magic shop owner, not a sight Dawn should see. Also the sight of poor Dawn terrified by the insane guy is upsetting.

    Kinky dinky;
    Dawn has a crush on Xander and wears a dress very reminiscent of the one Kate wore in 'Sense and Sensitivity'. Buffy's backless top is also worthy of note. One of Harmony's gang asks her when they're going to 'do it'? Harmony is appalled, odd she wasn't that bashful with Spike. Another of her gang is considered 'sire-whipped' but one presumes not literally so? Dawn thinks that the Slayer should wear a cool costume Wonder Woman style, if only! (I think my favourite Calvin and Hobbes joke is where Calvin writes in his school report that his mother puts on a patriotic leotard, cape and thigh boots and fights crime in her spare time. "Wow, show me that outfit some time!" remarks his dad). Riley claims that saying to parents "I'm here to violate your first born" never goes down well (unless your parents are Satanists or something?). Buffy likes George Clooney who was 40 at this stage, once again showing her penchant for older men.

    Captain Subtext;
    Dawn resents Anya because she has Xander. She once confessed to Joyce that she'd like Tara and Willow to teach her the things they do together whereupon Joyce got 'very quiet' and made her go upstairs (Dawillta?). Now in last weeks ep Joyce didn't seem to know about them so has Dawn actually changed the past rather than just everyone's memories? Tara's little guilty look when Willow tells her she's one of the good guys is priceless. Xander refers to his 'master' Dracula and Riley is still a little jealous of Buffy's lingering attraction to him. Spike refers to Buffy as a dish. Buffy also expresses her wish to still curl up in Joyce's lap (as she did in Innocence), still revelling in maternal love and jealous of little sis Dawn getting all the attention from Joyce.

    Guantanamo Bay;
    Spike gets another Buffybeating

    Scoobies to the ER;
    Poor Anya get's bashed up.

    Apocalypses; 5,

    Scoobies in bondage: Dawn is in the show 5 minutes and is already chained to the wall. Although she won't officially join for at least another season she has all the makings of a Scooby right there.
    Buffy: 8
    Giles: 4
    Cordy: 5
    Will: 3
    Jenny: 1
    Angel: 4
    Oz: 1
    Faith: 3
    Joyce: 1
    Wes: 1
    Xander; 1
    Dawn; 1

    Scoobies knocked out: Anya
    Buffy: 15
    Giles: 10
    Cordy: 6
    Xander: 8
    Will: 5
    Jenny: 2
    Angel: 6
    Oz: 3
    Faith: 1
    Joyce: 2
    Wes: 1
    Anya;1

    Kills:
    Buffy: 4 more vamps for Buffy so 85 vamps, 28 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
    Giles: 5 vamps, 1 demon
    Cordy: 3 vamps, a demon
    Will: 4 vamps
    Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
    Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
    Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
    Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, a demon, a demon
    Anya: a demon
    Riley; 12 vamps + 7 demons

    Scoobies go evil:
    Giles: 1
    Cordy: 1
    Will: 2
    Jenny: 1
    Angel: 1
    Oz: 1
    Joyce: 1
    Xander: 3

    Alternate scoobies:
    Buffy: 6
    Giles: 3
    Cordy: 1
    Will: 2
    Jenny: 2
    Angel: 3
    Oz: 2
    Joyce: 2
    Xander: 3

    Recurring characters killed: 9
    Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara

    Sunnydale deaths; the Magic Shop owner. The vamps also have a census taker hostage (Silence of the Lambs?) but maybe Buffy rescued him?
    83;

    Total number of scoobies: 7
    Giles, Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Tara, Riley

    Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
    Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

    Scoobies shot:
    Giles: 2
    Angel: 3
    Oz: 4

    Notches on Scooby bedpost:
    Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
    Cordy: 1?
    Buffy: 3 confirmed; Angel, Parker,Riley, 1 possible, Dracula(?)
    Angel: 1;Buffy
    Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
    Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
    Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
    Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
    Willow: 2;Oz and Tara

    Questions and observations;
    The great introduction for Dawn, at this stage we have no idea what she is and we don't know if she has any idea either. MT is so cute, she's just adorable, no wonder she made so much money from advertisements. Her top makes her look like one of the science officers from Star Trek. And the love between Joyce, Buffy and Dawn is terrific, so palpable yet not too twee, comes across as realistic rather than OTT Hollywood ideal family. We also here have a radical shift in how Willow and Tara dress, they look like they're going to some sort of folk festival or something. And Harmony once again proves her comedy value. Tom Lenk who'll eventually play Andrew appears here as an unnamed vamp. Again, would the Scoobies know what Spinal Tap was? (I had to look it up). Once again Will finds the dead body. Why don't the vamps just set fire to Buffy's house? Although it makes sense for the vamps to keep Dawn alive so that they have a hostage if things go wrong. Dawn portends that Buffy doesn't know who she is, we don't know at this stage if Dawn is aware of what she is? Surely unicorns are a symbol of good? Interesting commentary that SMG finds it hard to laugh on cue?
    Marks out of 10; 7/10
    moreless

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  • Real Me

    10
    "Perfect"
    By TrueTvWatcher, Oct 25, 2010 Report Abuse
    Real Me was a perfectly classic episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I really enjoyed watching this episode. It was full of action, intrigue, and drama. This episode gives more insight into Dawn, Buffy's younger sister. It was very interesting to watch as this story unfolded a little. There was just enough to make it all seem like there was nothing new or different, however there is more to Dawn than meets the eyes. There were subtle or blatent signs that pointed to Dawn, and this is a great mystery that I can not wait to unravel. This is one of my favorite episodes. Giles takes over the magic shop which seems only natural, and we are introduced to Buffy's sister Dawn, who has seemingly been here all along.moreless

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  • Viewers are introduced to Buffy's 'kid' sister Dawn,who seems to have been around forever,and Harmony puts a gang together.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By swanstoon, Aug 26, 2009 Report Abuse
    Strong performances from Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn) and Mercedes McNab (Harmony) make this episode a lot better than it could have been given the fairly thin plot,however,there are some good action scenes & some laugh out loud comedy sequences that ultimately save this episode from mediocrity.

    Dawn's diary entries are surprisingly perceptive & also very funny,especially her reflections on Xander (on whom she appears to have a major crush) and the burgeoning relationship between Willow & Tara.

    McNab's portrayal of the hapless Harmony is wonderful as the blond bombshell attempts to establish some street-cred by putting a gang together.Problem is,her band of minions are even more useless than their leader.The gang's encounter with Xander is hysterical,until Dawn invites them into the family home!

    It's still a tough ask warming to Riley,but Dawn's diary entry on him & Buffy is terrific ('I bet they have sex').And it's always good to see Joyce in an episode.Spike's good value as always,in fact everyone works well with an average script making this one of the better episodes in what will be a tumultuous season.moreless

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  • Season 5, Episode 2.

    8.5
    "Great"
    By Wanted23, Jul 05, 2009 Report Abuse
    Dawn, through diary entries, shares her emotions and opinions about her sister, her sister's friends, and life with her sister being the Slayer. Harmony devises a plan to get her minions to kill the Slayer, but after an encounter with Spike, she chooses another way to lure the Slayer: to kidnap Dawn.

    I loved this episode, but where the hell has Dawn been for the past four seasons?! I hate that. She just appeared out of nowhere, but they talked about it for over a year. I liked when Harmony kidnapped Dawn though, but Harmony ALWAYS escapes! I want her to die already. Anyway, good episode. :)moreless

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  • Buffy's little sister Dawn starts to think that Buffy doesn't care about her until she saves her from Harmony and her minions.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By Loony-Boo, Feb 15, 2009 Report Abuse
    "Buffy! If you're going out why don't you takr your sister?" Dawn Summers has just made her appearance, she has never been in any other episode up until now. Questions start to pop into everyone's mind 'Where's she been this whole time?' and 'How did she get in here?' The reason for Dawn suddenly appearing is revealed in the next few episodes.

    In this episode Buffy's high school bully comes back, this time as a vampire with minions. Everyone seems to find this hilarious but soon everyone stops laughing when Harmony captures Dawn. I quite enjoyed this episode, it was different to all the others, not just because of Dawn but because Harmony, someone you thought was weak, comes back as a vampire, ready to kill!moreless

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    1 0
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • The music playing on Giles' car stereo is the first movement of the 'Holberg Suite' by Grieg. Edit
    • When Xander tells Joyce not to have too much fun, you can't see his mouth move. Edit
    • If you look behind Dawn just as Anya has been punched and Mort is taking Dawn you can see a mystery hand on the doorframe. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • When Harmony holds up the unicorn one of her minions stole from The Magic Box for her it is not a $12.95 ceramic imported from Thailand like the inventory book said, but rather a Windstone Editions White Male Unicorn that retailed at approximately $80 dollars when the episode was aired originally. That's not the only Windstone Editions unicorn featured in the scene either. When the minion sets the unicorn down on the table you can also see two Mother Unicorns ($80 each), a Young Unicorn ($60), another Male Unicorn ($80), two Gothic Unicorns ($58 each) and two Unicorn Gargolyes ($80 each). Edit
    • This episode was Buffy's highest chart position on American TV. It was 62nd place out of all Prime Time shows. Edit
    • When Xander says to Harmony "Afraid I don't feel like getting into another hair-pulling contest with you", he is referring to their "fight" in the episode The Initiative. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Buffy: (laughing hysterically) Harmony... Harmony has minions? Xander: Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction. Buffy: I'm sorry, I'm sorry. (controls herself) It's just... Harmony has minions! (starts laughing again) Xander: And Ruffles have ridges. Uh, Buffy, there's actually a more serious side to all this. Buffy: I sure hope so, 'cause I'm having trouble breathing. (stops laughing and takes a deep breath) What is it? Xander: Well, she did come here to kill you. (Buffy bursts out laughing again.) Riley: (chuckling) Buffy, come on, they have killed once that we know of. She could be a threat to you. (Buffy laughs even harder.) Anya: Especially now that she can enter your house any time she wants. Buffy: (sobering) What? Edit
    • Harmony: You're the hair puller, ya big girl! Edit
    • Buffy: (About Giles' idea of buying The Magic Box) Boy, you really thought this through. How bored were you last year? Giles: I watched Passions with Spike. Let us never speak of it. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Xander: And Ruffles have ridges. Ruffles are a potato chip brand made by Frito-Lay, known for their ridged cut. A marketing slogan for the brand was once "Ruffles have ridges," with a prolonged rolling of the r's. Edit
    • Anya: Look, I've got Monopoly, Clue, and ooh, The Game of Life. Monopoly, Clue, and The Game of Life are all classic board games that are now in production from Hasbro. Edit
    • Willow wears a shirt with the words "If music be the food of love". This is the opening line of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night". The line continues "Play on. Give me excess of it". Edit

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