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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.moreless
  • I love Dawnie

    7.0
    "Good"
    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
  • Real Me

    10
    "Perfect"
    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
  • 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"
    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
  • Season 5, Episode 2.

    8.5
    "Great"
    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
  • 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"
    "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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  • TRIVIA (9)

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    • The music playing on Giles' car stereo is the first movement of the 'Holberg Suite' by Grieg.

    • When Xander tells Joyce not to have too much fun, you can't see his mouth move.

    • 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.

    • When one of the vampires is putting a unicorn with the others, you can see Harmony in the background looking through a book with both hands. We can hear her talking, but her mouthing isn't moving. Then when it cuts to the next shot, you can see that her hands clearly empty. Then when it cuts away and then back, she's suddenly holding the book again in her left hand.

    • When Giles is holding and looking through the inventory book, his left hand constantly moves between shots.

    • When Harmony's gang try to go through Buffy's door you can clearly see the boom mic on top of the door.

    • When Willow is outside the magic shop the end of her hair is flipped down, but when she is inside the magic shop, her hair is flipped up.

    • When Dawn was at the magic shop, her hair keeps changing angles due to the editing cuts.

    • When Tara and Willow are talking the boom mic is visible in the top right hand corner of the screen.

  • QUOTES (25)

    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?

    • Harmony: You're the hair puller, ya big girl!

    • 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.

    • Buffy: Have you ever run a store before? Giles: I was a librarian for years, this is exactly the same, except people pay for the things they never return.

    • Spike: Look at you, Harm, all puffed up and mighty, thinking you're the new big bad. It's, uh... well, let's face it, it's adorable.

    • Dawn: Willow and Tara do spells and stuff, which is so much cooler than Slaying. I told Mom one time I wished they'd teach me some of the things they do together. And then she got really quiet and made me go upstairs.

    • Dawn: I could so save the world if somebody handed me super powers... but I'd think of a cool name and wear a mask to protect my loved ones, which Buffy doesn't even.

    • Harmony: I've found the real me, and I like her. Spike: Hope you'll be very happy together. In the meantime, save Slayer slaying for the professionals. Harmony: You'll see. Buffy'll be dead by sunrise. I've got a plan. Spike: Lemme guess. Snatch one of her friends, use 'em as bait, lead her into a trap. That sort of thing? Harmony: No! A much, much better one. I'm not gonna tell you! Spike: Thought so. Best of luck. Let me know how this arch-villain thing works out for you. Harmony: (to Spike who's walking away) I'll do that. And after Buffy is gone? I'm gonna kill everybody in this town that was ever mean to me... Spike! (to her minions) Guys! New plan.

    • Harmony: I've been doing my homework, reading books and stuff. Spike: What, "Evil For Dummies"?

    • Anya: (While playing The Game of Life) 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: Ooh! I'm so pleased. Can I trade in the children for more cash?

    • Xander: You nut. Your mom loves you both equally. But if I'm wrong, I find money usually helps tip the scale. Slip Joyce a 10 or a 20 once in a while. Then we'll see who's the favorite. Dawn: (voice-over) He says I'm like a kid sister... Xander: Here comes the judge! Dawn: (voice-over)...but sometimes when he looks at me, I feel like he sees me as I am...(Dawn has icecream all over her face) ...as a woman.

    • Riley: So you want your mother to give you space to be a Slayer, and shield you from it at the same time? Buffy: Thank you, logic boy. Did I mention this is a rant? Sense really has no place in it. Riley: I'm getting that. What's the deal, Buffy? You seem really- Buffy: Oh, trash can. From a distance it looked kinda- Riley: Tense. Buffy: Nooo, I-I was gonna say brown, squat, shadowy... Riley: Uh-hu Back to what I was saying before we were rudely attacked by nothing. You seem tense.

    • Joyce: Dawn, be good. Xander: Oh, we will. We're just gonna play with matches, run with scissors, take candy from... some guy... I don't know his name. Dawn: (voice-over) Xander treats everyone like an equal. He doesn't look down on people. Anya: Hello there, little girl. Dawn: (voice-over) Even when he should. Anya: We are gonna have fun, fun, fun. Look, I've got Monopoly, Clue, and ooh, the Game of Life! That sounds good!

    • Dawn: (writing in her journal) Xander is so much cuter than anyone. And smarter too. He totally skipped college and got a job working construction. Which is so kind of ... deep, you know? He builds things. And he's brave too. Just last week he went undercover to stop that Dracula guy.

    • Harmony: What's your question? Cyrus: When are we gonna do it? Harmony: Eww! That's rude. I barely know you. And you're a minion. Mort: He means the plan! When are we gonna do the plan?

    • Dawn: (while writing in her journal) I don't think Buffy's Watcher likes me too much. I think it's 'cause he's just so... old. I'm not sure how old he is, but I heard him use the word "newfangled" one time, so he's got to be pretty far gone.

    • Buffy: I wouldn't have Harmony over when she was alive!

    • Dawn: Killing things with wood? Ooh, scary vampires--they die from a splinter.

    • Buffy: Don't break anything. Just don't touch anything. Dawn: (voice-over) Not that Buffy's really changed at all. Like she ever would. Buffy: What you're doing right now, not moving? Good. Keep doing that. Dawn: (voice-over) She still thinks I'm little Miss Nobody. Just her dumb little sister. Boy, is she in for a surprise.

    • Buffy: No, but, see, Mom, that doesn't really work for me. We're just going to the magic shop, no school supplies there. Dawn: Yeah Mom. I'm not going to Hogwarts. (chuckles) Hog—(looks at Buffy, who's not amused) Jeez, crack a book sometime.

    • Dawn: (writing in her journal, voice-over) Nobody knows who I am... not the real me. It's like nobody cares enough to find out. I mean, does anyone ever ask me what I want to do with my life? Or what my opinion is on stuff? Or what restaurant to order in from? No - underline, exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point. No one understands. No one has an older sister who's a Slayer.

    • Buffy: Giles, are you breaking up with your car? Giles: Well, it did seduce me, all red and sporty! Buffy: Little two-door tramp.

    • Buffy: Are you mad at me? Riley: Oh, no, not at all. I'm plotting your death, but in a happy way.

    • Harmony: So, Slayer. At last we meet. Buffy: We've met Harmony you half-wit.

    • 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!

  • NOTES (13)

    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).

    • This episode was Buffy's highest chart position on American TV. It was 62nd place out of all Prime Time shows.

    • 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.

    • In the final scene, at the Magic Box, Dawn can be seen playing with a model unicorn, Harmony's favorite collector's item.

    • Sometime between the last episode and this Joyce found out Willow and Tara are lesbians. This is understood, via two lines. In the last episode Buffy vs. Dracula (5x1), Joyce says to Willow and Tara, "When you girls get older, you'll understand. It's hard to date, some times you just want to give up on men all together." Willow and Tara do not reply, as if they know Joyce doesn't know they are lesbians. Then in Real Me Dawn says, "I told Mom one time I wished they [Willow and Tara] would teach me some of the things they do together. And then she got really quiet and made me go upstairs. Huh, I guess her generation isn't cool with witchcraft." This is to be taken that Joyce doesn't want Dawn to be a Lesbian.

    • Fray, the vampire slayer from Joss Whedon's comic books, does the exact same thing Buffy does while training (upside down part).

    • The mad man calls Dawn "Curds and whey". This is a line from the Little Miss Muffet rhyme. In 'Graduation Day, Part 2' Faith told Buffy "Little Miss Muffet counting down from 7-3-0", refering to Dawn.

    • From this episode through to Into The Woods the opening credits feature the most number of regulars ever on the show - eight actors.

    • In the DVD audio commentary, David Fury says he used twice the words "Real Me" with Dawn, then with Harmony.

    • Chaney Kley, who played Brad (the one that abstained) in Harmony's gang, appeared opposite Emma Caulfield (Anya) in the January 2003 horror movie Darkness Falls.

    • This is the first time Dawn hears the phrase "You don't belong here", hinting at her origins.

    • Tom Lenk, the actor who plays Cyrus in Harmony's "gang", will return in season 6 to portray Andrew, one of the nerd trio.

    • From this episode Michelle Trachtenberg is included in the opening titles cast line-up.

  • ALLUSIONS (10)

    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.

    • 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.

    • 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".

    • Mad man: (to Dawn) I know you. Curds and whey. I know what you are.
      "Curds and whey" is a line from the Mother Goose nursery rhyme 'Little Miss Muffet'. It goes: Little Miss Muffet, sat on a tuffet, Eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider, Who sat down beside her And frightened Miss Muffet away.

    • Xander: She can turn this place into the fortress of solitude again.
      The Fortress of Solitude is from the Superman series. In the Silver Age comics, Superman built the Fortress of Solitude in the North Pole as both a "museum" to house his souvenirs and as a "getaway" where he could go to relax.

    • Spike: (on which book Harmony is studying) What? "Evil for Dummies?"
      There is a whole range of "for Dummies" books published by IDG Books. They started off as technical computer manuals for the not so technically minded, but have since spawned many general interest "for Dummies" books, from 'Allergies for Dummies' to 'Yoga for Dummies' and even 'Sex for Dummies', as well. As of yet, though, they have not published an Evil for Dummies.

    • Giles: I watched Passions with Spike.
      As mentioned during season 4, Passions is a one-hour daily soap opera heavily targeted towards teens. It's relatively new, having only premiered in July of 1999, and is known for its far-out storylines (even by soap opera standards).

    • Buffy: Most magic shop owners in Sunnydale have the life expectancy of a Spinal Tap drummer.
      The semi-fictional band Spinal Tap, portrayed in the 1984 movie This is Spinal Tap, has lost drummers due to spontaneous combustion, asphyxiation, and a bizarre gardening accident.

    • Riley: Not the invasion of Normandy, but still a plan.
      The Invasion of Normandy, also known as D-Day, took place on June 6, 1944. This invasion was crucial to the Allies victory in the European portion of World War II.

    • Dawn: Yeah, I'm not going to Hogwart's.
      Dawn points out that she doesn't need to do back to school shopping at the magic shop because she's not going to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The fictional academy is the sorcerer's school in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of books.

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