The Watcher Diaries - Real Me - Buffy Episode 5.2

Posted by Jason Chamberlain on 10.29.2009

This week in Sunnydale, Buffy has a little sister..... Wait, what???



5.2 Real Me
Writer: David Fury
Director: David Grossman

Slayer Speak

Giles: Just not used to automatic transmission. I loathe this just sitting here, not contributing. No, no, no, it's just not working out.
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: 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.

Watcher’s Notes

This episode features Tom Lenk as one of Harmony’s vampire minions. Later in the series he’ll play one third of the geek troika, Andrew... This is the first episode featuring the Magic Box as well as Dawn’s inclusion in the opening credits.

Mike Gorman has the full review!

Don’t adjust your televisions. You haven’t missed any episodes. Yes, Buffy has a sister … and apparently always has had one. What?! Who the? What?! It’s the second episode of season five and already the Whedon gang has us feeling like we’re behind the eight ball. If you always thought that the Summers clan consisted of Buffy, her mom Joyce and her absent father, you were wrong. Buffy has a tweeny sister named Dawn and boy is she a gem.

I’m going to warn you right now that when it comes to Dawn, I think that my opinion veers away from the pack. I actually thing she was a pretty good character. Younger siblings are supposed to be annoying and make mistakes, and boy did Dawn ever make her fair share. She added a fresh voice to the show after what I considered a lackluster fourth season. Many TV shows have gone this route when then got a few seasons in and appeared to run out of ideas. Adding a child to a cast like this usually does not go that well but in true Buffy fashion, Joss Whedon flipped this convention on its head and gave the “new kid” a purpose and unique spin. In this introductory episode we get to see what Dawn thinks about Buffy and all of her friends. Quick summary, she doesn’t really like anyone but Xander. Like most siblings experiencing growing pains Dawn is not sure of how she fits into her big sister’s life and if Buffy even cares about her. She echoes the feelings of the audience at this point. Who is this girl and why is she here? The first time I viewed “Real Me” I was convinced that Dawn had sinister motivations due to several of her comments throughout the episode. My theory would soon be disproven but that was due to the typical Whedonverse sleight of hand. We are exposed this week to a scenario that would soon become common place for Dawn, ie. She gets emotional, makes a mistake and ends up in jeopardy. Dawn’s propensity to get kidnapped or attacked leads to some great lines from an exhausted Buffy in season six. We get to see the seeds of this discontent be planted when Dawn accidentally invites Vampire Harmony into the house. Buffy eventually comes to the rescue and Dawn sees that although she may frustrate her sister, she loves her none the less.

The episode is really about dropping Dawn into the mix and making sure we know that everyone on the show believes she has always been a part of their universe. I remember the summer before season five when I first heard that Buffy would be getting a sister. I was a bit incredulous about whether or not they could pull this off and I will say that they got me on board with this first full Dawn episode. The other big development of the week is Giles taking over the Magic Box, which would quickly become the Scooby Gang’s Hall of Justice.

Shawn S. Lealos	There are some things to like about this episode but there are so many more things about it I hate. I guess I will go into what I liked starting with Harmony. As always, she is hilarious and her scene with Spike is awesome. I also enjoy the little hints thrown in about Dawn. In order, there is (1) the comment from the homeless looking guy who calls her Miss Curds and Whey, (2) the comment from Buffy about always having to protect Dawn from the Big Bad Wolf, and (3) The final line of the episode where Dawn says “She still thinks I’m little miss nobody, just her dumb little sister. Boy is she in for a surprise.” Xander gets in a great line where he almost calls Dracula “Master” again, something that pays off well later in the Season 8 comic series. Finally, they move all their resources into the magic shop. However, the bad is so bad I can barely watch this episode. Dawn is excruciating. The banter between her and Buffy wears on the nerves like no other. I like how she lets us get to know her through the diary (crush on Xander, loves Willow, thinks Giles is stuffy and hates her sister) but I hate her in this episode and she barely gets better over time. Also, Tara is really awkward in her role and I never really connect with her character at all. She comes across as an outsider, which is fine, but does nothing to make me care. The banter between all these characters turns me off. The best part of Buffy is the great dialogue and in this episode it fails completely with the exception of Xander, Harmony and Spike. Plus, I still can't get over how bad of a mother Joyce really is. It is a disappointing episode in an otherwise good season	5
Ronny Sarnecky	After a dull fourth season, the fifth year of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” has started off rather nicely. In episode one, we finally saw Buffy go up against the legend that is Dracula. The week, we learn more about the mysterious girl that Buffy calls “sister.” We still don’t know how she got there. After all, we watched four seasons of “Buffy,” and never once did we hear about any sister called Dawn. While I don’t remember my feelings regarding the “Dawn” character during first run episodes, I’m sure I had the opinion of “who’s this newbie invading our group.” However, watching it now, and knowing what we now know, Dawn just seems to naturally fit the group. I totally forgot the Dawn was crushing on Xander, and loved Willow because she “loved school more than I do.” I think Joss did a good job with the introduction of Dawn. By having Dawn writing things into her diary, the viewer was given some insight into her mind. She was just a normal tweener younger sibling. This episode brought back Harmony. Harmony is an awesome vampire. While most of the “big baddies” on “Buffy” are of the evil, “I am going to destroy the world” mentality, Harmony is the villain you go to when you want a more light episode. The beauty of the Harmony character is that she hasn’t changed. She is the same airhead dead, as she was alive. Harmony is more playful then dangerous, and that makes her fun. I liked the idea of having Giles purchase the “Magic Shop.” Ever since the school was destroyed, the “Scooby Gang” needed a new place to construct a game plan, and research the latest evil doers. The “Magic Shop is the perfect setting, because Giles’ apartment just wasn’t cutting it. Season Five is like Shakespeare compared to the bore of Season Four. Even though, it was started off really good, the best is yet to come.	8.5
Jason Chamberlain	I was prepared to totally bash this episode, because I hate Dawn SO MUCH. But, there is some good stuff here. Spike is money, as usual. Harmony is pretty funny as she tries to boss around her ‘minions’. Mid life crisis Giles is great as is his acquisition of the Magic Box. Dawn sucks. She really, really does. But she’s not that bad in this episode. I mean, aside from generally sucking. She’s actual kind of cute (not that way, sicko) in some moments, like the “I’m not a kid” refrain to Riley and the “I’m a woman” with ice cream all over her face.	6
Ron Martin	What I like about this episode is that it immediately answers the question we were left with in the tag to the last episodes. Who is this little chick? Not only do we get that answer, but we also get a glimpse of her relationship with just about every other character on the show including each of the Scooby Gang. The little hints at what she will become are great upon repeat viewings and though it is all wrong (Buffy is an only child -- we all know this), we are told by the writers to just hang in there, this is not some huge breach of continuity. There's a point to all this. The Magic Shop? Eh. I guess it's alright, but I was growing into Giles apartment. I suppose I give the Magic Shop a bad rap due to the terrible episodes in the next two seasons that will take place in it. A little Buffy trivia -- Harmony is the Buffy character with the most longevity having appeared first in the unaired Buffy pilot and the very last episode of Angel. I think she might also be the only Buffyverse actress to have also appeared in Playboy, but I'm not sure on that one. Aside from all that, this is a decent foundation episode. We get Dawn's relationship with everyone and the fact that she's a little off. I think Michelle Trachtenberg is a great actress for her age and will continue to be through the rest of the series. People hate Dawn because they say she's whiny and annoying. She's a teenager -- what do you think she's suppose to be like? Preteens/early teens fight with their older sisters and are emotional and whiny.	8
Jeremy Thomas	All in all, this was a pretty decent episode. For one, I liked the opening. The obvious point of this episode is to present Dawn as a normal, annoying teenage girl, and you know what? It worked. It's commonly said that Dawn is entirely too annoying to the point that she's grating as a character, but the first few episodes I give her some leeway. Why, you ask? Because the character was originally written to be a twelve-year-old, not a fourteen-year-old. It was only after Sarah Michelle Gellar championed Michelle Trachtenberg that she was cast. As it turned out, the first few scripts were written with that twelve-year-old mindset in mind and so Dawn comes off in these far more immature than she otherwise would have been. Seriously, if you watch the episode and imagine Michelle Trachtenberg is not a teen but a pre-teen, it comes off WAY better. This doesn't excuse problems in later shows, but for these ones I'm okay with it. There's some great humor moments in the diary monologue, such as when talking about Willow and Tara, "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. I guess her generation isn't cool with witchcraft." Classic. Meanwhile, you have some other major moments. Harmony re-appears to cause trouble, and Mercedes McNabb provides a lot of good moments and hilarity. Her minions are great--including Tom Lenk, better known as Andrew from Seasons Six and Seven--and the interaction between her and Spike is fun times. It also comes up with the great line "Harmony's got minions?" It's only funny if it's said amidst fits of giggles like Buffy did. So there are a lot of great moments here, but some weak ones too. Frankly, it's not Dawn who irritated me so much as it was Buffy. She acts like a major bitch here...for good reason perhaps, but she does go overboard. There also just wasn't much to the story, it was more character-based. There's nothing wrong with that, but I would have liked a wee bit more in the story. It was a good episode, but not a great one.	7.5

GRR!!! ARGH!!!

The 411: The fifth season really is one of the best in my opinion with the entire cast and crew flexing their dramatic muscles. With the introduction of Dawn, the stage is set for a season both epic and tragic.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]