Did anyone else hate Dawn in this season?

[Mohammad Khawar]

She was annoying as hell.. She was freaking 14! and was acting like a 3 years old brat! Just like how sometimes it pisses me off that parents don't do anything to discipline their bratty kids, I was annoyed that joyce or buffy didn't say anything to her if she was being a jerk or screaming.. or doing what she usually does. I was 14 once.. And I sure as hell didn't act like her.. In fact, even when i watched buffy back then I found her to be really annoying.. She would get pissed off when buffy's friends won't discuss things with her? Well of course they wouldn't! because they are HER friends! not yours! Could she not have made her own friends? Or did her childish behavior kept all the people away from her even who were her age.
Lol sorry if my post makes me sound like i have anger problems hehe.. I just watched a couple of episodes of season 5 and was totally annoyed by dawn!

 

[Puppet]

I never disliked Dawn, in any season, but I now know that I am not the majority.

In case you were not aware, Dawn was originally written as an 8-10 year old, but Joss decided to cast Michelle and apparently also decided not to re-write the role, for some reason.

 

[Mohammad Khawar]

I never disliked Dawn, in any season, but I now know that I am not the majority.

In case you were not aware, Dawn was originally written as an 8-10 year old, but Joss decided to cast Michelle and apparently also decided not to re-write the role, for some reason.

it should have been re-written then. Of course I know that teens tend to act up sometimes but dawn just took it to the next level... and it was sort of annoying to see a teenager act like a baby. I wanted to be around the friends of my siblings when I was like 7.. Later on even before you become a teen you realize that you gotta make ur own friends. She didn't have her own friends in season 6 either and would remain annoyed about the fact that buffy's friends wouldn't spend time with her like come on... Teens act stupid and immature but not like this..

 

[Priceless]

I love Dawn and forgive her pretty much anything. Imagine what she went through. Her parents went through a divorce, she was moved from her family home and school in LA to Sunnydale, where she knew no-one. Her sister is the freakin' Slayer, what a pain that is, how the hell do you compete with that as a teenage girl? The she discovers her whole life is a total lie and a hell god is after her. Then her mum gets ill and dies. When I think what that kid has been through I just love her even more, and she can scream the house down if she wants, she probably needs to 😀

 

[Puppet]

I love Dawn and forgive her pretty much anything. Imagine what she went through. Her parents went through a divorce, she was moved from her family home and school in LA to Sunnydale, where she knew no-one. Her sister is the freakin' Slayer, what a pain that is, how the hell do you compete with that as a teenage girl? The she discovers her whole life is a total lie and a hell god is after her. Then her mum gets ill and dies. When I think what that kid has been through I just love her even more, and she can scream the house down if she wants, she probably needs to 😀

And that right there is why I never hated her 😛

 

[Blaze]

I don't think she was bratty for her age, actually she acted exactly like all the 14 year olds I know. I really liked her character. Definitely one of the most convincing young teenager on TV. So many other shows just sexualize and age the younger teens, which are often played by adults, which I think is why people reacted poorly to Dawn. She is too close to an actual teenager and people don't like that.

 

[Mylie]

She used to annoy me when I was younger, now I have so much affection for her and she's the one character in all of buffyverse that I relate/identify to the most. I feel very protective of her. 🙂

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

I think people disliked Dawn simply because she drew attention away from the established characters. I am usually a Buffy cheerleader, except when she fights with Dawn. Dawn usually has a point.

 

[Mylie]

I don't think she was bratty for her age, actually she acted exactly like all the 14 year olds I know. I really liked her character. Definitely one of the most convincing young teenager on TV. So many other shows just sexualize and age the younger teens, which are often played by adults, which I think is why people reacted poorly to Dawn. She is too close to an actual teenager and people don't like that.

THIS!! I realized later that the reason why she annoyed me was because she represented everything I didn't like about myself back then. And then we saw her grow and become this amazing mature character and I'm just so proud! I think people tend to remember her bratty days the most but if you look at her arc as a whole, it's one of the best in the buffyverse even if it was underdeveloped. There's certainly a very good and natural progression for the character and she's one of the rare who I never felt evolved for the worst.

 

[Blaze]

it should have been re-written then. Of course I know that teens tend to act up sometimes but dawn just took it to the next level... and it was sort of annoying to see a teenager act like a baby. I wanted to be around the friends of my siblings when I was like 7.. Later on even before you become a teen you realize that you gotta make ur own friends. She didn't have her own friends in season 6 either and would remain annoyed about the fact that buffy's friends wouldn't spend time with her like come on... Teens act stupid and immature but not like this..

Dawn had a couple friends that we saw, but obviously they weren't important to the story so why would we see more of them. If anything we see Buffy stop Dawn from hanging with her friends a couple times.

I also spend a lot of my time at a barn where there's lots of young teens with horses, and they love hanging with us older people. They have their own friends outside of the barn, but the barn environment is a bit like a big family. I thinks kids naturally like to look up to older people, it's definitely not something unatural to see.

THIS!! I realized later that the reason why she annoyed me was because she represented everything I didn't like about myself back then. And then we saw her grow and become this amazing mature character and I'm just so proud! I think people tend to remember her bratty days the most but if you look at her arc as a whole, it's one of the best in the buffyverse even if it was underdeveloped. There's certainly a very good and natural progression for the character and she's one of the rare who I never felt evolved for the worst.

YES! Same here, I was more annoyed at Dawn when I was the same age as her and I found her so immature. Reality is, I was probably pretty dam similar to her. I had some meltdowns at 14 like she did. I also sometimes kicked ass like she did (which makes you forget that you can be immature). And she definitely matured so much in 3 season. She's much more mature in season 7, but it felt realistic and organic, without taking away her youth. I really love Dawn in hindsight.

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

She was annoying as hell.. She was freaking 14! and was acting like a 3 years old brat! Just like how sometimes it pisses me off that parents don't do anything to discipline their bratty kids, I was annoyed that joyce or buffy didn't say anything to her if she was being a jerk or screaming.. or doing what she usually does. I was 14 once.. And I sure as hell didn't act like her.. In fact, even when i watched buffy back then I found her to be really annoying.. She would get pissed off when buffy's friends won't discuss things with her? Well of course they wouldn't! because they are HER friends! not yours! Could she not have made her own friends? Or did her childish behavior kept all the people away from her even who were her age.
Lol sorry if my post makes me sound like i have anger problems hehe.. I just watched a couple of episodes of season 5 and was totally annoyed by dawn!

Wow, mister 😕 I think you have Dawn beat by a mile.

 

[Fool for Buffy]

I think people who are bothered by Dawn in season 5 are failing to see the big picture and are unable to forget the tantrums. I certainly understand the thought process that she was really annoying in season 5 because I have thought that myself at times, and I often take a very close-minded approach to looking at the character. But being able to live her life and remain strong after what she has gone through is nothing short of remarkable. And I may not be able to remember that every time I watch her, but I can certainly reflect on it afterwards and realize just how amazing she really is.

 

[thrasherpix]

I can see your point. In my family, including extended family, kids shrieking or throwing tantrums did get disciplined, and corporal punishment was a perennial favorite. I don't say that to endorse such punishment as I think it's overrated and has its downsides, but knowing you'd get smacked, whipped, or something else does keep such outbursts to a minimum (though not really between siblings, cousins, etc when the adults weren't around).

OTOH, that didn't mean we didn't misbehave. Though I didn't have screaming fits like Dawn or do many other things she did, I got into so much trouble at school (which also practiced corporal punishment, btw) that I they could've reserved a seat for me with my name on it. 😀 (Also worth noting that I was better behaved with Granny because I actually respected her as she was fair and was an example, rather than the "do as I say, not as I do" parents that are all too common. When my parents smacked or whipped me, I only regretted getting caught, not what I did. But when living with Granny I felt guilty even if I didn't caught or otherwise got away with it. Such is the difference between respect and fear.)

Of course some people can be 40 and still have outbursts and tantrums like Dawn as well. Some who use corporal punishment are themselves acting out in a tantrum rather than disciplining. Being raised in a metaphoric bubble as many kids are hinders their developing maturity as well.


That said, what I recall Dawn being upset about was that they stopped talking when she entered the room which is rude at best, and suggests they're talking about her...especially with the furtive looks. I think anyone would be annoyed by that if not disturbed and angry. And then she found out the truth that she knew they knew and kept from her. I really can see why she'd have a meltdown over that, and I don't think corporal punishment would've stopped it, either (she might dish out some corporal punishment of her own against her elders)--kinda hard to impress her with that when she's already cutting on her arms, and don't see how anything else would've worked either. The best they could do is reassure her, but she'd still feel betrayed and unable to fully trust them, and rightly so. (Had to agree with Spike in this case on what he said about them keeping secrets like that from Dawn. The whole protecting Dawn even from information about genuine dangers all around her strikes me as dumb anyway, ignorance is a liability when danger abounds, not a shield that protects one from danger.)

I also don't recall Dawn shrieking all that much (at least not in season 5), she was often more passive aggressive and mildly annoying (like fiddling with someone else's radio without permission in the car from the backseat, asking if they could leave yet, causing Buffy to fall over while she was balancing, etc)...and that does sound more like a 14-year-old.

 

[TriBel]

She was annoying as hell.. She was freaking 14! and was acting like a 3 years old brat! Just like how sometimes it pisses me off that parents don't do anything to discipline their bratty kids, I was annoyed that joyce or buffy didn't say anything to her if she was being a jerk or screaming.. or doing what she usually does. I was 14 once.. And I sure as hell didn't act like her.. In fact, even when i watched buffy back then I found her to be really annoying.. She would get pissed off when buffy's friends won't discuss things with her? Well of course they wouldn't! because they are HER friends! not yours! Could she not have made her own friends? Or did her childish behavior kept all the people away from her even who were her age.
Lol sorry if my post makes me sound like i have anger problems hehe.. I just watched a couple of episodes of season 5 and was totally annoyed by dawn!

Personally, I didn't find her that annoying. Not all 14 year olds act the same way (nor do all three years olds). I think the whole idea that children/adolescents are somehow "all the same" comes from developmental psychology (?) and has been picked up by other schools of thought as a way of masking tensions in systems such as education systems - for instance, how are SATs etc. valid if children don't develop in exactly the same way or hit particular developmental markers at the same time (rhetorical question)? My children were all of a similar age to Dawn when Buffy first aired. Two of them were never "brattish" - the third was probably spawned by the devil (I'm still waiting for 666 to figure as part of his permanent address). 🙁Dawn had numerous functions - and when I think about her she was probably pivotal to 5,6,7 in ways that go beyond being "The Key". One of these was to question the barriers you're looking for. Also - she brings out certain features in other characters. Look at Xander's response when Dawn transfers her hero worship to Spike. Look at the similarities between Dawn and Spike (particularly in terms of maturity). Look at what she brings out in him. Look at what she says about Tara. Look at what she says about Buffy's strengths and weaknesses.

I like Dawn's arc - I like what she becomes. I could be mistaken but I think there's a significant moment in CWDP (?) when she switches the radio station and dances. I think that station was set in S5 by Buffy - Dawn's finally come out of her sister's shadow, for better or worse gained some autonomy (she fights to protect Joyce rather than the other way round). The dance - I think is an expression of her own sexuality. On the terms set by the text - an awareness of her own body and her identity as a women. I don't think we'd have these significant moments if she'd been the well adjusted teenager you're looking for. 🙂

 

[smgismyqueenjpg]

I'm one of those people who loves Dawn. So, no. I wasn't annoyed with her, at all. 😎

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

She doesn't annoy me as much now. (At first, she drove me completely crazy!) I eventually came to realise that Michelle's acting was so on point, it affected me quite a bit. She was an extraordinarily gifted young actress, and effortlessly beguiled me into believing I was watching an annoying teen brat. Good job, MT! 😛

But yes, Dawnie can be quite tiring. There are still times that I wish Buffy would just throw her in a closet and lock the door.

 

[flow]

This is a very Dawn-friendly forum 🙂

I love her character throughout S5-S7 and I admire MT`s acting as well.

 

[rookie]

At times, even as a teenager watching it I found her annoying 😛 But taking a step back you can see why she behaves that way and in the end it is realistic. I'm not as annoyed by her now as I was before. Still, "GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT" will forever haunt my dreams.

 

[nxGangrel]

Honestly I found her as annoying as Connor in this season. Though unlike him, I didn't feel like there was a reason to justify her actions that made her annoying to me. She felt like she was just a nuisance for the sake of being a nuisance (as a character, not in the writing). I warmed up to her in the next season(s).

 

[ChaseRules]

I love Dawn and forgive her pretty much anything. Imagine what she went through. Her parents went through a divorce, she was moved from her family home and school in LA to Sunnydale, where she knew no-one. Her sister is the freakin' Slayer, what a pain that is, how the hell do you compete with that as a teenage girl? The she discovers her whole life is a total lie and a hell god is after her. Then her mum gets ill and dies. When I think what that kid has been through I just love her even more, and she can scream the house down if she wants, she probably needs to 😀

And lets not forgot that we don't know what Dawn life was before they made her . She could have been ignored by Buffy a lot which is one reason she was acting up . I think that Buffy pre -Slayer didn't care for her all since she was stuck up . And Buffy might had started being nicer to her when they moved to Sunnydale & seeing Buffy start to hide things from her again I can really see why she was doing that .