Do people overexaggerate the annoyance they have of Dawn in season 6?

[Joshua]

Every time I see people talk about their dislike of Dawn in season 6 and any time I rewatch season 6 I don't see what they see when it comes to Dawn. She's annoying in like one episode "Older and Far Away" but other than that I don't really hate her in this season?

What am I not seeing?

 

[Taake]

1. She has no purpose and the writers don’t seem to know what to do with her. What am I seeing that should make me like her?

2. Buffy thinks she’s killed Katrina and wants to turn herself in and Dawn’s like ”meeeeee. You WANT to leave meeeeeeee.” She is not a small child, why did they still write her as one? She somehow manages to make one of the worst ever Buffy episodes even worse

3. Continuing point 1 really but Dawn could actually have gotten to be her own character. If they hadn’t been so busy creating ever more convoluted Spuffy fanfic - what if we had seen Dawn with more friends? What if Dawn had gotten a job to help out? Again, she is not a child and yet she is written like a needy puppy whose whole existence seems to be waiting for Buffy. And through her the show goes on to show Buffy as being the worst guardian ever.

Basically, what about Dawn is there to like? Her hair is shiny. It is cute when she dances with Anya. But again, these are the qualities of a mildly amusing on-screen pet, not a fully fledged character.

Either they should have spent more time on her, or they should have just removed her altogether to give time to others. As it is, she is just there, taking up space without justifying it. And that is why I find her annoying in season 6

 

[thetopher]

In S5 Dawn is part of the plot, the mystery, the seasonal arc.

In S7 Dawn has an engaging character arc of her own that is separate from what Buffy is doing.

In S6 she has neither. She seems to have no 'meta' reason to be beyond cast member. She is like Riley in S5; she has no life of her own, there is no sense that she exists beyond the 'Buffy's lil' sister' box. Sure, we have 'All The Way' but that fumbled the attempt by making her 'a day in the life' completely devoid of any surprises or interesting characters.

Like @Taake indicated Dawn is very much 'what about me!!' in episodes that we- the viewer- are made to identify and sympathize with Buffy's extreme trauma. Buffy think she's killed somebody and is utterly guilt-ridden? How does this effect me? Says Dawn.
Even worse; when Buffy is having vivid hallucinations about being trapped in an asylum, not knowing what's real and is in the grip of existential dread. Dawn's reaction? In your perfect world, I'm not even there. Waaahhh! Yes, Dawn, make Buffy's trauma all about you.
It gets tiring after a while.

There are bits of S6 Dawn that I like, little throw-away bits like her gently treating Buffy in 'After Life' or her quiet (non-self-pitying) realization in 'Doublemeat Palace' that Buffy will probably always have a crappy, non-special day job because she's already got that secret one that takes up all her time and effort. Urgh, I said something nice about 'Doublemeant Palace' and now I feel dirty...
Oh! Or her sweet, giddy happiness to Willow and Tara getting back together.

I honestly think Dawn needed a 'Zeppo' episode where she and her life and how she sees herself are brought to the fore and everyone else is periphery. I always liked the idea (not mine) of 'Dawn's Adventures In Babysitting' or something, that she has to solve this minor supernatural stuff herself without any big sister input. And also Buffy never finds out.
Something kinda like her (excellent) spot in 'Conversations With Dead People' but fleshed out a bit, with the other characters doing something adult, depressing and boring.
Bring Amber Tamblyn back and have an annoying kid for company that Dawn has to suffer through (so she gets a Buffy pov for a bit). And y'know a haunting or a minor demon or a goblin or something. S6 needed more levity and 'Dawn's disastrous attempt to make money for Buffy' could fit. There, that's the hook; Dawn is trying to be a good sister and make some cash for the household and now she has to fight a possessed toaster. Makes her more sympathetic too.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Dawnie was, more often than not, simply a plot device.

 

[VampireSlayer07]

1. She has no purpose and the writers don’t seem to know what to do with her. What am I seeing that should make me like her?

2. Buffy thinks she’s killed Katrina and wants to turn herself in and Dawn’s like ”meeeeee. You WANT to leave meeeeeeee.” She is not a small child, why did they still write her as one? She somehow manages to make one of the worst ever Buffy episodes even worse

3. Continuing point 1 really but Dawn could actually have gotten to be her own character. If they hadn’t been so busy creating ever more convoluted Spuffy fanfic - what if we had seen Dawn with more friends? What if Dawn had gotten a job to help out? Again, she is not a child and yet she is written like a needy puppy whose whole existence seems to be waiting for Buffy. And through her the show goes on to show Buffy as being the worst guardian ever.

Basically, what about Dawn is there to like? Her hair is shiny. It is cute when she dances with Anya. But again, these are the qualities of a mildly amusing on-screen pet, not a fully fledged character.

Either they should have spent more time on her, or they should have just removed her altogether to give time to others. As it is, she is just there, taking up space without justifying it. And that is why I find her annoying in season 6

I agree with your first and third points, but that's not Dawn's fault. That's the fault of the writers who wanted to spend way too much time on Spuffy (one of the things I disliked most about season six). And honestly this is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, they should have ditched a lot of that real life stuff to start with.

 

[Bop]

I think instead of the really boring and pointless plot in All The Way they should have focused on Dawn's heavy shoplifting because I liked that addition, it makes sense for her to act out with everything going on and it makes sense for her to resent Buffy a bit because between working, patrolling and her time with Spike it didn't seem like Buffy had much time for Dawn. While Janice is mentioned it kind of seems like Dawn has no friends because if Buffy and the gang are busy Dawn just hangs out alone.

But while it's understandable for Dawn to resent Buffy a bit, it seemed like Dawn was only capable of feeling upset with Buffy in season 6 when especially at 15 I think Dawn should have had more of an understanding that Buffy is sacrificing for her so she should be more grateful and probably even guilty about that to an extent. It didn't feel like Dawn had that understanding of Buffy at all.

So overall I wasn't really annoyed by Dawn because I can understand her most of the time but it's her apparent inability to spare Buffy's feelings at any point even though she should sometimes that makes it feel more like Dawn's just there to make Buffy's life harder. It would have been more endearing if sometimes when Dawn felt abandoned by Buffy we just saw her alone somewhere obviously missing Buffy but instead we'd just get a scene of Dawn making sure Buffy knows she feels abandoned.

 

[Taake]

I agree with your first and third points, but that's not Dawn's fault. That's the fault of the writers who wanted to spend way too much time on Spuffy (one of the things I disliked most about season six). And honestly this is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, they should have ditched a lot of that real life stuff to start with.

It may not be her fault, but it doesn’t help the character. Technically nothing is the characters fault, it is all writer’s choices after all. So I still hold this against the character, because it is what we got stuck with

 

[VampireSlayer07]

It may not be her fault, but it doesn’t help the character. Technically nothing is the characters fault, it is all writer’s choices after all. So I still hold this against the character, because it is what we got stuck with

To each their own I suppose. I agree it doesn't help the character but I still wouldn't hold it against the character.

 

[hoponlilmama]

She was annoying right from the get-go. And they dialled up the annoying in s6.
She improved a little bit in s7, and I said this in another thread, I like how during a conversation with Giles in s7, Buff actually said that had she had her time over, she would've sacrificed Dawn instead in s5.

Anyway, it's time for me to get out, get out, get out!!!!

...of this thread.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Buff actually said that had she had her time over, she would've sacrificed Dawn

Thus spoke the fanbase.

 

[ChaseRules]

And then I wouldn't have cared for Buffy since at the end she couldn't even kill Ben so sacrificing Dawn would have been so unlike her.

 

[Faded90]

I wish they’d just gave her a tiny shred of something she likes or does beyond ‘I’m here to make Buffy’s life more difficult’ sometimes 😂. Like what does she like doing? Her time in the show largely revolves around her wanting to do whatever Buffy’s doing and not having her own friends and instead just hanging around people who will always be more Buffy’ friends than hers. I’ve always liked to imagine that post Chosen she goes off and finds her own thing in life and has her own circle of friends as I like to think she’s not permanently dooming herself to an incredibly unhealthy dynamic with her sister who she will constantly be compared to. Like in S7 she was finally surrounded by people her own age except I don’t think I saw her have a single conversation with any of them and instead she’s standing with the grown ups rolling her eyes at people who frankly act exactly like her

Also I always hate how heavy handed they played ‘lonely Dawn’. In Older and Far Away they might as well have shown her sitting next to the door in the dark like a dog waiting for Buffy to come home 😂 then in S7 for some reason they decided to reprise this incredibly tedious storyline and Dawn is again shown staring through the cracks of doors looking forlorn that Buffy is conversing with someone that’s not her. Like we get it guys 😂

 

[ChaseRules]

Well we did see Dawn with a friend Janice but that was for only one esp. & she did talk a bit with the P Slayer Amanda but that was it .There was that esp with Cassie but she died at the end of the esp.

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

Yeah, one of my complaints about Tara is that she offers nothing in 4 & 5. Her and Wil are interchangeable, assuming she's ever apart from Willow. Whereas in season 6, she becomes a fully developed character. It's worst with Dawn, because she has nothing. Donald Duck's nephews have more to tell them apart than she has.

"Okay Buffy, don't panic, but Dawn has two twin sisters. Meet Aurora Rose and Easter Lily."

"Oh, that must be a pattern, as long as you don't ask me to explain why. What do they do, like which one is Simon and which one is Alvin?"

"Nope, Stepford Cuckoo rules. Pretty much the same."

"Darn it, I was hoping for a A student mother hen. I wanted a Makato, and all I got was two more Anns."

"Buffy, it's 2002, you can't use Persona 5 references."

"Fine, send them to live with Hank. Call Amy, she knows how to do those wacky memory spells without getting found out."

"Buffy, that's hurtful. Besides, it worked the next time."

 

[ChaseRules]

Well that was because Willow was being selfish & wanted Tara all to herself. And with Dawn you hardly saw Dawn with people her own age. It wad a bit like Xander in season 4. Everyone else was in college but he wasn't .

 

[TamsinValencia]

She was written with a younger actress in mind so it does make sense she would be annoying and immature.

I never thought she was that annoying but only because I was around about the same age when I started watching her.

 

[ChaseRules]

Dawn would have worked out a lot better if they had shown her around people her own age but just made her a brat .

 

[thrasherpix]

Somewhere a vengeance demon's amulet gets destroyed, and Dawn along with it. But that is a story for another day, one that will fit the show and characters more than any comic.

 

[ChaseRules]

One problem with that is then why was Glory looking for Dawn.