Buffy, Blood Ties

A New Dawn vs. Old Glory.

February 8, 2001

from scifi.ign

Let us all take a moment to praise the goodness that is Michelle Trachtenberg. Sure, we knew she was cute, we knew she was sassy (especially with her little Paul Frank bag -- I covet it), but this week she gets to throw an all-out tantrum, and we love her all the more. Her crumply little face is used to fine, fine effect and she's just touching and adorable.

As usual, I've gots to back up here. In this ep, it's Buffy's birthday. Of course that means that whatever transpires in the ep will be nothing short of complete disaster, and it is. Basically, the whole gang has been let in on The Key thing (I love that they made an elaborate, shiny logo for "The Key" in The WB promos, by the way), and Dawn knows they're all whispering about her, and she's none too happy about it. So she takes a midnight stroll with Spike, breaks into the Magic Box, and learns her dreaded secret by reading through Giles' notebooks.

Ya know, one little thing that TV characters never seem to pick up on -- if you have some sort of journal/diary/log/whatever that's not meant for the whole freakin' world, then DON'T LEAVE IT OUT. Keep it on your person at all times. Simple enough, no?

Anyway, upon learning that she's nothing more than a big blob o' energy, Dawn freaks out, screams and cries, and turns her back on Ma Summers and Buffy. In other words, she acts like a totally normal, bratty 14-year-old. She also sets stuff on fire, rips up her room (not the boy band poster! Anything but the boy band poster!!), and runs away.

The whole ep is pretty much a showcase for Michelle T., and that's just dandy. However, it also contains some of the greatest little descriptive phrases ever. Just check out Buffy calling Glory "a god from the Bitch Dimension." Or Spike referring to Dawn as "a 14-year-old hormone bomb," and in an oddly endearing little exchange, "nibbly."

Of course, the other great revelation here is the whole Glory/Ben thing. Seems that their connection is even deeper than we might have guessed since Ben'sync morphs into Glory right before Dawn's eyes -- hey, Justin Timberlake can't do that!! Or maybe he can. Wouldn't that be a sight...

Now, if I may just take a moment to discuss fashion. Anya is looking absolutely gorgeous this week in her sparkly little top -- doesn't hurt that she also gets her patented funny moment, bemoaning the fact that she wants presents, and why does Buffy get presents, and why isn't it her birthday? Love that. Buff, however, seems to be wearing a giant muskrat on her neck while searching for Dawn. Buffy, these times of crisis or supposed to cause you to rise to the occasion with even more style than usual -- don't let yourself be outdone by Glory's endless parade of cute little red dresses!

Overall, this episode neatly incorporates all the things that make a good Buffy -- emotional, family-driven dynamics, strong focus on character, sparkly dialogue, the greater furthering of our arc, and at least one bitchin' Matrix backflip from The Buffster. The sibling-centric dynamic between the Sisters Summers has truly become to die for -- the next person who refers to Lil' Sis as "Scrappy Dawn" will have to answer to me.