Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a series with a dedicated fanbase. When the show was on the air, viewers eagerly indulged, tuning in for each new episode as quickly as the (now-defunct) WB Network could broadcast them. However, the Season 5 premiere episode, “Buffy vs. Dracula,” caught many of us squarely off guard, as it tries to retcon Buffy’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) sister, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), into the proceedings like no one would notice. Eventually, fans learned that series creator Joss Whedon and the writers had a plan in place, but prior to that revelation, many of us questioned our recollection of the first four seasons (and our sanity).
Videos by ComicBook.com
Though Dawn’s appearance initially seems haphazard, in time, the series offers a perfectly good explanation as to how she got there and why none of the core characters seem to notice.
Fans Lost Their Minds When Buffy The Vampire Slayer Introduced Dawn With No Explanation
Most viewers watching the series for the first time find themselves perplexed by Dawn’s unceremonious arrival, which is largely shrouded in mystery and not addressed in any detail until Season 5, Episode 13.
In case some of the details are fuzzy, Dawn is introduced as Buffy’s younger sister, despite Buffy previously having been depicted as an only child. In time, we learn that the reason Dawn’s presence seems so natural and innocuous to everyone around her relates to an elaborate hoax to protect Dawn, who is not a human child, at all.
That’s right, Dawn is the “Key” to an inter-dimensional portal that leads to Season 5 antagonist Glorificus’s (Clare Kramer) home base. Glory (for short), as you may remember, is a captive in the human realm who was banished from her dimension because of her never-ending thirst for power. She is a very capable antagonist desperate to return to her home base, but without the Key (Dawn), she is unable to do so.
While this all makes perfect sense to anyone who has seen the series in its entirety, watching the show without that context baffled many of us. Dawn just shows up like she’s always been there. We eventually, however, learn why things play out like that.
How Buffy Retconned Dawn Into Canon, Explained
The monks who re-purpose the Key as a human girl implant false memories into Buffy’s mind and the minds of those closest to her. So, on that basis, the characters don’t think of Dawn as having materialized out of thin air, they firmly believe that she has always been there.
Viewers undoubtedly had a wild time with Dawn. Some assumed she must have been introduced at some point earlier in the series via an offhanded reference. Others thought they had missed an episode between the conclusion of Season 4 and the beginning of Season 5. Following much confusion, in Season 5, Episode 13, Dawn finally learns of her true nature and subsequently runs away. After her abrupt departure, Buffy and her pals set out to find the Key before Glory does.
Well, there you have it. Buffy the Vampire Slayer pulled a fast one on us all, convincing fans that Dawn must have somehow been around all along and making us think we perhaps forgot about her. While the twist makes perfect sense in hindsight, it threw most of us for a loop before everything finally came into focus.
What do you think about Dawn’s infamous introduction? Did it confuse you as much as it did us the first time you watched Season 5? Let us know in the comments section below.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Isn’t Over Yet!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered in 1997, immediately captivating fans. The show ran for a grand total of seven seasons on the WB Network, following the events of the 1992 feature film of the same name. The program catches up with the titular character as she begins to embrace her calling as the Slayer and works to keep the city of Sunnydale safe from vampires and various other supernatural creatures with deadly designs.
If you’re itching for more Buffy, we have a spot of good news for you: Hulu is actively developing a series reboot that will feature Gellar as a recurring guest star. While we don’t have a release date for the project just yet, rest assured that we will alert you when that changes!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Pixar -
Image Courtesy of Lucasfilm
