Buffy and Dawn Summers
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Michelle Trachtenberg and Sarah Michelle Gellar
From the beginning they were portrayed as being fairly normal as sisters, despite the supernatural nature of the show. I mean the first episode that we meet Dawn, is the fifth season premiere, and both sisters share the same opinion of being forced into going shopping together, letting loose with a ‘Mooomm!’
I related to Dawn, liking her because I have experience of being the younger one of two sisters. She attempts to force her way into Buffy’s training sessions, making sure that she’s not disregarded or forgotten by any of Buffy’s friends. I also related to the fact that she has a crush on Xander, as I recall having crushes on some of my sister’s male friends when I was the same age as Dawn’s supposed to be.
The shift from their normal sibling relationship, came after episode 5.17, when Buffy is forced into a more parental role. Although it was evident that Buffy cared deeply about her little sister, and that the feeling was returned despite the constant feuding between the two of them.
One of the many scenes that I liked between the two of them, showing the depth of the connection, was the one when Buffy finally breaks down over the death of their mother, collapsing into Dawn’s arms. Both Trachtenberg and Gellar were on point throughout the episode.
Another favourite moment was the scene in the hospital, when Buffy convinces Dawn of the reality of their bond, after Dawn has discovered the circumstances of her creation. ‘It doesn’t matter where you came from, or how you got here. You are my sister’
The two of them are a strong and inspiring example of how to write realistic sisters within a supernatural or fantasy television show. I have not met another pair of sisters in such a setting, that I have liked quite as much.
Fan video of the pair created by Amanda Curbishley
Musings of a thirtysomething woman 