Ive gotten as far as Hells Bells but something has me stuck on All The Way and its hard to describe. I find myself utterly fascinated by Dawn throughout this entire season. Its in the way she feels so alone and discarded and the way that despite everyone's assurance to the opposite- she's right. Once Buffy returns no one hangs out with her any more. Spike pretty much drops her completley, Willow and Tara find other things to focus on, and Giles leaves. Buffy is back but shes much more distracted. Not as focused. Even just the show as a whole kind of shoves her to the side. Not literally, as it repeatedly brings up her feeling alone and the trouble shes causing- but it just feels like shes not as important.

Back to All The Way. This is where i see Dawn the happiest. When she has friends and shes doing things someone her age should be doing. But this episode rips that away from her. She doesnt get to have friends she only is Buffys kid sister. And Buffy- while she cares and she wants to protect Dawn- is too enveloped in her own trauma and life she cant focus on actually being there for her. Its almost like Buffy only sees Dawn as another responsibility at this point.

I want to know if that Vampire had offered to chnage her just a little later in the season: would Dawn have said yes? In the episode she was considering it. It genuinely hurt her to dust the boy she thought actually liked her. Would she- feeling unimportant and discarded in her own life- be willing to run into a half life where she was undeniably powerful and truley important? Someone that Buffy would have had no choice but to actually pay attention to? To see?