Buffy The Vampire Slayer 5x2 REACTION | "Real Me" (WTF IS GOING ON)

[@mathias6185]

Very good!! Most reactors don't notice the Little Miss Muffet reference.

[@rcbuckets]

Poor Michelle Trachtenberg. All those scenes she filmed for S1-S3, and people just forget her. True she wasnt there for S4 because Joyce wasn't. She was literally in the back seat in S1E01 when Joyce first dropped off Buffy.

[@GeorgeAlexander3110]

👁️👄👁️

[@feudist]

Oh, Harm, the most adorable Big Bad. For a lot of fans this is THE season. Many character arcs, plot lines, relationships and storytelling choices reach new heights. Quite a few eps are simply peak cinema...and have been for a quarter century.

[@badmannnnnn]

Harmony steals this episode imo. She's doesnt stop being hilarious.

[@GeorgeAlexander3110]

She’s an icon

[@mel.a.bicket]

Don't you remember when Angelus tried to kidnap Dawn in season 2?? Or how about the way Dawn wanted Faith to be her older sister because she thought Faith was the cooler Slayer/Older Sister?

[@AnatoleVGC]

The thing is, Dawn was always there but in the HD version she is always cropped out of scenes, season 5 is when they got shit together with the hd version and so we finally get to see Dawn. Thats why you dont remember her. It took forever to get a Dawn episode

[@GeorgeAlexander3110]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@warrengday]

"Curds and whey" - such a great reference.

[@leniloubettyboopbossyboots247]

The key to the beginning of season 5 is patience - as I'm sure you've found out by now. These first few episodes are such a confusing test though. Harmony is so much fun in this episode, so clueless but completely adorable. You know what's more adorable though? Your annoyance that Spike had to wait for his opening credit billing while Dawn gets one right away. Defend your husband! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

[@GeorgeAlexander3110]

Hahah and they still haven’t given Joyce one!!

[@williambowman2326]

Joss Whedon always looked at each episode with a fans eye to understanding what they were seeing. He originally wanted the character Jesse in the opening credits so that his death would have major impact and set the tone for the show. The budget was so tight and he would have to pay more money to the actor, he had to cut the idea.

[@idontsignin]

Dawn's been there, just in the background. She's that good you never even noticed her😂

[@williambowman2326]

You have joined millions of fans in a state of confusion, bewilderment, and uncertainty of what you know and what is happening. You get to continue to watch while we had to wait a week. Don’t fret . Always remember one of the rules of BTVS storytelling. All of your questions will be answered. However not on your time schedule but on Joss Whedon’s. The answers will come out and make sense just not the way that you wanted and never cleanly at one time. The production staff has a vision and that story vision will unfold no matter how much anxiety, irritation, or pain it causes to us. You have watched 79 episodes . It’s not going to change. Just sit back, grab a snack, have a beverage, buckle up , and be prepared to be entertained and bedazzled by what is coming.

[@RetroRobotRadio]

In case you're not familiar with the trope... Some sitcoms and soap operas will introduce new characters into a family and act like they were always there. That is what they're doing here...

[@Talisguy]

He's far enough ahead on Patreon that this isn't a spoiler - this trope is what the show is _parodying._ The early 00s were just about the last time when "hey, remember this new character who's totally been here this entire time?" could ever have been seriously used in a show. It's the last era of TV where Dawn might just have been Buffy's never-before-mentioned kid sister, and a contemporary audience would have understood Dawn to be a parody of shows randomly adding kid characters to aging casts and going "hey, remember the new guy?"

[@B-Dad]

The funny thing is even before it’s explained it’s done well enough. It’s not a trick. She’s just been here all along. It creates weirdo conflicting memories at times but we remember them all the same. I’m thinking of when Buffy was left alone at home while Hank picked up Joyce and Dawn from the hospital. She is like 6

[@whodovoodoo2313]

"still haven't seen them kiss on screen" Oh noooooooooo 😭

[@killianlpc]

Real Me is where we get to meet Dawn properly. Of course she is a stroppy teenager, and causes Buffy all sorts of problems, but it will all make sense shortly. Dawn is now a character for the this Season. The writers were just laying the groundwork. Dawn's story will again make sense shortly as the arc of the Season develops. Great scene when Dawn thinks it's just Xander who is going to babysit, then Anya turns up. The sibling rivalry well portrayed too, with Buffy being as annoying as Dawn when they both talk about each other. Comedy gold again from Harmony, possibly the most underrated character in The Buffyverse, from High School Airhead to Vampire Airhead. 'Ah Slayer at last we meet at last'. Hilarious!

[@roxerforlife3663]

Imagine When I first bought the box set of this season, soooo much confusion !!!! I actually took it back to the shop cos I thought I was missing a disc 😂😂🤦‍♀️

[@ferrisulf]

It's tiiiiiime! Season 5! "Still haven't seen them kiss on screen" yeah, the network still wasn't allowing that.

[@williambowman2326]

The WB was an underfunded network that was managed by third tier television executives. They did not like conflict and they were always working to get a better job anywhere else. Whedon wanted to do so much but he was stopped on many fronts. The pressure groups wanted so much not just on Buffy but Dawson Creek and Gilmore Girls , they only got a few concessions.

[@anangelcalledtoday8750]

I feel like he's gonna regret wanting this 😂

[@whodovoodoo2313]

@@williambowman2326 Damn, Buffy was on the same network as Dawson's Creek and Gilmore Girls? That's really impressive. Pretty much no one but HBO was as consistent.

[@williambowman2326]

@@whodovoodoo2313 One of the reasons we had Surprise and innocence in season two was because they wanted to have Dawsons Creek after Buffy. The WB did not have network programming for Tuesday night and wanted to make a splash. They also felt the Dawson Creek would be a new type of show that could also draw an audience. So they proposed to Josh Wheedon to move Buffy to Tuesday night. So the last Monday night showing of Buffy was Surprise. Then Buffy started on Tuesday night with Innocence ( that blew us all away)and of course everybody had to watch what was going on. That lead directly into Dawsons Creek and that is one of the reasons that Dawson Creek became such a big thing. When The WB saw the ratings, the search was on for young talented writers and producers to pitch Young Adult programming.

[@boqndimitrov8693]

Yes, we felt like you too when we watched this for the first time 25 years ago!... welcome to the club! 😁👍

[@GeorgeAlexander3110]

🤣🫨

[@beautye5909]

Yay! I just caught up!

[@HR-xw1wg]

George, I love you and your reactions so much! Thank you for sharing your Buffyverse journey with us all! I have one tiny request though: can you try and match the volume of the episode you’re watching a little closer to your voice, cause it tends to be very low? Thanks a lot and happy 2025!!!

[@luckyrobinshomestead]

The confusion will be worth it.

[@B-Dad]

Ahh it’s tuckers brother….nevermind he’s dust now! 😱🤷🏾‍♂️😂👍🏾✌🏾

[@zahrans]

You obviously didn't watch S1 E13 where Buffy visits LA to vacation with her father and the kid sister who lives, or rather, lived with him.

[@MarkGunnells]

What I love about this is that they blended Dawn in so well in this episode that if felt like she was a part of the world and had relationships with everyone

[@johnmoreland6089]

Another fun reaction! Season 5 is a banger!

[@Lucy-uv4hv]

I like this episode for what it is. My only real gripe is that we saw this exact storyline handled way better when the crazy vampire with sister issues kidnapped Dawn in Helpless. IMO it should have been Joyce who was kidnapped in this episode - at least that would have provided some variety.

[@GeorgeAlexander3110]

👀🤣🤣

[@JPT54]

Dawn is here!!! 😁

[@kirstonemmm1423]

I couldn't STAND Dawn when this first aired. I was the same age as the character and felt betrayed by the way the writer's portrayed her (especially since when we first met Buffy she was only a year older). I've since learned that the character was originally written as much younger, and they did not adjust the script after casting Michelle Trachtenberg. I kinda feel bad for her because she's pretty much being forced to replay Harriet the Spy, which she did four years prior to this.

[@Greencava11]

Ok minionators! Any episode for me with added Harmony is always welcome

[@montego2]

I see the gaslighting has started in the comments. 😁 Just adding to the fun of the delicious confusion of the beginning of this season... Oh, and let's not forget Harmony, poor thing, she tries so hard.

[@einstini15]

i hated the dawn character... but then joss said he intended her to be much younger like 10.. which made more sense as far as how annoying she was

[@wolandbegemotazazello]

Dude, get over the saw the boom mike crap. You chose to watch the wrong Buffy. You are watching the amateurish remaster rather than the original in the academy ratio.So, guess what? You fill in the blank.

[@GeorgeAlexander3110]

It isn’t that deep like 🤣