Buffy's strange new little sister makes her presence felt

The final moment of "Buffy vs. Dracula" included the revelation that Buffy's kid sister, Dawn, has apparently been a presence in the life of both her and her mother for years. As far as the audience goes, well, not quite so long.

"Real Me" continues the "joke", as much of the episode is spent chronicling Dawn's feelings about the Scooby Gang, how they treat her and her feelings about big sis, who always seems to be pushing her around. At the same time, Dawn is going through her own bout of Slayer-envy as she feels inadequate in comparison to Buffy and is desperate to find her own place in the world that has nothing whatsoever to do with saving the world from vampires and demons. Simultaneously, Harmony is back yet again, starting a little vampire gang of her own and determined to kill Buffy, unaware of how completely incapable she is of achieving this goal.

Review:
The idea of introducing a teenage sister for Buffy is pretty ludicrous when you first hear it, generating the same sort of reaction that greeted the notion of "Buffy vs. Dracula". But, damn them, they've done it again.

Thanks largely to the irritating little sister performance (that's actually a compliment) of Michele Trachtenberg, we are totally swept up in this story, truly believing the years of resentment that have been building up in the Dawn character. Just as real is the instant rapport she has with the various members of the Scoobys, once again driving home that these are relationships that have been years in the making.

The Harmony aspect of the episode is silly, harmless fun, driving home the point that just because you're undead, doesn't mean that you necessarily have a brain. She is just as much a lamebrain as a vampire as she was a flesh-and-blood bimbette, and watching her try to climb the tower of power is pretty hysterical.

There is some nice movement in terms of taking the characters forward, primarily by way of the fact that Giles, who is finally Buffy's Watcher again, purchases a magic shop that will serve as a base of operations. His hope, of course, is that this will stop the gang from dropping in at his home at all hours of the night.

Best line: Have you heard anything interesting? email us

Bloopers: Have you heard anything interesting? email us

Trivia: This episode follows on directly from the Dracula story, as Buffy's sister appears in every aspect of her life