Real Me (Buffy episode)
Encyclopedia : R : RE : REA : Real Me (Buffy episode)
"Real Me" is the second episode of season 5 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. See also List of Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes.
Plot synopsis
Summary
Buffy and her new found sister Dawn are having difficulties coming to terms with each other. Their mother wants them to go shopping at the mall together for Dawn's back to school clothes. Buffy has arranged for Giles to take her to the magic shop. Riley arrives to hang out with Buffy, as she had arranged with him.Giles takes Buffy and Dawn in his newly acquired BMW convertible. He has trouble with the automatic transmission as he forgetfully tries to change gear manually. They find the Magic Box apparently closed, but the door opens. Willow trips over the corpse of Mr Bogarty, the shop's owner.
When Dawn realizes Mr. Bogarty is dead, Buffy sends her outside. A drunkard accosts her and he tells her that he is a cat and she does not belong here.
Buffy and Giles conclude that Mr Bogarty has been killed by the bites of at least 4 vampires. Giles finds that a display case has been smashed open and emptied. They wonder why anybody would want the cheap trinkets it held.
Harmony congratulates her minions on their successful raid on the shop and thanks Brad for stealing her a gift of a unicorn statuette.
It is quickly revealed that Harmony has a plan to attack the slayer. Unfortunately for her, this plan is not much more advanced than going to her house and throwing a brick through her window to get her to come out and fight. Buffy is out at the moment, but Xander, who was babysitting Dawn with Anya, takes the opportunity to make fun of her, safe in her inability to enter without an invitation. Things turn nasty, however, when Dawn inadvertently invites her in. Harmony is eventually repelled.
Later, after a meeting with Spike, Harmony kidnaps Dawn in order to lure Buffy to her. This plan fails miserably.
Expanded overview
Buffy trains and works on her strength with the help of Giles and some crystals. She practices a handstand on a block of wood, but falls when her sister, Dawn, knocks over the crystals. Throughout the episode, Dawn writes in her journal, narrating the episode's story and summarizing the history of the series. In the morning, Joyce asks Buffy to take Dawn shopping for school supplies. Buffy and Dawn bicker until Riley shows up with intention of hanging out with his girlfriend. Buffy has to cancel so she can go work with Giles.Giles and Buffy talk about books and Giles's new car while driving to the magic shop. Willow and Dawn show that they're good friends and on the way to the magic shop, Buffy tells Willow that she's dropping Drama in favor of more slayer training. At the shop, the gang finds the owner dead, killed by vampires. Buffy sends Dawn outside where the young girl encounters a homeless man. He recognizes her and tells her she doesn't belong here.
Tara finds Dawn outside the shop and they talk then thumb wrestle. Inside, the gang realizes that a pack of vampires killed the shop owner. Giles admires the shop and its potential for a future business. It turns out that Harmony's minion vampires raided the magic shop and under Harmony's leadership, they plan to kill the Slayer. Buffy receives a lecture from her mother about allowing Dawn to see a dead body. Dawn needs a babysitter for the night and she was happy to have Xander do the job, until she discovered that Anya would come along too. While patrolling, Riley tries to talk some sense into Buffy. Both Buffy and Dawn resent each other for similar reasons.
Tara and Willow move into their new place and talk about how Dawn is having a hard time as the outsider of the Scooby Gang. Harmony tries to draw Buffy out of her home, but is disappointed to see that she's not home. Xander taunts Harmony and her minions from the safety of the house until Dawn mistakenly invites the vampire inside. After Harmony puts up quite a fight, Xander kicks her out of the house, literally. Xander tells Buffy about Harmony and after the Slayer stops laughing, she gets angry that Dawn invited Harmony inside.
Harmony and her lackeys run into Spike in the graveyard and the two ex-lovers talk about Harmony's plans to kill the Slayer. While Dawn listens outside in the hall, Buffy complains to Riley and Xander about the trouble Dawn has been causing and how she can't always be there to protect her. Dawn runs outside in tears and despite Anya's attempts to bring Dawn inside, Harmony's vampire minions are waiting outside and capture Dawn. Anya is found knocked out on the floor and Buffy runs out to find her sister.
Harmony explains her plan to her minions and she won't let them eat Dawn. Buffy crashes in on Spike's crypt and using her fist for motivation, Buffy finds out where Harmony is. Harmony complains to Dawn about her problems until she finds that her minions are revolting and want to kill her and Dawn. Buffy arrives and eventually kills all of Harmony's minions while Harmony runs away. The Slayer frees her sister and when they get home, they agree not to tell their mother. The next day, Buffy and Giles talk about his plans to take over the magic shop, while Dawn writes in her journal that Buffy still thinks she's a nobody, but she's going to be in for a surprise.
Writing and acting
Production details
Music
- Edvard Grieg - "Holberg Suite Prelude"
Quotes and trivia
- "I bet the death rate [of shopkeepers] keeps the rent down." — Giles
- "Most magic shop owners of Sunnydale have a life expectancy of a Spinal Tap drummer." — Buffy
- "I was a librarian for years. This is the same except this time people pay for the things they never return." — Giles
- When casting the role of "Dawn", Sarah Michelle Gellar suggested they take a look at Michelle Trachtenberg.
- Before casting Michelle Trachtenberg, the character of Dawn was actually supposed to be a couple of years younger. They upped her age from 12 to 14, but the first few scripts were still written in the voice of a 12-year-old.
- The role of Cyrus, one of Harmony's gang, is played by Tom Lenk; this was Lenk's first appearance on the show, but he later portrayed Andrew Wells in seasons six and seven.
Continuity
Arc significance
This episode marks the first instance of someone "outside reality" (i.e., crazy) seeing Dawn as not human, but as a ball of energy (the key).Timing
- Stories that take place around the same time in the Buffyverse:
| Location, time (if known) | Buffyverse chronology: Fall 2000 - December 2000 (non-canon = italic) |
|---|---|
| Sunnydale, 2000 | B5.01 Buffy vs. Dracula (Buffy episode)>Buffy vs. Dracula |
| L.A., 2000 | A2.01 Judgment (Angel episode)>Judgment |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | Buffy graphic novel: Haunted (Buffy comic)>Haunted (by Jane Espenson) |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | B5.02 Real Me (Buffy episode)>Real Me |
| L.A., 2000 | A2.02 Are You Now or Have You Ever Been (Angel episode)>Are You Now or Have You Ever Been |
| L.A., 2000 | Angel book: Image (Angel novel)>Image |
| L.A., 2000 | Angel book: Stranger to the Sun (Angel novel)>Stranger to the Sun |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | B5.03 The Replacement (Buffy episode)>The Replacement |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | Buffy graphic novel: False Memories (Buffy comic)>False Memories |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | Buffy Graphic novel story: |
| L.A., 2000 | A2.03 First Impressions (Angel episode)>First Impressions |
| L.A., 2000 | Angel graphic novel: Long Night's Journey (Angel comic)>Long Night's Journey |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | B5.04 Out of My Mind (Buffy episode)>Out of My Mind |
| L.A., 2000 | A2.04 Untouched (Angel episode)>Untouched |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | B5.05 No Place Like Home (Buffy episode)>No Place Like Home |
| L.A., 2000 | A2.05 Dear Boy (Angel episode)>Dear Boy |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | B5.06 Family (Buffy episode)>Family |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | Buffy graphic novel: Autumnal (Buffy comic)>Autumnal |
| L.A., 2000 | Angel graphic novel: Autumnal (Autumnal Comic)>Autumnal |
| L.A., 2000 | A2.06 Guise Will Be Guise (Angel episode)>Guise Will Be Guise |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | B5.07 Fool for Love (Buffy episode)>Fool for Love |
| L.A., 2000 | A2.07 Darla (Angel episode)>Darla |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | B5.08 Shadow (Buffy episode)>Shadow |
| L.A., 2000 | A2.08 The Shroud of Rahmon (Angel episode)>The Shroud of Rahmon |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | B5.09 Listening to Fear (Buffy episode)>Listening to Fear |
| L.A., 2000 | A2.09 The Trial (Angel episode)>The Trial |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | B5.10 Into the Woods (Buffy episode)>Into the Woods |
| L.A., 2000 | A2.10 Reunion (Angel episode)>Reunion |
| Sunnydale, 2000 | B5.11 Triangle (Buffy episode)>Triangle |
| L.A., 2000 | A2.11 Redefinition (Angel episode)>Redefinition |
External links
| Buffyverse | ||
| Main | Canon | Index Chronology: Ancient | Modern | BS1 | BS2 | BS3 | BS4/AS1 | BS5/AS2 | BS6/AS3 | BS7/AS4 | AS5 | Future | Flashbacks | |
| Buffy | Characters (main) | Characters (minor) | Episodes | Plot | Comics | Film | Pilot (unaired) | Promo: History.. | Novels | Promos: Pre-"Bargaining" | |
| Angel | Characters (main) | Characters (minor) | Episodes | Plot | | |
| Spin-offs | Comics | Fan made productions | Fray | Novels | Spike movie | Undeveloped productions Buffy Animated | Card Game | RPGs | Tales of Slayer (prose) | Tales of Slayers | Tales of Vampires | Toys | Video Games Upcoming: Blackout | | | | | | Portal Through Time | Spike vs Dracula | | |
| Powers | Angel Investigations | Circle of the Black Thorn | Order of Aurelius | The First Evil | The Initiative | Monsters | Old Ones | The Powers That Be | Ra-Tet | Scooby Gang | Senior Partners | Watchers' Council | Wolfram & Hart | |
| People | Adam | Amy | Andrew | Angel | Anya | Buffy | Caleb | Connor | Cordelia | Dawn | Darla | Doyle | Dru | Eve | Faith | Fred | Giles | Glory | Gunn | Harmony | Holtz | Illyria | Jasmine | Jenny | Joyce | Jonathan | Kate | Kennedy | Lilah | Lindsey | Lorne | The Master | Mayor Wilkins | Oz | Professor Walsh | Riley | Spike | Tara | Warren | Wesley | Willow | Xander | |
| Places | L.A. | Sunnydale Bronze | Caritas | Hellmouth | Hyperion | Library | Magic Box | Pylea | Sunnydale High | |
| Music | Complete Tracklist | Use of Music in Buffy & Angel | Dingoes Ate My Baby | Film | | | Once More, With Feeling | |
| Key Terminology | "Demon" | "Slayer" | "Vampire" | "Watcher" | "Werewolf" | "Witch" "Child of Senior Partners" | Shanshu | Sunnydale Syndrome | Tro-Clon | |
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.