Michelle Trachtenberg’s Dawn Was the Beating Heart of Buffy

by

At the close of the fifth season premiere of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, the main character Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) prepares to leave for a date with her college boyfriend, Riley (Marc Blucas). In Buffy’s brightly lit bedroom, an unexpected figure appears – her sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), who hadn’t been part of the series until the fifth season.

In the fifth season of Buffy, a surprising plot twist involving Dawn – a moment that was oddly unsettling in an already strange show – proved crucial. The villain of the season, Glory (played by Clare Kramer), is an evil goddess seeking a Key, which could be any shape or form, to return to her hell dimension. If she succeeds, it would bring about destruction on earth. However, the Key was transformed into a person – Dawn – as it was believed that someone related to the Slayer might have special protection on earth. While Dawn’s storylines weren’t Buffy at its best, David Trachtenberg skillfully handled even her character’s weaker moments, demonstrating his acting talent and becoming an integral part of the series’ emotional depth by the end.

After her introduction, Dawn finds herself entangled in mundane storylines: a compulsion to steal, poor romantic choices, and an impulsive habit of putting herself in harm’s way. In essence, she becomes the troublesome little sister. Despite the flaws and imbalance in Dawn’s story arcs, Trachtenberg consistently elevated the material due to her natural affinity with Gellar. Watching the show as a child, I thought they were real-life siblings. Their frequent, heated disagreements served to illustrate their unique form of affection. In “Forever,” when Dawn attempts to resurrect their mother, another argument ensues, with Dawn expressing her feelings from the season: “It’s so apparent you don’t want me here.” Gellar’s eyes fill with emotion, on the verge of tears. Despite all her efforts to be unwanted, she remains family, unconditionally.

As a cinephile reflecting on the life of the late, talented actress, Trachtenberg – who sadly passed away at 39 on February 26 – I can’t help but feel that she embodied the most charming and precocious characters throughout her career. With a knack for portraying a know-it-all brat, her character often got away with almost everything thanks to her captivating doe eyes and magnetic charm.

Much like several of her on-screen personas, Trachtenberg appeared to possess an understanding beyond her years. At the tender age of 10, she charmed audiences on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, exchanging jokes and banter with the host during a promotional appearance for Harriet the Spy. Their interaction felt like a natural duo, effortlessly trading witty remarks.

Trachtenberg’s self-assured demeanor and playful sense of humor carried her through her 20s, catapulting her into stardom as she became one of the industry’s most dependable performers. She graced our screens in films like Mysterious Skin and Gossip Girl. Trachtenberg seemed like a familiar friend: Beautiful, intelligent, and always quick-witted, she consistently outshone the material placed before her.

In the series “Buffy,” rather than in “Harriet the Spy” or “Gossip Girl,” Trachtenberg had ample opportunities to delve into profound emotional layers. Dawn, though a teenager, was relatively inexperienced – only three years old as a human when the show ended. She openly displayed her sensitivity, enduring not just the supernatural struggles of the Scooby Gang but also the heartache of navigating and understanding the complexities of the world around her.

The Heart-Wrenching Shift in ‘Buffy'”, an episode from season five, profoundly alters the show’s mood as Buffy’s mother, Joyce, dies unexpectedly due to a brain tumor. This death was permanent and mundane, leaving an indelible mark on the series. Among all characters, Dawn finds it particularly hard to accept Joyce’s departure. In “Conversations With Dead People”, one of Buffy‘s most impactful final-season episodes, each character embarks on a chilling adventure individually. Notably, Willow talks uneasily with a deceased student in the library, and Buffy encounters an old classmate turned vampire. Meanwhile, Dawn remains at home alone, surrounded by devices that mysteriously activate, producing sounds and causing disturbances in the dark. These scenes echo those from Poltergeist, leading Dawn to believe that the presence haunting their house is preventing Joyce from visiting her. Dawn bravely confronts the ghost, crying out in pain and anguish, pouring all her longing into the struggle. Upon the ghost’s departure, Joyce finally appears, illuminated by a beam of golden light. However, the spectral Joyce turns out to be the malevolent force, warning Dawn that Buffy will deceive her. Trachtenberg imbues Dawn’s grief with a poignant sense of urgency — she desperately yearns for time not to have passed.

In a significant episode titled “Potential,” following close behind “Conversations with the Dead,” Dawn momentarily thinks she could be the next potential slayer. Typically characterized by her self-doubts and timidity, this episode showcases Dawn at her most resolute until she learns that the potential slayer is someone else. As the potentials depart with Buffy for training, Xander (played by Nicholas Brendon) comforts Dawn over their ordinary nature – neither of them possess special powers or extraordinary strength. They are just ordinary humans, but as he tells her, “You’re not special; you’re extraordinary.” Dawn quickly absorbs the compliment, tears filling her eyes, and then carries on with her usual resilience.

Read More

2025-02-27 03:15