SEASON FIVE

This season begins by introducing a new character to the series—Buffy’s little sister Dawn. Dawn seems to come out of nowhere—earlier episodes make it clear that Buffy is an only child—and in fact, the story indicates that she did come out of nowhere. She is a mystical “key” who opens the portal to a hell dimension. A group of monks give the key a human form and send “her” to the slayer for protection from Glory—an evil god who wants the key to open up the portal and return her to her home. Dawn is not Buffy’s sister, but Dawn does not know that. She has all the memories of growing up with Buffy and her mom, and Buffy and her friends have all the same memories. It is only when Joyce Summers gets sick and Buffy searches for a mystical cause for her illness that she stumbles unto the truth.

Buffy finds out who Dawn is, but she doesn’t find a demonic force making her mother sick. Instead, she discovers that her mother has a brain tumor. Joyce has surgery and seems to be doing fine, but then half-way through the season she unexpectedly dies. And Buffy is left alone with a new little sister to protect. It is the theme of isolation, particularly Buffy’s isolation, which dominates the season. Her boyfriend Riley cheats on her and then leaves town; Spike falls in love with her, and she turns him away. Willow and Xander are both involved in romantic relationships, Giles has a new magic shop to look after, but Buffy is left alone. She fears that being a slayer is making her hard and callous. She despairs over her inability to fight Glory—an evil more powerful than she has ever faced before. She has a vision in which she is told that death is her gift, but she does not know what that means.

This isolation culminates in the final few episodes of the season, where Glory kidnaps Dawn, and Buffy falls into a completely catatonic state—reliving the same nightmare world over and over again. Willow revives Buffy, but she is trapped in her own kind of prison—Glory has the power to drive people insane, and she uses her powers on Tara, reducing her to a nearly vegetative state. Willow is caught inside her own love for Tara, desperately holding on to the little piece of her that is still left.

This shattering effect within Buffy and Willow is replicated in Glory’s attempt to open the portal—an action which has the effect of unleashing chaos on earth. Dawn’s blood opens the door to hell, and it is only in the final moments that Buffy realizes her own blood can close it. Death is her gift. And so she dives into the portal—falling to her death. It is her greatest act of sacrifice, and her death brings an end to the shattering—restoring the world. The last shot of the season shows Buffy’s gravestone, which reads:

BUFFY ANNE SUMMERS

1981-2001

Loving Daughter, Trusted Friend

She Saved the World

A Lot

--Jonathan Edwards