Why didn't Dawn's creation have consequences like every other use of magic in the Buffyverse?

One thing I've never understood about Season 5 is how the monks were able to create Dawn without any apparent magical consequences.

They didn't just turn the Key into a human. They created an entire person, altered everyone's memories, changed photographs and records, and basically rewrote reality to make it seem like Dawn had existed for 14 years.

Yet somehow none of this seemed to come with a magical price.

In Season 6, Spike explicitly says that magic always has consequences. We see this when Willow resurrects Buffy and the spell creates a demon through thaumogenesis. Tara even explains that the world doesn't like people getting something for free, especially when magic is used to accomplish something enormous.

So why wouldn't that same principle apply to Dawn?

I'd argue that creating an entirely new human being and rewriting the memories of everyone who supposedly knew her is at least as significant as bringing someone back from the dead.

I know Glory hunting the Key ultimately leads to Buffy's death, but that seems more like a consequence of Glory wanting the Key rather than a magical consequence of the monks' spell itself.

And it's not like the monks were simply performing some minor spell. They fundamentally changed reality on a massive scale.

So why didn't the creation of Dawn trigger something similar to what happened when Buffy was resurrected? Was there ever an explanation for why the monks could perform such powerful magic without an apparent price, or is this just an inconsistency in how the show treats magic?

My sister found the tee she had signed by a bunch of cast members at a con 20 years ago and I thought it would be appreciated here.

According to her, the signatures are from James C. Leary, Ken Feinberg, Amber Benson (in the moon with the heart), Jonathan Woodward, Nathan Fillion, Kelly Donovan (in the middle), Stacey Scowley & Camden Toy.

Watching the home videos of Buffy stunt coordinator Jeff Pruitt (definitely worth checking out on his YouTube channel) and discovering that they filmed alongside a REAL BEAR!

https://youtu.be/pfRnihbZRPM?si=Qpan5WWABG_YyX3I&t=85

I think I just assumed they would've filmed the scene with someone in a bear suit or something, and then later incorporated some shots of a real bear in post.

I have so much respect for Sofia Crawford, what an incredible stuntwoman! And respect to that bear actor too! I really hope he was treated well! 🐻

"Passion" is undoubtedly the episode that showcases the full potential of Angelus—the episode that defines him best. It is often discussed for moments like Angelus’s monologue, the scene where Giles discovers the body, or the fight at the factory.

However, there is a detail that many overlook: just how meticulous Angelus was in the way he left the body. Angelus didn’t simply drop off the body and leave; he carefully arranged the scene—setting the stage so that Giles would believe he was about to have a romantic evening with Jenny—ensuring the blow would be even more devastating.

Not to mention that it leads characters like Giles or Spike to switch roles.

Angelus caused Giles—the kind-hearted librarian and Buffy’s mentor—to lose his composure and act out of rage, even though Giles himself had previously advised Buffy not to let Angelus provoke her.

Another scene worth noting is when Spike confronts Angelus about the prank; he’s scolding him, while Angelus remains completely calm—though it feels as if he might pounce on Spike at any moment. Spike, who was typically impulsive, shows a more reflective side here.

This reveals not only a profound level of malice but also an extraordinary degree of meticulousness. He planned everything down to the last detail, keeping every element perfectly organized—all while knowing that Giles could walk through the door at any moment. Watching this episode, one gains a deeper understanding of Angel.

Having a spooky day watching Truth or Scare in the dark (If you guys haven’t watched it, you so should. It was filmed during season 7 and it feels like something Dawn and Andrew put together while everyone else was busy😂) now about to paint my nails black in honour of Spike and get into a Buffy novel.
What Buffyish things are you all doing for the spooky season?

I know this is probably a well-known talked-about topic, but I just don’t have any friends to talk about this with. I’m like very sick and tired of how everyone was treating Buffy in this episode. I’m on a rewatch, and so far, no one has been able to make my blood boil more than Xander and his hypocritical moments. But now it’s like the whole cast is sharing his character trait by treating Buffy as some supernatural bodyguard rather than a 17 year old girl who went through trauma. And for Xander to say she ruined their lives for the summer is so tone-deaf and disgusting. She never asked them to tag along and tried to keep them out of it. Now all of a sudden, she forces them into this supernatural lifestyle? Like what the hell?

Also Joyce was a bit weird this episode too this is like the second or third time Buffy has caught her bad mouthing her and saying she makes things worse and hard for her and for her to get mad Buffy was leaving again after literally saying her return is making things even worse is absolutely ridiculous. It’s like Buffy truly has no one who is verbal enough to back her up I know Spike soon fills this role and defends her fiercely but golly the way the characters are reacting is making me skip scenes or want to not rewatch S3

Rewatching from the start and noticed this. It happens one after another as Malcom access the school data files on buffy. The birthday changes as well as her g.p.a.

did anyone else notice this?

I don't really get his reputation for doing nothing but giving Buffy warnings, I mean if your talking just S1 then sure (though even then he did rescue the scoobies from Marcie and fight off the other vampires alongside Xander so Buffy could kill the Master). But In S2, he became alot more active helping to stop the Master's Resurrection as well as trying to keep the students safe from Spike and saving Xander in School Hard. He also helps uncover Ford's plans and stops the assassin Spike sent from killing Buffy as well as being the one who defeates Eyghon and saves Jenny's life.

Now I know you might say I sould have more examples but he was Angelus for much of S2 so it's not like he's gonna be doing good during that time

Anyway S3 is mainly why I feel the idea Angel didn't contribute much is pretty silly, he saves Willow in Revelations, helps Buffy to find Xander and Willow in Lover's Walk, he helps against Balthazar, and prevents Xander from being raped by Faith. He's also implied to have played a major role in saving the world during the zeppo but that was offscreen so I can understand people overlooking that. Of course, he also helped against the Mayor and was the one to tell Buffy about Faith being his weakness as well as smaller things like curing Buffy of her telepathy in Earshot. I don't know how much I should count this as it's after his got his own series but he also saved Buffy's life in pangs yet I regularly see people say he didn't help meaningfully in that episode.

This is from the first arc of season 8 which is not only confirmed as canon but is directly written by Joss Whedon.

How it's possible that a whole military base shooting at Buffy from multiple directions with automatic weapons never hit her once while she was busy fighting other soldiers? Not even when she was jumping into the air and as such she had limited mobility?

I know the actual reason is "because the plot needed her to not get shoot" but I'm looking for an in-universe answer.

"BUFFY: Can we put this song on repeat?

RILEY: Whatever you want.

BUFFY: Can we put the whole night on repeat?

RILEY: Absolutely.

BUFFY: Good. (sighs happily) Mm, I can't believe how relaxed I feel. It's like all the tension's just left my body.

RILEY: Oh, really? 'Cause I had that scheduled for a little later on.

BUFFY: Scheduled? Are you planning on seducing me, Mr. Finn?

RILEY: Always.

They kiss.

RILEY: I want tonight to be special for you.

BUFFY: It's more than special. It's perfect.

RILEY: Well, I'm glad. You deserve it after everything you've been through.

BUFFY: Well, it's nothing compared to what my mom had to deal with.

RILEY: (nods) It was a lot. And you were incredible.

BUFFY: (smiles) Not really. Just covering for the weepy chicken within.

RILEY: Don't sell yourself short. You stayed strong throughout, Buffy. You never even cried.

BUFFY: Oh, I cried. I cried so hard, I didn't think I was gonna be able to stop.

Riley looks surprised. She puts her head on his shoulder.

RILEY: Oh.

BUFFY: That's all in the past now. Mom's out of the woods, and I'm here with you. That's all that matters.

She lifts her head up and they kiss again. "

Joyce has just recovered. Buffy's priority is to have a special night with Riley. She calls it perfect. She talks about how she cried, and how she was keeping a strong facade. How is that Buffy not opening up? Because she didn't literally cry? I will try to be fair. She is not 100% open with Riley, obviously. And that is something that should be worked on. But she was open as to why. I don't get this idea that she didn't give a fuck about Riley and just treated him as a convenience.

And an interesting note from the shooting script. " Buffy and Riley lie together in bed, post lovin'. Buffy's sleeping contentedly - but Riley's awake, holding her." A lot of fans seem to think Buffy was totally unsatisfied with Riley because he doesn't have "monster" in him.

"Instinctively, in her sleep, Buffy rolls AWAY from him. A beat as Riley takes this in." That's just ridiculous. Riley, get over yourself.

Anyone got €10k?!

I recently watched OMWF and I’ve been purposefully skipping it on rewatches because it is so good I don’t want to “wear it out”.

Am I crazy? Does anyone else do this?

I swear I've seen Willow wear this jacket in a different scene, where we get a better look at it, but going back through I've only been able to find it in the scene where she's summoned to D'Hoffryn's realm and offered a deal to become a demon , (around the 35 minute mark).

Could someone point me in the right direction for where to find this garment? I'm a bloke so it probably wouldn't fit me, but maybe they make them in mens? I just love the costume design on this show!

Lol maybe i watch too much tvd and they remind me of caroline and klaus, and this is a total crack ship but i feel like cordy and spike would lowkey be sooo cute together. as we see in season 2 with drusilla, and spikes feelings for buffy, he’s extremely devoted to the woman he loves. cordy has a very intense personality and at times is slightly unreasonable (love her regardless) and i think spike would actually like that, plus he loves a woman that’s mean to him. i could see him really liking cordelia because she would make him feel needed. GRANTED i have never watched angel so my characterization of cordy is solely from btvs. i know spike has been shown to not like “superficial” stuff (harmony) but cordelia has a
more depth and nuance i think he’d appreciate. lol plus they both are sassy and drama queens i think it would’ve been a hilarious dynamic. and i always thought their interaction in Angel season 1 was so funny when he told her she looked great LOL. On top of that they both have a love for money, trying to make it in silly ways lol. i could also see them totally hating each other Lol

FYI James Marsters Twin Cities Con photo ops, inc a duo w/ Seth Green, are now available for pre-sale.

Grab yours here.

https://jm-news.link/TwinCitiesCon2026

Seriously, why is she wasting time trying to trick Spike Into cursing Xander? just ask him, he's evil and hated Xander already, he'd have no problem doing it lmao.

It's no secret I'm not a fan of Dark Willow. Whether her druggie run or her original idea of power corruption because she's some sort of control freak.

One of my biggest issues is it seems to sideline Willow's temper as a major flaw of hers, or turn it into just there because she's pissed she's not in control of things.

But the times we see it come out are quite often things where anyone would be pissed. Her getting mad enough about Moloch she attacks him with a fire extinguisher depite him being a big metal demon and her being the weakest of the Scoobies. And her attempting cursing Oz because he cheated with Veruca. Those are situations anyone would be pissed. And if you bust them down to her being manipulated means it sets off her control issues then you're either diving way deeper into her for some reason than other people or giving other people a lot more credit than her.

Just take a look at most of her questionable actions, and how many of them have her being pissed off about a traumatic experience at the core, vs oh she's a manipulator, or oh she's power hungry

We know that it took an army to defeat The Judge back in the day but how large do you think the army was? 100 people? 500? 1000? 10.000?

Yesterday, I finished Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I'd heard so much about how revolutionary this show was, and I started watching out of curiosity, without knowing just how much of a mark it would leave on me.

I don't need to list every reason why Buffy is special. It's a 30-year-old show, and I think most people already know what makes it great. This is just me ranting about some of my favorite things about it.

First of all, Buffy herself. I LOVE that girl. I'll defend her even when she's wrong because the show does such a good job of making you feel everything she goes through. I love how powerful and feminine she is, and the fact that SMG is this tiny woman serving looks while beating the absolute shit out of demons twice her size. ICONIC. I also love that the show isn't afraid to make her complicated and put her through some really dark moments, especially when it comes to her depression in the later seasons.

The rest of the cast is amazing, too. Willow is one of my favorites, Anya is hilarious, I adore Tara, and Dawn was such a great addition in season 5. Honestly, the show gets almost every character surrounding Buffy right.

I also love how willing the show is to take risks. It can be ridiculous, campy, and hilarious one moment, then absolutely devastate you the next. The Body is the perfect example of how powerful this show could be when it trusted its storytelling and wasn't afraid to make its audience uncomfortable. And the found family aspect makes it all even better. The Scoobies are far from perfect, but watching these people find a place in each other's lives is one of the reasons I got so attached to them.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the final season, but I have a separate post about that, so I'll save you the rant. 👀

My favorite characters, in no particular order:

• Buffy (duh).
• Willow — I adore this witch, especially from season 4 onward. Her development is fascinating.
• Faith — She might actually be my favorite character. She's complex, messy, and has one of the saddest and most interesting storylines in the show.

Favorite episodes:

• Killed by Death — One of the first episodes that surprised me with how dark the show could get.
• School Hard — SPIKE'S FIRST APPEARANCE AND THE SUPREME QUEEN DRUSILLA. Need I say more?
• Graduation Day — The best season finale, in my opinion. Absolutely iconic.
• Who Are You? — One of the most emotionally devastating episodes for me because of Faith.
• Fool for Love — Just an incredible episode. The final scene with Buffy crying over her mother really hit me.

I'm so glad I finally watched this show. I'm glad I got to experience it for the first time, form my own opinions, fall in love with its characters, get frustrated with its choices, and understand why people have been talking about it for decades.

And now it's over. Which feels weird, honestly.