Real Me

"Real Me" is the second episode of season 5 of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

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.

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.
 * In her second appearance, (her first was in "Buffy vs. Dracula", and only for a moment at the end) Michelle Trachtenberg appears in the opening credits.