
Buffy is able to sacrifice herself in Dawn’s place because she shares Dawn’s blood. The blood of the lamb, on the other hand, denotes sacrifice in specific terms, it traditionally refers to the death of Christ on the cross. The line is a reference to how the Watcher’s Council sacrifices the lives of the young girls called as Slayers, that it is their “business.” However, blood is also what will eventually trigger the ritual in “The Gift.” The impetus of this ritual sees Giles attempt to convince Buffy that they may need to kill Dawn in order to save the world. This gives it a direct connection to Dawn, who is named for the moment that night becomes day again, and is an equal symbol of renewal. The lamb is symbolic of spring, innocence, renewal, and the power of life overcoming death. Blood of the lamb and all that.” This is relevant on several fronts. When she hits the vampire she turns around and looks excitedly at Giles, who tells her “I haven’t got any treats.” When Olivia tells him to go easy on Buffy, he responds, “This is my business. In this, they establish the nature of Buffy and Dawn’s relationship to each other on a metaphysical level, as well as Buffy’s role as a parental figure/caretaker for Dawn, and Dawn’s role as Buffy’s innocence and life force.īuffy plays a carnival game where she throws balls at a cutout of a vampire. Therefore, this is demonstrating not only Dawn’s impending appearance, but the idea that she will be the same person as Buffy as well, given how the stroller represents Buffy’s childhood innocence and Dawn’s introduction to the show simultaneously.

However, as the episode repeatedly references Dawn’s arrival, it could also be taken as a placeholder where Dawn will eventually be filled in, the younger sibling getting pushed in the stroller. This stroller is likely for Buffy, considering that we’re meant to take her as being roughly the same age as in the later memory. Back in the dream, Olivia pushes an empty stroller beside Giles and Buffy. Buffy asks her mom if she can be the one to look after her sister. In this supposed memory, her parents are bringing Dawn home from the hospital. When Willow visits Buffy in her subconscious in 5.21 “The Weight of the World,” we see Buffy as a child once more, again wearing her hair in pigtails.

Her mannerisms and outfit imply that this dream Buffy is much younger than her physical appearance would indicate.

Buffy, wearing overalls and pigtails, drags Giles through a fairground.
