Just last week, on February 26th, actress Michelle Trachtenberg was found dead in her New York City apartment. She was only 39, and the cause of her death still remains undetermined. Michelle Trachtenberg’s acting credits include the adorable Harriet M. Welsch in Harriet The Spy (1996), Maggie O’Donnell in 17 Again (2009) alongside Zac Efron and Jenny in the cult classic film Eurotrip (2004). She was a child-actress-turned-certified-2000s-“It Girl,” enhancing every role with her charming humor and an effortless dazzling smile. News of her death was heartbreaking to me, as she starred in two series I absolutely loved as a teenager: Gossip Girl and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Trachtenberg was featured as a conniving socialite and a temperamental younger sister, respectively, and the introduction of her character in both shows was followed by drama, angst and plot twists galore.
In Gossip Girl, Trachtenberg terrorized Manhattan’s young elite as Georgina Sparks, whom the actress described as “basically the evil bitch from hell.” Her introduction as Serena Van Der Woodson’s long lost “best friend” returning from Switzerland only serves to stir the pot as she pulls Serena back into the destructive cycle of partying that she worked so hard to break free from. Georgina worms her way into every aspect of Serena’s life, turning her boyfriend Dan against her and forcing her to come clean about a terrible secret. If viewers thought Blair Waldorf was evil as the queen bee of Constance, Georgina’s scheming is a whole new level of off-the-rails. Since she was so purely wicked, it was extra satisfying to watch Serena, Blair, Nate and Chuck take her down. In Season 2, Georgina returns seemingly reformed by a summer at Jesus camp, but since her friends refuse to accept that she's changed, she becomes frustrated and ultimately reverts back to her old ways. She continues to wreak havoc on the Upper East Side through fake relationships, questionable pregnancies and an endless array of secrets caught on tape and exposed. In Gossip Girl the lines between good and evil are constantly blurred for every character, and alliances between Georgia and the others form and break as they see fit. The drama that compels me to rewatch this show over and over would not have been half as addicting without Trachtenberg’s Georgina, although it took me a minute to wrap my head around her character since I previously knew her as innocent little Dawn, Buffy the vampire slayer’s sister.
Michelle Trachtenberg was introduced in the fifth season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer as Buffy’s teenage sister Dawn. Her role as the annoying tag-along little sibling had an interesting twist; up until her introduction, she didn’t exist. In a supernatural display of dramatic irony, Buffy and her friends become afflicted with fake memories of Dawn’s presence in their lives and act as if she has been a character on the show since the beginning. Viewer confusion is slowly alleviated as it becomes clear that Dawn’s abrupt introduction is a puzzle piece in the season’s overarching mystery. Needless to say, no Buffy fan will forget the impact that Trachtenberg’s character had on the show. Even after her subplot was over, Dawn continued to be a loveable (albeit outspoken and moody) presence in Buffy’s demon-hunting group of outcasts, and fans will find themselves forgetting that she wasn’t part of their squad to begin with.
One standout element of Buffy is how the demons and monsters that the “Scooby Gang” (as fans refer to them) have to tackle serve as metaphors for the tribulations of adolescence and coming of age. Buffy is the “Chosen One” who is called to hunt vampires and the forces of darkness whenever they appear, but this often juxtaposes with her longing to be a normal teenage girl. In the first four seasons the show explores themes of friendship, romance and sex through a supernatural lens, and similarly uses Dawn’s story arc to explore an interesting sibling dynamic. Buffy’s duty as the Slayer encroaches upon her relationship with her sister, who gets upset when Buffy treats her like a child who is unable to help on their dangerous missions. Although I don’t share Buffy’s plight, their arguments are relatable to me as someone who grew up with a younger sister who always wanted to tag along. Buffy and Dawn’s relationship is further complicated when the truth about the fabricated memories is revealed and Buffy realizes her baby sister is essentially a stranger. Even though my sister did not mysteriously appear in my life along with fake memories (at least, that I know of), I had to relearn how to relate to her as we both bridged young adulthood. Complications aside, Buffy’s love for Dawn was fiercely apparent when sacrificed herself to save her sister in the dramatic finale of season five. Sarah Michelle Gellar, who portrayed Buffy, shared a heartbreaking statement upon the wake of Trachtenberg’s death: “Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you. The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live…for you.” Gellar’s promise is quoted loosely from Buffy’s goodbye to Dawn in the Season 5 finale, confirming that their bond was just as strong offscreen.
The two characters that Michelle Trachtenberg portrays in Buffy and Gossip Girl are more similar than they seem. Although Georgina is more of a villain than Dawn, both girls’ motivations stem from a desperate desire to fit in and be loved. Dawn often lashes out because Buffy only sees her as a baby in need of protection, and Georgina has broken her friends’ trust so many times that she struggles to be seen by them as anything but evil. In the end, Dawn matures into an emotionally intelligent young woman and Georgina learns to be vulnerable and accept support from the people who care about her. Both characters are excellent examples of Trachtenberg’s depth as an actress, and they ensure that her legacy will live on in the hearts of so many people.
Maya Blanchard is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at mhb237@cornell.edu.
