Dawn and Mary Anne do not live well together.
While the circumstances were different than the book, the Spiers moved into the Schafer’s place in The Baby-Sitters Club Season 2 Episode 6 and their personalities couldn’t have been more different.
It didn’t help matters that Dawn had all these expectations of them being like the perfect family and even called Mary Anne “sis” right away.
Sharon: Richie, are you going to say hello or what?
Richard: (Kisses Sharon). Sorry. Hello.
Dawn was trying to be polite by sharing her space with Mary Anne, but having a sleepover with a friend is fun. Having your friend move in for a week when you’re both very different and need different comfort items to sleep makes things complicated.
Dawn: I want you to treat my space like it’s your own.
Mary Anne: Really?
Dawn: Absolutely. What’s mine is yours.
When Mary Anne unpacked, she found an entrance to a secret passageway. Dawn’s mom told them all about the underground tunnels under the house, which only scared Mary Anne.
Bedtime was a huge challenge for the two of them. Dawn used incense to soothe her, which disturbed Mary Anne. Dawn thought Mary Anne’s clown doll looked creepy.
These were the kind of things that didn’t matter between best friends unless you lived together. Then, all these little quirks start to get on each other’s nerves.
Night after night, either Mary Anne or Dawn got no sleep and arrived at the club meeting tired, spacey, and cranky. The club members were noting small cracks in Dawn and Mary Anne’s friendship but chose to ignore it.
Mary Anne kept Dawn awake with her fears about the secret passageway, listing every animal that could be in it, and preventing Dawn from sleeping.
Dawn: Mary Anne, listen to me. There is nothing scary about the secret passage way.
Mary Anne: You’re right. Sorry for being such a wimp.
Dawn kept insisting everything was fine, and that she was chill. Unfortunately, that was code for right before she erupted.
Dawn erupted when she saw the mess her mom and Mary Anne made baking Claire’s birthday cake. It was the last straw for her.
Dawn: The kitchen is a disaster
Sharon. I’m sorry honey. Mary Anne and I are trying to get a handle on this baking thing.
Mary Anne: We forgot the flour the first time so we had to start all over.
Dawn: I just cleaned the entire house including the kitchen.
Technically, Dawn was more upset about how much time Mary Anne and her mom spending together and that they were laughing at her for being a neat freak.
For years, it had been just Dawn and her mom. They did everything together. They were best friends and mother and daughter, so Dawn had a harder time than she thought letting others into their bond.
To Dawn, it suddenly felt like her mom and Mary Anne were best friends too as they joked that Dawn had a totally easygoing attitude until her emotions spilled over.
Richard saw trouble brewing and tried to bond with Dawn, suggesting she try coloring to destress, but she rebuffed his efforts. Dawn came across as a spoiled brat who only wanted her mom. While it’s tough for divorced kids, Richard was trying to connect.
Mary Anne and Dawn continued their cold war all the way up to the day of Claire’s birthday party. Determined to prove to everyone that she wasn’t afraid of everything, Mary Anne entered the secret passageway.
Mary Anne felt so empowered and proud of herself. She’s come a long way with facing her fears since Season. She even remained calm when Dawn followed her and they became trapped down there. She was positive someone would find them eventually.
Once she knew it wasn’t haunted, she was calm until Dawn started unleashing her angry emotions.
My house, my room, my mom is all yours!
Mary Anne felt awful. She knew things were tense, but she assumed all sisters fight sometimes. They agreed that it was harder than they thought to share a room. They still hope they can become stepsisters one day.
Dawn learned so much about herself. She learned that it’s okay to need help. She’s only a 13-year-old kid.
She doesn’t have to be in charge of cleaning the entire house.
Richard tried to talk to Dawn again and explained about anxiety. He finally reached her by admitting that he struggled with it too.
Those adult coloring books and doodling are helping for both adults and teenagers. It’s a way to be fun and creative.
Mallory has not had her own narrated episode yet. In fact, this episode and . were the two episodes that showcased her point of view the most.
The Pikes have eight kids so it was natural that money would an issue if one of them got hurt. It also makes sense that a 5-year-old would still want her birthday party.
Mallory felt like a charity case when the BSC offered to use the treasury money to throw Claire a party, instead of donating it to a charity that month. Those words just bothered her.
Being part of a big family meant that Mallory was used to hand-me-downs, not glittery dance costumes or expensive parties. The last thing she wanted to be was a burden on her friends.
Kristy: Mallory, being part of the Baby-Sitters Club means we show up for each other.
Claudia: We don’t call it charity. It’s just friendship.
Hopefully, Mallory will realize her worth to the club, and she’s earned the older girls’ friendship, just as much as Jessi’s by now. It’s hard to accept help and not feel beholden.
Over to you, TV Fanatics.
Do you wish Dawn and Mary Anne were really stepsisters or are okay with them being just best friends? Are you hoping Mallory gets her own narrated episode if the Baby-Sitters Club gets another season? Chime in below in the comments.
The Baby-Sitters Club is streaming now on Netflix.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.