As Dawn begins, Dawn (Brec Bassinger) says her parents once said they named her Dawn because she was born at the break of day. That was the first of a thousand lies her parents would tell her and her brother Jimmy. They wouldn’t know they were lies until the strangers came to take them away. Jimmy (Khobe Clarke) and Dawn are awoken because it is moving day. Jimmy asks his father Ormand (Jesse Metcalfe) about trading the car in for something newer. Ormand believes the extra space will be perfect for the baby. Dawn admits it is hard to get excited about a new place when they pack up and move all the time. Ormand promises this’ll be the final time they move.

Ormand wakes her up later and tells her she is in Richmond. They discuss the job at the Emerson Peabody School. Ormand is going to be the new head of maintenance at the school. Jimmy and Dawn go to the school. Jimmy complains about the snobs, but Dawn thinks they have to give them time. In the locker room, Miss Collins comes in and asks if they smell something burning. Dawn thinks it is in the locker nearby. Collins blames Clara Jean Cutler (Elyse Maloway) who suggests the new poor girl planted it there. Clara is given detention. She puts Dawn’s clothes in the toilet for being a snitch. Louise (Mackenzie Morrow) introduces herself to Dawn during lunch.

Louise warns her that she ticked off the wrong person because Clara’s family is wealthy. Dawn thought everyone there came from money. Louise explains there is money and there is Cutler money. Clara decides who is in and out. Louise has always been out so she welcomes Dawn to rock bottom. At home, Dawn tells Sally (Helena Marie) that she has to take it easier for the baby. When she learns about the toilet wash, she offers to call the principal. Dawn tells her no. Sally has heard of the Cutler family. She recommends her daughter have nothing to do with the girl. Ormand and Sally talk about the Cutler family later that night. Sally questions whether they’re going to have to move again, but Ormand doesn’t think it’ll come out.

When Dawn finishes singing at school, she is told her pitch is perfect. Clara Jean might have some competition for soloist at this year’s spring recital. Dawn tries to smooth things over with Clara. She says there is no reason for them to be enemies. Clara suggests otherwise since she is the janitor’s daughter. She doesn’t think she can forgive Dawn for being poor white trash. Philip (Dane Schioler) sits down next to Dawn moments later. He offers to drive her around after school and show her around. Dawn would have to ask her parents. Once he leaves, Louise reveals that Philip is Clara’s brother. After school, Philip offers to drive Dawn home. They talk about Clara and how she hates Dawn’s guts. Philip says she should not let Clara get to her.

Later that night, Dawn asks Jimmy why he thinks Philip is a creep. Jimmy hears how they talk and he is just trying to look out for her. Dawn claims he isn’t a bad guy just because he comes from money. Ormand frantically asks them to get up because the baby is coming. A security guard asks Ormand if he knows him at the hospital. Ormand says no. The doctor comes out to say everyone is good including the mother and daughter. After a week, Dawn is worried about her mother because she is ill. She suggests taking her back to the hospital, but Ormand says they don’t have money for it. He holds baby Fern. Dawn argues with Clara when she drops off something in the mail. Once she walks away, Clara says she has no idea what is coming. Dawn goes for a ride with Philip despite not asking for permission from her parents.

He doubts she has ever been kissed before. Dawn admits she has never had a boyfriend. Then, she confesses that she has never been kissed. They change that. When Philip tries to go for more, Dawn stops him. He claims he has never felt this way after just meeting someone, but he doesn’t want to move too fast. Dawn tells Louise about it at school. Jimmy is called the janitor’s kid and picked on. He fights with the bully briefly until the fight is split up. Later that night, Sally tells Dawn to stop worrying about Jimmy because Ormand will find him. Sally’s condition seems to be worse. When Jimmy finally makes it back, he tells Dawn that he was going to run away. He reveals that those boys called her a sl*t and he’d do it again. Later, Dawn gets ready for the recital.

She wishes her mom felt well enough to go. Dawn tells her father that she is getting a ride with Philip. After the recital, Dawn and the others learn that Sally has consumption. Ormand cries and says he would’ve brought her in sooner if he knew. Moments later, the cops enter and arrest Ormand. Dawn is shocked to learn that her father is being arrested for kidnapping. She is told that her parents kidnapped her. Her parents were employed at a hotel called Cutler’s Cove in Hampton, Virginia back then. One night, they vanished along with her. Her real name is Eugenia Cutler and her parents are alive. She has a brother named Philip and a sister named Clara Jean. Dawn doesn’t want to believe it. She is told that her brother and sister have been sent to foster care.

The investigator is taking her home. She is introduced to Lillian Cutler (Donna Mills) who is her grandmother. Lillian says she is returning at a very inconvenient time for them. She owns the motel and won’t tolerate insolence or ingratitude. Dawn doesn’t understand why she is being treated like a derelict who walked in off the street. Lillian warns her that she’ll start working as a chambermaid tomorrow. Mrs. Boston (Tanja Dixon-Warren) tells her to get some sleep because she has a tough day ahead. In the morning, Lillian wakes her up because it is too late. She takes her picture and says she won’t have pictures of that woman in her hotel. Lillian reminds Dawn that the woman is not her mother. Dawn walks around the property and finds a gravesite and statues.

There is a gravestone with her name on it. Once she goes to work, Sissy (Liz Wallace) tells her that people used to tell stories about her at the hotel. Randolph Cutler (Jason Cermak) comes down and introduces himself to Eugenia. He explains that he is her father. Dawn is taken to meet her mother Laura Jean (Miranda Frigon) who realizes she’ll need time to adjust. Laura thinks it is best for Dawn to try to forget her old family. She introduces Dawn to her stuffed cat named Pernell. She explains that Lillian doesn’t like cats. Later, Dawn searches the house and finds newspaper clippers about her disappearance. Lillian interrupts, slaps her, and accuses her of stealing stuff. She grabs her hair until she realizes that she can’t sneak around her motel.

Philip talks to Eugenia when he gets home from school. They talk about their relationship and how it’ll have to change now. Eugenia explains that her whole life has been turned upside down. Philip suggests they can kiss and let it be their secret, but Eugenia isn’t going to accept it. She approaches Randolph to say she write a letter to Ormand. Dawn asks if he knows where she can send it. She wants to get some answers from him. Randolph says he’ll see to it as soon as he can. Philip interrupts Dawn’s work and takes her outside. He takes her to the place where their caretaker used to live. Philip used to come there all the time. He kisses her and says the cottage can be their place. Lillian catches them together and asks what is going on between them.

Dawn insists nothing happened and nothing will happen. Lillian gives her a name tag with Eugenia on it. Dawn suggests she should talk this over with her mother and father, but Lillian doubts they’re going to defy her. Lillian has the letter because everyone at the hotel does exactly what she tells them to do. Later, Dawn asks Sissy what she knows about the night she was taken. Sissy says Mrs. Boston is the one who knows everything there is to know about Cutler’s Cove. After throwing away her name tag, Dawn tries to get information from Mrs. Boston who says she doesn’t tell stories. All she knows is that Sally Longchamp had a stillborn baby right around when she was born. Sally and Ormand were crazy with grief so they snuck her out one night.

Lillian approaches Dawn to ask about the nametag. Dawn is told to go to her room and stay there. She won’t be fed until she agrees to wear the nametag. Clara checks on Dawn who hasn’t eaten for two days. She doesn’t know why Dawn is making life difficult for herself when everyone gives Lillian what she wants. Randolph checks on Dawn later. Dawn thinks they don’t want her and says it is like she only has her name left. Randolph says he’ll try to get the letter out personally if she wears the nametag. He takes the letter when she slips it under the door. Philip lets her out and takes her to the old house where Jimmy is waiting for her. Jimmy ran away from foster care and Philip said he could stay for a few days. Philip leaves them so they can catch up.

Jimmy doesn’t know what to make of any of this. Dawn tells Jimmy that she hates it there and isn’t wearing the Cutler name proudly. She believes she’d make things harder for Jimmy if she went without him. At work, Dawn keeps food for Jimmy before a man approaches and asks her to come with him. Lillian tells her that Mrs. Wormser in Room 237 is missing an expensive necklace. Although she denies having it, Lillian wants Dawn to undress. She can do it herself or Mr. Hornbeck (Shayne Elliott) will do it for her. Dawn asks Hornbeck to leave before undressing. As she leaves, Lillian tells her that this proves nothing. Dawn wonders how she was taken right under Mrs. Dalton’s nose and why they kept her on after that. Jimmy thinks he should move on.

She asks him not to leave yet. Dawn tries to get information about Dalton from Mrs. Boston. They were friends and it wasn’t unusual for Mrs. Dalton (Cheryl Swan) to step out of the nursery when she was sleeping. When asked why they kept her on, Boston suggests no one blamed Mrs. Dalton for something no one could’ve predicted. Boston doubts she’ll get anything from Mrs. Dalton now because she is funny in the head. Sissy says otherwise and claims she isn’t that funny in the head. She isn’t far from there either. Dawn tells Jimmy that she may finally be able to get answers. Jimmy confesses it makes it hard to be with her because she was his sister and she isn’t now. He has been having confusing thoughts ever since it happened.

Dawn has never thought about it that way. When Dawn returns to her room, Clara is there waiting for her. She admits she heard what they were talking about. Clara suggests the police would be interested in the runaway. When Dawn asks what she wants, Clara questions how she could talk to her brother like that. Clara asks if she is positive the necklace isn’t under her mattress. Dawn is positive she didn’t put it there. Clara gives her time to find it. Dawn steps out of the room with the necklace. Lillian catches her. Lillian decides to lie and say the necklace was found in the laundry. Dawn claims she was framed. As she leaves, Clara jokes about her not keeping her end of the deal. Jimmy is taken away by cops.

Jimmy promises to come back for Dawn when he is 18 in a couple of months. Philip confronts Dawn in the bathroom to ask if she wants to talk about it. She tries to get him to leave. Philip kisses her so Dawn bites him and pushes him to the floor. Later, Randolph tells Dawn that he managed to get her letter off. He says things tend to work out better when everyone does what mother says. Dawn approaches Clara to see why she told on Jimmy. Clara complains that she has been playing second fiddle to a ghost. Now, she is going to make her life a living hell. Dawn slaps her. She visits Mrs. Dalton who says there is guilt to go around. She believes it began with Dawn’s mother. Lillian never approved of Laura Jean.

It is believed her mother strayed after Philip was born. One of her flings lead to something unplanned. Although Lillian tried to convince Laura to end the pregnancy, she eventually agreed to convince Randolph the baby was his. Eventually, Lillian decided she didn’t want Eugenia around anymore. Around this time, Ormand and Sally suffered a miscarriage. Her grandmother decided to replace the baby with Eugenia. Mrs. Dalton was given a year’s salary to turn the other way. Dawn goes back and approaches Laura so they can talk. She wants to discuss her kidnapping and her real father. Laura doesn’t want to talk about it and insists she can’t be blamed for that horrible night. She says her grandmother has the final word in everything.

Then, Dawn approaches Lillian. In private, Dawn tells her that she knows everything. Mrs. Dalton agreed to tell the authorities the whole story. Lillian believes she has enough leverage to prevent that from happening. Dawn isn’t going to let it go. She threatens to call the Richmond Gazette. Lillian suggests she might be a Cutler after all before asking what she wants. Dawn wants her to use her influence to get Ormand out of jail and she wants to be treated decently by everyone around there. She wants to go to a school with an excellent music department. Finally, she says they’re going to call her Dawn. Soon, Clara learns that Dawn is getting new clothes. Lillian asks Dawn if she has heard of the Bernhardt School for the Arts.

She’ll be living there in New York. Philip learns Dawn is going to New York. She tells him that he raped those girls even though she can’t do anything to him right now. Then, Dawn gets to speak to Ormand over the phone. Dawn is taken away to New York. She could never go back to the way things had once been when she had believed in fairy tales and happy endings.

 

VC Andrews Dawn Review

The first part of Dawn was decent although the television movie is far from perfect. Since it aired on Lifetime, it really wasn’t that bad though. I’ve only read about the books and haven’t read them so I can’t speak on that part, but this seemed to follow the basic outline of the story pretty well. Dawn looks good enough without too much darkness or shaky camerawork making it difficult to watch.

While there were some awkward moments, the cast is decent for a Lifetime movie. At times, the scenes felt a little too modern. It is hard to say whether that was caused by the performances or the dialogue, but Dawn seemed like a modern, bratty teenager more than once. However, Brec Bassinger did a decent job with the role and the rest of the cast did well too.

This probably felt a little more authentic and fluid than Flowers In The Attic: The Origin. I usually get bored to death with shows and movies this long, but I didn’t in this situation so that says something. Overall, part one of Dawn was a pleasant watch that never got frustrating or boring. There were a handful of hiccups that stopped it from being spectacular though.

It scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of VC Andrews Dawn can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising on Reel Mockery here.