The Body

[Guestage_87]

I'm watching it right now for like the second time ever and I just have to say: THIS IS THE MOST BRILLIANT EPISODE OF BUFFY. Everything about it is just so well....sad, realistic, clever, so many words describe how great it was. The writing was great, the directioin and especially the acting on everyones part made this episode perfectly good tear jerker. Anya's breakdown was really good, but still in character. Xander getting his hand stuck in the wallwas funny but at the same timevery dramatic. Forget Restless or Hush or ONce More With Feeling, this is the best episode in the history of a show that has nothing but good episodes (cept for "Beer Bad" and "Him"). It just pulls at you. Sorry, just figured this episode deserves praise.

[rene]

it does that deserved so many awards! SMG and Michelle were perfect in it!!!! but t me anyas breakdown was bad acting

[Ripper]

I couldn't agree more, hostile_17. It's one of the most overlooked episodes of Buffy. Grown up, scary, emotional - altogether a very powerful piece indeed. It's most definitely in my top 3 episodes (after Hush and Restless).....

Ripper :)

[SlayingJulian]

This episode was the worst!!lol what i mean was it was the worst because it was too real. It made me cry. Joyce was dead and it was natural. Everything supernatural was out the window and here came a death from natural causes.

i was surprised this didn't win an emmy.

[spike's_bitca]

I think they got robbed when "the Body" didn't win an emmy

[Lilah]

rene, how could you say that! I think that was a fine bit of acting by Emma Caulfield!

The Body was a masterpiece.

[rene]

i dont know the acting was not as good to me as people said it was everyone else ewas excellent though

[Alyson]

Originally posted by rene
it does that deserved so many awards! SMG and Michelle were perfect in it!!!! but t me anyas breakdown was bad acting

What makes you say that?? I think Emma's proformance was very good, because Anya never understood death or even life, people just passed before her eyes and it never accured to her how precious lives can be. And I think Emma showd that very much.

[No, I am Doyle]

In my own personal opinion, The Body was one of the strongest episodes of BtVS to ever be produced by Joss Whedon. The central theme is stong and based completely out of the real world, as each actor and actress gave strong partayals of grief-stricken friends and family. SMG's reaction to finding her mother's corpse laying on the couch, and her subsequent reversion to a child-like state had me in near tears the first time; it was almost like walking in to the house with her and seeing that yourself. The episode captures the silent discomfort that follows a loved ones death, especially since there was NO music throughut the entire episode.
Emma Caufield's reaction, as a demon that didn't truely understand the concept of death and forever, was heartwrenching, I distincly recall feeling everything she said after my first family member died, when I was young and didn't understand such concepts myself. Each member of the cast simply gave superb performances, even Dawn's (who is sort of the Connor for BtVS) fall down disbeliefe seemed genuine and disheartening.
Please comment on the episode, whether you agree with me or not, and tell me what really hit the heartstrings, or if any part of the episode reminds you of personal anecdotes you feel comfortable sharing.
::bat::

[ana8]

Loved the ep..'Mum..mommie??' It was really an amzing ep..I agree that all actors and actresses did their best..And if someone after watching that ep will tell me that Buffy is just about demons and slayers I'm gonna serioulsy hurt them..

[Joan]

I agree, The body was ,nay, is one of the best eps ever. The lingering camera shots that were all blurry, Buffy's reaction to finding her mother and of course, Anya's speech. All great thing that makes this ep absolutely amazing :)

[BillieHunter]

The Body was seriously one of the most amazing hours of television I have ever seen. It was so well written and the acting was great.

[JustAnnie]

The Body is one of the best episodes ever in my opinion. And the very best of s5. It was so realistic...Too realistic almost, I couldn't stop crying! And Anya was just brilliant, that speech...And Willow not knowing what to wear...Xander with the hand through the wall...Buffy's reaction, Dawn's reaction...It was all so...real...

[Guestage_87]

It's the episode to show Buffy naye sayers, not OMWF or Restless or Hush, this is the one that proves that this show is excellent without using gimmicks.

[Jacklyn]

One thing that gives me chills specifically is the part where Dawn just falls over with grief and shock. It reminds me of a time when I was younger and my sister was in a very bad accident. She ended up being okay, but we didn't know that at the time. The police called us and I had pretty much the same reaction! When you can say that you've shared a reaction with a TV character you KNOW that's good TV!

[AngelicSlayer00]

i agree, that was a fantastically done episode, everything from the no music to the emotions really realistic.

[JustAnnie]

One thing that gives me chills specifically is the part where Dawn just falls over with grief and shock. It reminds me of a time when I was younger and my sister was in a very bad accident. She ended up being okay, but we didn't know that at the time. The police called us and I had pretty much the same reaction! When you can say that you've shared a reaction with a TV character you KNOW that's good TV!

Yeah...That's what I love so much about the entire show, and especially this episode, that you can relate people's reaction in situations.
When my grandfather died I had more of the reaction Buffy had, like it wasn't real, and the things people said was like it just slipped by me, I didn't notice people were talking to me.

Oh, and something I noticed...When Xander puts his hand through the wall and Tara says "it hurts" or something like that, it looks like Nicky is about to laugh...Anyone else notice that?

[Jacklyn]

Perhaps it's because that is a silly question to ask someone who just put their hand through the wall :D

[JustAnnie]

Perhaps it's because that is a silly question to ask someone who just put their hand through the wall :D
I guess...It looked like Amber/Tara was about to laugh aswell...Maybe they had made jokes about that line before shooting or something...

[Alyson]

One thing that gives me chills specifically is the part where Dawn just falls over with grief and shock. It reminds me of a time when I was younger and my sister was in a very bad accident. She ended up being okay, but we didn't know that at the time. The police called us and I had pretty much the same reaction! When you can say that you've shared a reaction with a TV character you KNOW that's good TV!

Yes I get what you mean, I remember on the Audio commentry Joss said something like "it was too real for Buffy, but for dawn it seemed not real enough" or something like that and i had her reaction sw few months later when my good freind Gavin died, i didnt really get ypset or anything but then we had a mass of it and I cried so hard because i realized that it was really true and sometimes it takes a while to sink in.
Also on the commentry he was saying that alot of people rang up and said the4y didnt really get over someones death untill then and it helped them go on.

[MentPatient]

The Body is one of the best episodes ever in my opinion. And the very best of s5. It was so realistic...Too realistic almost, I couldn't stop crying! And Anya was just brilliant, that speech...And Willow not knowing what to wear...Xander with the hand through the wall...Buffy's reaction, Dawn's reaction...It was all so...real...
Yeah, it was VERY realistic. It was so sad, Anya's speech about how she doesn't understand why Joyce can't be alive again. The episode was probably my second favorite (after OMWF).
Oh, and something I noticed...When Xander puts his hand through the wall and Tara says "it hurts" or something like that, it looks like Nicky is about to laugh...Anyone else notice that?
I think that was the only funny part in the show, that and Willow continuingly searching for her purple (or was it blue?) sweater, and it's under the cushion on their chair.

[Alyson]

yea i found that funny, the only time I laughed was that and when Anya hugged Giles, The rest of the time I spent flooding to room!

[Emma Caulfield]

I was watching this the other day when my brother walked in and screamed when he saw Joyces body! It was so funny! xD

[Tru]

It was so emotional when Buffy shouts at Giles "we're not supposed to move the body!", and she realises what she just said. She's just in shock and he runs to hug her.
I almost cried at Anya's speech in Tara and Willow's place, it was sosad! ::crying::

[JollyApe]

A question about the ep.

What does the scene when Buffy opens the backdoor and just starrs out into the sunlight represent? That scene always puzzles me, because I don't seem to be able to make a real meaning of it. I mean it's about the reality of her death and it's kinda a contrast to what is happening inside and in Buffys mind, but still. Joss doesn't even say anything about that one in the commentary, or does he? it was a while since I last watched it.

Any thoughts, ideas, comments about that scene?

[Alyson]

Do you mean when she is waiting for the hospital? I was puzzled to that aswell. I asked me sis, but she gave me the 'don't worry its to complex for your primative mind' thing.

[eponinethen]

A question about the ep.

What does the scene when Buffy opens the backdoor and just starrs out into the sunlight represent? That scene always puzzles me, because I don't seem to be able to make a real meaning of it. I mean it's about the reality of her death and it's kinda a contrast to what is happening inside and in Buffys mind, but still. Joss doesn't even say anything about that one in the commentary, or does he? it was a while since I last watched it.

Any thoughts, ideas, comments about that scene?

You mean in their house..? If that's what you mean I think Joss does mention it in the commentaries. Probably something about Buffy seeing that something happens outside, things still work and all that although right now for Buffy time has stopped, and she can't understand that things are still moving outside. And that's probably why we don't get to see what's happening outside, cause we're supposed to be in this bubble which only contains Buffy's house.. And in Buffy's house everything is Joyce's death right now, nothing else exists.
(Ok maybe this wasn't the scene you meant..)

[Jill_Valentine]

My take on that scene is pretty much the same as Eponinethens'... It's an intense episode, in near real time. Buffy's taking some air, but also giving the viewer a chance to deal with the fact that our fearless heroine Buffy, Slayer of Vampyrs, has just been sick, and looks utterly wretched. If you listen closely you can hear kids playing in the distance. Buffy can hear them too. Maybe even see them. But they're in a different world to Buffy now, they're something alien. For now, there's nothing else in her world but the body.

[Ryann]

I watched this today...I was really, really crying.

Last christmas, my nan was found dead like Joyce, and watching that ep. again really touched me...bcause the feeling I had back then came back. The cast were brilliant, and the whole thing was directed and made exactly how these things happen.

I always love Ally, so obviously I thought she was wonderful in the 'I need to change' scene, but Sarah Michelle Geller was as good as she could have been when she found Joyce. Her performance was both convincing and really touching.

[eponinethen]

I always love Ally, so obviously I thought she was wonderful in the 'I need to change' scene, but Sarah Michelle Geller was as good as she could have been when she found Joyce. Her performance was both convincing and really touching.
I'm sorry about your nan Ryann, I've never experienced anything like this and I get completely depressed when watching this episode, I understand that it must be a lot harder when you have something in your one life.. that has been sort of the same..
I agree. The two of them..
Sarah in the beginning, she really gets show what a great actress she is, this is one of the episodes in which I just love her way of acting.. I couldn't breathe for the whole first scene, cause of the way she was.. amazing..
And Alyson, in that scene, with the changing of clothes.. and the not knowing what to wear, how to be, what to say, how to react.. When she cries, how good she is at crying.. That we see a lot close ups on her (and Amber).. I cry so much every time I see this..

[Alyson]

I'm sorry about your nan Ryann. I have not watched this episode since, my freind died, but alot of it - like anya - I din't understand, like if I ever did have some kind of insident like that to happen to me, how I should react. But when it did, I didnt understand it more, like anya. I mean a fit and healthy 16 year old, or in this case 30-something year old, could just die like that and it wasent like they were in a crusshed car, or drowned in the ocean, just how the body could stop.

[Spuffy57]

I think they got robbed when "the Body" didn't win an emmy

i think Buffy has been robbed of an emmy MUCH more than that episode (i always thought Passion should've got one it was a great episode)

[Alyson]

I am not to clear in the whole US awards thing, but isn't Emmey awards only for shows on the "ABC" channel or sumethin?

[Jacklyn]

Nope-Emmy's are awards for all TV-althought the award show is aired on the ABC network, so that might be where you got your wires crossed. :)

[killerdwarf]

A question about the ep.

What does the scene when Buffy opens the backdoor and just starrs out into the sunlight represent? That scene always puzzles me, because I don't seem to be able to make a real meaning of it. I mean it's about the reality of her death and it's kinda a contrast to what is happening inside and in Buffys mind, but still. Joss doesn't even say anything about that one in the commentary, or does he? it was a while since I last watched it.

Any thoughts, ideas, comments about that scene?

I kinda got the impression Buffy was "contemplating the infinite" in that scene. Just letting her mind rest from the intensity she was experiencing, and hearing the kids playing was a reminder that life does go on, and somewhere else the sun was shining and kids were playing. My take.

[eponinethen]

I kinda got the impression Buffy was "contemplating the infinite" in that scene. Just letting her mind rest from the intensity she was experiencing, and hearing the kids playing was a reminder that life does go on, and somewhere else the sun was shining and kids were playing. My take.
But was she ready for that..? I would've agreed if it were later in the episode.. But I consider this to be more like.. well, she hears that life goes on and the kids and everything but she doesn't want it to, go on, since everything has stopped she doesn't understand how kids can be playing outside and how things can go on happening.. cause in her house and mind and life everything has stopped and she feels like nothing will ever go on, this is stop, end, never anything more again..

[killerdwarf]

Well, yeah, I can see that too.

[phoenixrising]

'The Body' is Joss Whedon showing, once again, what he can do with an hour of TV time. An intense episode that keeps hitting you in the gut and doesn't let you out until the end and doesn't even give you an ending, as Dawn never does touch her mother's body.

I've mentioned this before, but Anya's speech about not understanding death always makes me cry, but the episode is full of great moments.

*Buffy's decent into childhood right at the begining ('Mom? Mom? Mommy?').
*The pause the 911 operator makes when Buffy says Joyce is cold.
*Willow trying at act like a grown-up and falling to pieces and Tara comforting her.
*Willow's 'put up your dukes' routine when she realizes that Xander needs someone to blame/fight cause he feels so helpless.
*Xander putting his fist through the wall, enabling them to be the Scoobies by having a crisis to solve, if only for a moment.
*The bonding moment between Buffy and Tara.
*The final scene with Dawn reaching out to touch her mother.

The thing about this episode was I never saw it when it first aired. Shortly before I bought the DVD, my father had passed away and my mother had died two years before that. The episode affected me because I understood everything the characters were going through. When my mother passed away, I was Dawn, determined to see my mom, because it wouldn't be real until I did. I was Buffy, going through everything in a kind of numb haze. By having Joyce die a ordinary, almost mundane death, Joss Whedon touched something that is in all of us, the fear of losing a loved one. And it is a fear that is inevitable because people die everyday and some of them might be our own loved ones.

[Cookie Dough]

It had the most powerful acting I've ever seen. I only have to think about the episode to start crying. My favorite things are Buffy at the beginning and all of Anya's performance but when I rewatch it I see so many of the other characters.

But I like when Anya says to Buffy "I wish Joyce didn't die...because she was nice and now we all hurt." and Xander looks at her, kind of embarassed for her being so blunt. But then Buffy looks up at her and says "Thank you" because she understands that Anya is really trying to be sympathetic.

There should be an award show for overlooked talent and it should be called the BtVS Award.

[Deadly]

This episode was one of the best. Very realistic. Some of Sarah Michelle Gellar's finest acting to date. I hadn't seen the episode before this one, so when Buffy walks to the stairs in the very beginning and you see Joyce's body in the background, I was just shocked. Everything was so realistic, from Buffy's first reaction to her brief fantasy that she got there in time and her mom was okay. There was a few cute moments in the episode, like the gang's "We panicked." when they return with probably everything from the vending machine.
For acting, the people that stand out are Emma, Alyson, and of course Sarah. Even my mom complimented Alyson's acting, which is incredibly rare, as she can't stand the show. I loved the way the first on screen kiss between Willow and Tara was just put in, without making a big deal about it. It wasn't the One Where The Lesbians Kiss, it was natural.
I can't say much that hasn't already been explained by all of you, just wanted to contribute a little bit.

[Chasing Cordy]

I took a peek at this episode before I actually got to it offically.

I can see why some people think it's boring, but also there are some great scenes and speeches involved as well.

The scenes are indeed a bit lengthy, but the scene with Willow trying to figure out what to wear, followed by Anya's "I don't understand" speech was the highlight of show. Truly good stuff there.

I will say that even though this was good, it didn't quite move me as much as the situation when Buff ran away from home and dealt with lonliness.

Lonliness is something we don't have to face (as opposed to death--which we all face) and that's why Buff facing something she didn't have to go through was much more emotional for me.

[M-a-r-c]

People find this episode boring? whats wrong with you people! (just kidding, I'm not an angry person lol)

I thought this episode was amazing not only in writing but it was superbly acted by ALL members of the cast and thought it was dealt with in a realistic and relateable way. I've never lost a close relative or experienced finding a dead body but I dont think it was over-acted or anything it was perfect.

I loved that Joyces corpse was refered to as the body so many times, and that the paramedics had to leave because they had other people to save showing buffys helplessness and her inability to beat the bad guy, which is her usual sloution. and I knind of thought it was shown that joyces death wasnt really that important to other people. Not the main cast but the staff and stuff.

Anya's scene like you said was the highlight, and willow, and dawn being told, and everything! I loved it and found it to be one of the most memorable episodes of the show.

[Kimm]

I'm not sure how someone could find this episode boring!! In my opinion is stands out as one of the better episodes in the series.

I thought the acting was well done.

I also thought that the absence of ANY background music made it seem so much more raw and real.

I thought this episode was very well done. :clap:

[Summers Blood]

A boring episode! I don't think so!!!

I loved this episode because it was so different to all the other episodes. There was no music, it was so quiet. Buffy's reaction, even the sickness she felt was so real. I have never seen a dead body but I found myself relating to her, I could imagine myself doing that down to cleaning it up.

I loved the scene in where Willow and the gang where preparing to go to the hospital, especially when Xander hit the wall. I just found it great. It was one of those moments where you wanted to laugh but it seemed wrong to do so.

Also when Buffy told Dawn, I just wanted to jump through the TV and hug them both. Personally my opinion is that this was a great episode! I loved it as I thought it was dealt with brilliantly.

[eponinethen]

I didn't know people found it boring either.. It's one of my favourite episodes.. Not at all boring.. hm..

(Merged this thread with the The Body-thread..)

[alluring dejection]

^ Yeah, through this three-page thread alone, only one person said it wasn't his favorite, but didn't say it was boring. :[

Anywho, I, too, love the show for all the above reasons (acting, various but purposeful camera shots, different reactions for each character, no music, real time, etc.).

I cried nearly in every scene, but the few scenes that get me the most are Anya's monologue, Buffy's beginning scene (especially when she catches herself calling her mom "the body" for the first time), Willow's indecisiveness over such a petty thing (which is obviously blown out of proportion due to the cirumstances), and when Dawn doesn't touch her mother.

This is definitely up there in top three BTVS episodes.

[Iron Dreamer]

A good episode, but not a great one, as the rest of you would have me believe. One thing I've noticed about this show is that it does not excel at sentimentality. I sense the reason behind this is that SMG and Co., in these situations, are inclined to overplay the roles to the point of self-parody. The directors needed to mute the acting just the right amount to keep their respective episodes out of maudlin territory.

When I saw that Whedon not only wrote the script but also called the shots, I had hoped that his directorial control would keep the performances in line. Wrong again.

As for the absence of music, you could say I'm ambivalent on that issue. Generally, hour-long episodes of any show need music to keep up the pace; otherwise, they turn out duller than they otherwise might be. Here, though, there's supposedly a purpose behind it that I'm still in the dark about.

To summarize: Eminently watchable, but something of a disappointment.

[What happened to good TV?]

I have to defend one of the best buffy episodes here! Iron dreamer wtf! Your entitled to your opinion on it , but I disagree entirely with your negative comments about the episode.

The acting in my opinion was spot on, not at all to the point of self parody as you put it. In fact the oposite. I found ALL actors portrayals of their characters reaction to death of someone close to be realistic and full of emotion that was clear to me as an audience member. I believed their performance, and felt they acted to a standard that surpased the quality I'd expect from even the best television.

I thought the lack of music was VERY effective in setting the mood for the episode. I think Joss should be commended for his risk in not using music. I think your comment about hour long tv shows 'needing' music otherwise they're dull and slow paced as a criticism was absurd. It wasnt meant to be fast paced or particularly bright and cheerful(or whatever the oposote of dull is) I felt that it put me as an audience member into the buffys confused and distraught state of mind.

Personally I thought it was a work of art and tv genius. Joss and all involved in the creation of this memorable episode should be congratulated on their achievment and not critised in such a way!


(I apoligise for the above post. I feel passionately about the episode and feel obliged to defend criticism. This is my opinion, and you're entitled to yours)

[eponinethen]

A good episode, but not a great one, as the rest of you would have me believe. One thing I've noticed about this show is that it does not excel at sentimentality. I sense the reason behind this is that SMG and Co., in these situations, are inclined to overplay the roles to the point of self-parody. The directors needed to mute the acting just the right amount to keep their respective episodes out of maudlin territory.

When I saw that Whedon not only wrote the script but also called the shots, I had hoped that his directorial control would keep the performances in line. Wrong again.

As for the absence of music, you could say I'm ambivalent on that issue. Generally, hour-long episodes of any show need music to keep up the pace; otherwise, they turn out duller than they otherwise might be. Here, though, there's supposedly a purpose behind it that I'm still in the dark about.

To summarize: Eminently watchable, but something of a disappointment.
Wow, this post really surprises me, how people can have such different opinions about something like this. Do you really think that the acting wasn't good at all? I'd agree about Emma's famous speech (sorry Anya fans), but the rest of them did an awesome job in my opinion. And the absence of music really really works for me. First time I saw The Body I thought it was almost unbarable to watch, because I felt like I couldn't breathe.. I think Joss really succeeded there. This is one of my two all time favourite TV episodes ever, completely genious to me.

[Iron Dreamer]

Yeah, I kinda anticipated some of you guys would come after me. :tank:

Remember, I did not say this episode was a turkey! FAR from it. "Beer Bad" or "Go Fish", this ain't. Out of a possible 10 points, I'd probably give "The Body" a "7", which is nothing to sneeze at. :)

As I watched the episode, I desperately fought all urges to compare it with an episode from another series, one where the main characters aren't coping with someone else's demise, but rather, their own.

You never know. This one might grow on me with repeated viewings. :biggrin:

[eponinethen]

Actually, when I quite recently watched an episode of The L Word that reminded me of The Body, I couldn't help comparing it to this episode.. And I think I would have loved the L Word ep a lot more if I hadn't, cause to me The Body just works so awesomely great.. compared to many other similar episodes from other shows...

[coolcheese]

Can't watch this eppisode, it makes my heart hurt.

Seriously though, i can't really thim of another eppisode of TV that has been as real as the body. That's including 60 minuts, the news, u get the picture. I was watching it when my 7 year old brother walked in, when buffy was giving her mum CPR, and he sat down, and watched the rest of the eppisode, as if it was actualy better than the cartoons he usually watches. When I think about it, it's not that spectacular, it's just a guy with a camera and a bunch of actors crying or looking at the floor, but that's probably one of the things that makes it so real.

[Black Eye Guy]

I honestly cant believe that anyone believes the acting was terrible! I mean the acting of SMG was incredible, very real and effective on the viewer, also Alyson Hannigan did an amazing job, she looked truly upset!

[hyperballadbrad]

Fantastic episode..... cold, dark, sooo real!! Its vry eery and really leaves a mark!

[Iron Dreamer]

This one has gone up in my estimation. :)

I no longer have any quarrel with the acting--it is fine and unobtrusive. Saying it will find me going through a whole box of Kleenex is a still a bit of a stretch, though.

The only real quibble I have is with the inclusion of a vampire--the fewer fantasy pills an episode forces the viewer to swallow, the better.

My rating: 8 :happy30:

[What happened to good TV?]

I have to agree with Iron dreamer about the quibble of the in my opinion unnecessary inclusion of the vampire in this episode. I think its great in other episodes, but I felt the episode would've been more powerful if there wasnt one. I watched it today and was once again amazed at the episode. There was a bit i had to remind and rewatch that I didnt remember. When the pathologist guy tells buffy and the gang the cause of Joyces death and buffy asks if there was any pain the doctor says 'I'm sure there was none' and then 'I'm have to lie to make you feel better' as a voice over(cos you can see the lips are out of sync with the voice. I gotta say I didnt remember this and thought it was brilliant!! really put you in buffys state of mind. I love it. I loved watching the Willow obsessing over what clothes to wear, and Anyas memorable speech, but most of all this time around I realy appreciated the quality of Buffy-tara interactions and most of all buffy telling dawn. That is now my favourite bit of the episode.

[Helpless]

The Body has so many good things about it, the acting is superbly done but also...the whole storyline of it all. It's so real, and it was so sudden. It's a horrible way to find your mother, but don't horrible things always happen in the Jossverse anyhow? We just had to adjust, as did the characters. It was one of the best episodes, actors/actresses as well as the writers at their best.

[Mango]

I watched this episode once, and then was forced to watch it again for a lesson at school that I can't remember the name of where the subject was dealing with death, but I will never watch it again. It brings me down so much. It just upsets me to think that that kind of thing really does happen in life and it is freaking scary.

[SlayerShel]

I watched this episode again last night... so it is fresh on my mind. I wouldn't say that I like watching the episode...I find it VERY difficult to watch. However, I think it IS an EXCELLENT episode, quite possibly the most powerful of the series, if not TV shows in general.

It all seems so real and I can't hold back the waterworks.

[kimbonka]

This episode was so hard for me to watch, but such an amazing performance on all parts. The hardest part for me was when Anya couldn't grasp why Joyce had died. The only reason I'm posting this is because I saw this quote..


"But I don't understand, I don't understand how this all happens, how we go through this, I mean I knew her, and now she's...there's just a body, and I don't understand how come she just can't get back in it and not be dead anymore. It's stupid! It's mortal! and it's stupid! And Xander's crying and not talking, and I was having fruit punch and I was thinking that well Joyce will never have fruit punch, ever, and she'll never have eggs, or yawn, or brush her hair, not ever, and no one will explain to me why." - Anya

It's hard because everyone is mad at her for acting the way she does, but she just doesn't know any better! So sad...

[angeldarla]

yeah. everybody says that anya's speech is the saddest part of the ep. i think it too. willow was too hard on anya, she just didn't understand the human life. i guess that xander could have explained that to her but he couldn't have guessed that anya didn't know.

[drtroy]

that was an amazing scene..there are no words to describe..it..it is so underrated..her expression..her crying..was perfect..especially the "mommy" part, because we all know right then there..that she realized her mother was dead, she was not coming back..I mean as I watched it..it just struck me hard also...you felt what sarah was feeling ..you were in shock..you cried..amazing episode.

[kimbonka]

I think it was also so powering because there was no sound, no music, no nothing. Just a body. You can really tell that Joss put his heart into it, knowing that he lost his mother, you can just tell, that her feelings were his feelings. It was just so sad

[blaketata]

The Body...
This Is The Episode I NEVER Will Forget.
It was packed With intense thrills and chills
and the Emotion Is Just Too Overwhelming.

I Could feel The Amount Of Anger That Willow Was Experiencing When Anya Was Asking Those Random Yet Rude Questions.

I Always LIked Joyce, She Was Such A Gentle Loving Mother/Person And Treated Everyone With Respect.
I Missed Her Being In The Show...She Was A Big Part Of It For Me.

[SpuffyisEternal]

The cool kind of eerie way that they had the whole episode shot with no sound of music in the background added to the suspense of the epi. It was deffinately one of my favorite epis of season 5. And I was crying throughout the whole thing!!!!::crying2:

[spuffy]

I cired when Buffy opened the door and you can barely hear Children laughing and playing in the background it was as if everything was going fine outside the house but inside it was so calm and cold...

[Mandy333]

I agree with was a wonderfull eppy to watch. Joss did a wonderfull job filmeing it. When I watch it , just like Buffy dying I cry watching this one. I did like how Anya didnt know how to act at first then got mad. Thats just how real life is. No one knows how to act, when someone they love dies like that.

[bitca4]

Yes, this is probably the most brillant episode of Buffy!! I was watching an interview with Joss, and he says that there is no music in the episode... and I never noticed that... he said that with no music, it makes people feel uncomfortable... and I remember feeling uncomfortable! Does anybody else feel that way?

[definition of insane]

I think the no music factor makes it more real. It's like portraying the harsh reality of death...it's something that happens to everyone and especially in the Buffyverse, to have such a "natual" death (meaning not killed by vamps or mystical or demonic means) it's just goes to show how inevitable death is but also uncomfortable it can be.

Edit: And yes, I also thought this was a brilliant episode. Very well played on everyone's part.

[jesterjay]

Hardest episode that I usually skip over. Anyone else notice the lack of music througout the episode. Makes everything just stand on end...hair wise.

it's probably the most powerful episode conveyed in our Buffy verse.

[MarsGirl]

This episode gives me goosebumps everytime I watch it. Death is something that everyone can relate to. Anya's confusion over death always gets to me.

[Jone]

This is one of my favorite Buffy episodes of all time. It's just so sad and how everyone reacted to her death was really realisitic. Like recently I had to go to a little boy's funeral and I didn't know what to wear. And then I remembered when Willow was trying to pick out an outfit and she was having a panic attack. I was going through that! I also liked how Buffy reacted when she saw the body. It was so emotional, I cried! And Anya's speech really made me start loving that character.

[Brightside of a Dark Mind]

I think they got robbed when "the Body" didn't win an emmy

x 2

It's one of the most overlooked episodes of Buffy. Grown up, scary, emotional - altogether a very powerful piece indeed

Indeed. It was strikingly brilliant, pretty much for alot of the reasons already mentioned in this thread. Buffy's reactions, the lack of music, Anya's speech at the end, the way they filmed the scene where Buffy broke the news to Dawn at school, pretty much everything about it.

The first time I watched it I, I was like wow. Just wow. The feeling produced by knowing that Joyce is gone for good, it truly defies adjectives. You felt the emptiness, the nostalgia, the shock. For a second its almost as if you personally are experiencing the loss of a family member, or somebody who is very close to you.

This episode certainly deserves praise.

Edit:

but t me anyas breakdown was bad acting


I'm going to have to disagree with you. Truth be known, I actually felt Alyson's acting during the scene where she is indecisive about what to wear to be a little exagerated and fake.

Normally I think she's a great actress, but idk about some of her crying scenes sometimes.

[mostpotential]

I began watching Buffy soemtime around the fourth season, but I was missing so much I bought all seasons on DVD to watch from the beginning, and stopped watching on TV. When I got to "The Body," my mother had just passed away suddenly (aneurism, believe it or not). I couldn't watch it. I skipped it. It took me over a year to return to it and actually sit through it.

Dawn's reaction was pretty much on point with my initial reaction; Buffy's was reminiscent of my response in the following months. The actors all did a superb job portraying their sadness and loss...and Joss did a wonderful job with the episode (particularly the cinematography--the camera angles and lighting were often unusual and stark, respectively). This was, by far, one of the best episodes, and even though it's been years since my mother's death, I still hesitate when I go to watch "The Body"; it's realism sometimes hits too close to home, and it affects me in a way no other episode or movie or book ever has.

Kudos to Joss!

[TabulaRasa]

I think the only music in that episode is the instrumental The First Noel.

[codyw1]

It is very powerful stuff. Once seen, never forgotten.

[lexicat]

I was trying to describe this episode to my girlfriend the other day coz I watched it a couple of nights ago and the only words I could come up with were "deep" "emotional" and "real"

Anya's speech about not understanding ALWAYS gets me. It's just so immensely true how one day someone's there, then the next they're gone and there's no real explanation for what happened and why it can't get fixed.
Fortunately, I've never had to deal with losing someone but I think I would react a lot like Buffy in the sense that I would be totally numb.
The acting in this episode is some of the best I have ever seen because of the fact that it can be very difficult to only show that raw emotion, which is why I think the actors have a lot to be proud of, as well as the writers.
This is one of the episodes that I think the writers deserve full credit for because it's just so REAL. The fact that there was none of the traditional Buffy background tunes made it that more real, almost like there was no sound but the quietness of grief which makes it seem like it's actually happening. It makes you feel like you're there...

I think I've stopped making sense now.....

Truly amazing episode... 'nuf said

[EvanCooper93]

This is in my top 10 favorite episodes of all time! I love it.

[Supergirl]

I personally thought that this episode was beautifully directed and the way everyone dealt differently with Joyce's death was actually quite painful to watch. With Anya's clueless-ness of the situation, Buffy's complete and utter disbelief at what had happened, Dawn's meltdown and Xander's anger (the hand through the wall bit), I was literally glued to my TV set. I think that it was easily the saddest BtVS episode, but strangely enough, I didn't even shed a tear throughout the entire thing. Beautiful stuff.

[LittleMissLikesToFight]

My mom passed away this year. In february. It was, quite like Joyce, sudden. And also like Joyce, she was young by most standards (only 51). When I got up to The Body in around august, i wasn't sure if i wanted to watch it or not. I had only seen it the once on t.v. prior. But i wasn't sure if i would be ready to watch such an episode. However, i felt wrong skipping an episode after watching everything else all the way through.

So i found a time when i could be alone, and watched it. And cried. Cried hysterically. Because it was all so true. The emotion, the confusion, the anger, the shock... it was so perfectly displayed and unlike any other take on death i have seen. And as hard as it was for me to watch the episode, it almost made me feel better because ifelt like i was understood. That those writers understood. that the actors who so wonderfully portrayed how it really feels, in some way, understood. It sounds funny but the episode makes me feel a little less alone.

I swear if I ever met Joss i would give him the biggest hug and thank you for it.

[FaithFan2005]

This Episode reduced me to tears it was that sad.My granmother passed away a few years ago(cancer) and I can remember dying inside(we were extremely close).Dawns reaction hit the nail on the head.Bufy's did too.The actors did an excellent job with this episode.

Edit:

Also I think that after Buffy killed the zombie(?)she could have freaked a little.Not to compare Charmed and Buffy but when Prue died Piper and Phoebe had to vanquish a demon and Piper freaked.

[~angelic slayer~]

Well, after four years of avoiding this episode like the plague-- I finally did it.

I watched "The Body".

And cried like a BABY! :cry2:

I have to say right off the bat, I thought this was an EXCELLENTLY done episode! I really noticed the lack of music, and I think that that decision really threw the audience into the story just that much more. No sad songs, no dramatic background themes, just silence-- much like in real life. The camera angles also, I thought, were a brilliant thought. It was really against the usual grain of things, and the way it was done again, made you feel almost as though you WERE Buffy (or Willow, or Xander, etc). We see things from their point of view-- right down to the height difference between Buffy and the Parametic.

The clips to Joyce's body in the morgue I also thought were an important part of the episode. The flashbacks almost served as a reminder of her life, while the morgue images constantly reminded us all that yes these characters are crying because JOYCE IS DEAD-- which is somehow easier to forget than I'd think.

I also think that it was a good choice for Joss and co. to have Joyce die of something human-- something that no matter how hard she tried, Buffy couldn't slay. There was no bad guy, no supernatural forces, no happy ending.... just... life. Real, true kind of life and a reality in it that people are forced to go through every day. It wasn't made up to be any signifigant part of a "bigger plan"-- it just was. Even when Xander's character mentioned Glory, the writers made sure it was shot down to leave no question that this was just something that HAPPENED.

Some really great lines in here too. Willow and her blue sweater, Anya's "why" speech.... I think the one thing in the whole episode that really got me was when Giles first comes to the house. He was so clueless to the whole ordeal, and Buffy's final line: "We're not supposed to move the body!" just really, REALLY broke my heart. Incredibly sad, but AMAZING writing on Joss' part.

All in all, I'm really glad I watched it. Definitely give it 10/10, any day.

[palabravampiress]

For all of the reasons that have already been mentioned, I think this is probably my absolute favorite episode of Buffy. The first time I saw it, I just assumed it won an Emmy. That's the first time I've ever watched an episode of any show and just taken its Emmy winning goodness for granted. I can't believe it didn't win!

I will show it to my mom someday. It will change her opinion of Buffy. I just couldn't show it last time she was in town. It's too soon after her mom died.

[Elithustra]

I really, really didn't like this episode. It was such an intense episode, and granted it was meant to be that way. It was so serious, so docile, so unlike the majority of the series, it totally blew me away. I didn't cry, not until the second time I saw it because I think throughout a lot of the first time I watched it, as I said, I was too blown away. I couldn't believe that she'd lost her Mum. I mean, my mother is my rock, I adore that woman and if I were to loose her now... at just slightly older than what Buffy was, I believe... it would just be the end of me for a quite some time. To think that Buffy went on to be strong, to continue to slay... that's a courage and a strength that's just admirable.

[frayadjacent]

I just watched "The Body" last night and just reading these posts about it at work is making me emotional again.

There's not much to say that hasn't already been said, I think everyone's acting was amazing and this is a brilliant and powerful episode and one of the most emotional episodes of any series I've seen thus far.

There's always something that bothered me though. I know it was put in to make it seem like Joyce's relationship was progressing and to make her death seem more sudden in comparison - but I always wondered why we never saw or heard from Brian her date? I also thought it was weird that we see flowers from Brian right before we see Joyce's dead body.

Why introduce a character that's never seen or even mentioned again? Even if he was just used to throw people off before Joyce's death you would think there would be a mention of him being contacted about her death or even an appearance by him.

At first I used to wonder (more hope) that he had something to do with her death, but now I'm just more bothered by him even being in the story than anything. Anyone else find out anything about this non-character?

[Joyce Summers]

Damn, I would have put this as a karma comment Fray, but apparently I babble for too long.

What I was going to say was:

Brian was basically a plot device to show Joyce was completely well again and just as importantly, happy. Joss likes to kill characters off when they are at their most happy or complete. The flowers were showing that Joyce was finally having a progressive, non-homicidal-robot-involving relationship that was with a nice guy and made her happy. She was nervous and as giddy as a teenager on a first date in I Was Made to Love You showing that she really liked the guy a lot. And then as Buffy said as regards to the flowers 'Still a couple of guys getting it right'. This was everything Joyce had been looking for in a relationship and had she survived it would have no doubt progressed into something much more, but her death brought it to an abrupt and immature end. The flowers being shown just before her body was emphasizing that. Making it hurt more for us, Buffy, Joyce and even Brian who while we may not officially see was presumably at the funeral.

We don't learn anymore of Brian (Beyond he knew next to nothing about antique cameos) because he was directly linked to Joyce so when her story ended, so did his.

So in answer to your question, I'm afraid we never know more of him that what we learn at the beginning of IWMTLY

[frayadjacent]

Well Joyce, since Joss will never tell how'd the date go? Tell me about this "Brian" guy.

[Airam]

I just watched this episode again and I can hardly see the screen right now cause my eyes are almost swollen shut from the tear fest I just had :p Nothing new, happens every time I watch it, lol. Anyway, I was reminded while watching of how the inclusion of the vamp at the end kinda bugs me. It by no means ruins the episode for me or anything but I just feel it wasn't really necessary to include a vamp fight scene in this episode. I think I would love it more (if thats possible) if they had kept it strictly about the human emotions. Dawn still coulda gone off to see Joyce and Buffy could have just been concerned that she'd been gone a while (without hearing screams) and gone to find her and there could have been some other variation on that scene between the two of them so that the blanket would fall off Joyce and I think it would have had the same impact, without a vamp cameo... it just took a little away from the message/theme of the episode for me.

[Violet]

I watched this ep over and over for 2 hours after my brother died in 2007 aged 23 it made me feel better some how.

[luckystar]

its an incredible episode, powerfull and very realistic,people often say that they watch an episode like this when they had a beravement and it spoke to them in such a way so u gota give credit to joss and his actors when his work gets people like that, its not an easy task, i would rate this eppy as one of the finest in buffy history and the fact that it ends with a vampire slay really sends the message that life goes on no matter what, dramatic way to end, kudos all round, terrific episode, one complaint though i wouldnt have objected to giving aly some more screen time with that whole trying to pick an outfit scene she was amazing

[fly on the wall]

Anyway, I was reminded while watching of how the inclusion of the vamp at the end kinda bugs me. It by no means ruins the episode for me or anything but I just feel it wasn't really necessary to include a vamp fight scene in this episode. I think I would love it more (if thats possible) if they had kept it strictly about the human emotions. Dawn still coulda gone off to see Joyce and Buffy could have just been concerned that she'd been gone a while (without hearing screams) and gone to find her and there could have been some other variation on that scene between the two of them so that the blanket would fall off Joyce and I think it would have had the same impact, without a vamp cameo... it just took a little away from the message/theme of the episode for me.

That was the point. We were supposed to be reminded that even with all this real-life horribly human stuff going on, we were still in Sunnydale, and Buffy still had a job to do. It was one of the more gruesome vampire slayings (vamp was naked, Buffy had to slowly cut his head off) to emphasize that. It was supposed to be out of place.

[sk73]

That was the point. We were supposed to be reminded that even with all this real-life horribly human stuff going on, we were still in Sunnydale, and Buffy still had a job to do. It was one of the more gruesome vampire slayings (vamp was naked, Buffy had to slowly cut his head off) to emphasize that. It was supposed to be out of place.

I can understand the point with the vamp fight at the end. It's valid reasons I guess.

But I still think that I would prefered the episode being vamp free.
Not that it, like Airam says, ruins the episode in any way. I just felt unnecessary (in lack of a better word) to me.

/SK

[BASBritt]

One of m favorite epi's of the whole series. It was simply brilliant, and I LOVED how each character dealt with it differently. It was so true to life; showing how people deal with the unexplained and unexpected death of a loved one.
Anya's speech was heartbreaking... I kinda of felt the same way when my grandma passed away last year...

[Darling]

Great direction, great no-soundtrack.... Great acting moments.. Anya was perfect!

But too sad for me. I think I´ll only watch it this one time and.. enough :(

[BASBritt]

I could watch that episode over and over.... It makes my heart ache but I love it. Some truly brilliant acting in this episode. :)

[Airam]

That was the point. We were supposed to be reminded that even with all this real-life horribly human stuff going on, we were still in Sunnydale, and Buffy still had a job to do. It was one of the more gruesome vampire slayings (vamp was naked, Buffy had to slowly cut his head off) to emphasize that. It was supposed to be out of place.


Right, thats all fine and I get that thats what they were going for and in that capacity it works well. I'm just saying that, IMO, they could have gone the other way with it. Gone with the the theme that despite the fact that they live in Sunnydale where all this supernatural death and mayhem constantly goes on that that stuff does not engulf every aspect of their lives. This episode focused on tragedy without the supernatural and how these characters dealt with that kind of jolting loss, I thought it would have worked just as effectively to follow that theme through to the end without adding a supernatural distraction from their humain pain and suffering. It was still good, just thought it would have been just as good or better without the vamp fight.

[BASBritt]

Right, thats all fine and I get that thats what they were going for and in that capacity it works well. I'm just saying that, IMO, they could have gone the other way with it. Gone with the the theme that despite the fact that they live in Sunnydale where all this supernatural death and mayhem constantly goes on that that stuff does not engulf every aspect of their lives. This episode focused on tragedy without the supernatural and how these characters dealt with that kind of jolting loss, I thought it would have worked just as effectively to follow that theme through to the end without adding a supernatural distraction from their humain pain and suffering. It was still good, just thought it would have been just as good or better without the vamp fight.
I agree... I thought the vamp fight took away from what the whole epi was about.