In the entire Buffyverse, only two episodes make me cry every single time that I watch them: "Angel" season five's "You're Welcome" and "The Body." They just rip you apart. I don't even know how to describe this episode adequately. It is the most realistic representation of death that I've ever seen in any medium. The overwhelming silence of the episode, the helpless "now what do we do?" feelings of those left behind, the desperate need to blame someone... anyone... for the unexplainable. This isn't an easy episode to watch, but it takes the show to new artistic heights and shows what BTVS can do when it decides to tackle real life situations.
The plot of "The Body" is deceptively simple. You really need to see it to understand it's impact. Buffy arrives home to find Joyce dead on the sofa. She tries to shake her mother awake and, failing that desperately calls 911. But, Joyce is already cold. "The body is cold?" the emergency operator asks, quietly. Buffy is confused, "No, my mom." It's too late. The ambulance crew arrives and they tell Buffy that Joyce is gone. It was a brain aneurysm and there was nothing that anyone could do. They leave, promising that the coroner is on the way, but tell her not to touch the body. Buffy stumbles into the hallway, sick with shock and horror. Giles arrives and immediately rushes forward to help Joyce. Buffy, dazed and glassy eyed, shouts at him that they can't touch the body. Then, realizing what she'd said, she collapses into his arms.
The Scoobies react to the news in different ways. Xander is looking for an outlet for his anger and frustration. Anya is confused and asking questions like a child. Tara is trying to be strong for them. Willow is fixated on staying in control and selecting just the "right" shirt to wear to the morgue. Dawn blames Buffy and refuses to accept the truth. They head for the hospital. Dawn wanders off, determined to see her mother for herself. Tara tells Buffy that her own mother died when she was a teenager and that she understands some of what Buffy's going through. The rest of the Scoobies keep busy randomly buying snacks that no one wants. Buffy finally goes looking for Dawn. She finds her being attacked by a vampire, who has just risen in the morgue. Joyce's stretcher is uncovered as Buffy kills the vamp. She and Dawn stare at their mother. "It's not mom." Buffy whispers. Joyce is gone and all that's left is the body.
All of "The Body" is brilliant, but the part of the episode that always makes me break down is Anya. Her "why can't Joyce just get back into her body?" questions are so real and heartbreaking that I start crying every time I listen to her. The entire scene with the Scoobies in Willow's dorm room is perfect. Willow's desperation to get just the perfect outfit. Xander's raging at the doctors and Glory and any one else who could be to blame. Tara trying to keep them all calm. It all just so... Real. And Buffy's attempts to resuscitate her mother are painful in their shocking detail. BTVS is the only show I've ever seen that doesn't cut away when dealing with a death like this. We see everything. From Buffy trying to do CPR, to begging Joyce to wake up, to calling Giles, to the ambulance crew pronouncing Joyce dead, to Buffy's hopeless daydream of Joyce recovering, and finally to Buffy just staring out the back door as the world goes on with her mother.
Just a small complaint about the episode, I wish Spike had been in the Christmas flash black scene. He and Joyce always got along and I think it would have been nice if he'd been there.
My favorite part of the episode: Willow's search for her blue shirt. It's exactly the sort of small thing that people focus on when they're confronted with death. Plus, it fits in nicely with the color shirt that Tara's wearing in season six's "Seeing Red."
The plot of "The Body" is deceptively simple. You really need to see it to understand it's impact. Buffy arrives home to find Joyce dead on the sofa. She tries to shake her mother awake and, failing that desperately calls 911. But, Joyce is already cold. "The body is cold?" the emergency operator asks, quietly. Buffy is confused, "No, my mom." It's too late. The ambulance crew arrives and they tell Buffy that Joyce is gone. It was a brain aneurysm and there was nothing that anyone could do. They leave, promising that the coroner is on the way, but tell her not to touch the body. Buffy stumbles into the hallway, sick with shock and horror. Giles arrives and immediately rushes forward to help Joyce. Buffy, dazed and glassy eyed, shouts at him that they can't touch the body. Then, realizing what she'd said, she collapses into his arms.
The Scoobies react to the news in different ways. Xander is looking for an outlet for his anger and frustration. Anya is confused and asking questions like a child. Tara is trying to be strong for them. Willow is fixated on staying in control and selecting just the "right" shirt to wear to the morgue. Dawn blames Buffy and refuses to accept the truth. They head for the hospital. Dawn wanders off, determined to see her mother for herself. Tara tells Buffy that her own mother died when she was a teenager and that she understands some of what Buffy's going through. The rest of the Scoobies keep busy randomly buying snacks that no one wants. Buffy finally goes looking for Dawn. She finds her being attacked by a vampire, who has just risen in the morgue. Joyce's stretcher is uncovered as Buffy kills the vamp. She and Dawn stare at their mother. "It's not mom." Buffy whispers. Joyce is gone and all that's left is the body.
All of "The Body" is brilliant, but the part of the episode that always makes me break down is Anya. Her "why can't Joyce just get back into her body?" questions are so real and heartbreaking that I start crying every time I listen to her. The entire scene with the Scoobies in Willow's dorm room is perfect. Willow's desperation to get just the perfect outfit. Xander's raging at the doctors and Glory and any one else who could be to blame. Tara trying to keep them all calm. It all just so... Real. And Buffy's attempts to resuscitate her mother are painful in their shocking detail. BTVS is the only show I've ever seen that doesn't cut away when dealing with a death like this. We see everything. From Buffy trying to do CPR, to begging Joyce to wake up, to calling Giles, to the ambulance crew pronouncing Joyce dead, to Buffy's hopeless daydream of Joyce recovering, and finally to Buffy just staring out the back door as the world goes on with her mother.
Just a small complaint about the episode, I wish Spike had been in the Christmas flash black scene. He and Joyce always got along and I think it would have been nice if he'd been there.
My favorite part of the episode: Willow's search for her blue shirt. It's exactly the sort of small thing that people focus on when they're confronted with death. Plus, it fits in nicely with the color shirt that Tara's wearing in season six's "Seeing Red."