We all had to go through this the first time, welcome to the worst club in all of existence... For you (like the rest of us) there is only "the time before you saw The Body" and "the time after you saw The Body". By the way, the fandom has a free pass for skipping this ep on any future rewatches 😉
The best way we cope with this is watching people going through with it. Watching reactions or talking with people who have seen it. It is about sharing the pain that makes it a little lighter.
I have to admit that, when I first discovered your channel and this dive into Buffy, this episode and your reaction to it is what I thought about. Not that I wanted to see you suffer, but I knew you would have strong feelings and thoughts in regards to it. This episode is actually a great "cathartic" type of episode. It lets a lot of negative thoughts and feelings free for the audience.
It was my third time rewatching the series where I caught the importance of the line. The subtle acknowledgement of a character's past in the dialogue is a lesson in true character development.
"I know it's different for you, cause it's always different." I love Tara so much in this episode. In a hard painful episode she is such a warm comforting presence. I love Buffy and Tara's conversation in the hospital, it's one that's always stayed with me. I always love anytime we get a scene with Buffy and Tara together and wish we had gotten more of them than we got.
The little speech by Anya is one of my favorite parts of the episode. Everyone thinks she's just being insensitive and callous but she's hurting just like they are and can cope with it in some ways even less than they do because she has an almost child-like understanding of what is happening.
Exactly! That’s precisely the point. She’s a newborn experiencing loss and grief for the first time and in so doing her own emotional pain as a human again. Something she has all but forgotten about in 1000-something years of being a vengeance demon doling out that same emotional pain to countless humans. This episode has us feeling sympathy for her - maybe even empathy. But in a way, her arc in this episode is also about karma. She’s here to experience personally that of which she caused others to experience in her past. The way the other Scoobies react to her is supposed to reflect that: Anya just being Anya and not understanding the reality of the situation because she’s emotionless and careless. Yet her reaction jilts and jars you immediately when she makes her speech. Of course she doesn’t understand as a former vengeance demon. And that’s the most human she’s ever felt and expressed herself to be. Ironically and cleverly because she’s always being the one to disregard human emotion. Her speech in this episode is by far her best moment in her entire appearance in this show. And Emma Caulfield fucking NAILS IT!
@@domie It’s because she is a newborn human. I don’t think too many people realize that about her character but I think that’s what’s really clever about the way she’s written. The fact she doesn’t understand humanity is what makes her behave the most like a human even though that’s new to her. Humans don’t understand how to be or do as human. To adjust and navigate life. They think they do, but they don’t. And that’s precisely the point. Anya and other non-human or not-always-human characters in this show is what represents that. Represents that humanity is not clear cut. It’s flawed and messy and confusing. And there’s no guide book on it. It’s why it’s called “human being”. That’s what’s really clever about Anya’s character arc, you know? The poetry of being human when you don’t understand human being. That is humanity. That is what makes you human. That you don’t understand but you do it anyway. I love that.
In regards to the Christmas dinner flashback after the credits: it was there so the cast and crew names weren't being shown over footage of Joyce's dead body.
A lot of people don’t get why Dawn went and looked at Joyce’ body. But Dawn has, not long ago, found out her memories and entire self was manufactured. She needed to touch. To have tangible confirmation.
@@WSK9002 As someone who lost their mum in August last year, i find it odd that people would be confused to Dawns request to see the body. Having been there at the moment when my own mother died, there is a near instant and very stark difference between someone who is still alive (even if barely) and who is just suddenly 'gone', its extremely hard to describe but every fiber of your being recognizes something is suddenly wrong, something is missing. Movies and shows and even people in real life use phrases like 'They look like they are sleeping'... they don't. Its seeing that empty shell, that drives home the confirmation... without that confirmation (and yeah Dawn wouldn't have had a chance to see Joyce until then given what the episode made out was the chronology) you can mentally get a little messed up since your mind is constantly fighting and latching onto scenarios and hope, and fantasy's of them being alive, seeing and touching the body snaps you out of that damaging mindset, makes it real.
The problem is that if they did try to really focus on the loss and grief in every episode of what was a horror/comedy hybrid show, it would quickly become either emotionally exhausting or sickly morbid. People can't process death in large quantities. They have to distance themselves from it or they just "turn off". So they use coping mechanisms like humor or denial. Which is not what you want in a television show.
This is a masterpiece of an episode, and probably one of the hardest hour of TV I have ever watched. I lost my mother a little younger than Buffy, and I really can’t describe how accurate the unreal hyper-reality you see here truly is. Sarah Michelle Gellar gives such a fantastic and heart breaking performance, and I believe every second of Buffy’s experience. The rest of the cast is also outstanding in the episode too, but SMG just brings it to a whole other level. I just can’t praise the episode enough, while at the same time, never wanting to watch it again.
@@domie thank you :) it has been a long time, and thankfully time does heal wounds, or at least lets the scars fade a little. This episode is emotionally painful to watch, and while I said that I never want to watch it again, I don’t think I have never skipped it whenever I do a rewatch of Buffy. There is just too much to admire here, and it would be a disservice to not watch it, no matter how painful the experience is. That first ten minutes (once the credits end and we leave the flashback) capture the experience of being in that situation almost too perfectly. Little things like Buffy adjusting Joyce’s dress so she’s not “indecent” when the paramedics arrive. The rising hope of the fantasy she has, only for it to come crashing down. Her inability to focus on the paramedic as he speaks to her. The slow walk through the house as her brain hyper-fixates on the sounds of the wind chimes, the birds outside and the general sound of life continuing on around her as she tries and fails to process what is going on. Her throwing up, and then dumbly getting paper towels to clean it up despite the fact it should be the last thing she should be worrying about… And the bit that breaks me every time (I know for most it’s Sarah saying “mommy?”, but for me it’s this moment) is when she says to Giles “but we’re not supposed to move the body.” I feel that moment, and the look on Sarah’s face every damn time, and I usually have to take a minute or two to collect myself afterwards. Of course, I have to call out Anya’s speech too as a magnificent moment in the episode. Incredibly well acted and touching. A friend of mine did that speech for an assessment when she was doing a theatrical course back in the day and iirc she got top marks for it. Yeah, the episode, as you can probably tell, is a little too raw, a little too close to home for me to get any real catharsis out of it. The end of the next episode however, is a different matter, which I’m sure some people will find odd :P
"No...and yes, because it's always sudden." Truer words have rarely been used. My mom passed a couple of months after this originally aired. We knew it was coming, but it still felt like a brick to the head when it actually did.
My mom died from cancer a couple of years before this episode aired. She was in hospice and made preparations for her death and we had mentally prepared ourselves especially our mom but when she did pass away, it still felt sudden.
My mother was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. She outlived her original prognosis by more than a year. I remember seeing my parents’ phone number displayed on my cell. I looked at my now-wife and said something like, “This is the call.” I had 20 months to prepare, but it still hit like a ton of bricks.
That fake out scene at the beginning where they show Joyce being revived is painful, but I think necessary in two ways: 1) it is what many people experience when going through this type of thing, many imagine their loved one being saved or fantasizing that they got there just in time. 2) It tells us, the audience, that this isn’t going to be one of those times. The reality of the situation hits us all like a ton of bricks. Also about the Tillow kiss… This was at a time in TV where any kisses between two women were really hyped up by the network as being a big (often sexy) “moment” (I am specifically thinking of Ally McBeal but there were others as well). Whedon very purposefully did not want that to be the case for this show. I personally like that it is a quiet, gentle moment with zero fanfare. I think it also helped to get it by the censors that it was a kiss if comfort and not sexual in nature.
I love how they portrayed the realism of death, just because someone u love dies the world doesn't stop for you. It keeps moving, kids play, noises in the back ground continued, Xander still got a ticket for parking wrong, paramedics need to leave to help others, paperwork still needs to be filled etc
The "I wish Joyce didn't die" from Anya will always be one of my favorite things from this episode, i found it moving that she tried to use her power to help Buffy ❤! .
Oh honey, please don't be embarrassed by your reaction. There's not a single Buffy fan or reactor I've come across that isn't devastated by this episode. You're in a safe space with people that fully understand and empathise. This episode is a masterpiece because its the most real depiction of loss and grief there is. I experienced similar with my sister when I was 12, she was 19 and her body was in the next room for hours before the coroner took her. But even if you haven't been through a similar scenario, the imagining of being in that scenario is more than enough. Plus, we love Buffy and we are also grieving FOR her and all the other characters alongside Joyce herself. Xx
And her subsequent sadness and quietness when she realizes nothing happened and everyone just stared at her. No wish was granted. A reminder that she can no longer grant them. A reminder that she’s human.
36:41 The WB did not want that kiss between Willow and Tara to happen. Joss Whedon actually threatened to QUIT if they didn’t allow it. That’s how far he had to go.
I swear I have experienced every emotion these characters experienced at different moments dealing with death throughout my life. Every scene breaks my heart.
My dad just died about a month ago, and this is the first time I've rewatched most of this episode since. I've thought before that a lot of us (just humans) get cues for how to behave from stories, films and movies just as much as we do from real life. I think it even more now that I've been through some losses that I hadn't yet experienced when I first saw this episode. I'm glad it exists as a sort of reference for some of the things people go through at times like these, even though it can only cover some of what people feel under these circumstances. It's beautifully done.
The kiss between Tara and Willow was something Joss had been trying unsuccessfully to do for some time. The network wouldn't allow it. So he wrote it into this episode. Nothing sexual at all but two people in a relationship who are grieving and in pain, one comforting the other. This episode is an absolute masterpiece. The depictions of how people handle a major death in the first few hours. Anyone who has lost someone can relate to at least some part of this episode.
It was also the fact that at the time the media were sensationalising such content in shows. Even when it wasn’t meant to be sexy, the mainstream media would blow it out of all proportion, titter and jeer, and the writing team just didn’t want to deal with that. And so Willow and Tara’s first on screen kiss was added here, in an episode filled with so much pain and heartache that there was no way anyone could twist it into “WAHOOO! sexy time! Hubba Hubba!” Nonsense.
@@LMoftheCoastI think that really works here. Makes sense. Nowadays every tv show just makes these pointless same sex sex scenes all the time just because they can now. And it's uncomfortable to watch whether it's straight or gay
So this is the first lesbian kiss on primetime cable television. And it's said Joss did it here intentionally. He knew it was a landmark moment, so he wanted two things. He wanted firstly to make sure that the kiss wouldn't be fetishized. But he also wanted to reinforce that this was a healthy relationship. So this is not an overly sexual or romantic moment. It is one partner needing support and reassurance from another. So while it's harder to fanboy/girl over it, I think the way they chose to do it was actually really important in the long run.
it was also really difficult for the network to fight against. in season four the network basically let everything else go and just focused on policing this one relationship. so this episode was very much planned with that in mind.
Also, it's very deliberately in the one episode that could *never* be advertised as The Lesbian Kiss Episode, preventing the network from using it as a rating stunt.
I hear on r/buffy that (1) there were several F/F kisses on TV before this (e.g. Star Trek: Deep Space 9); and (2) this was the first F/F kiss in a long-term committed same-sex relationship.
Domi, the fact that you go to this episode without being spoiled for it is amazing in itself. Many rate The Body as the best episode of BTVS ever, I don't personally, however The Body is one of the greatest episodes of tv drama ever shown. Whedon is a master at torturing the viewers. The fact that his episode has no music, and when Buffy opens the back door and hears the children playing it is so real, that even when a person has a personal tragedy life goes on as normal for all other people, it is all very human and ordinary, this is why it is so incredible. So many people watching The Body, myself included, have had an almost exact experience to this, this is why it is so brilliantly written and directed. SMG puts in an incredible performance here, and it is criminal that she was not awarded for this. This is why S5 is amazing. However I think there is one more episode in this Season which even surpasses this. A brilliant heartbreaking finale unmatched in the Series. Season 5 was a Zenith for the show.
@@domie Yes my fav from this show. Incredible Finale. I know you have seen later Seasons of Angel. S5 of Angel is I think best from entire Buffyverse, again with imperious Finale.
This is the best, and perhaps most important episode, of the entire series. No other broadcast program, before or after, has ever been so visceral in its treatment of the death of a loved one. I have the original DVDs, and this episode naturally has commentary from Joss. He seems apologetic/not apologetic that he made SMG go through several takes on the opening scene. He appreciated that SMG was able to reach the emotional level needed to do it over and over. The entire cast played this one as well as could possibly be done in a 43 minute format. The total lack of musical background to inform us of how we ought to react was and remains a brilliant touch.
Joss wrote and directed this episode: - the flashback at the beginning was to let the credits roll so they wouldn’t pop up over the scenes of Buffy running over to her mom - Willow stress about what clothes to wear is based on Joss getting dressed for a funeral for one of his close friends - Joss threatened (and meant it) that he would quit if they wouldn’t show Tara kissing Willow to comfort her. He fought hard for them to kiss onscreen and could not believe that even a kiss to comfort their partner was considered too scandalous for network tv - Joss force Anya to repeat those lines over and over again until it was perfect. You can hear the sadness and desperation in her voice to end this scene as she was exhausted and really needed to pee. - Joss apologized to James Marsters that he didn’t have a scene in this episode but didn’t want to shoehorn him in for no reason
At 38, I have still yet to see a better hour of film. I’ve watched Citizen Kane and The Godfather and Pulp Fiction and Shawshank. Nothing has ever hit like this episode of “that vampire show.”
My first time watching this traumatized me completely as I went through nearly the exact same scenario in my life. My mom had the same thing happen and I saw her on the floor the same way as Joyce. The only good side to it was my mom survived, but the circumstances were so similar to my experience, I had a hard time.
What I find amazing and unique about this episode is: It shows so many ways people struggle with this. How their brains try to defend themselves from this. Buffy's memory of dropping the pie shows her brain bringing that up as a salve. Her numbness shows how her brain can't fit this square peg into a round hole, so her brain just... goes away and defends itself buy suppressing emotion. Everybody's unreasonable concerns about appropriate. For example, buffy straightening her Mom's skirt before the EMTs arrive. Willow being flustered with figuring out what top to wear. etc... Also, I was touched by the scene where Buffy lived, momentarily, in a dream universe where everything turns out to be ok, but then snaps back to reality. That is yet another example of her brain trying to "fix" a problem that can't be fixed.
Yeah, this is part of the experience of derealisation or depersonalisation. You imagine things to be different to how they really are because you don’t feel like you’re really there or that the world is really there. This is something Buffy will return to to cope next season. Her severe depression starts here. Some people experience trauma so intensely and viscerally that their response is to either put themselves mentally back into the time and place where that trauma happened or remove themselves from it completely. But it tends to be the latter when what’s causing the trauma is the reality. Like in this episode. The reality is that her mom has died and while being wracked by that experience - the pain and the shock and surrealism of it - her brain is trying everything to protect itself from the experience because it can’t deal with it right now. Or really ever. It figures that in a season where the mental state can be altered so thoroughly through memories that never actually happened to the point that Buffy can be made to believe that she has a younger sister, Buffy would try to make herself believe that her mom didn’t die. This is what makes Season 5 so fucking good. It shows you how people deal with real and raw trauma.
That replay of last episodes ending really is a kick in the gut. Just feels like insult to injury for those binge watching. But, when it aired, folks missed episodes all the time, and very few recorded shows. So making sure the full impact of the last ending led into this was probably important to setting the stage. To rip open that bandaid that covered the hurt from last week or as the rudest "last time on btvs" ever. Kudos to everyone involved in the show for this one. Few episodes are so raw, real, and relatable.
That's not TV, that's a documentary. Anyone who lost a loved one knows how real this ep is. Nothing to do with the hero dying after saving the world, it's life, it's brutal, it's nonsense, it's pure pain.
I've watched a lot of reactions to this episode but yours actually made me tear up more than usual right from the start. It was so raw and unfiltered and I really appreciate that. One of the best episodes of tv in every respect (acting, emotion, directing and writing as well as the choice to have no music). Well, you made it through.
No matter how many times I’ve seen this episode or people reacting to it it always has me in absolute tears 😭 the acting in the episode is phenomenal the best in anything I’ve seen to this day Sarah Michelle gellar will always me a GOAT imo 💕 sending hugs x
Can I just talk about this scene for a hot minute? I don’t think people realize how important it really is for more than just the first on-screen kiss part of it and therefore why it actually belongs in this episode. Willow is hyper-fixating on what type of clothing she’s going to wear to meet Buffy at the hospital, as it’s really the only thing she can control right now as everything else is falling apart around her. Her mind is panicking as she tries to think of all the meanings a piece of cloth can have while Tara tries to reassure her that it really doesn’t matter what she wears. But Willow is not listening as she tries to figure it all out. Willow is near to having a full blown panic attack in this scene. There is such turmoil going on in her head. So much distress and fear. So she externalises those emotions and those thoughts by worrying over what she should wear because that’s tangible. That’s something she has within her reach to grasp on to. Something she can control. She’s projecting the mental chaos. A way of dealing with an uncontrollable situation. And it’s bloody brillIant. Incredibly well performed by Alyson Hannigan. She absolutely nails what it’s like to experience deep levels of anxiety. The compulsive overthinking The intense feelings of loss of control. The hyperventilating. The shaking. The trembling. The crying. The worrying. The wandering back and forth. The physical freezing up. The none-deciding or non-concluding and around and around again. Over and over again. Just the complete irresolution of the whole experience of an anxiety attack. Until someone takes you out of your fucking insane chaotic head. SHE NAILS IT!!! Everything is so well performed, written, directed and produced in this episode. It’s probably the greatest piece of performance art I have ever seen in my life. But THIS scene. This scene hits fucking home for me. Gellar gets A LOT of praise for her performance and rightly so. But Hannigan’s is just as fantastic to me because she realistically portrays OCD the way Gellar realistically portrays PTSD. Through the experience of visceral reactions. In fact all the actors are really good at portraying deep levels of complex trauma all throughout ‘The Body’ that are worth mentioning and meriting. Praising. Regarding ‘The Kiss’. A lot of people do not like that Tillow’s first on-screen kiss was in this episode because it can’t be enjoyed in the same way it could if it was in another episode and thus it seems inappropriate to have it in ‘The Body’. Joss said that actually it was appropriate to put it here because it humanises their romantic/sexual relationship. It’s the way Tara just goes in for the kiss after first kissing her forehead, knowing it’s not going to be enough to calm her girlfriend down and the way Willow readily accepts. It’s a sweet kiss. One filled with compassion and reassurance. I disagree that it didn’t belong here. I definitely think this was the right way to have their first on-screen kiss because this couple is absolutely encapsulated in mutual validation. So it’s only right that their first on-screen kiss be used for that purpose. Validation. Tara’s aim is to comfort Willow, not to overstep her boundaries. Willow needs her presence all around her to take her out of her chaotic head. It’s being in her head that is triggering her anxiety to escalate into a panic attack. Tara intuitively knew that she needed to pull her away from that and the only way to do it was through physical sensation. It was right. When you kiss someone, you’re pulling their energy into yours and you’re transferring yours to theirs. I can imagine that Empaths are great lovers because of this and while it’s been pointed out that Tara isn’t an Empath herself, she clearly possesses the potential to be one because she can read energy and instinctively knows how to use her own energy to comfort and to validate someone else’s energy. That’s your basic definition and purpose of an Empath. To take away pain or negative energy through absorbing it into yourself. And Tara doesn’t just do that for Willow - her girlfriend. She does it for the others too. And ‘The Body’ best depicts her skill of empathy. If it was anyone else, yeah, maybe the kiss wouldn’t have been a good idea to put here. But because it is, I think it really works that it is here because it’s who Tara Maclay is. It’s her purpose in serving a narrative that doesn’t revolve around her but effectively makes her stand out among the rest. It wasn’t in bad taste to put their first kiss here. Quite the opposite. It humanises same-sex love.
It's always interesting how hard this episode hits for new viewers today, when many viewers on it's original run saw it as catharsis. I'm glad to see it still happens with some. Haven't seen it much with newer viewers.
I went through a traumatic labor and my son was rushed to the picu at another hospital. I remember the feeling with still having to deal with all the paperwork etc during that time. I dont even have words for it. So Domi e kinda validated my experience here. Also, 100% agree that people should be able to grieve in whatever way is right for them. It's a myth that people resolve grief. It's an ongoing process of ebb and flow.
A masterpiece. About the first kiss: Noxon (at the time 2nd in command after Joss) commented they were taking notes from the studio and they said Willow and Tara could kiss once but not twice because that means they would enjoyed it.
That fits what someone on Dawson's Creek said, that The WB told them their gay kiss could not be too passionate. The WB also promoted that episode as "The Gay Kiss One!" according to Joss, which is why he ended up putting it in THIS episode of all episodes. "Try to market *this* episode as the watch it, it's sexy ep."
I can’t tell whether the kiss from ‘The Gift’ when Tara is cured is a kiss on the lips or on the cheek. I’m inclined to think it’s the latter because WB only ever allowed one kiss on the mouth to happen. Aka ‘The Body’ kiss.
Such a painful episode to watch but still one of my absolute favourites. I cannot even begin to explain how incredible this episode is. I’ve written a recap for it that does it some justice but there’s no combination of words that can truly describe this masterpiece. It figures that for a supernatural horror show the most horrific thing that happens to our favourite characters would be something entirely natural and normal. It is impossible not to cry when watching ‘The Body’. Whether it be that remarkably visceral 3 minute long uncut performance from Gellar in trying to revive Joyce. Anya’s soul-crushing ‘I-don’t-understand’ monologue from an almost vocally hoarse Caulfield or Hannigan’s realistic anxiety attack where Willow just wants to find and wear that god damn blue sweater that Joyce liked. Or any other highly relatable and resonatable scene in this whole episode because all of it is just A++. This episode man. It’s so good but it’s so upsetting. And it’s like you can’t have one without the other. To get the goodness, you must have the sadness. To get the sadness, you must have the goodness. It’s so good because it’s so upsetting. And it’s so upsetting because it’s so good. It makes us all feel that negative space.
After watching more than 100 shows in my life, the last thing I expected from buffy was this episode. Probably in my top 5 best episodes ever made. The surreal atmosphere reminded me of a mix of American Beauty and Requiem for a dream. Even Mulholland Drive. Masterpiece episode.
A brutal hour that you got through to the best of your ability. Also one of the best episodes of television I've ever seen, and Anya trying to make sense of how to deal with loss is one of the most profound moments in the show
I’ve only ever watched this episode once cuz it was so hard to get through, currently on Season 4 with my mum as she hadn’t seen the show before and I know once this one comes I’m gonna be crying
When I first saw the last episode many years ago I wasn't paying much attention and missed the part where it showed Joyce's body I just heard Buffy saying "Mommy" and back then I couldn't rewind so I went in to this episode not knowing what to expect at all
Thank you for your reaction, this is a very difficult one to watch, but so worth it! I had lost my mom about a year and a half before I watched this episode, and my dad had been ill as well, so I really hadn't totally processed my grief. This episode broke me, but in a way I needed, so I could start to heal. This episode was so insanely real and accurate in what goes through your head and the different ways people cope with grief. This reaction came at a good time as well, as I just lost two of my uncles in the past couple months.
What a truly remarkable episode of television. I'm trying to imagine what the watching experience was with commercial breaks. I know I watched this episode when it originally aired...but I honestly can't remember. It's hard to imagine cutting away to commercials and then coming back to the episode and having to re-establish the mood and tone.
What got me was Dawn's reaction in the school. Really heartbreaking. This is such a brutal, honest, and raw episode. I've never seen anything else like it, in all the decades of TV viewing.
Oh I wanted to give you the biggest hug throughout this ❤ Hard to watch you cry and not be comforted by anyone! Hope you got some plushies to hug at least 💟 I found my Dad like this when I was 13. And it also was a bright sunny day, which made the whole experience surreal. That's why this episode will always be special to me.
Your reaction and comments on this very tragic show was excellent. It is difficult to watch this and not be sad. The way you conveyed your feelings was an honest portrayal not just of yourself but how most every Buffy fan felt the first time they watched The Body. I am glad that you have come to appreciate the greatness of this episode. It is difficult to watch but is one of the few shows in television history that shows real grief and loss. This is one of the episodes that makes BTVS a great show. The choice of having Willow and Tara have their first on screen kiss during this episode is fascinating. I think having Tara kiss Willow while she comforts her is actually the best way to show a first kiss. We have known they have been lovers for a while and that they have announced they are more than girlfriends. (The interview with the council is the best) Having their first kiss to be in a romantic setting or in a scene sweeping way would be expected. Having Tara kiss Willow, the way she does shows a real and pure love. Most dramas have a first kiss to show the audience the motivation is desire or lust. The Willow -Tara kiss is that of a loving committed couple that shows a mature love with empathy, connection, and the desire to help a partner in grief. I know you wanted to get your Pride flag out and celebrate. This first kiss is like no other before or since. I cannot think of a first kiss on any show or movie that was to be "important" yet cared more about showing what a committed and shared love is about. It would have been the expectation to make a statement but instead told the audience that you have known they are lovers and now we will show they are a real couple that cares for each other has people.
Perfectly said. It’s completely human and realistic the way they decided to frame this kiss. Of course Tara would kiss Willow to calm her down from her anxiety attack. She knows that that’s what is best to do for her. That’s real love.
thank you so much! ❤ and i really appreciate the breakdown of the importance of the first tillow kiss being in this episode. made my appreciation for that grow even more so thank you for sharing!!
About the "you discover new things every time you rewatch this episode" thing. I watched this episode when it first aired (in Italy and , sadly, dubbed in italian) 20 years ago and only today i just noticed Dawn speech with the classmate in the art classroom. She was talking about that there's always something more important, more crucial , more serious before she even know how imortant news were about to be delivered to her. It hit me: how in the world i didn't notice before ? How ? Always a GREAT episode with a stellar performance of our dear SMG. Cheers from Italy. Dan
3:58 Actually it is the other way around: that scene is the first from The Body as Joss wrote and directed it. They/he later added it as a teaser after 5x15 ending (Warren and Spike scene) as a teaser.
Everything about this episode is so finely crafted. Everything from the music tracks being toned down to the framing of each shot. I was just a kid when i saw this the first time, gathered around my tv with my mom and sisters. Its just as heartbreaking now as it was then.
Now you know why this show is one of best shows ever made, but wait, it gets even better, prepare yourself... E agora a gente confirmou pq o seu canal é um dos melhores canais de reação já criados, vc realmente se envolve com o enredo e torna a história ainda melhor... Parabéns Domi, pelo incrível trabalho... Muito sucesso e td de melhor pra vc... Obrigado pelo conteúdo incrível... 😊
The is the greatest episode of television of all time. It has a perfect 10/10 on imdb. As an unfeeling empty husk of a man that is dead inside and thus never cries, this episode makes me cry. It was Anya's speech that got me. That one gets everyone.
On rewatch Anya’s speech is the one element of the episode that doesn’t work for me. I won’t rehash what I’ve said before I other reaction vids to this episode. I’ll just say that with so many years dishing out vengeance and death as a demon, her reaction to this one death seems a little out of place to me.I just don’t completely buy it
@@arielcarmona6660 It's the difference between playing, say, Assassin's Creed, or GTA, and then finding out someone you actually know has died. One is just a blur of NPCs that are neither really real, nor in any way meaningful, but a way to keep score. The other is someone who's life you know a little about, who you've shared experiences with, talked to, and thought about, no matter how little. Add in Anya's newfound humanity, and the sudden concrete realisation of the senseless mortality that carries with it, and I think it's understandable.
@@arielcarmona6660 She forgot everything there was about being human and spends much of her time not understanding social norms and confused by her own existence. As a demon, she killed without feeling or remorse. She was like a god crushing ants. This is the first time someone she knew had died and it hurts her because she never had that feeling before. She's an ant now. It makes her feel helpless, struggling with her own mortality. Saying it's stupid and mortal shows she thinks death is unfair and no one should just be finished forever.
This particular episode was one gut punch after another. It was also absolutely brutal, and absolutely brilliant. I haven't read down yet to see if anyone mentioned but I it's the only episode that didn't have any music.
I lost somebody really close to me last year (too young). I didn't manage to get to the hospital in time. I found it so hard to even look at her body, but I gave her one last hug and said goodbye. I couldn't face seeing her again at the chapel of rest, so that was the last time I saw her. Death is so cruel, especially premature death.
This was the first Buffy episode ever saw. What a way to start! I remember thinking it was good but since I didn’t know about any of the characters, couldn’t truly appreciate how well done and amazing it was, which I later did of course after watching the entire series.
If you read my BUFFY REWATCH recap that I posted above I talk about all the characterisation detail in the scene where the Scoobies react to what’s happening.
You gave the full explanation why this was the right episode for their first kiss: Not making a big deal out of it, not jumping blind cheering on the pride parade train, but just showing what normal people do, what is comforting their grieving loved ones. Don't forget: Joyce was the one, that hugged and comforted Willow, when Giles called to tell them what happened to Jenny.
What stands out to me in particular about Willow’s babbling is when she says “Joyce really liked the blue one. She told me one time.” She’s anxious and worrying about wearing the appropriate or right thing to the morgue for Joyce even though Joyce won’t see it. It’s like the “the body’s cold?/no, my mom!” moment. Devastating. The refusal to see Joyce as just a meat bag when that’s the reality really stands out to me. And that’s why Willow is so disgusted at the way Anya was talking about her. “Are we gonna see the body?” “Are they gonna cut the body open?”
A brutal episode, without a doubt. And every time I thought I was pulling it back together again, another scene would pop up to make me cry again. Like Buffy telling Dawn, or Willow with Tara, or Anya's upset, or Anya hugging Giles, or Xander getting mad about health care and doctors, or Tara telling Buffy she's been through it, etc. etc. etc. Just every little thing set me off again. So I totally understand your dread and struggle with the episode. I think it's one of the toughest episodes to watch, no question. Sending you a big hug and more Kit Kats. 🤗🍫❤💔❤
That scene of Buffy finding her Mom was written for this ep and added to the previous ep, and the reasons for that and the lack of music, as well as the 'Family Xmas' scene were all connected. The scene was, in a sense, repeated for 'I Was Made to Love You', and meant as both the opening for this ep; it was known there would have to be titles so, Whedon not being able to bear SMG's opening performance ~ virtually one entire take ~ taking place over them, wrote the Family Xmas scene; timed to the second to encompass the titles and he wanted the emotion to be as raw and uncertain as they would be in real life and real time. Willow & Tara's kiss was placed where it was because he knew they wouldn't be able to take it out; Network tried anyway, but threats of people walking away ~ like; before anymore Buffy was created, stopped it. This is likely one of the greatest episodes of TV ever created, and it never even got nominated for anything. kerk
The flashback and the dream are the cruellest thing JW ever did. Sarah Michelle Geller was unimaginably good in this episode, every action and expression was perfect.
To see the death of someone as opposed to experiencing the death of somebody close to you is a completely different feeling. There is no connection with just being around someone that has died, but to lose someone close to you hurts like hell.
Which is why they refer to it as ‘The Body’ and not ‘Joyce’. It’s not a personal loss for us. But that doesn’t mean we won’t and can’t be made to feel like it is in watching this.
After "Mom? Mom? Mommy?" the most emotional line of the series for me is "We're not supposed to move the body!" Buffy's horror after she utters the line is both chilling and heartbreaking 😢😢
Maybe it's because Ihave watched the show and this episode over 20 times by now, but the story itself does not affect me as much as it used to, but what still gets me after all these years of watching it, is the acting by Sarah, and also by Emma and Alyson, as well as the lack of a score. The silence is just so impactful.
You know, two of the most raw and jarring things about ‘The Body’ are Willow’s hyperventilating when deciding on what clothing to wear and worrying that she can’t find that blue top that Joyce liked and Anya’s voice going hoarse during her monologue. - like those 2 acting performances from those 2 actresses … it’s just insane how visceral it is, how much emotion and desperation that is conveyed through the screen, how much you’re able to feel from them doing that, how it just stops all thought process and you’re just bombarded with sensation. Is it just me that cries like a fucking dam’s burst watching those two scenes? Every. Time. I. See. It. Like yeah, Gellar gets me too. But Hannigan and Caulfield are up there too for that episode. I mean… wow. No words. Just wow. That’s some god damn A class acting right there.
I actually had the privilege of meeting Kristine Sutherland when she came to Nottingham’s *'Em-Con'* & I burst into tears! Bless her, she came round the table and just held me til I calmed down; I told her how much Joyce had meant to me & that I’d always wished she was _my_ mum! She thanked me and said it was one of the things she’d always remember as a wonderful part of visiting the UK… Two years later, I mentioned it on a certain platform, tagging her in the post, and she remembered me! 🥰❤️
I am so glad they ruled out the supernatural with Joyce’s illness. It made ‘The Body’ 10x as unsettling to watch. Knowing there was nothing Buffy could do. No one she could fight, defeat or kill to make her recover. It was a human error. One that couldn’t be taken back or prevented in time. Joyce died of an aneurysm. A natural condition. Not a supernatural one. I think that’s what makes Season 5 so compelling to watch. You have a Slayer who is wanting to learn all about her origins and ancestry, and yet the most devastating thing to happen is not Slayer-related. It’s not monster-related. It’s not spiritually-related. But it’s still family-related. A very personal predicament. I know there’s headcanons that Dawn’s arrival had something to do with Joyce becoming ill in the first place. But I’m personally glad it’s not the canon story. They could have went there. Hell, they even misdirected you there in ‘No Place Like Home’. And there were even several other options. Glory. The Queller demon from outer-space. Even Ben… But like I said… would the gut-punch of ‘The Body’ actually tore right through you if it was of supernatural cause and effect? Because honestly, that is the most horrific and scariest episode of all as well as the saddest. I can’t think of any other that comes close. For me, it’s all because it’s a real human experience. It’s all very much dealing with the human condition. And I’ve said it before - that’s what I want to see in TV. Not necessarily a complete depiction of real life natural events because I enjoy watching the supernatural too. But… just something that makes you take another look or another listen and realize … “well damn, this could be a true story” if it already isn’t. One that real people can experience and overcome. Because what is more heroic than that? And isn’t that the great big metaphor of The Slayer? Or at least Buffy’s version of ‘The Slayer’? “These external monsters are the internal demons” Granted maybe they do go too on-the-nose with it in Season 6 but I would say that’s the very point of BtVS. Isn’t THAT exactly what makes Buffy so compelling besides the fact it’s a very character driven show? Isn’t THAT what truly makes Buffy a heroine?
Domi e, many thanks for your really interesting thoughts on rewatching. I first saw when originally broadcast and have seen at least 30 times (it's on the same DVD as my fav episode 5x18 Intervention). It also helped me prepare for my mum's passing. The Body has a great deal of humour in it. Why else do I watch it? Cathartic? May be a little bit. I like watching the profound TV, SMG's amazing performance. I think at one level, it just a great story written by Joss and I like going on that journey. As said, there is the convenience of watching before/after my favourite episode. In one way, as it is (like a theatrical play) just four scenes (Buffy's house downstairs, a school, a bedroom, a hospital) it is an easy watch, rather than jumping between lots of scenes as most episodes do, so it is a good way to slow down my focus in this hectic modern life. The Body is definitely an episode of TV that will go down in the annals of storytelling history. (Did I spell annals correctly?)
I adore that Whedon made Willow and Tara's first kiss one of love and support. There's such a long history of reducing queer relationships to sex, but even with such early representation in mainstream pop culture, they managed to avoid that trap.
To an outside observer that doesn’t really understand what’s going on with Willow here… Tara‘a kiss probably looks forceful or even aggressive. The way she just lifts her chin up like that after she’s kissed her on the forehead. But that’s not what she’s doing. The way she kisses her is a way to ground her. Willow is lost in her own thoughts and emotions here that she’s not able to really focus on anything happening in front of her. Happening in the moment. For Tara to kiss her the way she does is like a way to remind her that she’s there and that she’s not going through this alone. They’re together and they’ll get through this together. All that is communicated in that kiss. It’s urgent and unrelenting but it’s not forceful or aggressive. But it can be viewed that way by viewers that don’t understand what’s going on.
This episode is special because it was the first episode of the series that made me cry... Twice!! During Anya's speech and when Buffy tells Dawn that their mother passed away. Or maybe I was really sensitive that day, I don't know. 😅
I know people still comment on SMG’s immense talent, but I don’t think the magnificence of her performance in this show can ever be overstated. Truly one of the greatest actors of all time. Her range is so incredible, from comedic to dramatic.
Having to deal with the legal crap when your mom dies is actually a good thing. It forces you to focus on something other than your grief. It buys you a little time to process things before you have the big breakdown.
Hey Domi. I don't comment much but I've been here from S01E1. Since then I've been curious about how you would react to this episode because I think you are the toughest of all the reactors I follow. Anyway, this was such an amazing reaction and I want to thank you for sharing it. I especially appreciated future Domi's perspective about being able to rewatch it and take lessons from it. Don't have much else I can verablize because this episode is kind of beyond that. So I just want to say thank you once more, and also add that this is such an incredible fandom to be part of (or to observe silently :))
“Sit your ass back down. I can’t deal with this right now” well, unfortunately Buffy does. The world of Sunnydale doesn’t stop just because her personal world has been torn to pieces with Joyce dying. A lot of people don’t like that there’s a vampire in this episode. I mean even Spike’s not in this episode because of that reason. They didn’t want to take you away from the real experience of death and grief,… so why do this? Why have her fighting a vampire? Because that is real… for them. For her. Thus the metaphor of the supernatural pushes its way into the narrative. Buffy’s demons are real.
My dad Died October 9th 2000 on Thanksgiving. This episode came out March 3rd 2001. This show was a crutch for me throughout High School while I dealt with the grief.
Honestly, thinking back to when I first saw this ep - you might have needed more chocolate. Of all episodes of Buffy or Angel, this is the one I'm most likely to skip on rewatches. I was raised by my Nana. I was also alone with her when I was 16, and she had a fatal heart attack. The sheer, undiluted reality of this episode is devastating. It's one of the best episodes of TV ever made. But it's not one I can watch easily. Also, the part where Dawn goes to look at Joyce's body - a lot of people don't get that. To me it makes perfect sense - my Dad died when I was 13, and I chose to go and see his body. It was terrifying, but I needed that vision of him as just 'the body' to really understand what was going on. I think it was the same for Dawn. And then the part where there's a vampire at the end - the brutal reality that your entire world can be destroyed, but the wider world carries on without caring...
