The Body

Season 5, Episode 16, Aired
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Episode Summary

Buffy is devastated when she arrives home and finds her mother dead. The rest of the gang try their best to pull themselves out of their own grief so that they can help Buffy and Dawn to deal with the worst day of their lives.
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Fan Episode Reviews (73)

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  • So beautiful yet so sad

    10
    "Perfect"
    By joxerlives, Jan 20, 2012 Report Abuse
    The Good;
    All of it, an epic 40 minutes of TV, the cast are all incredible

    The Bad;
    A few problems. Why did the paramedics tell Buffy to stop CPR when she breaks Joyce's rib? A broken rib won't kill her, lack of oxygen would. Surely only a doctor can officially determine that someone is dead? How can the vamp rise when it's already had it's autopsy, it's heart has been taken out and put back in again?

    Best line;
    Buffy; "That's not her, she's gone"
    Dawn; "Where did she go?"
    Just beating Anya's heartful monologue as she desperately tries to understand what's happening.

    Women good/men bad;
    No room for that here

    Jeez!;
    Buffy breaking Joyce's rib is just wince inducing. The scariest vamp in all of the Buffyverse is the one who attacks Dawn in the morgue, partly because this is a naked man attacking a terrified 14 year old girl but also because this is a vamp stripped to it's bare bones, it genuinely looks like what it is, a reanimated corpse. The scene where Buffy imagines successfully reviving Joyce then we realise it's all just her fantasy is just too cruel for words.

    Kinky dinky;
    Dawn's schoolfriend Lisa says that her crush Kevin 'Wants her'

    Captain Subtext;
    The Willow/Tara's first onscreen kiss, so much going on that it almost goes unnoticed. Willow likes it when Tara rubs her tummy. Could she be related to Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory? Willow and Tara refer to the Amazons. Anya and Giles hug. Buffy seems to just be able to sense when Dawn is in trouble, maybe their link is deeper than just sisters. Buffy's 'Mommy?' line surely needs no explanation?

    Scoobies to the ER;
    Xander hurts his hand again

    Apocalypses; 5,

    Scoobies in bondage:
    Buffy: 8
    Giles: 4
    Cordy: 5
    Will: 3
    Jenny: 1
    Angel: 4
    Oz: 1
    Faith: 3
    Joyce: 1
    Wes: 1
    Xander; 1
    Dawn; 1

    Scoobies knocked out:
    Buffy: 16
    Giles: 10
    Cordy: 6
    Xander: 8
    Will: 5
    Jenny: 2
    Angel: 6
    Oz: 3
    Faith: 1
    Joyce: 3
    Wes: 1
    Anya;1

    Kills: 1 vamp for Buffy
    Buffy: 95 vamps, 32 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
    Giles: 5 vamps, 1 demon
    Cordy: 3 vamps, a demon
    Will: 6 vamps
    Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
    Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
    Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
    Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, a demon, a demon
    Anya: a demon
    Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons

    Scoobies go evil:
    Giles: 1
    Cordy: 1
    Will: 2
    Jenny: 1
    Angel: 1
    Oz: 1
    Joyce: 1
    Xander: 3

    Alternate scoobies:
    Buffy: 6
    Giles: 3
    Cordy: 1
    Will: 2
    Jenny: 2
    Angel: 3
    Oz: 2
    Joyce: 2
    Xander: 3

    Recurring characters killed: 10, goodbye Joyce, how we loved her and how we never really realised it until she was gone.
    Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce

    Sunnydale deaths; Joyce but from natural causes
    89;

    Total number of scoobies: 6
    Giles, Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Tara,

    Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
    Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

    Scoobies shot:
    Giles: 2
    Angel: 3
    Oz: 4
    Riley; 1

    Notches on Scooby bedpost:
    Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
    Cordy: 1?
    Buffy: 3 confirmed; Angel, Parker,Riley, 1 possible, Dracula(?)
    Angel: 1;Buffy
    Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
    Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
    Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
    Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
    Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
    Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore

    Questions and observations;
    Notice that Buffy never hugs Dawn, never holds her? More on that next episode. How can you have an episode so sad yet so beautiful? Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, cannot praise this highly enough. Wonderful details like Buffy pulling down Joyce's skirt as the paramedics arrive. The end of the fantastic Joyce/Kristine Sutherland as a semi-regular on the show, she'll be missed as all the cast and crew remark upon but what a wonderful send-off she gets. A very real posibility that this may be simply the best ever episode of television ever.
    Marks out of 10; do you have to ask? 10/10
    moreless

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  • Want to know what I think about The Body? Simple, it is the single greatest hour of television in the history of the world.....

    10
    "Perfect"
    By inferno272, Dec 25, 2011 Report Abuse
    Want to know what I think about The Body?
    Simple, it is the single greatest hour of television in the history of the world, and being someone who watches more tv than your average family of 5, this should mean something to you. Id rank this episode of Buffy with the greatest films of all time, its that damn good.
    From the flawless acting to the camera angles that truly depict ones vision and range of "comprehension" during such trauma, there is literally nothing you can complain about this episode. As a guy who most people would never call a softie, I have to say, even after over 100 viewings of this episode, I still cry every single time, and i am not ashamed to admit it.moreless

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    0 1

  • Simply Phenomenal!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By JamieJackson, Nov 22, 2011 Report Abuse
    Been on a Buffy/Angel marathon on Netflix the last few weeks watching them straight through. There had been a few powerful episodes, but this one blew them out of the water. An emotional person I am not, but within about the first two minutes I was choking up and it continued through the episode.

    Each character had their own moment to show their grief and each one was superb in it's own right. Especially moving in my opinion was Willow's breakdown and Anya's complete bewilderment. The lack of any background music throughout just highlights those moments; in fact, I thought I had accidentally muted the tv a couple of times. Just a brilliantly acted/directed/produced episode all around.

    * Only thing I'd change would be to take out the beginning credits and the end credits. The music was completely jarring after an episode with none. Although; on second thought, it does bring you abruptly back into the real world.moreless

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    0 1

  • Dying, sad and different ...

    10
    "Perfect"
    By WellGomes, Sep 01, 2011 Report Abuse
    the best episode of a TV series I have ever seen in my entire life. No soundtrack only a chilling silence and dying, for Buffy is the most delicate moment of his life. With a photo and climate unlike anything ever shown on the show handle and the way Joss Whendon shows the pain of each Character is simply: Genial!

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    0 0

  • Sublime, stunning, miraculous

    10
    "Perfect"
    By RobertLattery, Aug 26, 2011 Report Abuse
    The best hour of television ever made. Period. No other television program has truthfully handled the subject of death and those who grieve with such sensitivity and artfulness. This episode it so stunning and revealing it is incomparable. University professors have shown this episode to students when discussing the themes of death and grief as an excellent example of how the mind and soul process such an event, especially when it happens suddenly and unexpectedly. I have been there, I have felt this, and nobody, in any medium, has conveyed sudden death and the effects on those who knew the deceased so appropriately and accurately. Without equal.moreless

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    3 1
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • In the scene where Xander punches through the wall, you can clearly see that there is a circular hole in the wall surrounding his arm. However, when the screen shows his arm again, there are broken pieces of wall filling the hole that surrounds his arm. Edit
    • UK DVD formatting error: After the Scoobies get the autopsy results they sit down, and as they do the tip of a camera lens is visible in the top left-hand corner for several seconds. Edit
    • At Willow's dorm when Xander is pacing, a shadow moves against the back wall across the hallway, but no one is walking in front of it. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • On the DVD Commentary for the episode Restless (4x22), Joss says that the scene in Buffy's dream where Joyce is living in the wall was a metaphorical hint about Joyce's illness in this season. Primarily that Buffy would not be able to get to her, or save her. Edit
    • This episode is number four in Joss Whedon's list of his top ten favorite episodes according to The Last Sundown featurette in the season seven DVD box set. Edit
    • In a 2003 interview with Entertainment Weekly shortly after announcing her decision to leave the show, Sarah Michelle Gellar said that this episode was "pretty amazing" and said that it was one of her favorites. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Willow: Did it make you feel better? Xander: For a second there. Willow: A whole second? Xander: In my defense, some crappy wallmanship. Willow: Yeah, you can hear everything next door. Edit
    • (Talking about being there for Buffy) Xander: We'll go. We'll deal. We'll help. That's what we do. We help Buffy. Edit
    • (After Xander punches the wall in Willow's dorm) Willow: Xander, where did your hand go? Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Tara: Purple means ... royalty.
      The color purple has been a royal symbol since ancient Rome, when the color was reserved exclusively for use by emperors. This is probably due to the fact that purple dye was very expensive. Edit
    • Willow: I had too much nog.
      This is a reference to Eggnog which is a drink consisting of milk or cream, sugar, and eggs beaten together. This drink is traditionally served at Christmas or New Year's and is often mixed with liquor such as rum or brandy. Edit
    • Xander: The Avengers got to make with the assembling. The Avengers are a superhero team from Marvel comics. "Avengers Assemble" is their battle cry, usually shouted by a leader as they rush into combat. Edit

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