3. The Body (Season 5, Episode 16)
Buffy, whose job it is to save people from the worst of monsters, cannot save her mother from a brain aneurysm. The episode is the most realistic of the series because it does not feature any sort of big bad, but instead deals with the pain of grief.
Every minute of The Body is beautifully handled. There is no music and very few cuts as Buffy and Dawn deal with the loss of their mother. The episode feels very different from any other BTVS episode. The cinematography pulls the audience into a very surreal landscape which reflects the emotion of loss.
One particular moment that is touching and relatable is Anya’s lament that she doesn’t understand how Joyce is gone. An ex-demon who is not used to mortality, Anya is like a child as she says “No one will explain to me why.”
The Body is a heartbreaking and beautiful episode that is well worth the watch, but so difficult to ever watch again.
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