The Body

This is the moment Buffy becomes an Adult. Sure, there was Angel. And we know what she went through. But nothing prepares you for the loss of a parent.

Not a song or sound to be heard. There were no paid for emotions powered by a moving soundtrack. Silence throughout. Nothing hidden, nothing pre-heated. This is Buffy at her darkest, most real. She suddenly realises she is the eldest in her family and that there is no-one to care for her.

This is a masterpiece of emotional writing and the camerawork and editing do it justice.

What an episode. This is where so-called teen-tv shows the adults a thing or two about growing up.

-- And sorry to jut in, but 18 years later it's hard to overstate just how groundbreaking the Tara and Willow kiss scene was. This was the first time in TV mainstream drama history where a kiss between two ladies wasn't used as a controversy spiking TV talking point, a ratings boost, male titillation or a main plot device to push an agenda or force drama. Without wanting to sound derogatory, this was an adjunct, an addendum, almost a throwaway scene... It could have been cut and nothing, not a single storyline would have wandered amiss... But no. Here where we see two people, in love and distraught in their shock try to comfort one another in the most natural way possible. The sheer understatedness (that's not a real word) of the whole thing was what made that scene so seminal in the fight for acceptance and recognition.

Emotional, heart-breaking, Emmy-deserving. This episode revolves around the sudden death of beloved Joyce Summers. One of the best moms on television. But the whole episode is a work of art. First Hush and Restless now The Body, Joss Whedon really shows me that this episode is different than the other ordinary teen dramas.

Now, i have to talk about the acting. Every single actor shines in this this episode. Emma Caulfield: i didn't know she could act this great. Her monologue about Joyce's death broke my heart and make me cry like a river. She was just outstanding. Alyson Hannigan: she did have some really good acting scenes but in this episode she is great. In the whole scene about looking for the blue shirt she made me think i really misjudged her. Amber Benson: even she did a great job in this scene with Buffy in waiting room she wasn't amazing like other but she showed she can act. And finally Sarah Michelle Gellar: Her acting developed through the seasons and in this episode she was so real and act like her own mother died, applause!

The biggest applause goes to Joss Whedon. He's genius and takes this series to higher level. 10/10.

There are arguably better episodes in other shows (Ozymandius from breaking bad comes to mind). Those episodes are in keeping with modern high quality TV production. The best episodes of the likes of GOT and Breaking Bad run very similar in terms of visual tone and overall flow. There's nothing wrong with that, they are incredible shows. But this episode is something more. A visceral display of grief and it's various manifestations on those who have lost someone meaningful. I have never had an episode tear my heart out and describe it to me like this episode did. I will most likely never see anything like it again. Breathtaking.

My father passed away not too long ago. I started watching Buffy to pass the time when I visited my mother during a difficult time (it was streaming on Netflix, and I had really enjoyed Firefly). For those that have experienced the loss of a love one, especially a parent, this episode will be a shockingly realistic portrayal of it.

If art is the attempt to perfectly capture an emotion or an idea through a medium (whether it's music, prose, visual, etc.), then it would not be an exaggeration to say that this episode is a masterpiece. If art, and not entertainment, is the measure of quality television then I could, with certainty, say that this is the best hour of television ever produced. It may be the best thing ever filmed.

As a rather critical person, I realize how silly the praise above sounds. I think many people who haven't experienced the loss of a parent won't "get it." But those that have should come away with similar praise.

What lajabless said is on the money. I too had lost my mother just weeks before this episode was broadcast. It was eerie how what I saw on the screen expressed how I was feeling at the time. I don't know if my appreciation of this episode is a reflection of what I was going through, or of just how good a show it actually was. I'm almost afraid to rewatch this episode. If it really is that good, will I relive that emotional turmoil? It's been nearly seven years. Maybe I can rewatch it objectively now. I have to put this in the Buffy top ten, maybe top five episodes. One of my best friends at the time was also a Buffy fan. Sadly, I wasn't able to talk with him about this episode as he had died suddenly only days earlier....