Buffy the Vampire Slayerhas many acclaimed episodes, but “The Body” is consistently hailed as one of the best, and it’s also among Alyson Hannigan’s favorites. A supernatural teen series that takes place on a Hellmouth, death is rampant in the town of Sunnydale, California. The series established early on that nobody is safe, as one of thefirstBuffyepisodes killed off Jesse, Xander’s friend, who was positioned to be a core member of the gang. Jenny Calendar’s death, post-Giles reconciliation in season 2, was also incredibly heartbreaking.
But of all thetragic deaths onBuffy the Vampire Slayer, the one that cuts the deepest is that of Joyce Summers, who succumbed to a brain aneurysm. After Buffy arrives home to find Joyce dead on the couch in the previous episode,Buffyseason 5, episode 16, “The Body” immediately resumes the tragic events, with the Slayer shocked and distraught. The episode then follows Buffy and the gang attempting to cope with the loss. “The Body” has been hailed by many critics as one of the best television episodes ever made, so Hannigan is not alone in her assessment.
“The Body” Is One Of Buffy’s Best And Most Unique Episodes
“The Body” stands out among evenBuffy’s best episodesfor many reasons, but primarily for its total lack of music and disorienting use of sound. These effects are why Alyson Hannigan cited “The Body” as one of her favorites, saying, “I just rememberthe no sound, no music — it was so disconcerting.” (viaEW)
Like most TV shows,Buffy’s music plays a pivotal role in guiding the audience’s emotions. The heartpumping score during a fight scene between Buffy and a vampire fills us with a mix of excitement and nervousness; the softer music whenBuffy and Angelare sharing a romantic moment underscores their bittersweet, doomed romance. However,“The Body” is devoid of all music, thus leaving viewers entirely alone with their own emotions, whatever they may be. The Scoobies all react differently to Joyce’s death, in a way mirroring the five stages of grief and making “The Body” one ofBuffy’s uniquest episodes.
The episode’s emphasis on silence also makes its sounds all the more jarring, like the loud snap heard from Buffy cracking Joyce’s rib while attempting to perform CPR.
Sound and silence are also major components of what makes “The Body” stand out. There are huge stretches of silence, again forcing us to be alone with our emotions. There are alsoheartbreaking scenes where dialogue isn’t heard at all, such as when Buffy breaks the news to Dawn. The episode’s emphasis on silence also makes its sounds all the more jarring, like the loud snap heard from Buffy cracking Joyce’s rib while attempting to perform CPR. “The Body” forces us all to confront death in a way noBuffyepisode ever has.
“The Body” Ditched The Supernatural To Focus On A Realistic Struggle
The Lack Of Monsters Forces The Scoobies To Face Their Emotions
Buffy the Vampire Slayeris packed with intense, emotional moments, though many of them come with a supernatural element attached. That doesn’t make them any less poignant, but the lack of a supernatural storyline is what makes “The Body” stand out. Apart from one easily dispensed with vampire,“The Body” is one of the most realistic episodes of TV in its portrayal of grief.
We’ve seen Buffy put through the wringer before, but “The Body” easily shows her at her most vulnerable. Being the Slayer is a burden in many ways, but when Buffy is going through something, she finds escape in kicking undead butt. ButBuffy isn’t her superhero self in the episode at all — she’s just a young woman who lost her mother. Almost no otherBuffyepisode so squarely puts us in her POV. We experience her disoriented state, from the enlarged buttons on the phone to her homing in on the paramedic’s mouth, trying to perceive what is happening.
Interestingly, Anya is the character many viewers latched onto the most in this episode. As a former demon, she is normally used for comic relief due to her lack of understanding of social conventions. However, in “The Body,“Anya’s unique situation is made all the more heartbreaking because of her childlike naivete in how hard it is for her to come to grips with human death. After getting called out for her incessant, insensitive questions, her speech about not understanding death — “no one will explain to me why” — strikes a chord because it’s something nobody has the answer to.
Buffy’s Most Memorable Episodes Are The Ones That Tried Something Different
“Hush” & “Once More With Feeling” Are Two Other Standouts
In addition to “The Body,“Buffy the Vampire Slayerhad some revolutionary gems of episodes that truly rocked television as a medium. One obvious example is season 4, episode 10, “Hush,” in which the Gentlemen — some ofBuffy’s scariest monsters— come to Sunnydale and steal everyone’s voice.With almost the entire episode devoid of dialogue, “Hush” was hailed as a masterpiecefor its deeply moving yet incredibly humorous exploration of what happens when our ability to communicate gets taken away.
Alyson Hannigan also listed “Hush” as one of her favoriteBuffyepisodes.
On the other end of the spectrum is season 6, episode 7, “Once More with Feeling”,Buffy’s iconic musical episode. With the entire cast singing their own vocals, not only does thisBuffyepisode have incredible songs, but it’s not just a musical for musical’s sake. Each character has emotions they’re repressing, and “Once More with Feeling” puts it out there in an entirely unique way. The episode’s success sparked a string of copycat musical episodes on other shows, but none matched the brilliance ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer— a sentiment that could arguably be said about the entire show.
