BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER - SEASON 5 EPISODE 16 THE BODY (2000) REACTION VIDEO! FIRST TIME WATCHING!

[@crosisx2714]

Anya's speech does get everyone indeed.

[@ReelReviewsWithJen]

It got me right in the feels

[@crosisx2714]

@@ReelReviewsWithJen 😭

[@grife3000]

4:38 cracking a rib isn't important because the brain dies quickly without oxygen. If you're compressing hard enough to compress the heart, cracking a rib can happen. It's death vs. broken ribs. 7:08 Buffy was wishing them luck in saving the patient they were called away to save. Still a good person despite being completely disassociated from herself. Everyone is always "Shut up, Anya!" and then she talks about fruit punch and then it's "oooh sweet baby". Incredible episode.

[@murciadoxial8056]

I think it is a somewhat common occurrence actually, not really common, but not necessarily rare.

[@Dyrla67]

In the DVD commentary for this episode, Joss stated that the dorm scene with Willow and Tara was the hardest scene for him to film, because every time Alyson started to act almost everyone on set started to cry, I love how Tara is so supportive of Willow, and Willow's silent mouthing of 'I love you' at the end of the scene shows how much she appreciates it. For anyone who hasnt seen it, TPN does an excellent analysis of this episode.

[@catserver8577]

Nothing makes me cry like Willow crying.

[@alooncnej4696]

The best episode about death and ever, the acting, editing and writting are brillant.

[@ReelReviewsWithJen]

So well done for such a tough subject :(

[@n0namesowhatblerp362]

Yes, as sad and unfortunate..it is so.

[@seanmcmurphy4744]

For me, this is not only the greatest episode of Buffy but the most authentic portrayal of death I've ever seen on TV. I've watched it dozens of times and break down each time. My father died when I was 13 (fortunately I didn't have to see the body) and this is very much what it felt like.

[@seanmcmurphy4744]

The best scene was that special moment when Buffy looked out the back door and heard neighborhood sounds: a person practicing music, children playing. I had a moment like that, and I know just what she was thinking. The day my father died my mother let me stay home from school. I was wandering around the yard in shock. The garbage truck came by and the garbage worker called a cheery hello. I thought, "How can life go on normally? Doesn't he understand? The entire universe has turned upside down. How can he not know?"

[@Dunybrook]

Best episode of television ever? Quite possibly.Buffy listening to the sounds of life carrying on in the distance while she deals with the shock of her mother's death is so powerful. Every scene is just perfect.

[@watershipdowneyjr]

Sorry, I can't come in to work today, a new reaction to "The Body" just dropped.

[@ReelReviewsWithJen]

So many tears!!

[@DegrassiInstantStar]

This episode is so award-worthy, and it's definitely one of the best episodes of the entire series. Sarah Michelle Gellar & Emma Caulfield are standouts!

[@ReelReviewsWithJen]

Such great performances! Thanks for watching!

[@mlkj13]

It’s a shame Sarah didn’t get an Emmy nomination for her performance. Emma was wonderful as well. One of the best episodes of any show.

[@faithvictoria9014]

In my opinion, this is the best episode of BTVS. Best written, acted, paced, directed, edited, it's just about flawless from beginning to end. That said, I rarely if ever watch it again and totally understand why other episodes rate higher because they are awesome and have a higher rewatch capability. I have still not been able to rewatch The Body fully to this day.

[@davidmadly]

This episode is such a raw emotional event. But it is so well done. The acting, the writing, the directing, all done with the impeccable skill this topic requires.

[@mikesilva3868]

Agreed 😊

[@Kayjee17]

This is the most raw, real, and relatable emotion filled episode of tv, and there are very few people that can get through it without tears. I've had both of my parents pass on now and either experienced or saw all the different reactions people have when things like this happen - it hurts me every time, but I can't resist watching any reactor when they watch this for the first time. Don't let the tears bother you... it shows that in this overwhelming world, you're still able to feel and not afraid to show it.

[@bugsby4663]

Top marks to Kristine Sutherland. That must have been tough as the camera lingers on her body many times. Harrowing yet incredible. The brief vampire scene at the end shows life goes on despite something that should have stopped the world.

[@Jontor11]

One of the best TV episodes ever. The processing of someone's death is always hard. And this episode did it brilliantly. I remember when my mum died. Although it was expected it still was a shock just like Tara said. And the first thing I said when I saw her was "mum where did you go?" Heartbreaking episode but a really really excellent one.

[@killianlpc]

Jen 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 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 finale unmatched in the Series. Season 5 was a Zenith for the show.

[@LeeDeeThe1]

This episode is brilliant in a very specific way (delving very deeply into one concept) while some other episodes are brilliant in a more general way (mixing of different genres and emotions), making it very hard to judge this ones are better.

[@grahamnickless138]

Such a hard episode to watch, even after many rewatches it still hits me hard every time. Such a well written, directed episode and the acting is outstanding. Poor Buffy, she has been through so much already and now this happens. It seemed as though your cat wanted to talk about it as well!

[@Letssee92]

Willow finding out about the death and going through her clothes crying and panicking really tore me apart. So realistic you just don’t know what to do.

[@ReelReviewsWithJen]

It was such a gut punch of a scene, they did a great job at making it realistic. My reaction is mostly me just crying because I have no words, such a tough episode.

[@kimwatchesstuff]

" I hope they address it." Me: Yea, yea, I think they do.

[@debblouin]

Notice there is no score the entire episode. It actually increases the impact of the episode because it makes it so real.

[@ReelReviewsWithJen]

Yeah the silence definitely adds to the emptiness of this episode. A great creative choice to take away the comfort we’re used to of background music. Thanks for watching!

[@ronfehr7899]

In the last Buffy episode, Buffy mentioned to Xander that she needed to learn to be comfortable being alone with herself. Those turned out to be prophetic words when she got home.

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

No. She always has her Dawnie.

[@ronfehr7899]

​@@MrLorenzovanmatterhoThat's true. I guess 'prophetic' is not the word I should have used. Perhaps 'ominous' would have been more appropriate.

[@alysharichards3757]

I never cease to lose it when Dawn collapses on the floor

[@ReelReviewsWithJen]

Such an emotional moment 😩😩

[@dennicaid7682]

At the end of last episode when you said you hoped they didn't skip over what happened at the end and go straight to another monster of the week, I was thinking "oh, no, it's actually exactly the opposite." It's raw and heartbreaking and all too real.... and probably some of the best 40 minutes of television because of it.

[@Buffy8Fan]

It isn't about Dawn thinking she can bring her mother back. It's about the fact that Dawn is still in denial (unlike Buffy who lived through Act 1). This is shown even when the doctor gives his medical exposition on why Joyce died. Buffy has a steady cam on her while Dawn's camera is still moving. Going to see her mom's body is about closure. Something Buffy doesn't fully understand because she got it without understanding she got it. Dawn searches it out because, like Anya asking questions, it's Dawn's way of coping. I love the fact that Jen understood why the EMT was mis-framed. So many people question it and don't understand that it's Buffy's state of mind to have the EMT be there and talking to her, but not have her really listening or experiencing it. The crew was worried Dawn's school stuff was useless, but it builds tension wonderfully because the audience knows Buffy's on her way. On a side note to the school stuff, I like to think Owen Thurman from _Never Kill a Boy on the First Date_ was meant to be more like Kevin, but J. Evan Bonifant (Kevin's actor) played him how Christopher Wiehl (Owen Thurman's actor) should have. Life moves on. And in The Buffyverse that doesn't just mean kids continue playing and parking ticket get handed out. It also means vampires. The opening scene was because the crew didn't want Buffy finding her mom to be played over credits.

[@catserver8577]

I think we were all dreading you seeing this. I've probably cried rivers over this episode, had no idea it was coming the first time, and every time after it still gets me to the core. I also had a kitty on my lap during the times I have watched it, who was upset that I was upset. How this episode didn't get everyone and everything nominated for an Emmy I have zero idea. I think it was very honorable to have Joyce's character have a natural death, if they had to do it. Hugs Jen, you did great. It's a heartbreaker.

[@phueal]

“I got they address it, and don’t just do a monster of the week.” - mission accomplished.

[@ReelReviewsWithJen]

So many feels

[@DavidB-2268]

The silence represented the negative space created when Joyce died.

[@MichaelJohnson-kq7qg]

Dawn's art project is negative space. Examining a body by looking at the shape it leaves.

[@rfresa]

One of my favorite details is that Dawn's art class assignment was to draw the negative space around a body. That's essentially what this episode does. Also, I take the end of this episode as evidence that Buffy did eventually develop the vampire-sense that Giles said she should have in the pilot.

[@victorsixtythree]

So...I remember I watched this incredible episode back when it first aired and I've seen it several times since then. Now I can't imagine watching it with commercial breaks - although I must have when I first watched it. It's difficult to imagine the tension and drama being broken up by inserting advertisements.

[@Dylan_Platt]

A powerful reaction. Thank you for sharing. Cutting to yourself as you normally would to make a comment, but you're just crying, was the perfect way to comment on this masterful, devastating episode.

[@lurkerrekrul]

The wait for an ambulance to show up, is always the longest, even if in reality, it's only a few minutes.

[@jacklegend5798]

Joyce is the only TV death that has ever made me cry, and it still crushes me every single time.

[@adamclifton29]

The Christmas scene was there so the screen credits could play out and not distract when the real part of the episode was playing

[@bananaspliitz9136]

I’ve seen Buffy countless times and this is one of 3 eps that make me cry no matter what. Having willow and Tara’s first on screen kiss being something so poignant was great. It could have been token and sexualized but instead we got this amazing moment of grief and comfort and desperate need for grounding that it’s beautiful. 😭💜

[@HopelessHermit]

If I had self control or it was another episode I'd wait until later pop open a beer but this is the body so gotta see it now!

[@andidreyes5323]

My mom had an aneurysm. She had to wait for a month for her brain surgery and it was scary af. We had to watch her and she had chronic headaches. We were told if she had worse migraines we were to bring her immediately to that hospital and call her neurologists office on the way. I was in the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of high school when she had the surgery. She yelled at me to get out of her recovery room. No one else...just me. I was the youngest kid but she later explained that I had spent so mich time being her nurse that it was time for me to be a teenager again. But she hurt our relationship that day and I tried to fix it. She kicked me out of the house for the entire summer while she healed up, by asking my friends' parents if they would watch me over this week or that. We became close again many years later and then when she died...I had PTSD about her loss. The level of loss is so deep that you have shock and grief but I had a rage and depression around her loss. Why did it have to be me that took up the matriarchal family head?! I am not the one. I can't remember anymore.

[@grkpektis]

In the Wish Anya hinted to Giles she has murdered people by her own hands not just by wishes so we know she's seen death first hand but not like this

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

The genius of Joss! An ep best viewed with a cat on your lap. Believe it or not the next ep is the real tearjerker.

[@aeronitz]

And the funny aneurysm trope was created. Rewatch The Freshman (I believe) and the conversation Buffy and Willow have while book shopping.

[@mikesilva3868]

Agreed 😊

[@Emburbujada]

Really hard episode to watch, but it's so well made. Too real and very respectful. Joss did an amazing job here.

[@kendavis8046]

The original DVD releases had certain episodes with optional commentary, from actors, directors, writers, and Joss himself. Joss had commentary on this one that provides a lot of insight into how this episode came together.

[@greatasticguy]

Aww your cat trying to comfort you.

[@ronfehr7899]

The Christmas table scene was intended solely for the purpose of playing while the secondary credits were shown. The present-day events were too serious to have viewers distracted by words on the screen. Also, the lack of music, apart from the usual credits, was also intentional. Music is often used for soothing purposes, and this episode was not meant to be soothing.

[@AndrewSmoot]

They're on a college campus, campus police don't get a lot of funding for transportation, and if they aren't responding to an active shooter/bomb threat situation, they don't need more than golf carts to get around campus.

[@adorkability]

As hard as it is to watch, this is a beautifully written episode. Excluding the supernatural elements, it's very true to how the experience of losing a parent is. I lost my mom two years ago. I think it helped me knowing that the thoughts and feelings I had were a normal part of the grieving process.

[@edwardthorne9875]

This, to me, is the single most gripping slice of reality ever presented on TV. For reasons of narrative, they have to skip over things like -- Joyce's life insurance (enough to pay off the house, really?), was Giles appointed in the Will as executor, what kind of insurance was the museum offering in Medical Benefits? Death is a harsh reality. So are the months of aggrevating paperwork that come afterwards. (Going thru it right now...) So, it's a slice of timeless reality, reaction to the death of a loved one. The current modern reality afterwards is not quite as Emmy-worthy. Such a perceptive and honest reaction, Jen. That's why you are so darn watchable. Cheers.

[@HopelessHermit]

What really annoys me is in real life a counselor or school security or whoever would take dawn to the principal's office to meet Buffy not in the middle for everyone to gawk at

[@catserver8577]

Probably now they would, but back in the Y2K era, not so much.

[@tiamod]

The paramedics wouldn’t have left Buffy alone with Joyce’s body as well.

[@katequick3602]

​@@tiamod I was left alone with my dad until the funeral home showed up to pick him up. Of course I was a lot older so I hope they wouldn't do that to younger people, but it happens. Think it depends on where you live.

[@drakethedragon3164]

My mother and I were left alone with my stepfather's body.

[@winterscribbler6745]

I've been both looking forward to and dreading you getting to this episode

[@jean-paulaudette9246]

Making people's heads explode just by thinking about it is indeed a thing. I refer you to the Reel Reviews with Jen episode for "Scanners". 😊

[@ReelReviewsWithJen]

🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@mikesilva3868]

Great episode and review 😊

[@CineRam]

Probably the single best episode of any series that I've ever seen. A great work of art. It's difficult for me to believe that Joss Whedon--who apparently is a nasty person to work with--has the sensitivity to create something as beautiful and empathetic as this. I was a devoted fan of his for a long time, and reading about how terribly he treated his employees, especially the women, has not been easy to come to terms with. But I try to remind myself that the shows and films that he directed also had many decent people working hard to complete them. I don't like to give credit to terrible people when the work is worthy of praise, but there's no denying the virtues of this episode. BTW, this was the first time that Tara and Willow kiss onscreen. There was a lot of resistance from the network suits, but after the show switched networks it happened more often.

[@Hanneth]

This really is the hardest Buffy episode to watch. It is also one of the best written. Hush, with no words and just music was brilliant in Season 4. A lot of people thought that The Body should have been nominated for an Emmy, like Hush was. The Body, had no music, just words. Where do we go from here next season? *No spoilers* I still think that the speech at the end of Earshot was absolutely brilliant. Unfortunately the timing was horrible as it was scheduled to air shortly after the Columbine Massacre. Here in Canada they showed it after the season finale, but as I understand it, it wasn't shown in the US until about 2 years later.

[@Shoomer1988]

Suggestion for a TV show. 'Babylon 5' it pretty much invented long form story telling. Probably the greatest Sci-Fi ever made.

[@DennisNelson-ee2il]

It broke my heart,this episode.

[@ReelReviewsWithJen]

Such a gut punch :(

[@melenatorr]

As I recall, though it's been a while, I believe that Sutherland had mentioned to Whedon that she wanted to leave the show, due to, if I'm right, family priorities.

[@blackkatt777]

Although SMG's performance was outstanding, it's always Alyson's and Emma's monologues that destroy me every time. This episode should have landed them every possible award there is. Every choice made for this episode about the 5 stages of grief was absolutely superb, imo. The editing, zoom ins, blocking, long pauses between dialogue to add emphasis to the pov experiences. It's like life is happening all around at normal speed while every painful second of this traumatic event is drawn out as in you're having some outer body experience that doesn't feel real...or rather you're in auto pilot while in a state of shock. To this day, I will argue against even what Joss himself has said about the natural death of Joyce. My argument is that I still think the "Shadow" on her brain was the magical fake memories that the monks did. They suppressed heavily on nerves in her brain and it was too much for her to live through. I don't think it was coincidence that Joyce got her first fainted blackouts as soon as Dawn was created and sent to them. Since the doctor used science to fix the problem, it worked on his end, but the "shadow" was still mystically there. She couldn't heal back to health because it was there.

[@debblouin]

I understand the temptation to want a Buffyesque reason, but the truth is that things like this happen to real people in the real world, and to have it happen in the middle of a show like this is just perfection from an impact perspective.

[@LongandWeirdName]

My favorite tiny, almost unnoticeable touch was them not showing the face of the Emergency Medical Technician when he was delivering the on site evaluation. The usual framing would have not just his face, but also a bit over it. They made it clear that Buffy wasn't all there and wasn't focusing on what he was saying with such a simple, yet powerful camera trick. Brilliant work from all people involved. The directing, the acting, the sound design(I mean... the silence to increase how empty that moment feels... the sounds of bells chiming and children playing outside as life goes on without her... brilliant), the camera work, the dialogue. One of the best monents in television. I can count on one hand, across all genres of tv shows, episodes I know that have the same level of... perfection.

[@trufamilybromontqc]

Im sorry Jen but its gonna be a hard one💔💔💔

[@mikesilva3868]

You want a hard watch the unwatchable classic pumaman movie 😅

[@trufamilybromontqc]

@@mikesilva3868 never saw it but i remember my father had it on vhs .

[@warrengday]

Best episode of TV ever perhaps. I've watched this episode a lot, to help prepare for my parents dead, which it did a lot. Sarah's performance in the opening oner is amazing. I've never liked Anya much nor this speech, though many do.

[@jenhalbert3001]

Really sorry this is such a difficult episode, but it's crazy good, which will be easier for everyone to get in future viewings. I guess Joss's dad died the same way when he was in his 20s, hence the realness. This is probably the hardest episode of the series, and everyone cries. Hell, I've watched the whole series 4 times and i still cry watching other people watch it. One of best of the series, though.

[@salbro5985]

Oh, your hopeful denial in the last one... yep, this actually happened. Probably the toughest episode to get through. 😐

[@88missjessica]

where is SMG's Emmy for this!!!!!!

[@myeckwaters]

The network refused to allow them showing Willow and Tara kissing until this episode, when Willow was crying and Tara comforted her. A straight up romantic kiss between lovers was unacceptable. Once the dam was broken they were able to show them kissing. What's even more weird is that viewers wrote in, upset that they had suddenly made Willow gay.

[@catserver8577]

Yeah, a couple "viewers" probably wrote in, but there are pearl clutchers missing the point in every series on tv. The Buffyverse didn't have an issue with it.

[@JerriBlank]

💔

[@DrJVenture]

Apparently Joss Whedon’s mom died suddenly when he was younger. He’s talked about taking a lot from his experience for this episode. When I do a Buffy rewatch, I usually skip this episode. Too raw.

[@ReelReviewsWithJen]

Yeah it was a tough one to get through for sure, thanks for watching!

[@lawrencewestby9229]

This episode is not about Joyce's death but rather everyone's reaction to her death. They showed Joyce having already passed away at the end of the previous episode just so they could use this entire episode to show those reactions. How Joyce died, other than it being a natural death, was not important.

[@TerryNutkins3]

It's just a show with a goofy name about vampires, right?

[@sannakuusela3693]

Teen wolf serie

[@evernevermore-ci2so]

This is one episode that I can't watch often. It's technically a very good episode. Brilliantly acted and written but it's just too much. It hit way too close to home.

[@coreyhendricks9490]

Good Afternoon Jen, How About Reacting To Party Of Five TV Show, You Have A Nice Day Sweetie & Most Of All, Cheese & Rice 🥰❤️

[@sisterdebmac]

Why did you cut the kiss? I stopped watching because I really don't get that. It's a huge moment, so long coming.