Buffy character whose death would/has scar(red) you for life.

[palabravampiress]

I'm watching my favorite soap right now. I think one of my favorite characters might be dying. I'm actually really upset about it. In 1994, another of my favorite characters died. I really never got over it. I am not alone in that, as that character (Stone) was the main character of the much lauded AIDS story. It touched a lot of people. Watching scenes from his story or reading the book version can still make me cry. It feels sort of like he was a real person who died.

Anyway, that got me thinking: is there any Buffyverse (or even Whedonverse) character whose death would haunt you for the next 13 years and counting?

For me, I don't really think so. Joyce is the closest, but as much as I loved her, she was always kind of on the outskirts. Maybe it's the difference between Buffyverse deaths and GH deaths. In the Buffyverse, you die suddenly -- either of mystical stuff or of a sudden aneurysm, a sudden gunshot wound, or even the sudden slash of a sword. On GH, you die of medical illness. Stone died of AIDS slowly over a period of two years and during the prime of his life. He was surrounded by grieving family and friends. Luke, if he is dying (it's a soap; you never know) has been dying of heart attack-related complications for two weeks now and is in surgery. He is also surrounded by grieving family and friends -- kids and siblings and old flames and even old enemies are stopping by his hospital room to wish him well. Also, Luke has been on my TV screen for as long as I've been alive. In one month, Luke gets more airtime than Joyce had all put together. So for me, while I love the Buffyverse, I don't think any of their deaths -- not even Joyce's or Fred's -- will inspire mourning 13 years later.

What about you guys? Is there any Buffyverse character whose death feels (or would feel) uncomfortably real and emotional?

 

[Kean]

I think if Angel or Buffy died and I knew ther were going to stay dead it woul tear me apart. I just watched 'Your Welcome' and it still makes me a little teary eyed cuz I adored Cordelia's character.

 

[GATEGOD]

Well whenever I think about BuffyTVS I think about Anya, and whenever I think about Anya I think about how sad it was when she talked about Joyce's death, then during hells bells when she was giving her vows and Xander was walking away, then I think about her being dead. I only really will probably remember Anya. That is sad :cry: So if I still remember this show in 13 years, and I hope I do... then I guess hers. Other's not so much, maybe Doyle but not as much as Anya no longer living and breathing and and smiling and crying and :cry: But her death was fast and bad, so not her death itself. Just her being dead.

 

[Joyce Summers]

Fred's really tore me about, well not so much Fred's death as Wesley's reaction to it and how helpless he felt, but it isn't one that'll tear me up for years to come. It had me thinking on it for a few days sadly, but other than that no.
Joyce's death on the otherhand did really effect me and still does. I think it's because it hits so close to home. I was around Buffy's age when I lost someone who had been like a second Mother to me- it was kind of a in the absence of my Dad thing as happens with most single parent families. Growing up you do get someone who is either a second mom or Dad, or just a father or mother figure- and it was sudden but at the same time not- rather like Joyce's death. You know the risk's there, but it's still sudden. And everything the entire gang went through in 'The Body' I could relate to or had seen it in others. There is that strange time-last-forever feeling and monotony of it all that just seems to tear you apart inside and The Body captured that so well that it almost recreates that feeling for me when I watch it, which is why, in fact, I rarely do. But I remember feeling like you weren't there, as Buffy did, I remember people not knowing what to do- like when the group bring everything from the vending machine. And Anya's lament is just what you think with any death. You just can't understand it no matter how many deaths you've seen. You still look at that person and see there this body and it's not them anymore. It's like a shell and it's horrible to look at it and know it's not the person you knew. And I had a complete Willow reaction to clothes in a way. I was just so obsessed with needing to wear black for the funeral but I thought it was too depressig but I didn't want to seem like I didn't care. I ended up getting a black dress that had splashes of bright bold pink and gold and blue all over it and I painted my nails boldly. It was like I met both my thoughts half way. And Forever just mirrored the aftermath and I empathized so much with Buffy when she's talking to Dawn and Angel. You do work towards the funeral constantly, it's all you focus on. Because you know as long as you keep doing that you don't have to think about why you're doing it or who it's for. And then when the funeral's over you're just lost.

So, wow, I've probably depressed you all there, but I suppose it shows how much Joyce's death effected me. But like I said it was a 'relate to it' kind of thing and the way it was all done was so spot on it's hard *not* to view it as heartbreaking.

 

[palabravampiress]

I agree. The Body is one of my favorite episodes because it just feels so real. Everything you said makes perfect sense. The one thing it lacks for me when compared to a soap death, though, is duration. I loved Joyce as a character. Stone, I just sort of loved. That's the power of the 5-days-a-week format, I guess.

 

[Joyce Summers]

I guess I can understand where you're coming from about 'duration'. But I personally have never been able to get into soaps, I don't know why. I think most probably because I've never been in at the right times to watch them continuously and follow the storylines bit by bit. I did sort of used to watch GH years ago, but I don't know, I think I connect more with one a week hour-long dramas like Buffy, because- now, I'm not critizing soap writing, far from it- but there always seems to me to be more depth in the characters in the once-a-weekers (as long as there are good writers of course) and so allowed me to connect with them more, even to the point of understanding why the made certain decisions etc.

 

[VisionGuy]

When Buffy died at the end of The Gift, I was really upset. I saw the episode when it first aired so I didn't know there was gonna be a season 6 since the WB was announcing it as the series finale. I thought it was a beautiful way to go but it was really sad that she went out and died at a young age like all the other slayers. The other one who really upset me was Cordelia because she was my favorite character and she came a long way from her Sunnydale years. I had no idea she was gonna die. I just assumed she was just gonna leave. I still get teary eyed for both of those deaths.

 

[Kean]

I used to watch a few soaps, I'd go through stages when I was hooked and others when I couldn't care less. Buffy is the only programme that I was ever so invested in and ten years on I still care just as much, maybe even more than before. So to me a final death of one of my favourite characters on Buffy would absolutely break my heart. So far Cordy has been the worst. I loved the episode but I just didn't want her to go, thinking that we would never see her again tore me apart.

 

[palabravampiress]

To each her own!

I see where you're coming from. It's hard to sit down and get into a soap if you haven't been watching out of habit for years and years. And often, they are just plain cheesy or melodramatic. It can be hard to see why a soap character makes a decision, especially if you haven't been around for a decade or so. And sometimes, the writers make a character act out-of-character for the sake of the plot, so you're left going, "Huh?"

For me, though, the little things that the newbie might not catch make the soap shine. Leslie (Luke's ex-mother-in-law) saying to Bobby re: Scotty, "He's hated Luke for so long that he's like family!" had so many decades of history behind it that it was both incredibly touching and funny. To the newbie, it's a throwaway line. To the long-time fan, it's magic. To catch a glimpse of Mac with his grown (step-)daughters, well, that's magic, too, because you remember all the way back to the look on his face when Felicia was pregnant with the youngest and told Mac that he wasn't the biological father or when he spent sleepless nights in the hospital while the oldest girl, then a child, had a heart transplant.

Normally, we're on the same page. I guess we finally found something about which we disagree! lol.

 

[Blondie Bear]

I sobbed when Fred died. And nearly threw something at the screen when Wash died. Although I think it may have been worse if it was Kaylee--I LOVE Kaylee.

 

[alexa]

Im not sure if any tv death scared me for life 😛
But I was upset when Angel 'died', Buffy died, Fred died, Tara, and actually I think maybe more so when Wash and Book died. I love Book 🙁 I was as pissed as Mal when he died in his arms. I think Angels death probably made me cry the most out of all of them, kinda of walk around depressed after Becoming.. so I must go much season 3 right away so I cheer up a bit. The end of Serenity I was still sad, especially when you notice the little dinosaur statues.

 

[BlasterBoy606]

There are, really. I grew up with these characters and I've grown to really love them.

Joyce's death really hit me hard, and still does. Anytime I rewatch an episode like "Forever" or "The Gift" or one of the S7 episodes where The First is Joyce, I really get a little sad. But, when I watch "The Body", I cry. No matter when it is. It hits me so hard and so close to home and it's just....it might not be the character and it might be the writing and performances only, but it really hurts. 🙁

Um...I'd say Anya. When she died, I was shocked, although, not devastated. The reason why I wasn't devastated was because they didn't care. It wasn't brought up, she was just killed for shock value. But, that might've been even more sad than them dealing with. It's one reason I cannot fully enjoy Season 8. Joss doesn't seem to care that he killed one of the most beloved characters in the verse.

I'd also say Willow, cause I just love her. And Xander. And Giles. Personally, I couldn't forgive the writers if they killed off one of the core 4. That's why I was mighty pissed when I learned Joss planned to kill Xand-Man in "Dirty Girls", and then writers told him not too (thank god!).

And Cordelia. I think it really shows in Season 5, because it's so different. It isn't as nice and comfortable in the verse when Cordy wasn't there. I don't know, it just felt...weird :s

 

[palabravampiress]

There are, really. I grew up with these characters and I've grown to really love them.

Joyce's death really hit me hard, and still does. Anytime I rewatch an episode like "Forever" or "The Gift" or one of the S7 episodes where The First is Joyce, I really get a little sad. But, when I watch "The Body", I cry. No matter when it is. It hits me so hard and so close to home and it's just....it might not be the character and it might be the writing and performances only, but it really hurts. 🙁

Um...I'd say Anya. When she died, I was shocked, although, not devastated. The reason why I wasn't devastated was because they didn't care. It wasn't brought up, she was just killed for shock value. But, that might've been even more sad than them dealing with. It's one reason I cannot fully enjoy Season 8. Joss doesn't seem to care that he killed one of the most beloved characters in the verse.

I'd also say Willow, cause I just love her. And Xander. And Giles. Personally, I couldn't forgive the writers if they killed off one of the core 4. That's why I was mighty pissed when I learned Joss planned to kill Xand-Man in "Dirty Girls", and then writers told him not too (thank god!).

And Cordelia. I think it really shows in Season 5, because it's so different. It isn't as nice and comfortable in the verse when Cordy wasn't there. I don't know, it just felt...weird :s

Dude. I may be wrong about not having a strong emotional reaction. When you said that Joss talked about killing Xander in Dirty Girls, my heart did a little flip-flop!

 

[DarklyDreamingDrusilla]

I think that Fred was the saddest death for me. I just felt so awful for Wesley. And when I was watching it I didn't think I was going to cry but I started to get that feeling when you loose your breath a bit and then my eyes got all watery. I just always wanted Wes and Fred to be together because I loved Wes so much and I think that after the episode "Billy" it kind of screwed up there chances for a while because Wes tried to kill Fred and all and Gunn was able to fight it (because he knew it was coming) Anyway, I just hated that Wes lost his love and I loved Fred so yeah it was really sad.

I would also have to say when Spike dies in Chosen that always makes be get a bit teary but especially the first time I saw it because that whole scene between him and Buffy was so emotional and I feel that he was really redeeming himself at that point. And I thought that he was really gone untill he came back on Angel.

 

[TabulaRasa]

The way Anya died will always get to me. It was so OMG, you know? Everytime I see it I am like YIKES. Joyces death really bothered me because it's more likely you will die from an illness than a sword thru the chest. And getting shot ins't impossible either, like Tara was. All of these deaths really got to me but scarrrred me up for life is Joyce's. No one wants to lose anyone to an illness and then come home to find them like Buffy had to. What a brave girl we have on our hands. Deals with so much horrible crapola.

 

[palabravampiress]

I think that if Angel would have gone through with it in Amends, then that would have scarred me. Suicide is a terrible, horrible thing.

 

[GATEGOD]

The way Anya died will always get to me. It was so OMG, you know? Everytime I see it I am like YIKES. Joyces death really bothered me because it's more likely you will die from an illness than a sword thru the chest. And getting shot ins't impossible either, like Tara was. All of these deaths really got to me but scarrrred me up for life is Joyce's. No one wants to lose anyone to an illness and then come home to find them like Buffy had to. What a brave girl we have on our hands. Deals with so much horrible crapola.

The only reason Joyce's death bothered me was because of Anya's sad sad speech :cry: about not understanding and why can't she just get back in her body, otherwise it wouldn't have been as sad as it was.

 

[kanani]

Joyce's death was devastating for me. Even though I knew it was coming, it still hit like bricks. And it wasn't just her death alone, it was also the way "The Body" was written, laid out, acted... I've only seen the epsiode once (I'm a disc away from 2nd viewing) but I remember watching most of it with tears filling up my eyes. Not streaming, just an almost constant wetness and I was all kinds of tore up.

Cordelia as well. I missed her terribly in S:5**. When I got to "You're Welcome" I was so, so excited because I knew she was coming back for that episode, but I didn't know the outcome. The part where she turns around and charges Angel witih that kiss... omg, I was bawling, totally started bawling! And THEN Angel gets the call from the hospital. Holy Poop you guys, it was a serious emotional One-Two punch. Bawling, bawling, bawling... that was me for that episode. Also, Charisma Carpenter looked beautiful. All glowy and womanly.. so, so beautiful.

And Darla's demise bummed me out, no scar, just big bummage. I think I have a straight-girl crush on Julie Benz...



**which is a HUGE testament to everyone involved in the making of Angel because 5 was my favorite season.

 

[Buffy Summers]

Hmm...I don't know if any character on Buffy's death would have the same effect as Stone's death. Though I guess Angel's death at Buffy's hand, if we thought it was for good, could come the closest.

 

[sosa lola]

The core four. Especially Xander or Willow. Because if Buffy died the show won't go on, and she will not die. And Giles, we got used to him far away even though I do not want him to die, at all, it'll just break my heart.