Controversial opinion - The Body is overrated

[AlphaFoxtrot]

I concur, if the Body helped or helps you deal with death and grief and grieving, that's fine, that's good. But it doesn't mean the episodes isn't without flaws.

 

[Btvs fan]

I concur, if the Body helped or helps you deal with death and grief and grieving, that's fine, that's good. But it doesn't mean the episodes isn't without flaws.

I completely agree. At the time of airing many thought it was just Whedon's attempt to grab an Emmy as he missed out with Hush the year before.

 

[hoponlilmama]

And I think that's okay too. Loss is never easy, so I understand wanting to avoid episodes that bring up painful memories. Other people may use it as a way to grieve and process. Others may not. When I used to be upset, I used to watch Once More with Feeling and Tabula Rasa.

More than anything, the older I've gotten, the more my favorite episodes have changed based on my life and experiences. And that's okay too.

Agree, and nicely said.

 

[Goby]

It is the greatest episode of TV ever, thus by definition it cannot be overrated.

 

[ILLYRIAN]

I hated that episode for several reasons.

1: On Nov 27 1999 I had to tell my 8 year old daughter that I might die before christmas, that was not an enjoyable thing to do.
2: Watching what Joyce had to go through IE the whole Catscan debacle was pathetic.
3: The Catscan I had done I drove my car to the hospital, had the scan then drove home.
4: There was absolutely no reason to spend the night in hospital.
Odd that they didn't have to shave her head or part of it. I did, I did and part of my skull was removed, (a little bit so that the surgeon could get his hand in a bit easier).
I had the same medical condition as Joyce.

PS I didn't die.

 

[BuffyElevated]

As someone who has lost both my parents, I respectfully disagree.

I've always loved "The Body", but since losing both my parents, the episode definitely hits differently now than it did when I first saw it.

I think that every character's reaction to Joyce's passing feels very real and raw, and it's very true to how people handle grief differently. I remember going outside to sit on my front porch to wait for the coroner when my mom died, and feeling exactly like Buffy in the moment she stands outside the back door. All the sounds of the world around felt amplified and surreal... My niece was like Xander; she was angry and wanted to find someone or something to blame.

As far as the acting, we have to remember that a few actors on the show had quite a bit more acting experience than others, hence they would have had more coaching over the years on how to be as nuanced as possible in their scenes. However, I think all the actors did a fantastic job of staying true to their character and how that character would react in a situation like that.

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

So, does "Hole In The World" improve on any of "The Body's" problems?

For my part, Hole does feel like a genuine episode of Angel, and not a gimmick episode like Body does, it feels like part of the series, as opposed to a very special episode of it.

 

[Cohen]

So, does "Hole In The World" improve on any of "The Body's" problems?

For my part, Hole does feel like a genuine episode of Angel, and not a gimmick episode like Body does, it feels like part of the series, as opposed to a very special episode of it.

“A Hole in the World” has a completely different message though. It’s basically like… not even at the ends of the earth can you find a solution to prevent the death of someone destined to die. Fred repeats “Handsome man saves me” just before Angel goes off to try to save her…and fails. So it naturally fits within the framework of the show.

Meanwhile, “The Body” was basically about the raw human nature of grief following the death of a loved one. Its premise was to be as natural-feeling as possible, to make it feel as real as possible. Thats why there’s no soundtrack and the vampire is only featured in the last couple of minutes.

 

[Kendar]

Meanwhile, “The Body” was basically about the raw human nature of grief following the death of a loved one. Its premise was to be as natural-feeling as possible, to make it feel as real as possible. Thats why there’s no soundtrack and the vampire is only featured in the last couple of minutes.

It's also pointing out that you can have all the power in the world and bad things can still happen that you have no control over. Real life can be just as capricious and cruel as the world Buffy operates in.

 

[BuffyElevated]

[B]ILLYRIAN[/B]: What I wrote was how I viewed the episode and how the medical conditions were portrayed. What did you disagree to?

I was responding to the original post. 🙂

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Some people say it's a child-like reaction she's having - but that's what it felt like to me when I went through it. The brain just can't process that someone is gone.

I lost my mother suddenly last October. And I agree it's hard to process. My reaction was disbelief, then denial, then anger. Buffy's reaction to her mother's sudden death is very real and relatable.

 

[Nix]

I lost my mother suddenly last October. And I agree it's hard to process. My reaction was disbelief, then denial, then anger. Buffy's reaction to her mother's sudden death is very real and relatable.

Totally agree. I lost my mother 19 years ago and that episode still hits hard to this day. Sending hugs xx

 

[ILLYRIAN]

I thought the reaction to Joyce's condition to be very believable what I had problem with was that she had to spend a night in hospital for such a simple quick and non invasive scan.