Did it really work?

[Chosen Enemy]

After Joyce died, Dawn tied to resurrect her by a spell she did. When she finished performing the spell, Buffy walked in and scolded her. But Dawn had already finished the spell. And we see woman's legs walk toward the Summers house and then a knock on the door. But a second before Buffy opened the door, Dawn tore out the photo of Joyce which meant to break the spell.

So the question is, did the spell work? Was it really (but not really) Joyce behind the door?

 

[Ms.Trick]

Oh I think it worked, but I don't want to imagine in what state she was. I think she was a pure zombie, just a walking body. I don't imagine her being all Joycey again. It wasn't a spell like Willow used for Buffy so I think the results were probably less good!

 

[Chosen Enemy]

I think it might have traumatized Dawn, this would have been sooooo bad. The interesting thing is, Buffy was mad at first and Dawn wished it to work. And then, when there was the knock on the door, Buffy turned like, "Mummy?" with wishful thinking sound in her voice, like she'd hoped it worked. But at the same time, Dawn flipped as well, and tore out the photo.

 

[Ms.Trick]

Yeah, that's what makes the scene so magic (and one of the few where I really love Dawn). Dawn understood how desperate Buffy actually was, how sad she was and how bad it would be for them both to have a zombie-mum. She knew she had to break the spell, not just for themselves, but also, for the sake of Joyce, to not let her wandering like a living dead girl.

That scene was so beautiful! And then when Buffy cried in the end, aaawn!

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

I don't think it was Joyce. It really didn't looked like Joyce. If mother of two came back from the dead, she would rush over to her daughters.. she wouldn't walk like a zombie in front of their window.

 

[LoveLoveLovix]

It was really her, but not really her. Like others have said, a zombie-Joyce.

 

[BuffyElevated]

I think it was really Joyce, but with the type of magic used in the spell, I'm sure it was a zombified version of Joyce, which would have been wayyyy creepy and scarred me for life. LOL

 

[Taake]

I think it was really Joyce, but with the type of magic used in the spell, I'm sure it was a zombified version of Joyce, which would have been wayyyy creepy and scarred me for life. LOL

Agreed! I'm so glad they did not show us Zombie-Joyce. Too disturbing and silly to think of... I don't even like the idea that the spell worked :S

 

[Willow My Love]

How it was set up, we're lead to believe that it did work. However, Joyce's soul had moved on. It wasn't in her body anymore. So the Joyce we saw would have been a walking, reanimated corpse and nothing more. It would have looked like Joyce, but would have nothing of Joyce left inside of her. It would have been awful for her daughters to see her like that.

The thing I always wondered is, why did Joyce's body just *poof* disappear. I understand that Dawn broke her spell, but why didn't the body just drop when the spell that was reanimating it was broken?

 

[BuffyElevated]

How it was set up, we're lead to believe that it did work. However, Joyce's soul had moved on. It wasn't in her body anymore. So the Joyce we saw would have been a walking, reanimated corpse and nothing more. It would have looked like Joyce, but would have nothing of Joyce left inside of her. It would have been awful for her daughters to see her like that.

The thing I always wondered is, why did Joyce's body just *poof* disappear. I understand that Dawn broke her spell, but why didn't the body just drop when the spell that was reanimating it was broken?

I fully agree. Like I said above, I think we all would have been scarred for life to see Joyce like that. *shudder* It's kinda like that Edgar Allan Poe story... Which one was it?? I can't remember.

And I wondered that, too. Obviously Zombie Joyce had walked a long way... How weird was it that she just disappeared? Still, though, I'm glad she did. Who would want to take care of reburying a corpse? Ew.