Do You Like Those Sad Episodes?

Valjavertjinn

Valjavertjinn

I am, I am, I am.
Joined
Aug 19, 2011
Messages
1,047
Location
Wisconsin
My favorite character is Jenny, but my favorite episode is "Passion", the episode that she dies in. I also love "A Hole In the World", in which Fred, another favorite of mine, dies. I love them both because of how amazingly emotional and well done they both are. When Giles is walking up the stairs, I always get this strange feeling of dread and excitement, which blooms into raw, gut-wrenching shock and pain (though I've seen it many times) when he finds her body. It's thrilling, shocking, and totally incredible for an angst-lover like myself.

How do you guys feel about episodes with death scenes or other sad/bad things? Do you avoid them because they're too painful, or do you watch them for the emotion? Or are you just indifferent?
 
I actually quite enjoy the sad episodes like The Body and Seeing Red (although I like to skip the part when Tara dies. 🙁 )

I guess I watch them for emotion. I like when shows can create emotions, it makes me like and appreciate them more.
 
Absolutely. The sad episodes, the emotional ones, are what I associate Buffy with. In fact, I find a lot of sorrow in these series' than I do in most others so I never watch Buffy or Angel to feel "good" or "better," I watch it for inspiration, nostalgia and to go with the motions of the characters. I guess they way I do feel better about things while watching it is when I can relate to people who are going through crappy sitches as well. Buffy and Angel were at it's best when the story lines were heavy.
 
sad things are always the best things. they're raw, emotional, real. buffy and angel are incredible shows because they have this rather ridiculous-sounding premise, but they're incredibly deep. in the end, the monsters and slayers and supernatural things are just giant metaphors for life and its pain. talk about being able to relate.
 
wickedtiger86
wickedtiger86
[No message]
The neat thing about well-done fiction is that it allows us to feel emotions that, IRL, would be unutterably painful.

When I watch Passion, or Not Fade Away, or the death of my favorite character on "24," I can experience sharp, deep emotions -- without having to suffer their consequences the next day, or the rest of my life.

I can feel tears welling, and be fully alive with the intensity of my emotion -- and it doesn't matter one single little bit because it's fiction.

But the emotions (if you're invested in the characters and the show) are pretty much just as intense, for a short period of time.

So you get all of the emotional intensity and realization, with none of the consequences.
 
D
dexeded
[No message]
brinkster130
brinkster130
[No message]
Valjavertjinn
Valjavertjinn
[No message]
Some I avoid, or just the sad scenes, like A Hole in The World, Entropy(or did Tara die in Seeing Red?) and The Body, but I like watching Passions and Becoming part 2. They are just different kinds of sad. I mean, Passions ends with hope, in a way, and now, when watching Becoming I know it will kind of work out (I was such a mess before I saw season 3 and found out Angel was going to live). The Body and A Hole In The World... They're just so sad. Specially A Hole in The World. I mean, she's dying, she's not killed quickly, and that makes it so horrible. And later we find out Fred's soul is just gone and it will never come back. Horrible.
 
Valjavertjinn
Valjavertjinn
Tara died in Seeing Red.
The sad episodes are like my bread and butter. People make fun of me for this. They hear about a new heartbreaking show or book and can't wait to tell me about it because they seem to think that I only like depressing things.

I just like anything that can make me feel. And these shows are great at doing that, even though I've seen them several times, I know everything that is about to happen, but that doesn't matter.

It's awesome. 🙂
 
brinkster130
brinkster130
same here :)
Valjavertjinn
Valjavertjinn
[No message]
I like the sad episodes only as they serve as a counter balance to the happy ones. "Happy" episodes should be in a factor of about 3 or 4 to every 1 "sad" episode, otherwise the show becomes just too depressing for me to waste my time with. Entertainment should reflect the joy and hope of life, not the tragedy and futility of it.
 
Strangely enough i find things that are said between some of the characters or reactions from some of them,sadder than some of them dieing.

For example i found some of the things between Angel & Buffy quite sad in season 3 when their relationship starts to go down hill (also in season 2 as many were touched by the scenario of Vampire falls in love with Slayer, and i though the 2 of them together were perfect together)

But i felt less sad when Jenny died because i though that it set things up quite well for the story at the time.

But i still find a lot of the episodes emotional, for many reasons, such as things said etc.
 
Last edited:
I don't know if there are actually any episodes I can say I don't like at all. I think some of the sad ones are some of the best eps because of how well this show does them. Passion, The Body, Seeing Red, Into the Woods, Becoming Part II - all pretty depressing and gut-wrenching in their own ways, yet so many people LOVE them. The writing, directing, and acting on this show is so good it makes even the sad episodes enthralling.
 
Some of the sad episodes are my favorites, and in my opinion have some of the best acting; so I don't skip over them. I love when an episode can draw out real emotions while watching it and make me truly feel for the characters.
 
I love the sad episodes, they tend to be the ones I rewatch more than some others actually. I suppose that's because they tend to be more memorable though.
 
My problem with Joss's approach of killing off important characters is that he tends to kill those who still have plenty of room for development and a crucial place in the story. So in short term this tends to make for some very well done episodes but it's detrimental in the long term as the characters aren't adequately replaced. Also, at some point the random heaping of misery on the characters seemed to replace telling interesting stories in the mind of the writers, to the great detriment of the show.
 
S
sisterofmercy
good point
Umm, I think the sad episodes are usually better than the non sad ones. They're much more dramatic and have bigger affect on me personally. Characters dying, especially if they're main ones, the episodes where they die, they're much more intense and interesting, sometimes shocking.

It's a little hard for me to watch The Body. But other episodes that are sad, I really really love.
 
For me, the show is already rooted in a very dark, sad, place. The dark foundation upon which the show is based; the idea of a young girl who has to sacrifice her life to save others from, (primarily), creatures who were themselves tragically killed and turned into monsters--is such a gloomy canvas to begin with. Even when you dress it up in daylight on a high school campus or in a cozy suburban house, and surround it with quips and banter. So I enjoy the lighter, more hopeful episodes which leave me with a bittersweet feeling, inspiration, and hope in the face of darkness.
Because of this, the really really "sad" episodes are difficult for me to watch, and I have to be in the mood for them. As others have eloquently said, it's nice to sometimes have those cathartic experiences within the safety of a fictional medium.

ETA- I can watch "The Gift" over and over however, because it's the perfect combination of both. It's the tragedy that gets "resolved." It's inspiration and heart wrenching feelings, but we all know what happens later. Maybe this is cheating, haha.
 
H
hazzard
[No message]
P
patriot1123
Excellent post.
Icarium said:
My problem with Joss's approach of killing off important characters is that he tends to kill those who still have plenty of room for development and a crucial place in the story. So in short term this tends to make for some very well done episodes but it's detrimental in the long term as the characters aren't adequately replaced. Also, at some point the random heaping of misery on the characters seemed to replace telling interesting stories in the mind of the writers, to the great detriment of the show.
Click to expand...

Best you don't become a fan of the show "24." Major character death is a mainstay of that show.
 
I love the sad episodes! I'm not always in the mood to watch them, but I love them 🙂 I think Joss' work captures sadness with a particular poignancy too, seldomly letting it fall into the cheesy category
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom