Is Anya Being Sarcastic in The Body?

[faeriegrrl27]

So, I know there are threads on Anya's speech in The Body which, I think almost everyone can agree, is beautiful and heartbreaking.

But what about before that? Just before that, Willow snaps at her and she says something along the lines of, "Well, what? Should I be changing my clothes? Is that the helpful thing to do?" I'm sorry... I know the quote isn't exact, but you get the gist.

So my question is... at that point was Anya being sarcastic? The way Emma played it, it was hard to tell. She went on her thing about how she doesn't understand... was she being sarcastic when asking what would help, or being snippy. I like to think that she was actually curious. She *didn't* understand and so didn't know what would help. Of course, Anya seems to practical to think that changing clothes might actually help, but at that moment, it's hard to tell.

 

[anyatara]

Yeah, the way Emma delivered that line was a little bit confusing, but I think it's maybe both. The way she says 'Should I be changing my clothes a lot?' Does actually sound curious; and the 'Is that the helpful thing to do?' is a little more sarcastic, and bitter. I think she was being sarcastic in the sense she knew on some level that it wasn't something that needed doing, but she also was unsure; because it was her first real experience with death, in that sense and she wasn't sure if it's something everyone did. She was being regular Anya all in one; curious and confused about mortal ways, but still as sarcastic as ever. Well, that's my opinion at least.

 

[white avenger]

I never really saw that as being sarcastic as much as confused and even a little bit frightened. Remember, Anya had been alive for well over a thousand years, during which the only people with whom she had formed any sort of friendship were also immortal. She had just been very unexpectedly faced with two very upsetting facts: first, that someone who she both knew and was on more or less friendly terms had suddenly and very permanently died, and, two, that she, herself was no doubt going to share the same fate in a, from the perspective of someone her age, very short time. There was genuine grief there, confusion, and more than a little personal fear. She had, for all affects and purposes, never had to deal directly with death before.

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

I don't think she was sarcastic, I think she was confused. She just wanted to know what she needs to do, so she was asking all this silly questions. But I don't think she was saecastic.

 

[Kean]

I don't think it was sarcastic but more like Anya desperately tryingto understand what she was supposed to do. She was looking to the people around her and how they were reacting to death. Each one of the Scoobies acted differently and Anya wanted to know which was the "right" reaction to Joyce's death. I think she thought if she did the "right" things she would then understand what death, and especially the death of a friend meant.

 

[Emzzie]

I dont think she was being sarcastic. I think she was very confused and frustrated and because that was evident through her tone, it could have seemed like it was sarcasm.

 

[BuffyElevated]

I never saw her as being sarcastic. I think Anya was genuinely confused, and I think this is what Emma was trying to convey to the audience. I think Anya was, for the first time, seeing what it truly meant to be human- that there is love and loss and it can be both a beautiful and a heartbreaking thing to be a human.

 

[Megalita]

I think it was typical Anya, being sincere but coming off as sarcastic because she really has no idea about the situation. If said by normal people, it would be rude.

 

[Willow-Tree]

It may have come off as sarcasm, since that's what Emma is most used to playing, but I doubt it was intentional.

 

[callousnstrange]

I didn't view it as being sarcastic. I felt Anya was seriously trying to understand what was going on.
It could have very well had some sarcastic intent behind it though, given Anya and Willows bittersweet history together. But i'd like to think that it was Anya just confused and frustrated that she doesn't understand mortal deaths.

 

[A Flawed Fashion]

I don't think she was sarcastic. I think she was legitimately confused by why people were acting so strange. She hardly has any grasp on normal behavior and this moment she was confused by her own feelings and why people were acting so strangely.

 

[BananaBuffy]

I know loads of people answered this question and that my answer won't really be anything new but I skipped straight down to the answer area because this is something I have always wanted to talk about becasue of my views on it and all of that. It's something I've actually thought about before.

I think I initally for the tiniest second thought that she was being sarcastic but she's not. It's not even an 'I think she's not', it's just 'she's not'. Xander and Willow take it like she is--Xander thinks that she's attempting to insult Willow and he tries to intervene but it goes straight into Anya's monologue. She wants to understand. She doesn't know what she's supposed to be doing and wants to know what's right. In actual fact, she wants to help. If you just listen to the surface of the line, Emma sounds a tiny bit sarcastic and I do agree that the delivering was slightly confusing. But actualy really listen to the qoute for a few times and it doesn't sound sarcastic at all. Just confused and vulnerable.

Those are just my thoughts. I re-watched that episode today and so I was thrilled when you asked.

 

[zobothehobo]

I just re-watched the episode and I think it's both. I think it was supposed to be a tad bit sarcastic because she felt attacked by Willow while at the same time, it was serious because she honestly had no idea what to do. I think Emma's slightly sarcastic tone adds to the confusion of the episode. Anya has no idea what's going on, why, or what she's supposed to do. Emma's choice of tone really expresses that by being several things all at once. She sounds desperate to be told exactly what to do, sad and upset, annoyed she's being attacked, and just like she has no clue what's going on. It's like she hasn't fully accepted or realized what's happened. That's true... Anya hasn't. She's desperately trying to understand mortality but it's hard for her. I think Emma's choice of tone really reflects that.

Although, (and this is a time I kind of wish I hadn't seen that interview) I am curious to know how that sounded in one of the earlier takes. I saw a panel where Emma said that when they shot that, they did it about a thousand times and spent a good long while on it because Joss knew EXACTLY what he wanted (he wanted her to cry out of one eye at this time at this intensity etc.) and it was so specific and crazy... So Emma said when they finally got the take, she was just annoyed she had to do it again and kind of frustrated and tired of crying. Which if you think about it is quite perfect for a scene like this (not the her doing it over and over, but the being frustrated part) so I wonder if Emma's frustration at having to do it again made Anya sound more snappy and sarcastic. If so, I think it worked in her favor... but I wonder...

 

[Gotham]

I'd describe it as an innocent outburst. If you didn't know the character and not know where she's coming from, then yeah it could have been misconstrued as being sarcastic.