Let's talk about Joyce

[PrincessBuffy16]

I'm sorry to hear that your parents split up. And yeah that probably is the reason why we have different view's on love.

 

[saturn5]

Joyce is wonderful, she's not perfect but when you look at how the Scoobs mourn her you realise how much they truly adored her and what a huge part of their lives she was.

Who didn't want it to really be Joyce appearing to Dawn and Buffy in season 7? The very sight of her lifts your heart

 

[GrrArghx]

I never cared for her. & while I think The Body is a tremendously great episode, I think it would have been that much better had it been a regular character. Someone like Tara. I mean, obviously I don't want any of them to die, but I feel like the emotion of that episode could've been raised that much higher had it been a character we had really grown attached to and loved.

 

[saturn5]

So proud of myself, was watching an old ep of Remmington Steele and spotted a young Kristine Sutherland as one of the suspects. Gorgeous then as she is now and really hasn't changed a bit: king :

 

[Kitten Poker]

I love Joyce to bits, she's a joy and I was so upset when she died. I love the way she tries to accept that Buffy is The Slayer, love the way she tries to do what's right but sometimes gets it wrong. Her scenes with Spike are always highly amusing, and I think the way she just welcomes Dawn into her home even when the veil is lifted is amazing. The impact of her death on the show is something I felt was completely natural. I have two kids and I think being on the "parent" side of the generation divide helps in the Joyce love, for sure 🙂

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

What do you think of Joyce? Do you like her? Dislike her? Was she important to the show in her own right or merely a background figure used to add a hint of reality to Buffy's life?

I disagreed with what her idea of good parenting was at times, but I understood she made mistakes and was only trying to best she could. She loved Buffy and Dawn very much. Most of all, I loved her and Spike's relations - too funny!

---------- Post added at 08:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:05 PM ----------

I never cared for her. & while I think The Body is a tremendously great episode, I think it would have been that much better had it been a regular character. Someone like Tara. I mean, obviously I don't want any of them to die, but I feel like the emotion of that episode could've been raised that much higher had it been a character we had really grown attached to and loved.

I get what you're saying, but I don't think that it was Joss' intention that for us to be devastated for the loss of her character. Because, as you say, Joyce was only in a supporting role, and we never really got attached to her. More so, I think 'The Body' was about how Joyce's death affected Buffy. We were supposed to experience the event through Buffy's eyes and as a result, feel for her. It was intended, I think, to help us further bond with Buffy.

Like, when Tara died, even if you didn't care much for Tara, almost everyone felt sorry for Willow.

 

[saturn5]

I never cared for her. & while I think The Body is a tremendously great episode, I think it would have been that much better had it been a regular character. Someone like Tara. I mean, obviously I don't want any of them to die, but I feel like the emotion of that episode could've been raised that much higher had it been a character we had really grown attached to and loved.

How could anyone not LOVE our wonderful Joyce? As for why her in The Body I think it's a question that she's the everyMom, we all lose our parents eventually and this is the natural way of things. If Buffy had lost a member of the scoobs to vamps etc it would have been a different vibe and one that most of us will never experience in our lives, like losing a fellow soldier in war. The Body is an experience that nearly all of us will undergo

 

[BuffyElevated]

I don't mind Joyce. In the beginning of the series, I hated her. I thought she seemed like the stupidest parent on the face of the Earth, but in S2 she started growing on me and by S5 I was so sad that she was killed off. I was glad Joss gave her a better send-off than, say, getting bitten by a vamp though.

 

[Professor Walsh]

Yeah, I've definitely raised a brow at her mothering skills sometimes, but goodness knows I'm far from perfect myself! As a whole, I think the clashes adds to the feeling of reality.

That's a neat topic for discussion, actually.

What do you like about Joyce's parenting style? What do you dislike?

 

[Xander's Girl]

I didn't like her much at the beginning though I did get used to her a little and I loved her after season 1 - depending on what she did/said - and when she was being the happy mother she had an amazing relationship with Buffy and with Dawn. I have to admit, when she died I did cry and it was a very sad moment.

 

[racheltng]

I love Joyce because they wrote her realistically. She gave good advice, and she gave bad advice. I love "The Talk" she had with Buffy in Passion because she learned this horrible thing, from her perspective - oops I didn't notice that my daughter's having sex with an older man - and she tried to salvage the best out the situation without driving Buffy away. I actually think she did a better job with it than a lot of parents would have, ie, it didn't degenerate into a screaming match.

She also veered to the other extreme when she threw Buffy out of the house in Becoming, Part II, but you can see from her face right after Buffy walks away that she immediately regrets it. It came from emotion, not logic. She has the "I never thought I'd be THAT parent" look on her face." It's also realistic that it takes Buffy and Joyce a long time to earn back each other's trust in S3.

 

[Wild At Heart]

Joyce is one of my favorite characters...she is just so warm & inviting. Kristine brought so much to the show & I loved her scenes with the rest of the cast, she had such good chemistry with everyone. She was such a strong woman & a great mom. Love her!!!

 

[Anya2012]

I love Joyce. She wasn't perfect, after all she was human. She made her mistakes. She was a single, working mother trying to raise her daughter(s) one who was a Slayer and the other a Key.

When she threw Buffy out, I understood her reasons for it. It was shock. What did Buffy expect? For her mother to understand straight away?

When Joyce went to Angel that time, I firmly believe it was for Buffy's best interest. That's all.

I also loved Joyce's relationship with Spike and wished they explored it a bit more.

 

[dan k]

That moment when they are talking about passions is hilarious and i agree it would have been great to see more interaction between Spike and Joyce.

 

[white avenger]

Spike summed up Joyce perfectly. "I liked the lady. She didn't put on airs." (and that came from a guy who she had bashed over the head with a fire axe and served hot chocolate. With those little marshmallows) She always spoke her mind, she never backed down, and she was never anything but honest with anyone on the show. I have no doubt whatsoever that one of the reasons that the First Evil waited so long before trying to hurt Buffy was that it wanted to make sure Joyce and her fire axe really were gone. Just remember what the wise man said.

"If mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy."

 

[Misty]

I love Joyce, always have. I actually thought she was a really good mom to Buffy and Dawn, even if she does argue with them sometimes because she does care about them alot and she accepts Buffy being the slayer.

Also, like Anya2010 said, she was reacting normal in Becoming Part 2 because I'd be pretty upset if I found out that my daughter was the slayer and had been for 2 years and later on if I found out that my youngest daughter was the Key! And as I recall Joyce didn't do anything wrong when she went to Angel's mansion in The Prom when she told him the truth about Buffy not having a future with him, even if I do really like Bangel she was right and it was her business because her daughter was dating a cursed vampire.