Most Emotionally Affecting Whedonverse Character Death

Of all the Character deaths which one(s) rocked you the most? (multiple choices OK)

  • Jenny

    Votes: 9 20.0%
  • Joyce

    Votes: 18 40.0%
  • Angel

    Votes: 11 24.4%
  • Tara

    Votes: 24 53.3%
  • Buffy (The Gift)

    Votes: 14 31.1%
  • Anya

    Votes: 6 13.3%
  • Spike

    Votes: 9 20.0%
  • Loo (the kid from Fray)

    Votes: 2 4.4%
  • Doyle

    Votes: 9 20.0%
  • Cordelia (You're Welcome)

    Votes: 5 11.1%
  • Fred

    Votes: 21 46.7%
  • Wesley

    Votes: 7 15.6%
  • Wash

    Votes: 6 13.3%
  • Other

    Votes: 1 2.2%

  • Total voters
    45

nerd4hire

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I don't think I've ever seen a thread here that considered all the character deaths in all the canon Whedonverse. Maybe It's time.
 
Ok so I voted for pretty much all of them. Tara's death was gut-wrenching for me and it has to be the main one that I remember. They were so happy one minute and then some idiot with a gun just takes it all away. The fact that noone knew about it and everyone banded together around Buffy is what makes it worse. And Dawn finding her there on the floor was just heart-breaking.

Fred has to be my second choice. I just broke down when I found out how each one of them was responcible for it in some way. She was my all time favourite character in Angel. I hated the writers for killing her... and I loved them for making me feel that hate. It was brilliantly done.

Joyce's death was painfully real and the way it was dealt with afterwards made it so scary. I was just in shock for the whole episode.

I could go on forever with this but the point is to identify the ones that were the most emotionally affecting? So I'll leave it here... 🙂
 
E
Edmund Blackadder
You're so right...plus I love the Av
See Spikes death, though interesting to watch, didn't affect me all that much because I knew by the last episode premiere in the UK that Spike was to join Angel.

Angel, well I started watching Mid Season 3 so I knew again that he would be ok.

Buffy, well it was a great death, but come on, anyone who didn't think it would have been sorted was deluded!!

Jenny
This is my 'favourite' death of the entire series. It was perfect in its execution, its pitch and the character they chose.

Joyce
I loved this because it was unexpected.
You did expect it earlier in the season but not when it happened or how she was found - plus it lead to one of the greatest episodes.

Tara
I still die a little when I see this one.
My favourite character killed with no return - and Willow was spot on.

Anya
Meh - loved her but the death was kinda poor and Xander was too blaze for me.

Doyle
This character bored me first time around until this death then I started to appreciate him.
His death was cool.

Cordelia (You're Welcome)
I actually had a tear welling.

Fred
Same as Cordelia - I'm saddened by this. I loved Fred.

Wesley
Meh - I felt this death was pointless. Why would Wesley go face a Sorcerer so ill equiped?
I did like the Illyria/Wes/Fred stuff but I didn't believe this seasoned fighter/watcher would be so stupid in the final battle.

Other
My favourite deaths not on the list are:-

Darla(Angel)
That was brilliant with the whole set up.

Judy from Are you now or have you ever been(Angel)
I really felt something at the end of that episode, another case of being almost perfect.
 
I'd say Spike, Buffy, Fred and Tara. I cried on each of them. *sniffs* I'm not mentioning Anya b/c it was too quick and I couldn't comprenehd it and react emotionally...and about Joyce - I still don't want to watch the Body, I wouldn't handle it 🙁 .
 
I'm not a big crier during TV moments, so I based my decision on moments that almost made me cry. You know. That thing you feel when there's a rush in your chest, and a swelling tingle in your nasal cavity?

That would be...

Joyce - Didn't get me the first time, but after multiple viewings it gets me every time now.

Loo - OK maybe it's a sad testament to me that the death of a little girl in a comic book can affect me, or maybe it's more an expression of the power that is Whedon. Whatever...there it is.

Fred - "Please Wesley...can't I stay?" now that's sad. But that's not the bit that gets me. The scene that really rocks and shocks my nasal cavity is the one in Shells with the song "A Place Called Home" wailing in the background.

Buffy (The Gift) - No excuses. It just gets to me...every time.

Edit:

Oh, and BotD, I forgot about Judy from Are You Now or Have You Ever Been, but... Yeah.
 
E
Edmund Blackadder
She's in just one episode but it is SO tragic and so well done - definitely a fine performance by Boreanaz in that episode
S
StuckinTraffic
I agree with all of yours, and you say it better than I ever will!
im not sure if this counts, so i didnt vote other for it or anything, but was anyone else saddened when they died in 'the wish'? i mean, buffy killed xander like he was just another vamp, oz killed willow, buffy died, and angel died saving buffy when she barely even knew him! 🙁
 
A
alexa
Yeah it's sad when wish Buffy dies. Love your sig also!
i voted for 7 people on the list...

Jenny...didn't expect it. simple as that. i knew that someone, one of what i considered to be the core cast was going to die sometime during S2, but i honestly thought it was either going to be Oz or Cordelia. at that time, they didn't really give much to the show, IMO, so i thought one of them would go. i didn't think it would be Jenny simply because i thought her character had some much more left to give. i wanted to see how she would develop. i was gutted when Angelus killed her, but it was perfectly played and wonderfully written and acted.

Joyce...it was so real. it wasn't monsters, or magic. it was just simple human weakness. it showed us that, even with all there super human abilites, these are still real people, with real lives. no one could fix Joyce and it showed me that Buffy can't do everything. she's just human like the rest of us. Anya's reaction to Joyce's death was heartbreaking and i loved it.

Tara...i remember watching this for the first time, and it didn't register. it was so quick, i was left thinking, what the hell just happened. and then Willow was calling her name, and she was on the floor and it slowly sank in. it broke my heart. i didn't think Tara would die, she was one of the characters i thought would make it to the end somehow.

Spike...i managed to, somehow, remain unspoiled for 'Chosen' so i thought that was it. i thought it was a perfect end for Spike, sacfricing himself to save the world, proving that his soul was really there and going out a hero, a Champion. of course, i wasn't exactly upset that he showed up on 'Angel' but i would have been happy with his death if he'd stayed that way.

Fred...like N4H said, Fred's death doesn't really hit me until that last scene in 'Shell's when she's driving away in the car, looking forward to a new life in L.A. it hurts to think about what happened to her after she left her parents, and part of me wants her to turn the car around and stay in Texas. the 'Please Wesley...' bit tugs at my heart strings a bit, but i always lose it when that music plays in 'Shells'

Wash...now one mentioned him!! Washg's death hit me like a punch to the gut sitting in that cinema, i never saw it coming. i didn't think Joss would ever kill off any of his Serenity crew, but i guess i should have seen it coming...it's Jos after all. Wash saved the crew by landing the ship reletivly safely, and then BAM! he's gone! Zoe's reaction, trying to get him to leave with her, and Mal pulling her away, was hard to watch, but then she bottled it all up to fight the Reavers, not thinking about her own safety, that showed me how much she loved Wash, when she couldn't care if she lived or died, as long as she got the job done.
 
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StuckinTraffic
Wash kills me EVERY time.....even tho I know it's coming....
I went for other, as I see the death of Shepherd as the one.
 
I voted for Tara although Fred was a close second. I thought Tara was the most affecting becaused it changed the life of the characters drastically. Willow obviously went through a big change and I think it was an emotional end to an extremely emotional season. I do have to say that I cried the most when Spike died though because that was one of the most emotional scenes I think personally because he died knowingly and you saw how much he changed.
 
Fred - "Please Wesley...can't I stay?" now that's sad. But that's not the bit that gets me. The scene that really rocks and shocks my nasal cavity is the one in Shells with the song "A Place Called Home" wailing in the background.

Oh, and BotD, I forgot about Judy from Are You Now or Have You Ever Been, but... Yeah.

I cried when Fred died, but much more with that 'A Place Called Home' song playing.
I also cried when Judy died, the whole episode I didn't get into too much, but that last scene gets me every time I watch it.

I also voted for Angel.. cause I know he ends up fine, but didn't know that at the time and I still cry ..or do that chest n4h thing when I watch Becoming.
Wesley, and still bitter that he died.. I don't care that it was the end, it's WESLEY!! Buffy, but I don't cry so much as get annoyed. Wash aswell 🙁 It's like watching the Titanic 'Move Wash you're going to get kaboobed!!'
 
I voted for six of them, but I think if I had to pick just one, Fred is the one that really made me go wtf. Her death scene gave me that feeling inside like you've just been running up a hill where the inside of your chest feels all tight and warm, and your stomach flutters.
 
Almost all the deaths have affected me, but the ones I was most emotional at were the deaths of Tara, Angel, Buffy and Fred.
 
I voted for Jenny, Joyce, Anya, and Fred.

Jenny was such a cool character and the way she was unceremoniously murdered, and in such ice cold fashion, just stunned me. It still gets to me every time I watch that episode. But as much as I liked her, it was a cool, dark death for the show.

Joyce...mostly because of Sarah's performance in that episode.

Anya...I don't agree with this death at all. She was an amazing character, so hilarious, so likable, and I don't feel like there was any point AT ALL to her death. My mouth fell open when she got sliced.

Fred...wow. Fred. Dear, dear, Fred. I nearly went crazy while watching her die. I take comfort in knowing in the season-that-didn't-get-made she is brought back by Willow.
 
Fred always gets me, too....when I watch that scene, I'm usually tearing up during the last few moments with Wesley....and then her eye does that weird...hardening?....thing. I lose it.

With Wash, I just....look away. I know it's coming, and I watched it happen once. I'm not watching again! I'll look away and just hear it happen, which somehow doesn't seem as bad, even tho I know it really is. I guess it's some kind of mental game I play with myself.
 
Now that i think back on it, most of the deaths were sad and upsetting except maybe 1 or 2, nah they were all sad 🙁

But the two i had to pick were Doyle and Wesley.

I had no idea Doyle was just going to die like that, i really thought he was going to last a long time it was very sad when he died 🙁

The other would have to Wesley, i was hoping throughout that episode they'd all live , lol It was so sad when Illyria turned into Fred 🙁

Plus every scene with buffy and someone dies is tragically sad, to see the look on her face, with angel, spike etc.
 
The ones I felt the most have got to be Tara and Fred. Both of them were favourite characters of mine, and both of them died to suddenly.

Having said that, The Body is my favourite episode, and I have never cried as much as the first time I saw that episode.. Joyce's death by itself wasn't as sad as Tara's or Fred's though, to me. Same goes for Buffy, I love The Gift and it's oh so sad, but I had seen season 6 and 7 and knew she'd be back etc.
 
Personally it was Cordelia's death that affected me the most. I was so angry with how it went down and how lightly it was dealt with. Cordelia was a HUGE part of the buffyverse and to me her character and death were treated as if she just played a bit part.

I agree that Jenny's death was executed (no pun intended!!) the best. That shot of her and Angelus in front of the window while he snaps her neck with a sweeping cresendo was stunning.

Angel's death is the only one that makes me tear up, the last five minutes of Becoming II are just heart breaking but I knew he was coming back so its affect is cushioned. The same goes for Spike, it didn't mean anything because I knew he was going to be in Angel.

Anya and Fred I didn't really care much either way. I liked the characters but the timing of their deaths stopped it having a bigger affect on the viewer.

Joyce and Buffy seemed to have the biggest affect on the show itself. Anya's speeech still gets me but its not the death of Joyce but the brilliance of Emma Caulfield that cause that. When I saw the show I didn't feel much of anything when Buffy died, for the same reasons as Angel and Spike but I have read some stunning fan fcition that literally broke my heart.

I know I'll get flamed for this but I really wasn't bothered by Tara's death. I liked her but she ws never one of my favourite characters. Maybe cuz I prefer Willow with Oz??
 
Well, let's see, this is tough.
I saw Angel before I saw Buffy, so Spike dying didn't do much to me at all.
Angel dying didn't do much either, because I knew he wasn't going to stay dead. Same with Buffy dying, because I knew I had another season to watch.

Joyce, that was rough. I got cold chills and hit rewind about a zillion times. Like somehow that would make the TV give me some answers from the next day's episode quicker (while watching on FX).

Doyle goes up there under Joyce. I didn't quite understand why he had to go if it wasn't a season finale. And that made me kind of sad.

Wesley, Anya, Book, and Wash...I don't like those. On the other hand, I knew it was the "end" of those and I realized people had to die.

But, Tara and Fred, those were the WORST.
Tara might be the one I felt the most. I was totally devastated. And I think I had to watch "Villians" twice because even when I knew it was coming from Seeing Red, I was so shocked by Tara's death, I kind of blocked out the rest of the episode. It was suddenly over and I had this dull remembrance
of things happening and Willow going nuts, but I couldn't have told you what actually happened.

On the other hand, I thank The Powers that Tara's was quick and to the point. Because Fred's death being so long and drawn out might be worse. Everytime I see it, I have this strange thought that maybe this time will be different. I find myself cringing when I see the sarcophagus roll in. I cringe when the dust flies out. I always want to hop in the screen and stop it all.

As an added bonus though...I DID get an EVIL kick out of Knox playing Tracey on Firefly's "The Message". When I first saw the box they got, I said to my husband that if they knew what I knew, they'd never open a mysterious sarcophagus. And then laughed like a banshee when I saw it was him.
Always good to watch the shows out of order, I guess. Because I felt like the butt-head got his due. I never could have felt that if I had seen Firefly first. I may have done well forgiving all these "bad guys" and liking them on Firefly....EXCEPT him. He had it coming. ::devil::
 
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StuckinTraffic
I do that cringeing thing when the sarcophagus rolls in. And then Fred starts poking around and I just want to yell at her to get away from it.
This is kind of a morbid thread, but hey I'm posting anyway.
I voted for Joyce, Jenny and Tara.

Joyce- it was just one of the most shocking deaths, no matter how much we had been warned of it earlier in the season, on the series.And it was so heartbreaking when Buffy found her and she was like 'Mom? Mommy?' and everything about it was so unbelievably real, it just really dealt with the harsh reality of death. And I think the way Joyce was found, not glorious or dramatic death, just slumped undignified on the sofa just really emphazied that. And the entire groups' reatcions throughout The Body and Forever is just heartbreaking. Xander desperately clinging for something put the blame on, Willow changing her clothes a lot, Anya asking 'why' and not understanding why she was dead, Buffy and Dawn breaking down together in forever- Buffy's words 'Coz when I stop it means she's really gone' really reflected what is is like when you deal with a death in the family. The funeral gives you something to focus on- and Giles listening to Tales of Brave Ulysses while just seeming to drink his sorrow away. It's all very real, very shocking....and admittedly, I still don't like watching the body. It's a bit of a trauma for me...

Jenny- Okay, anyone else when they watch 'Passion' still feel their willing Jenny to escape this time? People had been saved so many times from the Big Bad in Buffy, that I don't think any of us expected (unless you were spoiled of course) for Jenny not to end up the same way. Relieved, frightened but safe. So when Angelus finally catches up with her it's such a hold your breath moment- you wait for someone to smash through the window and save her. But no one does, and the snapping of her neck is so blunt and final I think that's the most shocking thing.And the scene Angelus lays out for Giles to find is just sickening.

Tara- As seems to be Joss' trademark, everyone was la-di-la everythings getting better happy happy joy joy and so what happens? Someone dies. There's not much to say on this death except 'ouch'. It really hurts to see one of the most fabulous and sweet characters gone in less second. and Tara's final words of 'your shirt' just make it so much worse and more heartbreaking. It's very blunt, very unceremonious and that's what makes it so shocking.
 
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