Personal Connections With "The Body"

[Joshua]

So I'm on my rewatch of Buffy & Angel I am now on the most upsetting episode "The Body", do you have any personal connections with this episode & "Forever"?

Every time I watch this episode I always think of my great-grandmother passing away on November 23rd 2008.

 

[Skytteflickan88]

Well, I can imagine how Dawn felt when Buffy broke down in Forever. I've never lost a loved one that didn't have four legs, but when my grandma died(whom I didn't feel close to) I saw my mom cry, and I had almost never seen her cry. I felt so helpless, because grown ups weren't suppose to cry (I was young when this happened). So I can imagine how Dawn felt seeing Buffy break down like that. She had probably seen Buffy cry before, she mentioned in season 5 that Buffy used to cry over Angel, but maybe not like that.

Otherwise, I have no personal connections. But I can imagine the grief. Specially since my dad is 70 years old with a lung desease that's killing him, making him very tired. I'm always afraid hiss snores will stop at night(I live with him sometimes) and I'll find him dead, any day. It's probably won't happen for years, but I'm afraid of it. So I don't think I'll ever re-watch the Body again. It just makes it too real.

I guess that was a personal connection...

 

[zobothehobo]

I remember when my grandmother died in 2002.

 

[WileyDairyGnome]

I do have personal experiences that reminds me of The Body. My mother is still alive, although sometimes when I was younger, it felt like she wasn't there, and my older sister and I would feel like we were alone but we had each other, and we had moments together much like at the end of Forever, and I had feelings as Buffy did at the beginning of The Body.

So although I don't have the exact same experiences, I still know how they felt and what they were going through, so The Body is really special to me.

 

[ILLYRIAN]

I was recovering at home after having major surgery to remove a brain tumor, I had to try and convince my daughter that I wasn't going to have the same after effects. Luckily though, I could point to the old fashioned medical proceedure of going into hospital overnight for a cat scan.
I drove to the clinic for mine, the cat scan itself took fifteen minutes, then I drove home.
That enabled me to tell my ten year old daughter that Joyce probably died because of a crap medical service in the USA.

She is now at University studying to be a Neuro-scientist.

 

[Buffy Lehane]

My great grandmother, who was like a mother to me, died a few days ago, and it was kinda scary how much it felt like I was in the body.

after I find out everything went hazy, I felt the color drain from my face, and I swear I walked around with the exact same expression as Buffy.

I feel a new connection with this episode that I never wished to have lol.

 

[sisterofmercy]

I don't really have any personal connection to it, when my grandmother died it wasn't really like that. Aside from the whole 'it's always a shock' thing and not really knowing what to say. It was a shock as it was sudden but once she was admitted to the hospital I pretty much knew she was going to die, so spent the day away from the family and dealt with it before it happened. Suppose I was strong like an Amazon, lol.

 

[Nix]

Yer, my mum passed 5 years ago on the 28th of this month.

 

[Vamp Jenny]

I consider myself very lucky that the only person I knew who died was my grandfather's girlfriend. She died 8 years ago and I never really saw her much (my grandfather lives 5 towns over and he used to spend every winter in Florida with her), so I never felt like her death got to me. It was just like if they'd broken up for me.

The closest(sp??) I got to losing someone is when my father tried to commit suicide 7 years ago. Our relationship was never the same after that and I think that if I lost him today, I would be sad, but nowhere as sad as if my mom died. I don't really consider myself to be his daughter anymore anyways.

I thank the universe, though, that no one close to me is sick nor dying.

 

[This Year's Girl]

I have had people die in my life, but it wasn't like the body. I can relate in some ways, but the people I've lost have been old and even though it was a chock with my grandmothers (who both died on my birthday :/), it wasn't the same thing. I can't imagine how it would be like to loose my mother, the thought pains me so much I have to stop thinking about it.

 

[AmelRIOT]

None of my parents have died or my grandparents (expect one which died when my Dad was 16) but three of my friends have died it killed me and it still does today, two were when I was about 15 (Jay and Chris) we talked all the time, shared our secerts and one of the them dated my friend (Em) anyway, I haven't seen any of them around not even online, five days had passed and Chris's sister came online and started speaking to me saying she wanted to talk on the phone but couldn't stop crying so I asked why and she told me her brother had died in a car crash I was so shocked I thought it was Chris's brother, until she said yeah I know it's so hard not seeing Chris again,....... I fell to the floor crying my eyes out, I couldn't breathe, after two hours, Em came online on webcam and said have I heard from Chris? I thought Chris's sister would of rang her but because she was so upset herself she didn't think so I told her and oh my god hearing her cry and seeing her upset made me feel worst. Three days later I saw Jay he looked horrible and ask how he was, he couldn't speak all he said was Chris was like a brother to him, he hugged me and walked off. A week had past and I had no word from him than I got a phone call from Chris's sister crying and screaming and I was like what?! what! she told Jay had hung himself with a letter saying he couldn't live without his brother (his parents were nasty so Chris was like his only family) his parents had rang their family, I couldn't believe it I vomitted, screamed, cried and ran until my best mate saw me and hugged me till I stopped crying which was hours. I had never forgot that day. Then the recent one was my next door neighbour he was the family's best friend and he had always been there for me in Jan we heard he had terrbile cancer and was in hopstial, my brother and mum vist him loads I was going to go but my mum said he didn't want me or my sister to see him like this. Anyway my mum said he looked bad but he felt better, however on feb 14th the day after my birthday I was happy I had a good birthday and party but I had this horrible feeling when the door knocked my mum answer it and started crying she walked in and told me that he had died, I burst out crying and screaming, I wanted to cut myself and run away but I knew it wasn't the answer that my friends who had past wouldn't want me to do this, still today I still cry about all of them 🙁

I can releate to Buffy the vomiting, screaming and crying, I couldn't believe it at first like Buffy did, when I told my friends and family they were all mixed emotions just like the scooby gang did, my sister couldn't understand. I was like Buffy after the funeral and everything I wanted to be alone and just stare out of space until my best friend came she was like Angel (without the romance) and just sat next to me and said she will stay with me all night.

This episode makes me cry all the time and I think the acting is amazing.

 

[white avenger]

Obviously, at my age, I've almost certainly had more experience in losing loved ones, than most of the other members here, and it's something that there is no way to totally prepare yourself for, especially the sudden, unexpected variety, but lately, when I watch, or even think about "The Body," I immediately think of a 10 year old boy in one of our Tea Kwon Do classes who woke up one morning and found his mother, who, as far as anyone knew, was in perfectly good health, dead. His parents were separated, ant there were no neighbors nearby. He was there, alone with her, until the Rescue personnel (he had had the presence of mind to call 911) could arrive, and it was several hours before any other family member could be notified and arrive. That was almost two years ago, now, and he is still in therapy.

 

[Living Dead Boy]

I've experienced quite a few deaths in my young years, but my grandmother's death really changed my life. It was back in 2002, and I felt more shocked than anything at first. I didn't vomit, or scream, or cry my guts out until days later. I just walked around in some unreal trance. I didn't know why at first, but I guess I was too young to realize the effect it really had on my life. I connected more to Buffy and Dawn's breakdown at the end of "Forever", than the entirety of "The Body", specifically because of that desperation, that sudden and horrible realization that she's really gone, and your life is forever changed. Me and my mom cried in each other's arms all night, horrified to face the next day.

 

[Goby]

Absolutely. For me it's my grandfather, and the day when exactly like Buffy's. It was the longest day of my life. 🙁

 

[VisionGirl]

Yes, my father died almost 6 years ago. I walked into his hospital room immediately after he took his last breath. I thought The Body did an excellent job of portraying the whole range of emotions.

 

[Jeff86]

This episode reminds me of when my grandmother died. I remember it so vividly. I was 10 years old when she died in April 1996. I was in school, and was picked up to go to the hospital where my grandmother was.I was able to say goodbye at least, although I don't think I fully comprehended that she was about to die. Then we went home. About an hour later the call came. I know I didn't vomit, but I do remember going outside to play catch with my dog and being completely blank from shock. I also remember taking a walk with my friend a short while later, still in shock. You know, the "how can this be happening,and how can other people be acting so normal while this is happening" shock. Then I cried, and cried, and cried for what felt like forever. That has to be the most difficult thing I've ever had to go through in my life. I think The Body did a wonderful job of capturing the feeling of losing a loved one.

 

[Grey Ghost]

Whenever I watch this particualar episode it brings back memories of whern my sister died in 2000 and my mother in 2003. I didn't see my sister's remains or attendthe funeral because of where we live and just could not get at the time.

My mother died up here iin the islands and we got to the cancer ward where passed away just minutes after she died. It was freaky and surreal seeing her and her body was still warm. It's something I never want to go through again. It's strange but this episode always reminds of then.