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Announcements Mar 24, 2026 at 2:06 AM

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Has Possibly The Greatest Episode On Grief In Television

Posted by Doc-11th

No glamorizing of it, just allowing the characters to experience it No overly sappy music to try to force the emotional response (no music at all) And the only action is in the final scene to show the world isnt going to stop to let you grieve.
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randomnate Mar 24, 2026 +163
I know he’s a pretty shitty dude and that his quippy, self-referential dialogue arguably led the MCU (and by extension a lot of other 2010’s blockbusters) down a rabbit hole of bathos…but when Joss Whedon was at the top of his game the dude was a genuinely great screenwriter
163
sniper91 Mar 24, 2026 +161
He made an episode where the characters couldn’t talk for most of it to prove that the show didn’t need quips to be good, and it’s one of the best episodes His talent makes me sad that he’s such a f****** chode
161
moal09 Mar 24, 2026 +52
Hush. Great, funny episode with the scariest demons in the whole show.
52
G_Liddell Mar 24, 2026 +19
Featuring an early career Doug Jones!
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Bostonterrierpug Mar 24, 2026 +11
I still chuckle when I think about Buffy pulling the steak out of her bag to explain her gesture.
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Doc-11th Mar 24, 2026 +18
And weirdly that is the episode he got the writing emmy for
18
pumpkinspruce Mar 24, 2026 +18
He was nominated, he didn’t win. The show wasn’t even nominated for a writing Emmy for The Body or Once More With Feeling.
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Frylock304 Mar 24, 2026 +9
It's sad, but I said a decade ago, once we really started reckoning with a lot of these assholes that we were likely going to enter a pretty shitty period of art, because, for whatever reason, artistic competence often goes hand in hand with being an eccentric piece of shit.
9
InimitableMe Mar 24, 2026 +7
all the people who've felt unwelcome in creative spaces because the chodes made it miserable will surprise you
7
Frylock304 Mar 24, 2026 +2
I heard that theory a decade ago too, the idea that "We don't know how much genius we have missed out on because so many assholes have forced talented people with good hearts out of the business" Heard it a ton. I really, \*really\* wish you guys were right and hopefully we see in another decade that turns out to be true, but so far this last decade of entertainment has been absolutely terrible compared to what came before, and I say that as someone who was only 18 a decade ago. Comparing stuff from before to what we have now? Just wildly higher quality in the past.
2
InimitableMe Mar 24, 2026 +6
i think that depends on what you're watching
6
Frylock304 Mar 24, 2026 -4
What have you been engaging with that has gotten better in the last decade? I would say indie comedians have the largest platform theyve ever had, but outside of that, everything else is largely worse
-4
Squidorb Mar 24, 2026 +4
It's wild that you think the quality of media is poor because some people started facing cconsequences
4
Frylock304 Mar 24, 2026 -5
Okay. If you removed every problematic artist from history, how many would we even have? I literally cannot think of a nonproblematic artist born before 1950, even asked a couple AI and it had to admit there were extremely few.
-5
handstands_anywhere Mar 24, 2026 +1
Teeeechnically there’s a great gestural quip. But overall I agree with everything you said. 
1
OkBumblebeer Mar 24, 2026 +20
This is one of those I Love the Art, I Don't Love the Artist kind of things. I'm kind of glad I watched the show in the 90s and 2000s and got to enjoy it for what it was in ignorant bliss rather than knowing about the behind the scenes troubles later on which would lessen my enjoyment.
20
Doc-11th Mar 24, 2026 +14
good reason why Buffy still holds up so well, all these years later
14
Friendlyrat Mar 24, 2026 +3
Oof. Both her discovery moment and not sure if the same episode or next when Anya doesn't understand death and gets upset hit so hard.
3
Doc-11th Mar 24, 2026 +2
Well the discovery happens at the end of one episode and is repeated at the start of the next
2
ifuckedyourmilkshake Mar 24, 2026 +2
Mom. Mom? Mommy?
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GrungeWeeb Mar 24, 2026 +4
Yeah but Xander may be one of the worst characters ever written so I guess it balances out.
4
speckhuggarn Mar 24, 2026 +3
Although I'm very over MCU at this point, I feel you can't say his quippy dialogue was the downfall, considering that it was it's success at first. It made Avengers explode, and become that cultural thing. But then, as you say... I do agree with all the other points.
3
MichaelMyersEatsDogs Mar 24, 2026 +1
The bigger MCU issue is them trying to emulate James Gunn more than Whedon. They have some strong similarities including their decades long love of Nathan Fillion
1
bend1310 Mar 24, 2026 +2
Still blows my mind the dude worked on Toy Story and was responsible for a bunch of important stuff in it.
2
MichaelMyersEatsDogs Mar 24, 2026 +2
When he was at the top of his game he also had one of the best writers rooms in tv history. I think he gets way too much individual credit for the writing on that show
2
Dohi64 Mar 24, 2026 +31
8 simple rules is a contender too.
31
MissingLink101 Mar 24, 2026 +10
Yeah that one you could just feel the cast's actual grief through the screen
10
Mirewen15 Mar 24, 2026 +1
It was the same on Newsradio after Phil Hartman was murdered.
1
BaltIndyNash Mar 24, 2026 +14
It's really great. Definitely the frontrunner in the conversation. I can think of a few others, though... The Leftovers has several, and there are many episodes of Six Feet Under that would qualify. But still mostly trying to agree with this post. Edited to change "Feed" to "Feet".
14
princess_platinum8 Mar 24, 2026 +4
Glee is known for so many tragedies but the episode The Quarterback is an absolutely superb piece on grief and sudden loss.
4
TargetApprehensive38 Mar 24, 2026 +2
They filmed that less than a month after Monteith’s death - those people are not acting and every bit of it comes through on screen.
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princess_platinum8 Mar 24, 2026 +3
I watched when it aired and lost it when Carol broke down and Rachel started crying, and I BAWLED when Will had the Jacket. Corey was my first celebrity death as an adult and it left a huge impression.
3
TargetApprehensive38 Mar 24, 2026 +1
Oh yeah it hit me hard when it aired too. He was almost exactly the same age as me, which I remember freaking me out a bit. Other celebrities whose work I was familiar with had died before, but they were always older, usually by a lot. When I rewatched the show a couple of years ago that episode still made me cry, and not a lot of media does that. It’s just so raw.
1
jdprager Mar 24, 2026 +3
Carrie C*** alone probably averages at least one scene per episode of The Leftovers that shows grief more perfectly than any other visual media. That show is unreal
3
Ekillaa22 Mar 24, 2026 +2
Is 6 feet under the shower about the pie maker who can bring people back to life but can’t touch them again or they die ?
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CorrectYesterday4480 Mar 24, 2026 +6
Pushing Daisies
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Ekillaa22 Mar 24, 2026 +1
Thank you
1
BaltIndyNash Mar 24, 2026 +3
No, hahaha. It's the dour show about a family that runs a funeral home.
3
Ekillaa22 Mar 24, 2026 +2
Pushing daisies is the show I’m thinking about. They both revolve around death that’s why I thought it was that
2
BaltIndyNash Mar 24, 2026 +1
That show was great too, though. Brian Fuller's shows are always great.
1
Jewel-jones Mar 24, 2026
No, it’s a show about a family that runs a funeral home. Extremely good.
0
amidon1130 Mar 24, 2026 +2
I just finished Station Eleven which is basically all about grief and it was awesome
2
BaltIndyNash Mar 24, 2026 +1
One of the best single-season shows I've ever seen. Excellent answer.
1
vocal-avocado Mar 24, 2026 +36
No Body is perfect.
36
iannmichael Mar 24, 2026 +6
But Thee Body is.
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netralitov Mar 24, 2026 -7
Shoehorning in a monster to slay right at the end is the only flaw.
-7
Doc-11th Mar 24, 2026 +22
Not really The world doesnt stop to let you mourn Still need to get up the next day and go to work Vampires are still going to rise
22
Jeremisio Mar 24, 2026 +17
No it’s not a flaw, it’s the real world intruding. Your world stopped but the monsters still need slaying.
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DerelictInfinity Mar 24, 2026 +11
I’ll never get over how perfectly this episode captures the haze of shock that you feel after a parent dies. The numbness, the way your body just sort of moves on its own. I first watched this episode less than two years after my mom passed away, and it hit me like a f****** nuclear bomb.
11
MentalCaramel7640 Mar 24, 2026 +3
The way that your world stops but the rest of the world moves on is just painfully accurate. I still feel shellshocked by this episode even if it's just watching it through someone else's reactions.
3
mochafiend Mar 24, 2026 +2
I’m not a Buffy watcher but I did lose my mother a few years ago and I have definitely thought about this episode (since I was a teen when it first came out and I definitely remember the discourse about it). I still don’t think I’m ready. 
2
GernBlanst3n Mar 24, 2026 +15
Def a great episode.
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wmike469 Mar 24, 2026 +8
I have seen it 7 times and I still cry every time. I actually start crying when I watch the episode before it. "I was made to love you"
8
Unforgiven89 Mar 24, 2026 +7
One of the GOAT tv episodes. One of the best depictions of grief in television history. When buffy says “They said not to move the body!” And catches herself as she realises she’s just referred to her mother as ‘the body’ is heartbreaking
7
flyingthedonut Mar 24, 2026 +18
Nothing will ever portray grief better then The Leftovers, however this was solid.
18
TripleSingleHOF Mar 24, 2026 +7
Agreed, but I don't know if I can pinpoint a certain episode that portrays grief better than the rest ...maybe "Guest"?
7
jdprager Mar 24, 2026 +1
Gun to my head, that’s the one I’d pick too. But the whole show is about grief, there’s probably an average of two moments per episode that blow anything else out of the water. Even the ones not explicitly about grief (Kevin saying the prayer at the grave in s1e9 or singing Homeward Bound in the Season 2 finally) just have such an incredibly done undercurrent of loss One of the best shows ever made imo
1
WillNeighbor Mar 24, 2026 +5
idk man. halt and catch fire after you know what. that was a good episode about grief
5
Mr_Straws Mar 24, 2026 +14
Isn’t the repost rule at least 6 weeks?
14
nigel_bongberry Mar 24, 2026 +5
I’ll never forget the way she says “mom?” As she realizes
5
mudokin Mar 24, 2026 +8
Excuse me, but have you seen Scrubs, they have many perfect episodes about grief.
8
Doc-11th Mar 24, 2026 +13
Has many great episodes on grief But also does rely on the usual tropes of special episodes to get the intended response (and nothing wrong with that) Buffy didnt rely on that stuff this episode, treated the subject with a high level of maturity and just let the emotions speak for themselves My Lunch is a great episode, top tier But The Body didnt need “hard to save a life” playing
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mudokin Mar 24, 2026 +2
That's just one of them. We had the Episode where Brandon Frasier dies, or when John Ritter died, And those were just the grief over death episodes.
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Doc-11th Mar 24, 2026 +7
What id say puts the body over the top is the lack of music and subplots The Body is 100% about the experience of losing someone you love and doesnt use music to highten the audience’s emotional response Scrubs had many great episode but those episodes still had subplots like Carla wanting to have Turk get his mole removed. Although My Fallen Idol might be the best portrayal of depression ive seen on tv
7
UHeardAboutPluto Mar 24, 2026 +3
Family Ties - A, My Name Is Alex
3
Jackbuddy78 Mar 24, 2026 +3
Why didn't she slay the brain tumor? 
3
bisploosh Mar 24, 2026 +13
I thought the tumor was removed, and this was a brain aneurysm that may have been a result of the brain surgery. Joyce went fast and likely didn't even feel it.
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jables13 Mar 24, 2026 +3
Brain tumors are zombies, not vampires. One attacks brains, the other necks.
3
Jackbuddy78 Mar 24, 2026 +1
Would it even be jumping the shark if they made the brain tumor an actual demon?  Wildly insensitive but they could have did it with the tone of the show. 
1
bisploosh Mar 24, 2026 +2
That would have undermined the whole point of the episode. The point of it was that there are some things Buffy can't fight. Somethings just happen and are natural no matter how much it sucks.
2
xavPa-64 Mar 24, 2026 +1
Chicken necks?
1
Talentagentfriend Mar 24, 2026 +1
It is one of the best things I’ve seen on television. But the best Ive probably seen is from One Piece and those who know, know. But it’s the biggest spoiler in the series.
1
ew73 Mar 24, 2026 +2
It is NOT FAIR to just open with "..mom?"
2
OMGBeckyStahp Mar 24, 2026 +1
I watched Buffy when it was airing but I don’t think I’ve ever given it a rewatch, maybe I should
1
yellowking38 Mar 24, 2026 +2
When I watched it…it really was unlike anything I’d seen before
2
ImLaunchpadMcQuack Mar 24, 2026
It can be in the #2 s*** behind *Friday Night Lights*’ [“The Son”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Son_(Friday_Night_Lights))
0
Nightgasm Mar 24, 2026 -5
The first half is near perfect. The second half not so much. The beginning with Buffy and then Giles arriving is near perfect in its devastation. Then Buffy going to tell Dawn is perfectly done if devastating. But then with the Willow / Tara scene and Xander / Anya scenes it isn't as good. The writing and acting in both scenes is subpar, especially relative to how amazing it all was til then . Then the end with the vampire in the morgue it's not good anymore as that just seemed forced and ridiculous.
-5
whiteb8917 Mar 24, 2026 +5
I dunno, the scene with Anya full of grief, but as an ex vengeance Demon whose power was granting wishes to women, wishing that Joyce did not die.
5
TheInvisibleCircus Mar 24, 2026 +5
Her continually asking why nobody can explain how Joyce was here and then she wasn’t was such a tug at the chest because she was fresh to being human and this is one of the biggest parts of life. I can watch the entire series front to back but have only ever watched this episode once. The day it aired.
5
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