Loving “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” has grow to be sophisticated of late, however there is no taking away from the emotional affect of some episodes. Initially airing again in 2001, season 5 episode 16 “The Physique” stays one of the emotionally affecting 45 minutes of TV ever aired — and the one “Buffy” episode star Sarah Michelle Gellar nonetheless cannot carry herself to look at. Your complete season had hinted at Buffy’s mother, Joyce (Kristine Sutherland), probably being killed off, along with her being recognized with a mind tumor in episode 8, earlier than seemingly recovering. However when episode 16 rolled round, audiences have been in for a shock.
Joss Whedon, who wrote the episode, wasted no time hitting viewers within the intestine as Buffy arrives dwelling to search out her mom’s physique on the sofa, having suffered an aneurysm. There was no eldritch beast for Buffy and the Scoobies to deal with on this episode — other than a run-of-the-mill vampire look in the direction of the tip — simply the horror of abject grief.
And based on Whedon, the entire thing was private. Talking to Metro, he stated, “My mom died after I was 27 in a automobile crash. However I did not actually take into consideration mining [the experience] till round season 3. That is the second [Buffy] says ‘I do not know,’ she hasn’t [dealt with this] earlier than. There’s a good sort of ache created from her scenario that was significantly private.”
Exploring grief from a private place arguably resulted in one of the memorable episodes of “Buffy” ever made. However for Whedon, it goes past the present itself. He added: “I feel [‘The Body’] might be the perfect factor I’ve completed and the perfect factor I’ll ever do. And I am okay with that. , there are worse epitaphs.”